The DC Recycler's 2015 Green Holiday Gift Guide

Need some green gift ideas about now?  Here are just a few to ponder!

• Shop Online but offbeat. Have you found The Grommet?  They have a plethora of unique and quirky gifts.  Check out their Sustainable Living line. Uncommon Goods also has some fun stuff. 
• Buy more conventional, but still green. Bambeco is Baltimore based and they're all about sustainability.  They give a lot of money to help restore the bay, and OK, they're my friends. Check them out.
• Buy local.  Indulge your favorite chef or gamer with a gift certificate from Hill's Kitchen or Labyrinth. 

Otherwise......

• Gift a class.  The Hill Center on Capitol Hill has a wide array of classes - including an urban foraging class and a vegan cooking class. 
• Kayak and paddleboard the Potomac: The Key Bridge Boat House has 2016 season tickets on sale now.  You'll be set to go when they open in April.
• How about an amazing helmet or backpack for your favorite cyclist from Torch Apparel?! 
• Give some homemade food.  If you have 15 jars of strawberry jam, or salsa, or jalapenos, that you made this summer (ummm, like me), share that bounty!  Or, make a batch of granola and bag it as gifts. You can find my favorite recipe here!  There's still time to get some great labels at www.evermine.com.
• Live the cliche, make potholders!  Those potholder frames have evolved and are larger and much more practical.  You can pick up a loom and loops at Sullivan's Toy Store on Wisconsin Avenue. If you want more loop colors, check out harrisville.com/.
• And for that person who has absolutely everything, share the love. Gift a donation in their name to a local non-profit! There are so many great groups to choose from such as Sierra Club DC, the Anacostia Watershed Society, the Alice Ferguson Foundation and the list goes on, and on.  

Mostly, have yourself and yours a merry and very GREEN holiday season!

Green Gifts: Bike Helmet Covers

Well, 'tis the season, so over the next weeks, I'll provide some green gift ideas.  Now that Mayor Gray has declared Uturns across bike lanes illegal (thank you!) and with the L St Cycle Track all coupled with really not so cold temps, it's a great time to outfit your cycle friends with some bike swag.  Helmet covers are a great idea as they help keep heads warm AND dry, and depending on the color, increase visibility. Sadly, I've not been able to find these covers at any local bike shops, so I bought mine on line.  I bought a "one-size-fits-all" model...and it worked on my helmet.  To boot, mine has reflector tape on the front..and a reflector tape loop on the back that I can attach an LED light to to further increase my visibility.  They come in a wide array of prices.  Mine cost some $12 and is made of durable and washable material.  Check 'em out!

Flannel Sheets !!

Day 4

They come in a wide variety of colors…and they’ll keep you toasty warm while allowing you to turn the thermostat waaaaaaaaaaaay down at night, saving you lots of $$$$...and cutting down on your carbon footprint.  Program your thermostat to warm up the house 15 minutes before you wake up..and you’ll never even notice the difference!

Announcing - 12 days of Green Gifting Ideas

The DCR is attempting a 12 days of Christmas, Hanukkah a/o Kwanzaa – a list of green and environmentally friendly gift options.  The 12 days may not be consecutive, but I hope to get in at least 12 options before the 25^th.  And the 1^st Day option…..drumroll, please…………………

Day 1    

GIVE!

Give to those in need.  Most of us have far too much stuff and our true needs are few.  Yet there are plenty out there in the US and around the world that are truly living from one day to the next.  Oxfam America, World Neighbors and Heifer International ..among others ..provide great and creative options that allow you to give anything from art supplies for a school, a share of a water buffalo, a hive of honey bees, alternative pesticide or HIV education to folks around the world.  If you get your order in early enough, each organization will send you a card representing your gift.  Do it!