Green Gift Ideas

With the holidays upon us, stores and malls are filled with people trying to find the perfect gift. Thank goodness for online gift guides. And even more exciting are guides to green gifts--so we can find presents that benefit both the receiver and the environment!

TreeHugger's 2008 Gift Guide is great, with more than 100 green gift ideas in 12 different categories. You can find gifts for the foodie, fashion buff, pop culture fan, green geek, wee-hugger, animal lover, philanthropist, health nut, do-it-yourselfer, outdoors enthusiast and jet setter. The guide this year offers ideas for gifts that are both affordable and low-impact.

As an outdoors enthusiast, I checked out the list and found great gift ideas (hint-hint)!. Some highlights include a kinetic-powered headlamp, down sleeping bags made with recycled polyester shells, a workshop class to build your own sustainable surfboard, and a daypack made from recycled materials.

The New York Times has an article today on environmentally friendly gadget gifts. Suggestions include energy efficient TVs, smart power strips, an "ecobutton" that switches the computer to energy-saving mode and kinetic-powered gadgets.

Happy shopping!