Green Gifts For The Holidays

Reusable “Gift” Bags
This is one of my favorite ways to introduce others to sustainability. I load up an attractive reusable bag with a reusable stainless steel bottle, organic goodies, beauty products, etc. and gift it to them. A quick trip to Whole Foods will provide you with some wonderful idea. Also, check out reusablebags.com for bags, bottles, etc.

Georgia Organics Membership
Includes a quarterly newsletter, discounts at events, and access to a community of like-minded people.
Georgia Organics
Gift Membership Form (pdf)

Open-Pollinated Seeds
A gift that keeps on giving year after year since, unlike hybrid varieties, open-pollinated seed retain their parent characteristics and can be saved for future plantings.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Seed Savers Exchange

La Chamba Black Clay Cookware from Bolivia
This collection of cookware/bakeware is hand-crafted from Columbian black clay. They are oven, stovetop, and microwave safe.
La Vida Verde
Gaiam

Adopt an Olive Tree in Italy
You may live in a northern climate that offers no hope of seeing a living olive tree in nature. But adopt an olive tree through Nudo, and you'll get an adoption certificate, a booklet about the tree, a spring delivery of at least 1.5L of extra virgin olive oil, and an autumn delivery of three different tins of flavored oil. You can choose to adopt the tree from one of seven different groves, each with different varietals and different flavors, and should you escape your northern climate, you're even invited to visit your tree. It may not be cheaper than the store brand evoo you've been stocking recently, but the difference in taste will be worth it. (Nudo, about $83)

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Membership
Community Supported Agriculture programs are win-win: they help farmers by provided much-needed cash at the beginning of the growing season, even before seeds are planted (and long before crops are ready for the market), and benefit members with weekly deliveries of fresh, local, and often organic produce throughout the growing season. The farmers stay in business, dinner tastes better than ever, and you're no longer spending hard-earned cash on watery, out-of-season fruits and vegetables. (Georgia Organics Local Food Guide (pdf), about $500 for 20 weeks)

Eglu Urban Chicken Coop
Folks across urban North America are discovering the joys of fresh eggs, collected just steps from their kitchen and served up scrambled, fried, or Benedict just minutes later. And while it may be more economical to build a custom run, the Eglu from Omlet makes it easy to get started—and looks really cool. (Please check local bylaws, and, as with all live gifts, make sure the recipient is responsible enough to keep their little feathered friends clucking.) (Omlet, $515 with chickens)

Some gift ideas from treehugger