Unique gifts for a sustainable Christmas
GreenUp offers great, local items
Are you looking for some items to help you polish off your holiday gift giving? The GreenUP Store has you covered with unique, environmentally-friendly gifts and stocking stuffers ranging from $1.50 to $25 and more. Your stockings can hold all the best gifts, including what’s best for the planet!
The GreenUP Store carries a curated selection of sustainable products as well as handcrafted goods from over 40 local makers. Check out a few ideas below for gifts under $5, $10, and $25, and there’s a link at the end of this article to even more green gift ideas.
Top Green Gifts under $25
To-Go Ware Reusable Bamboo Utensils Set includes a sturdy bamboo fork, knife, spoon and chopsticks, all neatly held together in a convenient pouch made from recycled water bottles. This stocking stuffer or gift garnish provides a sustainable solution and a healthy alternative to single-use plastic cutlery.
Warm, cosy gifts are the best at this chilly time of year. Twoloom Alpacas insoles are made from 100 per cent alpaca wool and they are a must-have for winter in Ontario! They are a great addition to any boot for warm feet all season long. Twoloom Alpacas is a 12-acre farm in the beautiful rolling hills of Northumberland County, so you’ll also be supporting a local farmer when you purchase their products. We also carry their alpaca wool socks in a variety of colours and sizes.
Wooden ornaments are not only traditional, but also better for the environment than plastic. This is especially true when the ornaments are made from reclaimed wood like those made by members of The Brain Injury Association Peterborough Region (BIAPR), a local agency that provides a range of support services to individuals living with an Acquired Brain Injury. They strive to engage members in meaningful activities and promote participation in our community as a way of enhancing overall well-being and quality of life. Decorate your home beautifully this holiday season with handmade items that also give back to the community.
The GreenUP Store also carries wooden ornaments made by Light & Paper. Ali Harrison is the owner and designer of this small, Toronto-based company. She begins with an intricate paper cutting which she carves by hand with an X-acto knife. Her original designs are then scanned and converted to be lasercut into thin sheets of wood to create coasters, wall art and Christmas tree ornaments.
Top Green Gifts under $10
We have natural soap for all your stockings. The GreenUP Store carries many handmade soaps made locally by master soap-makers Sherrie La Masurier of Simply Natural Canada, Katie Legere of Free2Be Wellness, and SarahAnn of Charcoal & Rose Petals. Their soaps feature sustainable and locally-sourced ingredients and they come complete with minimal or recyclable packaging. The GreenUP Store also carries many other personal care products such as face serums, shaving soap and natural deodorants.
Naturally sweet OtonaBEE Apiary honey is the perfect treat for a loved one. At the GreenUP Store, we carry liquid and creamed clover and buckwheat honey in various sized jars to fit any stocking size. OtonaBEE honey is 100 per cent pure, just as the bees make it!
Top Green Gifts under $5
Ecomum felted acorns are made locally by Jeanine Crow and her daughter. The two go out and collect the acorn tops in the fall and attach them onto felted balls of wool to create the sweetest little tree ornaments! Ecomum also makes a variety of textiles, including baby bibs, blankets and napkins with fun and contemporary prints.
Looking to help your friend or a family member kick the plastic straw habit? Let them test the waters with a single stainless-steel straw sold all by itself, without any packaging. Pair it with a Straw Cleaning Brush for $2 and then they are really set up for plastic free sipping!
What is more Canadian (and delicious) than a bottle of maple syrup? Golden Treasure Maple Syrup is from Trout Creek, Ont., and has been in operation since 1994, growing over the years to over 16,000 taps over 300 acres of maple bush in the heart of Northern Ontario. The GreenUP Store carries large, litresized portions right down to teeny-tiny stocking-sized portions in maple-leaf shaped glass bottles.
Get more gift ideas in all these budget categories at www.greenup.on.ca/ top-green-gift-ideas-for-any-budget/ (bit.ly/2DKg3fu).
With so much good stuff to choose from, you may want to give gift certificates which can be purchased at the GreenUP Store or through our website. Make sure you enter our contest and you could win a $25 gift certificate to enjoy yourself!
You can also support our Ecology Park fundraising campaign by adding a donation to your gift. You’ll receive a charitable tax receipt for your contribution. With the funds raised this holiday season, we plan to install features that will help make Ecology Park accessible to all visitors, and you’ll also ensure that our renowned environmental programs will continue for years to come.
Thank you!
GreenUP is a nonprofit charity. When you shop at the GreenUP Store you are directly supporting GreenUP, and all proceeds support environmental programs in the Peterborough area — that’s a gift that gives twice! The GreenUP Store is located at 378 Aylmer St. in downtown Peterborough. Check out greenup.on.ca for holiday hours, gift ideas and more.