Green Technology Gift Ideas

Nov 13, 2009 Green Gift Ideas

While a lot of technology really isn’t all that green some tools can be used to make the impact less. With Christmas coming, I wanted to make some gift suggestions you could give to people who really just love their technology.

Kill-A-Watt

I rather like the concept of the Kill-A-Watt. It’s a good way to find out where you’re wasting energy around the home. There are a few versions available, depending on your needs.

The greenest way to use one of these is to pass it around to others. Find out what’s wasting electricity in your home, then share it with someone else.

Battery Charger

Anyone into lots of tech toys and gadgets probably has need of a good battery charger. While there are solar battery chargers out there, I prefer to also have one that plugs in.

At a minimum, you want one that can charge AA and AAA batteries, as these are so commonly used. But if you’re shopping for someone who has kids, you probably want one that also charges C, D and 9 volt batteries. We have a Rayovac one, and it works quite well.

eBook Reader

I have mixed feelings about these. I love paperback books and used book stores. Overall, that’s the best option, I think. Or the library. I reread books enough to prefer owning them myself.

But ebook readers are popular right now, and for some they may be the right idea. No wasted paper, and downloading electronic books is certainly more efficient on shipping. It comes down to how the disposal of the electronics goes after for whether or not this can be green.

There are a few options for ebook readers now. The best known is the Kindle, of course. There are also Sony PRS ebook readers and many others. For people who don’t tend to keep their books, these probably aren’t too bad an option.

Tags: green technology

Teens Gone Green?

Apr 16, 2009 Eco Friendly Parenting, Green Gift Ideas

My kids are quite a bit too young for this one, but there’s a book about to come out that might be a welcome gift to any green teen you know. It’s called The Green Teen: The Eco-Friendly Teen’s Guide to Saving the Planet.

Obviously, I can’t review the book; it’s not out yet. But it looks promising. The description says it will give tips on making eco-friendly decisions on a tight budget and schedule and how to get concerns recognized by decision makers.

Given that kids these days are very aware of the need to help the environment, I’m glad to see a book like this coming out.

Parents, what other titles do you recommend for teens? What about younger children?

Tags: books, environmentalism, parenting, shopping, teens

My Kids Picked a Green Gift for Daddy

Apr 14, 2009 Green Gift Ideas

I love it when my kids pick something green out to give to someone. We try so hard to avoid an excess of plastic junk, and it’s great to see it rubbing off on my kids.

Yesterday was my husband’s birthday. I took the kids shopping to figure out what they wanted to get him. They of course first looked through the toys… we’re talking about kids, after all. But they couldn’t think of anything that Daddy didn’t have already that they thought he would like.

So we went to the garden center.

The kids weren’t too certain, until they came upon the strawberry plants. That did it! They each picked one out for him.

Then we passed some grape vines. Once again, they couldn’t resist.

I just love that the strawberries are in the peat pots so that we don’t have to figure out what to do with the pots once the strawberries are planted. We have too many of those already. I know my daughter is eying them for crafts, but we do not need more.

No, we didn’t wrap them. I rarely wrap birthday gifts for grown up family members. It’s really just not that necessary. They’ll be surprised one way or another. If I must, a gift bag from our reuse stash will do the job.

Tags: Gardening, green gifts, kids, parenting

Ethical Shopping Help

Dec 18, 2008 Going Green, Green Gift Ideas

Christmas isn’t the only time we need to be thinking about ethical shopping. It’s something to work on for the entire year.

This is a topic I’ve been thinking about a lot, mostly due to the sheer consumerism of this time of year. This year is probably better than most, since so many people are cutting back and even looking at used gift items and thrift stores. It’s a nice change, but so much more can be done.

Going through the books at Amazon, I found The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make A Big Difference. By the reviews, it looks like a good book.

The book gets into choosing the right bank, buying the right groceries, alternative transportation and more. Sounds to me like the kind of guide a lot of us need to cut back on the guesswork.

I have no doubt that bits of information in it are already out of date, of course. More and more stores have been adding organic selections, for example. The current economy has put many companies out of business, and others are looking for ways to cut costs, which often comes at the sacrifice of environmental efforts. But even with that I think the information is going to be good.

One reviewer didn’t like all the small changes, but as others have noted, small changes are often what lead to big changes. This looks like a nice way to get moving on more small changes.

It’s going on my wish list. Not quite in the budget yet.

Tags: books, ethics, shopping

Practical Green Gifts

Dec 17, 2008 Green Gift Ideas

It’s almost Christmas, but there’s still time to find gifts for those you care about. My favorite kind of gift to give combines green with practicality. It’s not always an easy combination, but finding it can be great.

You have to know, of course, what will be welcome. Giving CFLs is green and practical, but not everyone is going to appreciate being given light bulbs, no matter how much money they’ll be saving.

Reusable shopping bags can work. Interest in these has been increasing as cities look at banning or having stores charge for plastic bags.

A composter can be a great gift for the gardener in your life. You can find models that will work indoors or out, depending on the space available. It’s really amazing how much food waste happens just incidentally, as well as from failing to use food up soon enough. Seeds from Seed Savers would be another good idea.

Cloth diapers can be a great help to the expectant mother… says the expectant mother. If you know the type she wants, so much the better. You could also make some cloth wipes at home and include a recipe to soak or spray them in for use on baby’s bottom.

And of course, many of the ideas I gave in my post on Green Gift Ideas to Give to the Non-Green will work just as well for the enthusiastically green.

The most important key here is to think about what is needed. So many people have much more than they need, but you can probably find something practical and green, rather than something that will sit about, unused. Give it some thought and try not to rush into something just because you need to buy SOMETHING. Think about books you can give, gifts of time and other such things. Sustainablog has a great post on holiday gifts that keep on giving.

Tags: christmas, green gifts, holidays, shopping