I am the mother of two teenagers. Aren’t I lucky? If you have your own teenagers, you will understand the challenges I face when trying to shop for them. I have been searching for the best eco friendly gifts for teens because I want to reduce the carbon footprint of our gift giving. However, THEY want what their friends have…which is rarely affordable, useful or good for the environment! I am trying to find a balance this year between the things they need, the things they WANT and the gifts that are better for the environment. I thought I would share a few suggestions in case you are as stumped as I am when it comes to gifts for teens.
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Best Eco Friendly Gifts for Teens
Eco friendly workout clothes: My teens are both very active so they always need workout clothes. Look for workout clothing that uses bamboo, hemp, recycled materials or other green materials rather than traditional cotton. Teeki Womens Eco-Friendly Yoga Hot Pants are a great choice.
Organic beauty products: Whether you have a teen boy or a teen girl, some of the best eco friendly gifts for teens are beauty items. Lip balms, hand lotions, hair gels, cologne, or perfume are all nice gifts that fit inside a Christmas stocking or birthday gift bag.
Gift Cards: Gift cards may seem rather cold but teens are picky. It is more environmentally correct for them to buy something they actually WANT rather than getting an eco friendly gift from you that they DON’T want.
Hemp socks: Funky socks are a great idea if you don’t know the teen’s clothing size. Colorful socks made of hemp, organic cotton or recycled materials are very popular with teens today.
Give the gift of an experience: Not all gifts have to be tangible. Buy your teens tickets to their favorite concert or a white water rafting adventure. Sometimes the best gifts are things you don’t open at all.
Organic Chocolate: My teens have a sweet tooth so candy is always well received. Put together a gift bag with a nice selection of organic candy and they will be thrilled. No size to worry about and no clutter to add to their already messy rooms.
Eco Friendly Gift Baskets: Whether you want to send your college student an anti stress gift basket or give your hard to shop for dad an all natural shaving basket, there are a ton of options to choose from.
Recycled Jewelry: My daughter is all about the bling. Invest in a few nice pieces of eco friendly jewelry to adorn their fingers, toes, and necks. I love the Fair Trade “Fish” Recycled Paper Beads Bracelet.
While teenagers are definitely not easy to shop for, with a little thought and planning you CAN find gifts with a smaller carbon footprint. They may not be as cheap as the stuff you find in mass retail stores but honestly, most teens have way too much stuff anyhow. Buy one or two smaller and more environmentally friendly items rather than hundreds of dollars worth of cheap items.
What do YOU think are the best eco friendly gifts for teens?
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Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.