10 Sustainable Holiday Gift Ideas

Did you know Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday period than any other time of year? The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week. With that in mind, we've curated a short list of sustainable gift ideas for your family, friends, and even co-workers. 

1. Eco-Friendly Photo Books
Nothing melts a grandparent's heart more than pictures. This is why holiday photo books top our list of sustainable holiday gifts. You can pick from many themes from wedding photo books to birthday photo books to everyday photo books featuring your favorite memories. This is a great gift-giving present that Mother Nature will approve of. Paper Culture's photo books are made with 100% recycled paper and captures your moments beautifully. 

2. Sustainable Stationery
Snail mail is trendy again, which means personalized stationery makes for a great gift. You can give your loved one a double gift: the opportunity to write you letters and beautiful cards to boot. You can choose from monogram stationery, thank you notes, or just note cards. You'll find beautiful designs including floral stationery, minimalistic stationery, and traditional stationery. 

3. Photo Calendar
With the year coming to an end, a personalized photo calendar is the perfect hostess gift or home office gift. Share memories of your favorite places or favorite moments together. Made with 100% recycled paper, these photos gifts also come with a modern bamboo stand. 

4. An E-Reader
If you have a bookworm in the family, you understand the hassle that comes with having dozens and dozens of books in the house. They stack on top of each other and take up space. Plus, the bookworm reads them once and then is done with them. 

An E-reader is a great alternative to purchasing a book. Even the most basic device can hold up to 1,400 titles. Imagine having 1,400 books in your home, and you'll appreciate the eco-friendly nature of an e-reader. 

5. House Plant
When you give someone a house plant, you're giving them a life-giving gift. Houseplants bring life and color into a living space. Some houseplants even remove pollutants from the air. Bamboo Palm plants, for example, remove harmful elements like formaldehyde and benzene. Plus, something is gratifying about caring for a living thing and keeping it alive. The Sill is a great place to start with plants delivered to your doorstep. 

6. Face Masks
Perhaps a more serious gift, it's needed nonetheless and seems you can never have too many. You'll find an amazing selection of eco-friendly face masks with fun designs on Ashe & Rose with sizes for the entire family. 

7. Stainless Steel Water Bottle
A stainless steel water bottle stays clean from mold and mildew and encourages people to not use the single-use plastic water bottles. Plus, stainless steel water bottles keep your water cold. 

8. Bicycle
A bicycle is a great sustainable gift. You're encouraging your loved one to reduce their carbon footprint and exercise more. You're also giving your loved one an alternative form of transportation, so if they do not have a car you've just made their commute easier. 

Make sure you include accessories like a bike helmet and a bright, reflective vest to keep your loved one safe on their new ride. 

9. Sustainable Wooden Toys
Wooden toys are a unique, traditional toy that will last for generations. Plantoys uses natural rubber wood from rubber trees that no longer produce latex.  Kids can use their imaginations more with wooden toys. Even better are raw wooden toys that kids can decorate themselves. They can use their art supplies like markers, crayons, paints, and stickers to make their wooden toys their own. 

10. Interactive Games
Give the gift of learning, engagement, and fun all in one with Paper Culture's sustainable Memory Game. Personalize with your favorite memories and let the matching game fun begin!

There are so many other fun gift ideas that are good for the planet from beauty products to clothing. Here are just a few of our favorite ideas.