We asked our local bookstore The Booktenders for some ideas for children’s books that teach children to treasure and protect nature. They have provided some suggestions and are carrying these books in their store.
“What You Need to Be Warm” by Neil Gaiman
“We Are Water Protectors” by Carold Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade
We Fill Good in Kittery has a variety of home and personal items in bulk or packaged sustainably and contain natural ingredients. Marla shared some gift suggestions including meditative coloring books, a rechargeable (butane-free) lighter, locally made bar shampoos and soaps, and refillable candles. While you’re there, fill some of your own containers with dishwasher pods, laundry pods and other bulk items in the store.
We also visited Eldredge Hardware to get some ideas from Matt, who gave us some suggestions including battery-powered equipment, Darn Tough socks, LED lighting (for inside and outside decorating), seed starter kits, garden tools, and The Naked Bee skin care products.
We stopped in at Bell Farm, as they have a whole room dedicated to keeping birds happy. Laurie had some great gift-giving suggestions including sustainably made bird and bat houses, Mason bee houses (Mason bees do not produce honey, but are excellent tree pollinators), hummingbird feeders as well as other bird feeders and seeds.
Also, check out the Rewiring America 2023 Electric Gift Guide for some thoughtful electric gifts that will improve people’s lives in a meaningful way.
Experience or convenience gifts are always a welcome alternative to material gifts, allowing the recipient to enjoy a meal at a fun restaurant (or a homemade meal cooked by the gift-giver), a relaxing massage, the thrill of a ropes course or a car detailing. A membership to the Center for Wildlife here in York, provides free admission for a year and special invitation to members-only events, fostering a love of wildlife and nature, or adopt one of their wildlife ambassadors, facilitating a unique connection to one of their beautiful non-releasable animals.
Decorate your home with DIY decorations and crafts made from natural materials collected from outside. Also, when giving gifts, be creative in using eco-friendly methods to disguise your gift, rather than using store-bought wrapping paper that gets ripped off in seconds then tossed in the trash. Start collecting colorful envelopes, pages from catalogs, old maps, the comics section from the Sunday paper, scraps of fabric, or drawings that come home from school that could be used to wrap a small gift, or decorate plain boxes using colorful markers.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS from York EcoHomes!
