Is there really any greater gift, than the gift of health? No, not likely. Being healthy and fit takes us a long way on our journey to happier lives and it helps to ensure we are around to share our lives with our loved ones. It gives us greater energy and happiness. It keeps us young.
You may need gift ideas for loved ones who consider themselves gym rats and fitness enthusiasts or you may want to encourage someone who wants to be. Either way these gifts are perfect for those who want to prioritize fitness and greater health. Some I would consider “green” in their design or materials and others I have added because they are high quality and designed to last, even if they are not technically green. Enjoy!
Shoes – There are many brands of green and/or minimalist shoes out there so if you want to buy shoes for your loved one you may want to do your homework and see what they like and what they use their shoes for. Some good ones to try:
Garmin Forerunner – Most fitness nuts want to track their progress and compete against their own times. This nifty device is considered one the best tools to do that. It tracks your distance, time, pace, and heart rate. Works for running, walking, hiking, cycling, cross country skiing, and even windsurfing. Also has GPS. This is on my wish list for sure!
Mp3 player and Headphones – Whether at the gym or outside the workout goes mush faster and is much more enjoyable when you have tunes to listen to. You ideally want something small for fitness though, like the iPod nano or the shuffle. Both clip onto your clothing! Don’t forget the eco headphones to.
Sustainable Workout Clothes – Workout clothing that is ‘environmentally conscious’ is widely available now. Some of my faves include:
Eco Yoga Mat – Got any yoginis in the family? Well, then an eco friendly mat will be perfect. Most conventional mats have some toxic nasties in them and there are a few options now that are healthier for us and for the planet. Try the Gaiam Eco Reversible Yoga Mat (Peacock). Non toxic TPE, no PVC or latex, eco conscious company.
Gym Bag – Anyone who hits the gym a few times a week will need a bag to cart around all their stuff… swim suit, change of clothes, towel, toiletries, mp3 player, headphones, heart rate monitor, water bottle, etc. I have the Gaiam Everything Fits Recycled Gym Bag and it is roomy enough for all my stuff, has a pocket for wet stuff, and has a rope band on the bottom for holding a yoga mat.
Mountainsmith Approach 3.0 Recycled Backpack – Great for day hiking and backpacking AND made of recycled materials.
Tubbs Women’s Frontier Snowshoe – Man oh man do I want these! High quality, affordable, snow shoes.
Fitness Books: If your giftee happens to love fitness and reading then perhaps you could incorporate both pursuits. You might try a Winter Trails book specific to their state or an athletic memoire like Becoming Odyssa or Hiking Through.
Looking for an easy and eco friendly crafting idea to get the family in the mood for Halloween? Of course you are! I can’t be the only one who thinks Halloween is the most awesome holiday there ever was.
This particular craft uses recycled cans so if you drink anything out of cans you are in luck, you have what you need. If not, you can likely get some pretty easy via Freecycle or from family and friends.
For a ghost, paint the can white with non toxic paint, and use a black marker to make the eyes and mouth. Use the tab to tie some string to it for hanging and use a bit of ripped cheesecloth above the can to blow eerily in the wind.
For a bat, paint the can black and use white marker or paint to make eyes. You can also use googly eyes. Use orange paint to write the word Boo. Black wings can be made from paper, painted cardboard, or foam and then be glued to the can. Remove the tab to make the mouth appear open and use a hot glue gun to connect a string of some sort for hanging.
These can be stored after Halloween is over and used for subsequent years too. Happy crafting!
Came across this awesome nail polish set today and had to share. Nail polish is IMO one of the nastiest products you can buy but several companies are now marketing non toxic nail polish and this is good news for moms of little girls who love to wear nail polish. This particular nail polish is made by one of those companies (Keeki Pure and Simple) and I LOVE that they have bundled Halloween sets, the Franken-Keeki Gift Pack. I want one for myself! The green is awesome although they call it Sour Apple Slushie and the black is Midnight Snack. My daughter can testify to the fact that the name is just as important as the color. ;) Although not in the Halloween pack, the Sugar Plum Nail Polish is an awesome purple color that would be great for Halloween too.
The Candy Corn Gift Pack has Lemonade, Marshmallow, and Orange Sorbet.
These nail colors have no parabens, phthalates and other nasty ingredients. They are also gluten-free, toluene-free, vegan, made here in the US, and never tested on animals.
Anxious for Halloween yet?
Related: Ditch the Nail Polish Nasties
Mother’s Day has become yet another commercial holiday were you are encouraged to buy people “stuff” they don’t need. Of course I am not going to to complain about ANY day where moms get some extra props and receive gifts from a loved one who may get her Mothers Day flowers at FTD or any other thoughtful presents. I just think we need to think a little about the woman on the other end of the gift a bit more. A green mom especially might be more sensitive to all the unnecessary waste associated with these holidays. Flowers won’t last and they may have been doused in chemicals. Fancy lotions might have a bad rating on the Skin Deep Cosmetics database. But if you take into consideration what a green mom values, and what type of gifts they would actually use… then you can come up with a few sure fire ideas.
Mother’s Day is About Love Not Gifts – You may find that no gift is required at all. Time and love can be gift enough. This can be accomplished with homemade cards, a nice breakfast cooked by someone else than mom, maybe a movie, a bike ride, a walk in the park, etc. It might also be a good day to break out those season passes to the zoo or a local museum. The gift of time is low impact and very meaningful. Mom’s day doesn’t have to be about elaborate gifts.
The Gift of Service – I know this mom would really appreciate gifts of service rather than physical gifts and yes, I have read The 5 Love Languages. For moms like me a great way to say I love you would be to give me a break from my duties by cleaning the house, cooking meals, and letting me have a day off. A gift can still be worked in there with a certificate for cleaning or childcare services. Some moms might also like a gift certificate for day spas and massage parlors. Services are more eco friendly usually, than accumulating stuff.
Previously Loved Gifts - Green moms usually don’t mind used items. Most times you will find we LOVE thrifted and second hand finds. Perhaps Mother’s Day might be the perfect time to shop that antique mall that she loves to visit and buy her some antique table or bed linens, a Jadeite mug like those she collects, or some other vintage treasure she is sure to love.
Something To Make Mom’s Job Easier – I know that some moms bristle at the idea of getting a vacuum or some other cooking or cleaning gadget for Mother’s Day but green moms usually are not among them. This is closely related to gifts of service… if it makes our lives easier it is a good gift, period. The idea of an iPad or a smart phone is lost on me but a Vita-Mix, a Kitchenaid Mixer with a dough hook, or glass refrigerator dishes… those will make my daily life easier and they make good sense.
What do you think? What gifts will be the biggest hit with green moms?
This year I had it in my mind that I was going to try and dye Easter eggs using our GLOB natural botanical paints. Only problem was I could not find them in all the stuff I have not yet unpacked in our move. So when I came across the Eco-Eggs Easter Egg Coloring Kit, I opted to just use that. The dyes are made using natural plant, fruit, and vegetable extracts. It includes three natural dyes (orange, blue and purple), a color chart for creating 6 colors, and instructions for coloring eggs.
It was VERY easy, which I love. First you have to decide if you want to hard boil the eggs or blow them. I opted for the latter although I haven’t done that part yet. The colored eggs are chilling in the frig until I decide to tackle that. You just pour the 3 dyes and a 1/2 cup of warm water in 3 glass cups and drop the eggs in to start the process.
Right away I noticed that this “green” product could be even greener if the dyes came in small paper bags instead of plastic containers that look like the ones you usually find lip balm in. My daughter confiscated these to put little beads in but they will still likely end up as garbage so that seems like a waste. But moving on…
The color chart that comes in the kit advises you on how long to let the eggs sit for the desired color. Some you need to let sit in one color followed by a little time in another to mesh colors and create another color altogether. The standard colors (purple, blue, and orange) were vibrant and beautiful. The mixed colors were only so-so. The green for instance was nice enough but not as green as I would have hoped. The brown did not work out at all so we ended up throwing it in all three dyes and got a dark burgundy instead. The yellow came out nicely and was the easiest to dye… only 3-4 seconds in the orange dye followed by a quick rinse.
The photo above is not edited so those are the true colors we ended up with. Quite nice I think. ;) The really dark burgundy egg is actually a brown egg so that is why it is so dark. I wasn’t too keen on buying the nasty white factory farm eggs for this project but hopefully we will be able to keep these for years to come when they are done. Our local farm fresh eggs (brown) just didn’t take the dyes, with the exception of the purple. You can dye quite a few eggs with this kit and even refrigerate leftover dyes for future use, at least we did.
Anwyay that is our experience with this product. How do YOU keep Easter on the eco-friendly side?
Hi there! I am a green, paleo, crossfit mom of three. I am concerned about health, wellness, and sustainability issues. This is my life. This what I am passionate about. Come get to know me and feel free to 
