2019 Zero Waste Holiday Gift Guide
When we consider the fact that collectively we produce an extra 25 million tons more waste during Holiday Seasons, participating in the cherished tradition of giving and receiving gifts with your loved ones seems counter-intuitive to a zero waste lifestyle and can feel like quite the Christmas conundrum. But you can still live by the important sustainable precepts of the 10 Green Commandments without having to feel like a Christmas Grinch. Our zero waste Holiday Gift Guide features some of our most popular sustainable products that will be perfect for all the most important people in your life. This year spread Christmas cheer with these thoughtful gift ideas, while introducing your friends and family to zero waste movement and all of the environmental, financial, and health benefits of going GREEN!
To: The Makeup-Loving Minimalist
From: Marley’s Monsters Facial Rounds
Eco-conscious estheticians around the world swoon over Marley’s Monsters 100% organic cotton Facial Rounds, the safe & sustainable alternative to disposable “cotton” balls that are usually made of synthetic plastic fibers, despite its name. A single pack of Facial Rounds can potentially replace thousands of cotton balls continuously for years which keep them from accumulating in our toxic and unsightly landfills. And unlike the single-use cotton balls, just one Marley’s Monsters Facial Round can perform the work of more than 10 cotton balls, and can be used, rinsed, and reused dozens of times before ever needing to be thrown in the washing machine, along with your dirty laundry, to be used countlessly over and over again.
SHOP MARLEYS MONSTERS
To: Whoever’s Smile Brightens Your Day
From: Brush with Bamboo Toothbrush
This Noel give the gift of a healthy smile for a healthy planet with Brush with Bamboo, the world’s first and only organic plant-based toothbrush, made sustainably from bio-based castor bean oil bristles and a totally compostable certified 100% organic bamboo handle. With 1 billion plastic toothbrushes tossed in the trash each year, it’s no wonder it is one of our most popular items. The subtle ergonomic curves, a throwback to its familiarly classic design, and the naturally elegant wood-grained handle makes this organic toothbrush Christmas eye candy for the minimalist at heart. A gift certain to look great in any bathroom or mouth, with Brush with Bamboo, we can now save the world one smile at a time!
SHOP BRUSH WITH BAMBOOTo: Aunt Flo
From: Glad Rags Menstrual Pads
When it starts to get a little heavy with Christmas red this holiday season, balance it out by going green. By ditching conventional plastic disposables and switching to Glad Rags reusable menstrual pads, one woman can eliminate 11,000 tampons worth of money and waste created in her lifetime, all of which can take centuries to biodegrade. Based on all the raving customer reviews we get for this product, it’s quite clear to us that Glad Rags all-cotton pads are far superior in comfort and absorption than their synthetic, single-use counterparts…PERIOD! Sure, feminine hygiene products may not seem like the most orthodox stocking stuffer, but if you can get past the initial look of confusion on Christmas morning, we are certain that within a month you’ll receive a genuine “thank you” for such a wonderful gift.
SHOP GLAD RAGS
To: Loved Ones Whose Luscious Locks You’d Kill For
From: Kooshoo Hair Ties
Anyone with long hair and a face for said hair to annoyingly blow into is all too familiar with the mystery of the vanishing hair tie. But the truth is that cheap conventional plastic ties, as tiny as they are, collectively make long-lasting negative impacts on the environment long after they “vanish” from our wrists by polluting our eco-systems, contaminating the food chain, while taking centuries to biodegrade. Thank goodness for Kooshoo plastic-free hair ties, the world’s first and only organic cotton alternative! Your long-haired loved ones will appreciate the creaseless, ouch-free elastic feature of this stylish and thoughtful present. Kooshoo high-quality hair ties last long, biodegrade quickly, and are definitely one of our favorite sustainable swap gift ideas this year.
SHOP KOOSHOOTo: The Cleanly Friend & The Clumsy One
From: Ten & Co. Sponge Cloth
Each day, over 50,000 trees are cut down to replace the amount of paper towels we use and discard. If you have a friend that is obsessively cleanly or awkwardly clumsy, then you can agree they account for more than their average share. This Christmas, introduce them to Ten & Co.’s forest-saving Sponge Cloths for streak-free cleaning on all kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Made from a wood pulp-cotton composition material that can absorb as much as 15x its own weight in liquid, a single reusable sponge cloths can last up to 200 wash cycles and replace up to 17 rolls of paper towels! Whether your beloved clumsy friend and cleanly would probably not make great roommates, both are sure to find an equally perfect companion in the Ten & Co. sponge cloth.
SHOP TEN & CO.
To: The Powder Room Penny-Pincher
From: Tushy Bidet Attachment
Every time you look at your beautifully decorated Christmas tree this season, let that be a reminder that roughly 27,000 trees worth of toilet paper is flushed down the toilet or introduced into landfills every single day. Spraying a little bit of water on your bum every time you go number 2 can dramatically cut down on the amount of toilet paper you use, in which each roll takes about 37 gallons to make. With the Tushy bidet toilet attachment, you can help your friends and family save trees, water, and MONEY!!
SHOP TUSHYTo: The Dapper Dons in Your Life
From: Albatross Butterfly Safety Razor
It’s hard to resist a sharply dressed man with nice clean shave. Now if you find a sharply dressed man with a nice clean shave who also cares about the environment, you may have to ask mom to add an extra seat at the dinner table this Christmas. But if you don’t have that man, make that man with an Albatross Butterfly Safety Razor, the perfect sustainable alternative to billions of plastic disposables that pollute our soil and litter our seas every year. This stainless steel, double-edged stubble slayer, durably constructed with over-built components and plated with a mirror-finish, is a delight to hold and a sight to behold! Perfect for both men and women alike, you may want to pick up one for yourself because every Adonis deserves his very own Aphrodite!
SHOP ALBATROSS
To: The Caffeine Addict
From: KeepCup Thermal
They’re on a first name basis with all the baristas in town, always the first to try out new Starbucks and Dunkin’ drinks, and there is a direct correlation between their mood during the day and how many cups of joe they’ve had yet. For you’re caffeine-addicted coffee lover friends, the reusable KeepCup barista-standard stainless steel thermal cup is the perfect gift for them. Not only will they appreciate the industry standard volume sizing, and the electro-polished interior finish that won’t leach toxins or foreign tastes into their precious java, but the KeepCup Thermal is a great answer to help cut down on the 500 billion disposable cups that enter our landfills every year.
SHOP KEEPCUPTo: The Fresh-Faced Friend
From: Urban Oreganics Rosewater Toner
The beauty industry has historically been unfriendly to the environment contributing to an enormous amount of non-biodegradable plastic packaging and chemical toxins that leach into our soil and water. That’s what makes the green cosmetic company Urban Oreganic’s so popular, and their Rosewater Toner one of our top-selling items this year. Neatly packaged in all recyclable/reusable materials and made with ingredients that are 100% natural and vegan, Urban Oreganics Rosewater Toner utilizes an all-organic botanical blend to remove makeup & impurities, tighten pores, and moisturize skin. Giving the gift of healthy skin and a youthful glow doesn’t have to come at such a high environmental price, and Urban Oreganics remains a leader in sustainable beauty.
SHOP URBAN OREGANICS
To: The Long-Hot-Shower-Lovers
From: Nebia Spa Shower 2.0
Colder winter weather begets longer hot showers. While this usually means a larger water bill during the chillier months, with the Nebia Spa Shower 2.0 this no longer has to be the case. Driven by a goal to save 1 billion gallons of water by the end of the year 2021, Nebia is on a constant search for innovative ways to provide a better shower experience for a better planet. Its latest incarnation Spa Shower 2.0 is constructed in a way that 10x more water comes into contact with your skin, while still saving up to 65% more water than a standard showerhead. This type of revolutionary design makes it a much more sustainable option as it saves water, and reduces your carbon footprint since less energy will be needs to be heated. You may never understand why it takes your shower aqua-loving friend or family member so long to soap up and rinse off, but with the Nebia Spa Shower 2.0 as a gift, at least you can rest well knowing that you’ll be helping them save water, money, and the planet one shower at a time. Shop their sale now through Dec. 9!
SHOP NEBIAOne of our favorite things about of Christmas is spending quality time with our family & friends and appreciating the happiness they bring to our lives. Giving and receiving gifts is a cherished tradition of goodwill that celebrates & strengthens the special bond that you share with your loved ones. But you don’t have to let your passion for a healthier planet dampen your holiday spirit. With the Zero Waste Store Holiday Gift Guide, you can have your Christmas cake and eat it too!