The perfect holiday present can be hard to find, and the task might be more challenging for the environmentalist in your life. Here are ideas for tree-huggers and others who might appreciate gifts that are gentle to the Earth.
The eco-friendly reversible yoga mat from Gaiam ($29.98; gaiam.com) is made from non-toxic TPE. It contains no PVC or latex. Help yogis start off the New Year right by combining the mat with a yoga series gift certificate. A few of many options in the area include: Unity Woods Yoga Center (4853 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; unitywoods.com); Flow Yoga Center (1450 P St. NW; flowyogacenter.com) and Radiance Yoga Studio (110 King St., Alexandria; radiance-yoga.net).
The eco-conscious book lover in your family will enjoy “The Blueberry Years: A Memoir of Farm and Family” by Jim Minick (St. Martin’s Press, $27.99). Valuing health, family and the holiness of the Earth, Minick and his wife started one of the first certified organic blueberry farms in the mid-Atlantic region. Their story takes you through planting, growing, picking, pruning and harvesting as they do their part to improve our country’s food system.
What about the relative who is glued to his or her desk? Ikea is selling Sunnan. These colorful (and cute) work lamps are solar powered with an LED light source that uses 70 percent less energy and lasts 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs. ($19.99; ikea.com).
Sweet Nuit’s Twenty Ten Holiday Mix includes 16 pieces of handcrafted chocolates by Liz Marx. Her 100 percent organic, raw cacao, low-glycemic treats are sure to meet the standards of the strictest vegan, and her breathtakingly creative designs will hold the art connoisseur in awe. ($45 plus shipping; sweetnuit.com).
The perfect complement to those Sweet Nuit chocolates? Coffee from the region’s own Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company. Their Eco-Reef Medium City Roast ($12; cbrccoffee.com) uses a blend of beans from Central and South America. Compared to other coffee roasters, CBRC’s uses technology that lowers its carbon footprint by roughly 80 percent.
Green kids will enjoy local author Chuck McCutcheon’s new science book What are Global Warming and Climate Change? (University of New Mexico Press, $24.95). Presented in a Q&A format, this hands-on activity guide will offer kids the chance to critique environmental movies, calculate their carbon footprint and improve their recycling efforts. Designed for ages 9 and up.
Adopt a panda (or a lynx, or blue-footed boobie) on behalf of the animal lover in your life with a World Wildlife Fund Gift Adoption Card. The recipient will receive a soft plush version of the adopted animal ($50; wwfgiftadoptioncard.com).
Need a gift for Fido, too? Check out Island Dog Design’s eco-friendly dog beds. With an insert made of a chemical and pesticide free natural latex foam, and an outer cover of organic cotton, your pet will have the perfect night’s sleep ($185 and up; islanddogdesign.com).
