6 sustainable Christmas gifts ideas for eco-minded friends and family

WORDS: Liesbeth Deddens, Climeworks

Buying and receiving Christmas presents can often feel extremely wasteful. But the good news is that, these days, there’s a wide choice of gifts so that you can go super-green with your presents. So if you have family members and friends who are deeply committed to the environment and combating climate change, here are six ideas for Christmas gifts they’ll love, which won’t cost the earth – literally.

Gift an experience

If your loved one relishes outdoor activities then why not gift an experience rather than a physical present? Companies such as BuyAGift and Red Letter Days arrange experiences such as glamping, mountain biking, and zip lining – it’ll certainly make for a memorable gift!

If travel might negate some of the environmental benefit, why not find an experience nearby? A local course in hedge laying or a special meal in a vegan restaurant might be perfect.

Even if they don’t have a gift voucher scheme in place, most local businesses will create something for you.

Support green charities

If your family and friends are dedicated to the environment, they won’t necessarily want more ‘stuff’. Giving your money to a charity that they feel passionate about, on their behalf, will go down a treat. If they are concerned about wildlife, consider a donation to Born Free, WWF, or similar. If deforestation is their focus, the Rainforest Trust might be appreciated. Greenpeace is one to go for if you’re unsure of a specific cause.

Plant a tree

If more trees are planted, we’ll have less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and more oxygen. What’s more, planting trees helps counter mass deforestation. Why not buy your eco-minded friends a sapling to start their contribution to the process? Alternatively, for just £10, you can help The Woodland Trust plant more trees and create future homes for wildlife.

Be a water warrior

Did you know that the average household uses 150 litres of water a day, very little of which is used for drinking or cooking. Harvesting rainwater is environmentally responsible, promotes self-sufficiency and saves you money! A water butt will collect rainwater for flowerbeds and lawns, while filtration systems will mean you can use the rainwater in your home, even for baths! There are various options these days, including decorative water butts that will fit seamlessly into a garden.

Keep it clean

Anyone who wants to help reduce their impact on the planet will love a Climeworks subscription!

Climeworks removes carbon dioxide directly from the air, which is then stored safely and permanently underground. What’s clever about this is that it removes historic CO2, in other words, the carbon dioxide that has been kicking around for some time and needs to be removed to keep global warming under control.

Climeworks works with big organisations, such as Stripe or Shopify, to help them remove their carbon footprint, but it is also available to people like you and me – making it a great Christmas gift. For as little as £6 per month, 85kg of carbon dioxide can be removed from the air per year – that’s the equivalent of around four trees!

Go solar

In addition to the environmental benefits, solar chargers and solar power banks for your portable devices are both economical and handy. There’s a wide range of options to choose from, too.

Liesbeth Deddens is from Climeworks, which empowers people to reverse climate change by permanently removing carbon dioxide from the air. Founded by engineers Christoph Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher, Climeworks strives to inspire 1 billion people to act now and remove carbon dioxide from the air. Together we can build a climate-positive world. Find out more at climeworks.com