ZERO WASTE GIFT GUIDE

Sorry I've been away for awhile, but I'm excited to be back!  Since my last post, my maternity leave ended and I've been overwhelmed trying to find a balance between work and home as a new mom.

Flash forward to the holiday season... the season of giving.  I love the idea of gifting because as my dad always taught us growing up: "Gifting benefits two people - the recipient and you.  The recipient for obvious reasons because who doesn't love a nice surprise?  And you because you just made someone's day."  Spreading happiness can be infectious.  My favorite part of gift giving is seeing the reaction of someone's face lights up when you've given them the perfect gift.

One downside to this time of the year is the environmental impact, increasing up to 25% of wasteful packaging.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, that's 1 million tons a week of food waste, packaging, ribbons, bows, wrapping paper, shopping bags & holiday decorations added to our landfills between Thanksgiving and New Year's.  We can individually make a difference by choosing what we decide to gift and how it is packaged.  

Gifting can be trash-free and stress-free.  Here are a few ideas:

::  THE JET SETTER  ::

Homemade sleep mask 

Homemade relaxing facial mist or hand cream

Reusable water bottle 

Reusable toiletry bags or packing cubes 

Experiences for her upcoming trip (i.e. museum pass, massage, ziplining, new restaurant)

Memberships (Clear Me airport security fast pass; Priority Pass airport lounges)

Gift cards (i.e. AirBNB/hotel accommodations; Uber transportation)

::  THE HOSTESS  ::

Bulk candy, snacks, granola or cookie ingredient mix in a reusable jar

Herb plant in a reusable pot

Homemade baked goods

Freshly picked flowers 

Cloth napkins

Le Parfait or Weck jars

Secondhand cookbook

Memberships (i.e. co-op, CSA farm produce box home delivery program)

Experiences (i.e. Movie or concert tickets, cooking/ sewing/ photography class)

::  THE BEAUTY FANATIC  ::

Homemade or bulk soaps, lotions or sugar scrubs 

Bulk clays for face masks

Reusable cotton rounds

Homemade perfume

Plastic-free or chemical-free cosmetics 

Bamboo makeup brushes

Natural body sponge

Shave kit with stainless steel razor, brush & soap

::  THE NEW PARENTS/ KIDS  ::

Reusable shopping bags

Wooden toys

Secondhand purse, large enough to serve as a dual purpose diaper bag (like this new version)

Gift card for e-books or audiobook    

Memberships (i.e. Costco, Classpass, Netflix, museum, zoo, theme parks, library)

Experiences (i.e. Fitness class, art class, at-home massage, food deliveries, theater, comedy show, babysitter, maid service)