Reduce your carbon footprint and save money by giving zero-waste or homemade gifts. Here are 15 simple zero-waste or DIY gift ideas.
Why are holidays and birthdays associated with mass overconsumption? No one needs a glowing teddy bear that sings happy birthday. Or an electric cocktail dispenser. Yet, these are precisely the sort of gifts we buy for someone who “already owns everything.”
The United Nations has Reduce, Reuse, Repair on its list of 10 things you can do to help climate change. Not only does useless stuff end up in the landfill, but it also requires a lot of energy and resources to produce and ship it to your door.
Still not convinced? If you’ve got 20 minutes to watch a video, I recommend checking out The Story of Stuff, which certainly makes it clear why less is more!
In my household, we specifically give each other zero-waste or homemade gifts.
- This allows us to limit how much excess stuff we have in our rather tiny home.
- When we buy something new, we get to choose exactly what we want (rather than put up with something that’s not quite right).
- Homemade gifts are often more thoughtful than simply buying another #1 Dad mug.
- Zero-waste gifts can be second-hand or experiential gifts.
If you need some inspiration, here are 16 unique zero-waste and homemade gifts.
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