DIY Green Gift Ideas: Thoughtful Gifts that Help the Environment

Show your concern for the environment by making a do-it-yourself green gift. Here are five DIY green gift ideas.

Create a recycled planner: If the person on your green gift list likes to stay organized, make him or her a planner out of recycled materials. For this project take a few items that you might have otherwise thrown away, to make this recycled planner. The items needed for this green gift idea are scrap paper for the pages, an old cardboard box or board for the cover and yarn for the binding. You'll also need scissors and a ruler. Use the blank side of the paper to print off calendars of each month. Then cut everything down to size including the cover. Bind the cover to the pages and you've made a recycled planner.

Make a bird house gift: With this green gift idea, you'll bring nature to your friend's home by making him or her a bird house made of an old milk carton. From my experience this gift works particularly well in the spring. Wash out the milk carton and cut a circular or square opening on each side of the carton. This will give the birds room to move about and snack on whatever treats you provide. Encourage your friend to make use of stale bread or stale crackers for the feeder instead of throwing them away. Paint the birdhouse in bright colors and top with a roof made of popsicle sticks.

Design eco-friendly bookends: If you have a book lover in your circle of friends and family, make a bookend or two with this green gift idea. Take an old cardboard box in similar size to the average book size. Wrap the box in white paper. Draw on the spine the names of popular book titles creating what looks to be a set of books. Color in the spine of the books accordingly. I made one of these bookends years ago and it's still one of my favorite items.

Send a message in a bottle gift: For very close friends and family, write a letter and place it in a glass bottle that you may have around the house. Clean the bottle first and remove any of the labeling material by soaking it in hot soapy water. Paint the glass bottle in a theme fit for the recipient. Then slip in your handwritten message and close off the bottle. It will be up to you when you ask the recipient to read the letter.

Recycle greeting cards: This is a simple green gift project that involves taking old holiday and birthday gift cards and bringing new life to them. Start my cutting off the half of the card with the greeting and signature leaving the front of the card. You can then attach a new second half of the card with a sturdy paper or write your greeting on the back of the card in postcard style.