Planet-Friendly Gifts: Easy and Affordable Ways to Green Your Gifts

"Green Living" is all about how to make the planet a healthier place for its many inhabitants. Greening your gifts, therefore, is about giving presents that are eco-friendly. When you green your gift, you essentially give two gifts--one for a person, and one for the planet. Here are a few ideas for easy-on-the-earth presents.

GREEN GIFTS THAT GROW

If they have a garden, load them up with gardening supplies, such as organic seeds, fruit trees, flowers and tomato plants. Or give them a subscription to Organic Gardening Magazine to help them make the switch to healthier methods of gardening.

CONSUMABLE GREEN GIFTS

Find a nice basket and fill it with organic teas, fair trade coffee, fresh or dried fruits, nuts and other edibles. Just make sure to give them consumables they like, and you can be sure your green gift won't go to waste!

GIFTS THAT SAVE RESOURCES

Rechargeable batteries and rechargers are great for friends who have children. So many of today's toys are battery powered, so it's greener (and cheaper!) to use the rechargeable ones. They even make solar chargers for IPods and PDAs too.

Reusable canvas grocery bags come in all sorts of attractive styles, and are so much better for the planet than carting home endless plastic or paper bags. Freeplay flashlights and radios are powered by cranking the handles. They always work--no batteries needed! As an educational (and fun) bonus, the transparent housing lets you see how the mechanism works.

Give practical minded folks on a tight budget a year's supply of energy-saving fluorescent bulbs or a thermostat control that automatically adjusts temperatures at night. If you're good with crafts, green your gift by knitting them a scarf or sweater, or make a one-of-a-kind stepping stone or sculpture for their garden.

Avoid material consumption altogether and give them the ultimate green gift--your services. Babysitting, housecleaning, snow shoveling, leaf raking, dog walking, gardening and home decorating are all services that most people will welcome with open arms.

NATURE GIFTS

Giving someone a National Park Pass will encourage them to get outdoors and enjoy nature in a lovely setting. If they have a nice backyard, a great green gift would be a birdfeeder and some treats that will invite feathered friends to dine.

It's really not that difficult to come up with earth-friendly gift ideas. And don't forget to green your gift wrap, too. Your wrapping might be part of the green gift itself, such as a scarf. Or it could be a reusable gift bag, or simply the colorful Sunday comics instead of gift wrap.

Be creative--green your gifts, and do something good for the planet while you're at it!