It seems like the wedding season is year-round. Spring weddings, summer affairs, fall soirees, and of course spectacular winter weddings. Whatever the season, if you are in the gift-giving mood for the happy couple, or if you are the engaged ones yourselves and looking for eco-friendly ideas, we’ve got you covered. Sustainable, eco-friendly, ‘green’, and zero-waste wedding gifts are more than practical, they are also part of living a conscious lifestyle geared towards environmental awareness; a give and take relationship with the earth versus consumption and waste.
- As a gift-giver, you can do your part to offer alternative presents rooted in sustainability.
- Gifts that are thoughtful, useful, and long-lasting make a statement.
- Couples can create an eco-registry here filled with eco-friendly and zero-waste wedding gifts.
- Or a charity-driven registry is another option.
Sustainable: the words eco-friendly, green, etc., have been interchanged with sustainable but sustainable really means to maintain, that there is a distinct way that the item benefits the environment. Think long-lasting, not harmful, or adding to the already overwhelming landfill situation in our country.
Sustainable Gift Guide
The link to this Sustainable Gift Guide offers many ideas that have zero environmental impact. Other ideas are personal and thoughtful or homemade, and yet another category is gently used items that come in big-name brands of furniture, electronics, art, and more.
Best Wedding Gifts According to Newlyweds
Taking a survey of newly married couples was a great idea to get feedback on what are some of the most appreciated items that are actually used in the home. This is the roundup according to the Today Show:
- Air fryer
- Crockpot slow cooker
- Dutch oven
- Dyson vacuum cleaner
- Knife Set (with a built-in sharpener)
- Safe (small waterproof/fireproof safe)
- Stand mixer
- Wine glasses (dishwasher safe!)
- Wine refrigerator
As you may note, almost all of these are in the small home appliance category, related to cooking, drinking, and keeping the home clean. Quite practical actually! Now, how to keep these gifts in the realm of eco-friendly land? Buy pre-loved, second hand, and gently used of course.
Pre-Loved: The #1 Best Option For Green Giving
Why? Because pre-loved items are not using resources such as raw materials, manpower, transportation, and fuel costs that all add up to a footprint that causes distress to our environment. Any preconceptions of second hand shopping being too shabby or imperfect to share as gifts are gone. Not only is buying secondhand pragmatic, but it is also a constructive way to share your values with your loved ones, making gift-giving that much more meaningful. The world of secondhand shopping these days is filled with high-quality, like-new items that cover every category you could be interested in for an eco-friendly wedding gift:
If you live in the Bay Area, Phoenix AZ, or Miami FL cities, then you are in luck with some of the best pre-loved warehouse markets around. The Local Flea, your one-stop shop covering all categories to satisfy your gift-giving needs, has brick-and-mortar stores in these areas. These shops are filled with hidden gems you’ll fall in love with and feel proud to give. If you need to shop online and want your gifts delivered, you can offset the shipping carbon footprint by donating to a carbon charity.
The Local Flea Benefits:
- Shop online, pick up locally, or delivery available.
- All items are carefully curated; any issues disclosed, no secrets.
- A wide assortment is available, from brand names to unique objects and artifacts.
- Steep discounts.
- Offers accepted.
- 7-day returns are available.
- Secure payment system
Look at all these available brand names in the most popular categories, that would make your happy couple swoon:
Appliances – by Kenmore, LG, Samsung, and more…
Dining Sets – by Ethan Allen, Alcott Hill, and more…
Electronics – by Apple, Canon, HP, Sharp, Sony…
Furniture – by Ashley, Crate & Barrel, IKEA, Kravet, West Elm, and MORE!
ADDITIONAL ECO FRIENDLY WEDDING GIFT RESOURCES
The Hive Brands website is a general store filled with products and household goods that are ethically sourced, sustainably made, and come from socially-conscious companies. Many green gift options to choose from such as:
- Personal care- set your giftees up with a plastic-free bathroom and shower set. No more plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles; no more plastic liquid soap bottles. Add bamboo toothbrushes, sustainable floss, and more.
- Food basket- organic nut butter, homemade sauces, and other treats.
- Household- you could set up your newlyweds with the eco-kitchen set; no more plastic dish soap containers, no more scrubbers and sponges that shed micro-plastics, and sustainable cleaning products all around.
- Body care package- lotions, oils, and more for personal pampering.
- Hive utilizes eco-friendly shipping practices with recyclable boxes printed with non-toxic ink and filled with 100% recyclable packing materials.
- They also take advantage of carbon neutrality offsetting.
- If you prefer, you can shop by cause to support a brand helping small communities, or one dedicated to championing equality, or female-owned businesses.
- Products are also categorized by attributes such as cruelty-free, Made in the USA, vegan-friendly, and more for easy shopping.
Because American marketing and consumerism have been set up around a convenient and disposable lifestyle, geared towards instant gratification (think same-day delivery) trying to live zero-waste may seem impossible. Thankfully there are online retailers sharing a more organic, zero-waste way of purchasing and consuming.
- Package Free Shop is selling plastic-free products and ships them in zero-waste, carbon-neutral packaging.
- They offer difficult-to-recycle items such as stainless steel razors, compostable dental floss, beeswax food wraps, silicone storage bags, natural dish cleaning brushes, metal straws, and more.
- Zero WasteKits- already all set up for you to easily give as an eco-friendly wedding gift; choices from personal care to home care.
- Beauty & Personal care- offering luxurious pampering eco-conscious products, Even have a sexual wellness section that might be perfect for your new couple.
This is the best site to find handmade and one-of-a-kind gifts conceived by independent brands, designers, and makers. They’ve got everything from stylish jewelry and clothing, to gourmet condiments and kitchen accessories, to puzzles and home decor.
- Vegan-friendly- only stock leather, feather, and fur-free products.
- They also donate $1 from every purchase to a nonprofit partner.
- Eco-friendly packaging is also on the menu.
- Plus, they pay employees more than double the federal minimum wage and advocate for paid family leave and better pay in the state of New York.
OTHER ECO FRIENDLY WEDDING GIFT IDEAS
Plants
Nothing says eco-green environmentally friendly living than actual green plants! And what a lovely gift to give and receive. The world of plants is vast and varied by region, from edible trees to flowers, to vines, and air cleansers, to a kitchen garden tower of fresh herbs.
- Adding an abundance of greenery to a newlywed's new apartment or home is like the icing on the cake; it’s the living element that adds life to their new shared space.
- Place your chosen green selection inside a stylish pot for an extra touch.
- To complete this eco-friendly wedding gift, add a plant marker with a sweet saying.
Laundry Love
It can’t be avoided and now that there are two or more in the home, the laundry routine is only going to increase. Getting your couple to switch over to eco-friendly laundry habits is a really thoughtful gift to give, one they might not have considered and one that will save an enormous amount of plastic from going into the landfills.
- Laundry Detergent Sheets- are fantastic! They work incredibly well. You’ll be tempted to use more than one but it’s honestly not needed.
- For less waste, add this to a laundry-themed eco-friendly wedding gift basket for the couple.
- EarthBreeze is our favorite as they give so much back to the community as well. To go the extra mile, gift an automatic re-occurring monthly shipment (easy to set up and change with their monthly email reminders before shipment if desired).
- Wool Dryer Balls- are excellent replacements for dryer sheets (which most are toxic by the way). Organic wool dryer balls help with static cling and work as a fabric softener as well.
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