Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Here are some of my favorite ideas that your family can do for green Mother's Day gifts:
1. Give mom locally grown flowers: Most cut flowers are grown abroad (typically in South America) and therefore require more energy, for both transportation and refrigeration. Local flowers mean a shorter distance between producer and consumer and less greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere. Plus, the flowers will be fresher and last longer. Seek out a florist in your area that sells locally grown flowers or try the farmer’s market for a local selection. And better yet, buy organic ones!
2. Plant a tree or garden with mom: Planting seeds, flowers, veggies or trees is a fun activity to do with mom on Mother’s day. Your plants will continue to grow over the next several months (or years if it’s a tree) and every time mom looks at them she’ll be reminded of her special day.
3. Get mom some organic chocolate: Check out your local natural foods store for a selection of organic and fair trade chocolate. Mom will love it and everyone will feel good about supporting sustainable chocolate. For something a little fancier than a chocolate bar, check out organic chocolate gift boxes like those sold by Sweet Earth Chocolates.
4. Find a unique eco-friendly gift online: There are lots of websites, like World of Good, that sell eco-friendly products. You never know what you might find!
5. Recycled Jewelry: The jewelry industry really takes a toll on the environment. Mining metals requires a massive amount of water and it creates a lot of waste. Try finding mom jewelry made from green materials such as glass, shells or recycled metals or even pre-owned jewelry. If you want to give mom diamonds, choose conflict free diamonds which are guaranteed not to be obtained through the use of human rights abuses, child labor, or violence. Try finding a socially responsible jeweler in your community.
6. Natural Cosmetics: Find mom cosmetics made from all natural and organic ingredients. Conventional cosmetics contain an array of chemicals that end up in your body or being flushed down the drain and later pollute the environment. Look for ingredients based on plant materials, like olive oil. You can usually find all sorts of natural cosmetics at a natural food store, like Whole Foods.
7. Make a charitable donation in Mom’s name: Donate money to an environmental or human rights organization (or other organization of your choice)! Or volunteer your time at an organization for a day!
8. Make mom art: Dig through your recycling and create an art project for mom made out of recycled materials. You could make a collage out of old magazines, paint a frame out of cardboard…be creative!
With these green gifts you’ll be able to honor Mom and Mother Nature!
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