Best Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas for Your Boyfriend

Looking for some eco-friendly gift ideas to give your boyfriend this holiday season or other special occasion? Here's a detailed guide to finding the perfect gift that suits every style of the environmentally conscious guy in your life.

Eco-Friendly Gift Idea for your Boyfriend #1: Business Accessories

Whether your boyfriend is an entrepreneur or quickly climbing the corporate ladder, these eco-friendly gifts will help him display a sense of social awareness without sacrificing professionalism.

Eco-Artware.com has a selection of sleek and stylish business card holders, key chains, money clips, tie tacks, and travel cases made from recycled materials such as computer parts and fire hoses. These clever designs will allow your boyfriend to express his appreciation for creativity yet remains business appropriate with clients and colleagues alike. Each gift in their selection of men's accessories is $70 or less.

If your boyfriend has decided to "brown-bag" his lunch to save money, help him save the environment too by giving him an aluminum water bottle and reusable lunch pack made from recycled materials. Pottery Barn sells professional looking aluminum water bottles and lunch bags with different design options, and each product is $30 or less. Lands End also carries an eco-friendly reusable lunch pack and drink holder for $29.50. The lunch packs at both retailers can be personalized for an additional charge.

A particularly clever product can also be found at Restoration Hardware, with their porcelain "I Am Not A Paper Cup" product. Designed to look like the paper cups you get at coffee shops, the porcelain mug has a silicone lid and can be used for both hot and cold liquids. "I Am Not A Paper Cup" retails for $20 each and is microwave and dishwasher safe.

Eco-Friendly Gift Idea for your Boyfriend #2: Outdoor Enthusiasm

Fortunately, there are lots of eco-friendly gifts on the market if your boyfriend is an avid outdoor adventurer. In addition to the water bottles and lunch packs listed above, you can find everything from organic trail mix to eco-friendly spill-proof gas cans to athletic shoes specifically designed to decrease the carbon footprint.

Eco-friendly outdoor products encompass a wide variety of activities and budgets. Three major retailers that carry a wide selection of eco-friendly outdoor gifts are REI, Sports Chalet, and Bass Pro Shops. REI even has an entire section of their website devoted to eco-friendly gear and clothing.

Eco-Friendly Gift Idea for your Boyfriend #3: Tech Solutions

Say your boyfriend is a tech geek but still recycles faithfully. No worries, there are still eco-friendly gifts that you can give your guy this season. Amazon.com carries a wide range of electronic products that carry the Energy Star Efficiency rating. What this means is every product that carries the Energy Star logo helps to "fight global warming by meeting strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--all without sacrificing quality or performance."

Dell also carries eco-friendly products. In addition, the company strives to lesson their impact to the environment by minimizing packaging and trying to use more sustainable materials. They also offer a free recycling program where they will pick up and recycle old PCs and monitors upon purchase of a new system.

Eco-Friendly Gift Idea for your Boyfriend #4: Pamper Treatments

Most guys may not admit it, but even they like to be pampered every now and then. If your boyfriend always tries to look and feel his best, try one of these eco-friendly gift ideas:

Burt's Bees has a good selection of eco-friendly skincare and men's grooming products. The company is well known for using earth friendly materials and their products can be found on their website or in various retail and drug stores such as Target and Walgreen's.

Convince your boyfriend that luxurious fluffy towels and linens feel better against his skin by buying him organic cotton bath and bed linens. Pottery Barn, West Elm, and The Company Store carry a wide selection of organic cotton products. Although the price is slightly higher than similar non-eco-friendly linens on the market, they should last longer because of the quality and materials used during production.

Eco-Friendly Gift Idea for your Boyfriend #5: Kitchen Savvy

If you're the lucky one whose boyfriend spends a lot of time in the kitchen, try giving him a product that will help him stay green while he's cutting, well, greens. Some eco-friendly products to look at are Williams-Sonoma's compost pails and recycling centers, as well as Restoration Hardware's Herb Seed Kit to help him grown an organic herb garden.

For traditional kitchen gadgets and cookware, both Target and Bed Bath & Beyond have eco-friendly pots, pans, cutting boards, and spatulas. You can even make a gift basket from these products by arranging the kitchen gadgets in a mixing bowl, shrink wrapping it, and tying it with a fancy festive bow.

Eco-Friendly Gift Idea for your Boyfriend #6: Social Activism

Your boyfriend supports a lot of worthy causes, and you can honor that by giving him one of these eco-friendly gifts.

Make a donation to your boyfriend's favorite charity in his honor. He will be touched that you remembered the cause he is passionate in supporting. If you can't afford to make a donation, call up the charity and see if you can volunteer some time with fundraising, etc. Slip a note into his Christmas or holiday card to tell him what you're doing. Or better yet, go with him the next time he volunteers his time there.

You can also buy your boyfriend's eco-friendly gift from a non-profit thrift store like Goodwill. Make sure the item is clean, gently used, etc. By buying used, you are in essence buying a recycled gift that would otherwise have gone into a landfill. At the same time, you are supporting a worthwhile organization.

If you are worried that buying used will make you look "cheap", attach a note to explain your thought process. For example, "Because I know how important the environment is to you, I purchased this gift at Goodwill to save yet another unnecessary item from being dumped in a landfill. I also know that you support Goodwill because of their efforts to provide job training and services to individuals in need, and I wanted to honor your commitment with this gift."

(However, if you are buying your gift at Goodwill because you are, in fact, cheap, I can't help you there. Make sure you are sincere in your gift giving and remember that it's the thought that counts.)

Eco-Friendly Gift Idea for your Boyfriend #7: The Green Date

One of the best eco-friendly gift ideas is to plan an entire date that doesn't involve the purchase of an object at all. It is also one of the most inexpensive gifts and will provide an experience for both of you to remember.

Planning an eco-friendly date can be surprisingly easy. Treat your boyfriend to a massage, horseback ride, hike through the mountains, or a picnic in the park. If at all possible, walk, bike, or ride a horse to your destination.

Try to visit establishments that support green practices. For example, if you are treating your boyfriend to a couples' massage, call the spa beforehand and ask them if they use organic towels and energy efficient washing machines to clean their linens. Bring organic food or snacks along to your hike or picnic. And for the long, romantic walk home, carry a solar powered or LED flashlight to save energy.

Eco-Friendly Gift Idea for your Boyfriend: Final Thoughts

There are many choices on the market these days for eco-friendly gifts to give your boyfriend. It seems everyone is going green these days, with businesses continually clamoring to show their commitment to preserving the environment. In fact, if you still can't find what you're looking for from the ideas listed above, visit any retailers' website and enter the words "eco-friendly" or "earth friendly" into the search box. Chances are you will get at least one or two products you can purchase for your environmentally conscious boyfriend.

Happy green shopping, everyone!

Sources:

Eco-Artware.com
PotteryBarn.com
LandsEnd.com
RestorationHardware.com
REI.com
SportsChalet.com
BassProShops.com
Amazon.com
Dell.com
BurtsBees.com
WestElm.com
TheCompanyStore.com
Target.com
BedBathandBeyond.com
Goodwill.org