Keeping with Laura’s great first post, I thought I would pass along this little list found here. Not sure I agree with them all, but love the statement at the end.
Top Ten Reasons to Give Green Gifts this Holiday Season
10. If the gift recipient throws it away, at least it’s biodegradable.
9. You can replace not knowing the chemistry of parabens, with your not knowing the chemistry of rainforest botanicals.
8. Before green gifts, indigenous tribes of pygmies with access to scarce jungle herbs never owned Hollywood mansions and drove Porsches.
7. Giving green gifts helps compensate for carbon-spendy office Christmas parties: According to research carried out by Canon in 2006, over six million PCs will be left on over Christmas, consuming nearly forty million kilowatt hours of electricity.
6. Since refusal to play “gifting” is regarded as social deviancy, green gifting is payback, forcing gift recipients to “face the eco-music” with you.
5. Compensating for your bad carbon karma in the past, you can trade some good karma offsets today,
4. Because bling is hipper’ n’ nice if its no-conflict ice.
3. Because some of your girlfriends would really look fab in the skin-tight animal outfits seen on the PETA eco-activists.
2. Because friends don’t give friends icky chemicals.
1. And the Number One reason to give green gifts: If the nature of a gift reflects what you think of a friend, then a green gift
means you think they are non-toxic, authentic and socially responsible. Reverse these qualities for non-green gifts.
In the end, every gift we buy comes with an environmental price tag: CO2 made from the gift’s manufacturing and shipping. So the best gift to the planet is in fact giving no gifts at all. If you must consume this holiday season, consume thoughtfully.