Gift Ideas for the Environmentally Conscious
Passionately green, nature-obsessed, and now—finally!—easier than ever to shop for.
Danny Kim1/14VerTerra Dinnerware and Cutlery
Fashioned from fallen leaves, these disposable plates are biodegradable, compostable, and far chicer than their paper and plastic brethren. ($25 for 16 pieces; verterra.com)
Danny Kim2/14Folding Basket
Made from dozens of recycled chopsticks, this pretty fold-up basket is sturdy enough to hold a market haul’s worth of fruit. ($33; chopstickart.com)
Danny Kim3/14Bubble Chandelier
A striking light fixture made entirely from old bottles is upcycling at its best. Best of all, a portion of the proceeds benefits a not-for-profit bottle-and-can redemption center. ($720; soudasouda.com)
Danny Kim4/14Root To Stalk Cooking
If they’re throwing away radish leaves, carrot tops, and watermelon rinds, they’re doing it wrong. Tara Duggan’s inviting primer opens up new possibilities in vegetable cookery. ($22; Ten Speed Press)
Danny Kim5/14New England Heirloom Seeds
A no-brainer stocking stuffer for die-hard gardeners. ($1 each; kaufmann-mercantile.com)
Danny Kim6/14Hatch Hand Dish Towels
These supremely soft, au natural cotton dish towels are hand-woven in a woman-owned studio in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ($28 each; vermontfarmtable.com)
Danny Kim7/14Birch Bark Cylinder
Foraged from the limb of a birch tree felled by natural causes, this bark tube looks lovely enveloping a vase of fresh-picked flowers. ($30; shopterrain.com)
Danny Kim8/14Mugolio Pinecone Syrup
Drizzle the concentrated flavor of pinecone sap on pancakes, pork, or panna cotta. All the chefs are doing it. ($28/3.6oz; chefshop.com)
Courtesy Cookut9/14myCocotte
In search of environmentally safe, non-stick cookware for the true earth mother (or father)? This durable, ceramic-coated casserole dish is made with minerals, not chemicals. ($100; cookut.com)
Danny Kim10/14Linen Bento Bags
For the “I don’t need a bag” grocery shopper: Natural linen scraps make convenient bundles of everything from granola to grains. ($38 for three; quitokeeto.com)
Danny Kim11/14Sea Vegetable Sampler
Sustainably hand-foraged in Mendocino, California, this starter set invites adventurous eaters to experiment (guilt-free!) with wild nori, kombu, sea palm, and wakame. ($73; marxfoods.com)
Danny Kim12/14Terracotta Herb Markers
For the aspiring green thumb (who maybe still can’t tell the difference between parsley and thyme), a set of eight subtly engraved stakes. ($18; kaufmann-mercantile.com)
Danny Kim13/14Countertop Bag Dryer
Some plastic bags are a necessary evil. A drying rack as sensible as this one makes washing and reusing them a more sustainable option. ($20; gaiam.com)
Danny Kim14/14Jcoco Chocolate Bars
Three good reasons earth-minded humanitarians will swoon over these sweets: (1) They’re all-natural. (2) Every bar sold buys a healthy meal for someone in need. (3) The flavor combos are crazy inventive—think black fig pistachio, agave quinoa sesame, and edamame sea salt. Oh, and did we mention they’re damn delicious? Because they are. ($8 each; jcocochocolate.com)
