The holiday season is well underway, and if you’re like the rest of us, you probably started out with the best of intentions to complete your holiday planning and shopping early (how’s that working out for you?).  Fret not, there’s still time to get organized – and our Inside Guide to Green Holiday Gift Giving will show you how. We’ve included our best tips and lots of gift suggestions to help keep you stress-free and more sustainable on the inside, while staying true to your eco-friendly values and supporting a healthier planet.

Follow the 4 Rs

Reduce – The holiday season is a time of consumerism gone wild. While it’s important to support the local economy, and it is indeed a joy to give (as long as you avoid the malls and their parking lots), there’s no point in getting uber-stressed or spending beyond your means.  The thrill of opening yet another gift is fleeting, but the love of family and friends lasts forever. This year, think smaller, personal, more meaningful gifts – perhaps a few that don’t come wrapped in a box (and certainly not plastic!) at all.

Reuse – Use gift bags, pre-used papers, children’s artwork, tea towels and other fabrics to wrap gifts.

Recycle – Create one-of-a-kind holiday gifts by recycling household objects (like these projects for recycled Christmas ornaments and Christmas gifts we found at allfreechristmascrafts.com ) or do it as a family craft project while you’re home with the kids over the holidays. And always remember to recycle Christmas wrapping. Don’t buy foil-based wrapping as it’s not recyclable and will end up in landfill.

Re-love – We’re stopping short at suggesting you re-gift, but why not check out consignment stores and used bookstores for gifts? And perhaps your children have birthday presents they’ve never opened that could be donated to a toy drive.

For the new or recent Mom –

Babypreloved.ca sells thoroughly inspected and very gently used baby and children’s clothing online. Every item is photographed and catalogued so you can see exactly what you’re getting.  This holiday, why not consider gifting one or more items from their selection directly to the eco-conscious new mom in your life? Babypreloved.ca is happy to arrange delivery directly to the recipient.

Shop from home

There’s much to be said for online shopping to reduce stress and time at the holidays, as long as it’s secure and prompt. These days, even smaller retailers offer secure payment as well as quick shipping, so it’s not too late to order online.  And if you’re not sure what to buy someone, there is always the gift card option so they can pick out something special for themselves.

For a range of natural beauty products, check out the gift guide from Canadian e-tailer FreshFaced.ca. They only sell brands that are made without toxic or harmful ingredients; carry smaller, independent brands that are hard to find elsewhere in Canada; list all ingredients on the site; and provide editorial and educational content. As well, they offer free shipping anywhere in Canada on orders over $25.

For those who love to be pampered –   

Toronto’s Alma Natural Spa offers gift cards you can buy and print out online, a growing trend in online retailing. They are currently also offering a free $10 gift card when you spend $75. Choose from among a number of holiday service packages and gift ideas. We especially like the $30 Massage Sampler, which includes a 10-minute neck/shoulder, 10-minute scalp, and 10-minute face massage.

Think local 

Wherever possible, aim to buy from a local artisan or independent green retailer. There are more and more of them sprouting up everywhere.

For the nature and yoga lover –

Wendy Gardham’s aTana Designs creates eco-conscious fine silver and copper jewelry inspired by nature and Wendy’s love of travel.We love her Tree of Life Pendant ($50), which she says she has given a “Canadian Group of Seven twist” and comes in an up-cycled artist print envelope. Find her on etsy.com

Grassroots, with three retail locations in Toronto and online store that ships across North America (check for international shipping), offers a comprehensive green gift giving guide on its website. A few of our favourites, spotted in-store:For the young ones- Green Science activity kits ($18.19 online); Endangered Species 2-in-1 Puzzle Series ($24.49 online) from anouksark.com; Manny & Simon Eco-friendly Wooden Push Toys ($49.99 on line) For the tea lover –Juniper Ridge teas; Libre Loose leaf tea glass from libretea.com For the chef in the house – Bambu cork cutting board ($15.99 online)

 Give the gift of health

Say thanks to your favourite local health provider by buying a gift card or service from them to give to a friend. Think of everyone who helps keeps you grounded and well throughout the year –your yoga studio, favourite retreat centre, massage therapist, local natural spa, even your health food store –  and pass along their gifts to others.

For the Health Foodie –Superstar Nutritionista Meghan Telpner is offering an online version of her popular Undiet Meal Prep Made Easy program, perfect for people who can’t make it to her kitchen for live classes. This is a from-start-to-finish, inspiring program that comes as close as possible to you being in Meghan’s kitchen or her being in yours. As Meghan explains, “This program will show you step-by-step how to plan, prepare and execute your healthy eating, and ultimately, healthy living goals.” Cost of the course is $279.00 + HST for unlimited access to more than 20 entertaining and educational videos (more than 2.5 hours of instructional time).  Also includes over 200 pages broken down into 40 PDF documents to guide users on their way and a bonus 7-day meal plan with over 35 recipes, 50+ recipes with modification options and support email coaching twice weekly.

Ottway Herbs and Vitamins , purveyors of high quality natural health products, ships free anywhere in Canada with a purchase of $100 or more. As well in-store, they are currently offering a $20 gift card with the purchase of $100.

Add you own special touch

If you’ve got a little extra time on your hands, think of personalizing gifts with your own loving hands. Make your own natural soap using a recipe you find online, or add a personal touch to store-bought gifts by putting together a custom basket of goodies. The basket is reusable and you’ll want to be sure to forgo the icky cellophane wrap – how about some inexpensive sheer fabric instead that your friend’s kids can use afterwards for craft projects?

Stock your own basket –

Create your own healing basket of planters, seedlings and edible flowers (look for them at manoverde.ca and seracon.ca), combined with herbal tinctures (check out the great selection from OrangeNaturals).  Then perhaps add in some artisanal teas (like these from Steeped and Infused) and essential oils (try Vancouver’s Escentsaromatherapy).

Inspire others through books

Yes, you’re passionate about living a green, healthy lifestyle, and you love to share what you know with others. But maybe you have a friend or two who aren’t quite there yet. You don’t want to be preachy, but you’d like to give them at least a gentle nudge in the green direction.  How about giving them a book that inspires and educates?  Take a look at our top picks for growing a green library for adults and children.

(A note on books – yes, we know it’s more tree-friendly to buy ebooks, but we also worry a little about our constant exposure to EMF. And we think there’s just something special about curling up with a physical book that you just can’t get from an e-Reader.  But either way, books are great to give and receive!)

Don’t forget your furry friends

Eco-friendly shopping for pets has never been easier, with an ever-expanding range of options available to treat them from head to paw. Our picks:

Green their stockings

Green things also come in small packages, so don’t forget to eco-up your family’s stockings too.

For those on the go – New Vitamints™ combine vitamins, minerals and nutrients in a tasty mint you can take with you through your day. The company suggests a daily dosage of four Vitamints to ensure sustained release throughout and better absorption. Available in several varieties, including Vitamints™ Energy with Co-Enzyme Q10 to assist the body’s energy production mechanisms, B Vitamins to stimulate energy production and assist with proper metabolism, and Vitamin C to help improve the aerobic capacity of muscles and maintain work efficiency during exercise. $8.99, at Shoppers Drug Mart and other select health retailers.

For the writer – Tablets schmablets. We like writing the old-fashioned way, and think ecojot® mini notebooks ($4.75) make a great gift for the writer or list maker on the go. And if they really like writing longhand, go bigger and help world literacy – with the purchase of an ecojot  Jumbo Journal ($17) a child in need receives a workbook to build their literacy skills. Since 2010, the company has donated more than 240,000 workbooks to children in Haiti, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Poland, Honduras, Niger, St. Lucia and Zimbabwe. Available at most gift and book retailers.

For him – The boys in your life (from kids to boyfriends and husbands) will appreciate Graydon’s natural  Eau Pour Garçon ($15). It’s for all their smelly stuff, like hockey bags, running shoes, lockers – even dirty hands. Spray it on directly to help clean and refresh. The active ingredients are potent but non-toxic germ exterminators and the aroma is man-friendly.

Indulge in a little self care

While you’re sifting through all the great sites and products we’ve suggested to shop for your friends and loved ones, why not get two of something you love and treat yourself too? Go on, you know you want to! You deserve it!!

For the eco-beauty maven –

World Salon offers an exclusive, plant-based luxury line of body and hair products free of colour, fragrance, sodium lauryl sulphate, parabens, and phthalates, and designed to cleanse and moisturize the whole body. And each product can be used interchangeably on both skin and hair. Three must-have products make up their worldTRIO (from $18): worldCLEAN Hair, face and Body Cleanser; worldPROTECT Hair and Skin Moisturizer; and worldBELIEVE Organic Salve.

Cocoon offers a Skin Care Starter kit with travel size bottles of their all-natural, biodegradable cleanser, toner and cream for normal to dry skin. Includes Petal Purity Facial Cleanser, Rose Dew Facial Toner and Rosey Cheeks Facial Cream (each in a 20 ml/ 3.3 fl oz eco-friendly glass bottle). $30 from The Big Carrot in Toronto, or online.

Give to a worthy cause

This is typically the time of year when we consider giving to charitable organizations that speak to our hearts. Read our new article about 12 green-inspired charities, large and small (including a few you may not be aware of) that we think are doing some pretty special work caring for our planet and its people.

You can make a donation in someone’s honour, in lieu of giving them a material gift. Or go to Canadahelps.org and purchase a gift card. The recipient can then choose the beneficiary of their donation from the website’s database of more than 12,000 Canadian charities, and you immediately receive an official tax receipt for your gift.

The gift that gives back..and back –

Siblings Kaia (11) and Wyatt (9) launched The Lemon Jar Project as a small business and social enterprise from their kitchen, making an all-purpose coconut lime cream from essential oils and other all-natural ingredients. After hearing about the plight of children in Uganda (following two decades of brutal war, an Aids epidemic resulting in tens of thousands of orphans, and widespread ongoing poverty and hunger), they decided to direct 10% of the proceeds from every sale to the Nggaali Project which offers joy and healing to Ugandan children by enabling them to practice their traditional music and arts.The project is evolving into Nggaali Kids, an empowerment and friendship program for Canadian and Ugandan children, and has inspired the creation of the Nggaali children’s first micro business, producing and selling fresheners/deodorants using local ingredients found in Kampala.

And with that, it’s a wrap. We leave you with this wish, from the GoGreenInside^® family to yours:

May your days be merry and bright,
and may all your holidays be white  ( – and green!)