As the holidays are nearing I wanted to put together a sustainable gift guide. I got requests on Instagram for DIY and non-material gift ideas and small and/or BIPOC-owned businesses to support this holiday season. Small businesses appreciate your purchases more than ever, so consider shopping small this holiday season.
As always, shop consciously during the holidays. Buy and give with intention.
Other posts you may be interested in:
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DIY Gift IDEAS
FREE
- A custom playlist. Make a custom cover for the playlist too!
- Plant cuttings. Put the cuttings in a thrifted or upcycled glass vase or get creative and DIY a planter yourself.
LOW COST
- A split tee shirt – see how I made mine here. This is a great gift for friends who go to different colleges or live in different states!
- An illustration of a photo – you can do this yourself on Photoshop or there are tons of artists who offer online illustrations on Etsy! Bonus points for a DIY or thrifted frame to go along with the illustration.
- Baked goods
- Framed something special – frame a puzzle, jersey, band tee, or post cards from a special event. Get a thrifted frame or repaint something you already have!
Experiences & Donations
Gift Of time (free)
- An act of service, like delivering food from a farmer’s market, mending an item of clothing, helping someone sell items they no longer want on Facebook marketplace etc.
- Offer to babysit, dogsit, or housesit.
DONATION (ANY AMOUNT)
- A Patreon sponsorship for their favorite educator, podcaster, or artist (my favorites who accept donations on Patreon include sustainable fashion educator Aja Barber and The Yikes podcast)
- A donation to an organization in their name
- Membership to a carbon offset organization
Home Goods
Low Cost
- Lit Soul Candles – Black woman owned, give back – Coconut wax meditation candles in upcycled cans from food donations. Each candle has a High Vibration Crystal at the bottom.
- Loose leaf coffee or tea – bonus points if you get some from a local shop or farmer’s market!
- Framed something special – frame a puzzle, jersey, band tee, or post cards from a special event. Get a thrifted frame or repaint something you already have!
Investment Pieces
Sustainable Technology
Investment Pieces
- Click & Grow – Self-watering smart gardens that can fit on countertops.
- Group Hug Solar – WOC owned – Individual window solar panel with USB charging port.
- Lettuce Grow – Indoor/outdoor smart garden (fun fact: Lettuce Grow was co-founded by Zooey Deschanel)
- Lomi Home Composter – Lomi is a countertop composter that can dehydrate food scraps and even turn bio-plastics into healthy soil.
- Tushy Bidet – Gift it to someone you love or your own bum 🙂
Sustainable Clothing Gift Ideas
AFFORDABLE
- CHNGE – Sustainably and ethically made activist tees. A portion from every purchase is donated to a variety of social justice and sustainability causes.
- Girlfriend Collective – Activewear, loungewear, and accessories made from recycled plastic bottles and recovered fishing nets. Lots of options for different price points and size inclusive (XXS-6X).
Investment
- Psychic Outlaw – Custom quilt jackets, bandana dresses, and patchwork garments. You can even send in your own quilts and bandanas to have a garment made for you!
Sustainable Beauty, Skincare, & Wellness Gift Ideas
AFFORDABLE
- Blk + Grn – Black woman owned – An all-natural marketplace with products from black artisans. Toxin-free, plant-based, and cruelty-free bath + body, home, hair, and menstrual care products.
- Cocokind Skincare – WOC owned – Clean, affordable, cruelty-free, sustainable skincare and beauty products.
- Orosa Nail Polish – WOC owned – “14-free”, Vegan, Cruelty-Free nail polish free from 14 harmful ingredients.
- Ruth Polish – woman owned – Vegan “10-Free” nail polish free from ten harmful ingredients.
- Golde – Black woman owned – Superfood-boosted natural face masks, matcha, and latte powders.
INVESTMENT
- Kate McLeod – woman owned – Solid moisturizer Body Stones that come in refillable bamboo containers. I got this for Christmas last year and it was one of my favorite and most used gifts!!
conscious jewelry & Accessories
AFFORDABLE
- Ocean Plastics – woman owned – Jewelry made with microplastics recovered from beaches in Florida. You can also send in microplastics you have collected and receive a piece of jewelry with those microplastics in return!
- Crap Eyewear – Funky sunglasses made with bioacetate. I have the Supa Phreek style and LOVE THEM.
- Rareform Bags – Rareform epicycles billboard vinyl into one of a kind accessories. There are fanny packs, tote bags, and overnight duffel bags so you can find something for any budget and for anyone on your list.
- Baggu Bags – These reusable bags pack into teeny tiny pouches and come in the CUTEST patterns. They also have hats, accessories, home goods, and other types of bags.
INVESTMENT
- APSE (All Peoples’ Shackles Exchanged) – Handcrafted jewelry. 10% of every purchase is given back to organizations that support victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse.
- Hyer Goods – High quality leather goods made from leftover leather scraps. Handbags, wallets, belts, etc. The bag pictured above is a bucket bag from Hyer Goods!