Here is the uncomfortable truth about gift-giving: many fun-to-unwrap baubles get used twice, shoved in a drawer, and eventually hauled off to Goodwill or the landfill. So for anyone who cares about the climate crisis or the environment, the holidays are a minefield of cognitive dissonance: you want to give loved ones something meaningful, while cringing at your own consumerism. It’s a dilemma, but it doesn’t have to be.
There are thoughtful ways to give without adding to the problem, or better yet, giving gifts that make the right kind of difference. We’re not talking about carbon credits or vague promises of planting trees – the gifts here can extend the life of things you already own, replace single-use waste, or fund conservation work directly. Some I have tested myself; others come from trusted organizations with long track records and verifiable credentials. Here are some gift ideas that you and your eco-minded recipient can both feel great about.
All prices current at the time of publication.
iFixit has become the hub of the right to repair movement, fighting manufacturers who make devices impossible to fix. Their Pro Tech Toolkit backs up the advocacy with everything you need to crack open a phone, laptop, or even a game console, including 64 precision bits, tweezers, a lid with a built-in sorting tray, an anti-static wrist strap, a magnetic pad, suction cups, and spudgers, a tool for gentle prying.
I’ve been testing the kit on a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone with a broken gimbal, following iFixit’s free step-by-step guide. The repair is doable, though a telling limitation remains: even after a successful hardware fix, recalibrating the gimbal requires third-party software because DJI locks down its app. That’s just one more example of why we need the right to repair, and a good reason to support companies including iFixit and the communities of fixers they support, pushing for change.
Reef Conservation International Lionfish Expedition
Lionfish are an invasive menace in Caribbean waters. They devour native species, destroy reef ecosystems, and have no natural predators. Fortunately, they’re also delicious and fun to hunt. ReefCI, a non-profit based in Belize, trains volunteer divers to hunt them on a tiny private island off the coast in the middle of the critically endangered Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.
I joined my brother on an expedition last year and spent a week on the island in tiny haciendas, stepping over hermit crabs at night and feasting on lionfish we had speared during the day. The organization removes more than 7,000 lionfish annually and partners with local restaurants to put them on menus (they’re mild and flaky). A week at their research station on the Sapodilla Cayes includes 12 or 13 dives a week (including a night dive), lionfish hunting, and marine conservation work. If you’re not scuba certified, they offer classes for that too. Everything except a wetsuit, fins, booties, a dive mask and a flight to Belize is included, though you will pay for optional extras such as alcohol or renting a regulator. My brother enjoyed it so much that he went back again this past August.
Chimahaga Kintsugi repair kit
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted in gold, transforming “broken” into beauty and damage into decoration. The Chimahaga standard kit, shipped from Nishinomiya, Japan, includes traditional urushi lacquer, gold powder, and everything needed to mend a broken mug or bowl. My girlfriend has been working through repairing a plate that shattered into several pieces using the Chimahaga kit, which includes top-notch materials and crystal-clear video instructions. We love it, and it is by far my favorite pick in this gift guide.
Kensuke Ikuta, who teaches classes in the art for Chimahaga, told me that kintsugi can reshape our understanding of waste. “I often hear students say things like, ‘If I had known about kintsugi earlier, I wouldn’t have thrown away that piece I broke back then,’” he writes. “People often begin to realize that instead of simply throwing something away, they can repair it and keep using it. As a result, a new option other than ‘discarding it’ comes into existence in their own minds.”
Ikuta advises beginners to start small. “When people imagine kintsugi, they often think that a bowl shattered into many pieces will create the most beautiful, eye-catching gold lines,” Ikuta writes. But ambitious multi-piece projects often lead to discouragement. Better to complete one modest repair and build confidence from there.
What I’ve learned so far: urushi lacquer is finicky, requiring warmth and humidity to cure, but when it works, the result justifies the patience.
Not everyone needs to own a table saw or a 3D printer, but sometimes you need one. Tool libraries and makerspaces around the country let members borrow equipment or use workshops for a fraction of the cost of buying, and some of them offer gift certificates or allow you to gift memberships.
For instance, the Minnesota Tool Library offers gift certificates in any denomination that never expire and can be redeemed toward membership ($65-$250), classes or tools. Members get access to 10,000 items, a shared woodshop, and a community of DIYers.
Kate Hersey, the library’s executive director, framed it this way: “No matter their skill level. It’s functional, experiential and super impactful – both environmentally and personally!” The sharing model keeps tools in use instead of collecting dust, and many spaces offer classes in woodworking, metalwork and electronics repair. Similar programs exist nationwide. Find one near you at Makerspace.
Amazon’s Certified Refurbished program sells any number of refurbished electronic devices, from iPhones to iRobot Roombas to printers and calculators. They take returned or lightly used devices, test them to work like new, and sell them at a discount with the same warranty as fresh units. The environmental math is straightforward: manufacturing a new e-reader, for example, generates roughly 168kg of CO2 over its lifecycle, according to Amazon’s own sustainability reports. A refurbished unit doesn’t negate that impact, but it keeps the product in use longer.
after newsletter promotion
The prices are appealing, too: you can get a Dell Chromebook 11 3100 for $59.99, or a 2020 10.2in 32GB iPad for $126.99. For people who don’t need the latest and greatest devices, these are terrific deals that help keep plastic, glass, lithium and other materials out of the landfill.
Plenty of hotels and hostels promote themselves as “green” without even defining what that means. Ecobnb, in contrast, sets rigid standards for its properties, which must meet at least five of 10 specific sustainability criteria, including using 100% renewable energy, solar thermal panels, water flow reducers, offering organic or local food, recycling of at least 80% of waste, and more.
“The requirements are initially self-certified by hosts, and subsequently reviewed by the community of travelers, who provide targeted sustainability reviews after their stays,” said Silvia Ombellini, Ecobnb’s co-founder, in an email. “Some properties also hold official environmental certifications such as Green Key or EU Ecolabel.”
She shared the story of Gabriella, who received an Ecobnb gift card for her birthday and used it at Rifugio di Mare in Sardinia – “surrounded by greenery, complete silence, and a starry night sky”, enjoying peaceful mornings and warm hospitality.
The platform says it lists more than 3,000 eco-stays in upwards of 95 countries, from eco-lodges in Costa Rica to safari lodges in Tanzania. Digital gift cards are available in custom amounts, valid for 12 months (extendable on request), and redeemable at any property on the platform.
Earthwatch research expedition
For someone who wants to do something rather than just buy something, this is a bucket-list gift: a chance to work alongside scientists on real research. Earthwatch has been running volunteer expeditions since 1971, generating over 2,000 peer-reviewed publications and data cited in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports. Current projects include studying orcas off the coast of Iceland, restoring coral reefs in Bali, and studying elephants in Kenya.
Your contribution covers food, lodging, and research costs, and it’s tax-deductible in the U.S. If you have any qualms about where your money is going, EarthWatch’s annual reports chronicle both its expenditures and impact, and Charity Navigator gives it a sterling rating.
Bee’s Wrap beeswax wraps for food
Plastic cling wrap is one of those everyday items that is almost impossible to recycle and takes centuries to break down. Bee’s Wrap offers a reusable alternative: organic cotton infused with beeswax, tree resin, and jojoba oil that molds around food with the warmth of your hands. The Lunch Pack comes with a 13x13in sandwich wrap and two 10x11in medium wraps, but there are many, many options available.
Just use the warmth of your hands to wrap one around food, and it stays fresh and protected. When finished, simply wash it with cool water (not hot!) and mild dish soap, then allow it to dry. As long as the material sticks to itself, the wax is doing its job. The company says each wrap lasts about a year with regular use and can then be composted. Bee’s Wrap is a certified B Corporation, meaning it meets verified standards for social and environmental performance.
Foraging walk or wild-foods class
There is something both humbling and affirming about learning to find and identify edible plants in your own neighborhood. Guided foraging walks teach mushroom identification, wild greens, and seasonal harvesting, all skills that connect people to their local environment in a way no grocery store ever can. Eat the Planet’s website is a great place to start looking for a class in your area.
Rebecca Lexa, a naturalist in Portland, Oregon, offers two-hour online foraging classes to get started, and in-person classes that she calls “less extractive guided nature tours”, emphasizing leaving resources for wildlife and Indigenous communities as they restore ancestral ties to the land. Participants learn about Pacific north-west ecology, and how to identify plants, fungi and animals. Her goal is helping people feel like they’re “no longer just passing through passive scenery, but instead visiting a vibrant community of living beings”.
Another forager in Portland is John Kallas, the director of Wild Food Adventures, which offers four-day workshops for $445. “People have low expectations about what is possible,” he said via email. “When I expose them to the plethora of delicious wild foods, they often cannot believe that all this great food existed right under their noses.”
Aspiring mycologists should make sure to confirm an instructor’s credentials: misidentified mushrooms are no joke and can be deadly.
