Make sure that your material gift is of use
The thought of giving may be regarded as important, but when the recipient finds no use for the gift then it goes to waste. Give material gifts only when you know the recipients well enough so as to select gifts they would have acquired for themselves, or what they actually need and will surely use with pleasure.
An eco-friendly, consumable gift
Your friends will cherish your consumable gift on two occasions: first while relishing your fair-trade coffee, organic tea, fresh/dried fruits and nuts, a basket of organic fruit & vegetables, fresh flowers, etc. and next when they realize that your gift doesn’t cause a guilty feeling of having left it unused.
Be a part of your gift
Do away with material gifts. There are other green options like offering to baby-sit while your friend has an enjoyable date with his/her partner, gifting a certificate for a rejuvenating massage, or shoveling their driveway in winter (and keep the massage coupon for yourself).
Make an eco-friendly gift
If your time is taken up by a busy schedule, you can opt to gift an eco-friendly service. Think of gifting carbon offsets to a friend commuting to office, or a Zipcar membership to a friend who must have frequent recourse to taxis for augmenting their public transport schedule.
Its not just the gift that can be eco friendly, you could throw a whole Eco Friendly office party! The whole party can go green!
Gift of a service
You can still lessen material gifts by gifting any service. Services expressing humanity, such as gifting a micro-loan through Kiva for instance, arouse sentimental enthusiasm.
Give a gift to the needy
Your children will be happy when they receive post about children in another country whose better living is brought about by the gift of sheep or llamas on their behalf, through Heifer or World Gifts.
Gifts made by you show your affection
The baby sweater you have made may become a family heirloom, thereby extending the lifecycle of materials involved in your gift.
Buy gifts locally
Eat and shop locally to reduce carbon emissions A gift manufactured or cultivated locally can unravel a story of its own or be an exotic article you have found on your familiar sojourns. The environment will be spared from GHG emissions due to shipping when you are buying your gifts locally.
Choose gifts of quality
Visit vintage or secondhand shops and with a little more money and diligence you can find a gift of quality, and your selection can extend the lifecycle of its constituent materials. You can make the gift look like new by giving it a fresh paint job or wrapping some ribbon around. Your friend will cherish your high quality gift for a long time.
Give some thought about packaging
The packaging used should not add to trash going to dump. Try to make the packaging a part of the gift, like enclosing it in a scarf or keeping it inside a box that can be reused for knick-knacks. Also you can utilize reusable wrappings, like gift bags, etc. For family member and friends you can try the Sunday comics instead of usual gift wrappings from the shop.