>Eco gifts. Love ’em or hate ’em (and how could anyone truly hate a gift that helps keep our planet healthy?), they’re here to stay. Last year I gave reusable shopping bags, some simple, some fancy. This year, I’m still looking for the perfect inexpensive eco-gift for my extended family and friends.
Mother Nature Network has an unusual set of gift suggestions in their Quirky Gift Guide. I seriously like these bootie slippers, but they’re a little pricey for my gift budget. My favorite, however, is this wallet. If Amigo needed a new wallet, this cute bifold made from ties and suits would be perfect.
I’ve been thinking of giving anti-static dryer balls as a stocking stuffer. They’re inexpensive, long-lasting, useful, creative – all in all, a good gift for the family members who don’t need Random Stuff in their Stockings. But wait: look at this wasteful packaging! Much bigger than the product itself, plastic galore, impossible to open without scissors, yada yada yada. In other words, how could such a good product come in such a terrible package?!
I contemplated returning it. Really. In the balance, is it worthwhile? Thinking long term, these simple anti-static balls will keep a year’s worth of fabric softener chemicals out of the water supply, save $$ by removing the product from grocery lists, and help take good care of clothing in the process. That’s my dilemma: does the good outweigh the bad?
Readers, what do you think? How do you balance the eco-good with the eco-bad? The green with the greenwashing? The green and frugal product in the plastic package?