With Christmas coming up, many of us are starting to think about shopping for gifts. Why not buy eco friendly gift this year? Even if you only buy a handful of gifts that are friendly for the environment, it is better than not buying any eco gifts at all.

In fact, if we all committed to getting just one green gift for just one person, it can make more of an impact than we think. I thought I’d list some of my favorite gift ideas to get you started.

1. Reusable Shopping Totes

eco friendly shopping bags are most certainly eco friendly. I not only use them at the school but these have also been my beach bag, overnight bag, and purse on more than one occasion. An excellent gift for anyone on your list!

2. Organic Food Baskets

Encourage healthy eating by giving someone an organic food basket. You can either make the basket yourself or hire it. Stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes have some nice selections around the holidays, for example.

3. Eco Friendly Beauty Products

These make nice gifts. Everyone could use beauty products and things like body lotions and scrubs are universal. You can either buy a gift set, like this Waleda Body Oil Gift Set gift pack.

4. Green Toys for Kids

Don’t forget the kids! There are plenty of eco friendly toys on the market that can offer some alternatives to the standard toys.

This is just a small sampling of all the options. Use your imagination and don’t rule out making your own gifts using green craft supplies! That is also an option. For example, you can make your own body oils (mix an organic oil with drops of essential oil and package it in a pretty container). Being eco friendly doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive.