Green Eyes On: 9 Great Last-Minute Green Gift Ideas
by Sara Snow 
on 12.22.08
Last week, I did a segment for The CBS Early Show on green gift ideas, and Harry Smith, co-anchor of the show, remarked that it was the best green gift segment he’d ever done. I won’t take credit for that: There are simply fantastic green goods out there now. Gone are the days of only organic socks and crunchy looking handbags (although I have my share of those and treasure them dearly), we’ve welcomed in a new era of attractive solar bags, water-powered clocks, beautiful handcrafted cosmetics and perfumes, and adorable organic stuffed animals. There is now something green and good for everyone on your list. And don't forget to check out TreeHugger's fantastic Gift Guide!
Green Gifts for Men
1. Brunton’s Solar Roll (shown above, starting at $295) allows anyone to be truly mobile. It’s strong enough to charge your laptop or your car battery.
2. The attractive Bedol Water Powered Clock ($16) is actually powered by water, requiring no batteries or electricity.
3. The Pangea Harmony Gift Set ($35; including organic soap, shower gel, lotion, and a soap dish), which also appears in the TH Holiday Guide, is packaged in a cardboard box that, when planted in the soil, will grow into a spruce tree.
Green Gifts for Women
4. When I showed one of the Cortland solar bags by Noon Solar ($418) on The Early Show, the studio lights worked their magic on the built in solar panel and charged the producer’s cell phone while we talked. Check out this bag and more for the fashionistas on your list in the TreeHugger Holiday Gift Guide for the Fashion Buff.
Discover more last minute green gifts on page 2.
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By the looks of it, most of these gifts add little real value to the recipient, they are gimmicks that will wind up in a landfill within a few months or years after providing minimal benefit.
Maybe I'm too much of a utilitarian but why not give something that actually addresses a real problem people have - something that will save them energy they're using now? CFLs fit nicely in a stocking!