I have recently started a new job (partly why I have had no time to write) but it was also my birthday in May so I have been the lucky recipient of some presents of late. And I have to say I have received quite a few eco gifts, which I am loving.
I was a bit concerned I had become one of those irritating people who would be considered ‘fussy’ because I now have strong opinions on gifts, wrapping and pretty much every product. I am ‘fussy’ but my friends and family have totally stepped up and been rather successful.
What I would say is if you have a friend who is eco minded and you are concerned about gifting them certain things, then just ask. I know it spoils the surprise a bit but trust me they will appreciate you taking the time to consider whether or not it is something they actually want. Nothing more irritating to an eco warrior than waste!
You may decide to do your own research and gift something pure eco, but be warned a true eco warrior has possibly already got it or checked it out themselves and dismissed it. So you are running a bit of a risk. I make it a bit easier by reviewing products on here and instagram so my preferences are some times obvious, I also talk, a lot. If you have a friend or colleague who is the same, then just listen and a gift solution should become obvious.
If you are still in doubt play it safe and gift money, or your time. I have one group of friends where we rarely buy each other a gift, we normally just agree to spend some time together or treat each other to a cinema date and I actually appreciate that time more than any gift.
FYI to my friends and family (and husband) if don’t already know these:
- I don’t like fancy chocolate, a basic bar of Galaxy or Cadbury and I am happy or a box of milk chocolates, no dark or white chocolate please
- I prefer quantity over quality (perfect example above)
- I hate waste, don’t get me a token gift, I would prefer nothing or your time
- I don’t like to decorate my house with flowers, I find it odd to bring something into the house that is just going to die a slow painful death when it could be outside where it belongs for everyone to see. I don’t just mean cut flowers, I also have a knack for killing house plants, even the hardy ones
- My drink of choice is vodka
- Second hand or an eco wool would be great for my crochet
- I LOVE to read, I have a Kindle so a voucher for that is great but I still can’t resist the feel of a paper book in my hand so these are also welcome. However get me a second hand book, better for the environment and I think it adds to the story and I also love recommendations, if you enjoyed it, I probably will too. No sticky pages please!
If you are eco conscious tell people what you want! There are nice ways to do this so don’t be a dick about it.
So on to the good stuff, I am going to show you some of the things I got and what I thought of them.
The above photo is the leaving presents I got from my old team. They did crazy well, refer back to my likes list and you can see they nailed it. Even better was the fact that everything was wrapped in brown paper and lace. Apparently the shopping credit goes to my friends Kate and Ellie who are my long suffering colleagues who sat right next to me and therefore had to listen to my none stop talking.
As you can see there is a bottle of Bison Grass Vodka (this is amazing with lots of ice and cloudy apple juice), a bottle of prosecco, some simple but yummy milk chocolates, Method cleaning spray, a bamboo lunch box and a Moon Light.
The lunch box is from Morrisons, it can go in the dishwasher and is made from Bamboo and they do a matching travel mug. The fun design reflects my excitement when I eat lunch, I am all about the food.
The Moon Light makes me laugh because Ellie had asked me about it in the guise of a friend had mentioned it to her and what did I think, she did her research and I am grateful.
It was something I hadn’t seen before and I feel is a very cool and unique gift. It has a 3D sphere of the actual surface of the moon that you use as a lamp. It is charged by USB, it charges really quick and lasts a good few uses. You can adjust how bright it is and have it an orange or white hue. I like the brightest white setting.
It is on a wooden stand and the sphere itself is made of PLA which information on the internet states is an environmentally friendly biodegradable material. The only non eco aspect for me was although it came in a cardboard box, there was a small amount of bubble wrap in there, which could easily be replaced by some scrunched brown paper.
I really like it and would never have bought it for myself so it was the perfect gift, it adds a lovely atmosphere to my living room and my daughter also finds it really interesting to look at and as it doesn’t get hot it is fine for her to pick up.
Next up are some presents from my friend Alex who doesn’t live near me so they arrived via post which always feels a bit exciting.
Metal straws, I do already have some that I was gifted at Christmas but they were a pack of four and as I have already discovered you can never have too many, one because my daughter loves using them, two if I get them out in a bar other people want one too and because I have already left one behind and I suspect this is going to happen a lot if I am in the full swing of a night out.
They come with a handy wrap/pouch, 2 cleaning brushes and some are straight, some are curved at the top and I love the funky colours.
She also got me two books (totally spoilt), I started ‘Simple Acts To Save Our Planet’ first and I haven’t finished it. Unfortunately I would not recommend it at all, it is full of contradictory, some times repetitive messages that seem to have been copied and pasted and put into one book. I actually strongly disagree with some of the statements and the good ones do not go into enough detail to be of use.
These issues are not restricted to the book however, people see a head line or a statement and run with it, that is why I started my blog to give realistic practical help, it is no good saying reduce plastic when no one tells you how. Or my big bug bear is people advocating cotton or bamboo but not explaining that you need to buy organic and sustainable cotton or bamboo otherwise you could be innocently making the environment worse due to how they are produced, yes the end product is plastic free but as I have stated before we need to consider a products full journey and impact not just the end result.
The second book ‘Flex’ is an absolute delight! I read the front cover and I will be honest I did an eye roll. I am not a self help book kind of person and I also believe a woman’s empowerment comes from the woman herself not a book telling her how to do it. But I incorrectly judged this book by its cover. Annie Auerbach gives experienced practical advice with facts, examples and Dolly Parton quotes! It just makes sense and doesn’t try to re-invent the wheel or demonise men or employers. It is simple and easy to digest, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it.
I do think this book came to me at a good time though as I am feeling an almost self re-invention at the moment with a career change and discovering the new version of me after becoming a mother and starting to get some of my own time back now my daughter is at school. We are navigating these changes within our day to day family home life too and although I have a truly wonderful husband, some times I do take on more of the emotional burden at home. The physical house work is no where near as exhausting as the thinking you need to do as a mother, wife and worker. There are solutions and I know as a family we can work together.
I am referring to my current time of life as my third wind and I plan to make the most of it.
Speaking of my time of life, it is a gross fact that the older I get the hairier I get. So the next gift is highly appropriate.
These were from my husband and I was extremely happy with them but then I should be because he was sent multiple links of gift ideas in advance of my birthday!
Obviously the eco gift is the metal razor and shaving soap bar but seriously though, I am so excited for the 9 to 5 musical!
I have written about razors previously and have been using the Bulldog bamboo razor but it is not ideal as it still has some plastic involved. The metal razor ticks all my boxes, practical, plastic free, cost saving after initial purchase, the blades last a long time and you get a very close shave. Some one on my instagram stated she puts her used razor blades into a little box and pops them in her normal recycling to make it easier/less dangerous for them to be processed.
Warning this thing is sharp! But you just need to be a bit more careful than you would be with a plastic disposable and you shouldn’t shred your legs. My husband ordered this one from Peace with the Wild. It comes with five spare blades and a bar of shaving soap, now I normally don’t using shaving foam or anything as most of my previous razors had a conditioning strip, but I would say with a pure metal razor you do need something to make the process as bit smoother. This one from Mutiny Shaving Co. smells great, looks cool, has natural ingredients, is plastic free and makes my legs feel silky smooth.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to buy me a gift or wish me good luck or a happy birthday. I have truly wonderful people in my life and they are the best gifts anyone could have.
Eco Lass 