25+ Sustainable Gift Ideas People Will Love in 2024 (2024)

Last Updated on November 27, 2024

Looking for thoughtful sustainable gift ideas that are kinder to the planet? Here are more than 25 fabulous eco-gifts that even folks who don’t think much about sustainability will love.

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Table Of Contents

  1. WHAT MAKES A GIFT SUSTAINABLE?
  2. BEST SUSTAINABLE GIFT IDEAS
    • SUPER SUSTAINABLE GIFTS: FOCUS ON EXPERIENCES
    • VIRTUAL GIFTS
      • MASTERCLASS
      • HERBAL ACADEMY
      • COOKING, MIXOLOGY, MEAL PLANNING CLASSES
      • E-BOOKS
      • DONATIONS
    • MAKE IT YOURSELF
      • Bath and body
      • Homemade food gifts
      • Gifts made from things you grew or foraged
    • GREAT GEAR FROM SUSTAINABLE BRANDS
    • TOOLS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING
      • Garden Gifts
      • Sustainable Sips
      • Zero Waste Tools

WHAT MAKES A GIFT SUSTAINABLE?

As if holiday gift giving weren’t challenging enough, finding presents that don’t make the sustainability-minded cringe can be exceptionally hard. Need some creative ways to give more sustainably this year? Below are more than 25 ways you can make your gifts a little more eco-friendly this year,

What are we looking for when we’re evaluating a gift’s sustainability? Some people think of sustainable as just a little less bad than some standard options, but the word sustainable literally means something that can be sustained. So stuff made of plastic or fast fashion? Nope.

We’re talking about things involving minimal waste with a very small eco-footprint. Or tools that help someone live a more eco-friendly lifestyle by helping them waste less.

Here’s a primer on what sustainability is if you’d like a refresher. And here’s a shortcut to sustainable living if you want to get there fast.

Sustainable gifts don’t have to announce their eco-cred. In many cases, they’re just lovely, thoughtful gifts anyone would enjoy, whether or not they’ve given much thought to sustainability.

But you’ll feel better knowing your gifts are doing right by the planet.

BEST SUSTAINABLE GIFT IDEAS

Need some savvy ways to make your gifting more sustainable this year? Let’s dive in to the top sustainable gift ideas.

SUPER SUSTAINABLE GIFTS: FOCUS ON EXPERIENCES

No packaging, no shipping, no physical objects — what could be more sustainable? There are so many options for experience gifts, and some won’t even cost you anything more than a little time.

Some ideas to consider:

  • tickets to a show, concert, or comedy event
  • museum or zoo memberships
  • homemade certificates for a cooked-from-scratch meal, a night of babysitting, or help with a house project

Think about what the person is most interested in or in need of. If they’re pressed for time, certificates for help or home cooked meals might be the best present you can possibly give them. Or if they’re in need of a little more fun, tickets to an event might be just the ticket!

VIRTUAL GIFTS

Gifts accessed digitally are a wonderful way to give something super-useful with no waste. Online courses or e-books are gifts of knowledge that can last a lifetime. (Great for last-minute gift-giving, btw!)

MASTERCLASS

Have you explored Masterclass? It’s a pretty brilliant idea. A subscription gets the recipient access to a library of thousands of lessons from experts in their fields.

You can help someone hone their cooking skills with chefs like Wolfgang Puck or Alice Waters. Or study music with world-renowned artists like Yo-Yo Ma and Mariah Carey or tennis with Serena Williams and comedy with Steve Martin.

They can learn about gardening from Ron Finley, photography from Annie Leibowitz and filmmaking from Spike Lee! How cool is that?

They’re offering 50% off subscriptions for a limited time. Find out more and sign up for Masterclass.

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HERBAL ACADEMY

The Herbal Academy has numerous online foraging and herbalism courses to help the recipient advance their plant knowledge. Whether they’re a total beginner or more advanced, there are options for every skill level, as well as mini courses in subjects like herbal skin care and perfume-making.

Keep an eye out for their special sales around the holidays!

Here’s a list of the courses they’re currently enrolling.

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COOKING, MIXOLOGY, MEAL PLANNING CLASSES

Would someone on your list enjoy classes on mixology or crafts? Check out the unique offerings at Uncommon Goods.

Help someone master meal planning and save money on healthy food with Don’t Waste the Crumbs’ highly-rated Grocery Budget Bootcamp and Meal Planning Bootcamp.

Get kids cooking : My kids and I had a great time and learned a ton with the Kids Cook Real Food online course. You can get courses for kids at different levels, or choose the VIP package that includes lifetime access to all their classes. Find out more about Kids Cook Real Food here

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E-BOOKS

E-books are another eco-friendly gift idea, adding to your favorite life-long learner’s digital library. Consider e-books on gardening, cookbooks, or how-to-guides like this one on crafting your own body care from The Herbal Spoon. My book on elderberries is also out in a Kindle edition.

Brown Thumb Mama has a bunch of helpful e-books for newer gardeners all bundled together.

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Here are some more books about gardening you can find electronically or in hardcopy.

A Kindle Unlimited subscription allows the recipient to choose from an astonishing array of titles on any subject.

Do they prefer to listen to their books? An Audible subscription is a fantastic eco-friendly gift, allowing them access to thousands of titles. You can get a gift subscription (or a free trial for yourself!) here.

DONATIONS

Have one of those people on your list who really doesn’t want anything? Consider making a donation in their name to a cause they care about, such as their local food shelf, a pet shelter, or an environmental organization.

Some to consider include the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, or Friends of the Earth, all of which advocate for actions to protect ecosystems and the climate.

Heifer International has an array of options with far-reaching positive impacts, like tree seedlings fora family to start an orchard.

Love learning about green living hacks and medicinal plants? Follow HealthyGreenSavvy on Pinterest or like HealthyGreenSavvy on Facebook to keep up with the new ones I share every day!

MAKE IT YOURSELF

DIY gifts are a great way to give more sustainably, and as an added bonus they can be very inexpensive and easy to make. If you can mix two ingredients in a bowl, you can make bath salts and sugar scrubs. If you can pour things in a bag or a jar, you can make DIY sachets, infused vinegars, herbal tinctures, or kits-in-a-jar.

It’s so satisfying to give DIY gifts, and so many take virtually no skill at all.

Bath and body

DIY bath salts are an insanely easy DIY gift to make, using just a couple simple ingredients you may already have in your cupboard. Easy lavender bath salts are perfect for giving the gift of relaxation.

Homemade sugar scrubs require just a few ingredients you likely have in your kitchen.

Homemade food gifts

Easy homemade food gifts like delicious chocolate clusters or spiced roasted chickpeas in an upcycled jar make a great sustainable gift. Maybe you have a favorite cookie recipe or bake a great sourdough. Use your imagination.

Get out that dehydrator and make delicious treats from local dried apples to decadent dried bananas ‘candy.’ You can also try an easy fruit leather, like this healthy, 3-ingredient apple-pear leather.

Or make some of unusual gifts from leftover orange peels. Check out these uses for orange peels for inspiration.

Make a kit-in-a-jar by filling a mason jar with all the ingredients they need for a homemade soup, batch of cookies, or homemade elderberry syrup. These cute colored mason jars work well for things that can fit in smaller containers, while you’ll want the quart size for soups and cookies.

Or pick up some unusual teas from your natural food shop or specialty tea store in pretty glass containers, homemade herbal tea blends, or prepackaged options. Mountain Rose Herbs is a fantastic source for high-quality herbs. Here are 30 more ideas for gifts for tea lovers.

Gifts made from things you grew or foraged

DIY Sachets

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Some herbs tucked in a simple bag makes an easy, fragrant sachet. Find out how to make a lavender sachet, or select other herbs from your garden.

Homemade tinctures or infused vinegars

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Craft an herbal vinegar or tincture using plants you gather from the garden. You can use fresh herbs if you still have them, but if you don’t, dried ones work, too. You can also collect pine or spruce needles any time to make a holiday-themed herbal extract.

Below are a few tincture recipes to explore. You’ll notice the recipes are very similar. You can substitute different herbs depending on what you have on hand and what might be appreciated by the folks you’re making it for.

Some herbal tinctures to try:

  • Pine needle tincture
  • Lemon balm tincture
  • Stinging nettle tincture

You could use yarrow, catnip, elderberry, self-heal, goldenrod, echinacea, or any other herb you like.

Most tincture recipes call for vodka, but you could also steep your herbs in glycerin, or in vinegar for use in herbal salad dressings.

Interested in more great DIY gifts? Check out this collection of more than 25 easy homemade gifts that even the craft-challenged among us can make.

GREAT GEAR FROM SUSTAINABLE BRANDS

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There are so many options for beautiful and practical gifts from companies making sustainability a core focus of their mission. Whether it’s organic clothing from Pact or gorgeous pieces for the home or garden from Viva Terra, you can find fabulous things to delight everyone on your list. Check out these beautiful bowls and serving pieces made from reclaimed wood or garden accents.

Or explore thousands of upcycled and sustainably-sourced handmade gifts on Etsy, like unique jewelry, keychains, and bud vases made from upcycled silverware or cozy mittens crafted from recycled wool sweaters.

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Go Local:

Keep an eye out for shows and popups in your area that feature crafts from local artisans. In my not-very-big town, every December we have at least three holiday sales crammed with beautifully-made ceramics, jewelry, homemade preserves, and so much more. I always find plenty of great stuff for gifting.

Here are loads more lovely handmade gifts to explore.

Get more practical ways to live greener and healthier delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our weekly newsletter here and choose a free e-book as a welcome to the HGS community.

TOOLS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Whether someone is already into green living or hasn’t thought much about it, many eco-tools make great gifts for anyone.

Garden Gifts

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Someone new to gardening would enjoy easy beginner grow-your-own gifts like herb kits or an indoor growing system can help someone produce more of their own fresh, delicious food.

Check out the indoor grow kits at Urban Leaf or gift an Herbal Tea Garden so they can grow their own tasty medicinal teas.

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True Leaf Market also has some excellent gift ideas at 15% off for the holidays with code HOLIDAY24.

Not much sun for growing indoors? A setup that incorporates a grow light makes growing anywhere possible.

–>Explore loads more creative gifts for gardeners.

Sustainable Sips

Folks trying to trim their wasteprint will love helpful zero waste tools like a home soda maker, which makes buying seltzer or soda in cans or bottles a thing of the past. They’ll save money, shrink the footprint of their beverages, and get something a whole lot better for them as well.

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If they don’t already have a water bottle to bring their homemade seltzer with them, a stylish water bottles is another great sustainable gift idea. Or consider an insulated metal mug, which is so much cooler than wasteful throwaway cups and won’t expose them to all the questionable chemicals in takeaway cups and tops.

Help make their tea habit more sustainable with some delicious loose teas and brewing gear like an infuser cup or teapot with built in infuser. A glass teapot with a blooming flower tea makes for an especially gorgeous tea gift.

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For something that will last a lifetime (several, really) consider a traditional Japanese cast iron teapot.

My favorite places to get loose tea are From Great Origins and Tea Lyra. Heal Thyself Moringa and Cream Earl Grey Moonlight are especially delicious. Get 20% off your TeaLyra order when you use the code ‘SAVVY’.

–> Check out more gifts for tea lovers.

Zero Waste Tools

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Whether it’s compostable cleaning or bath supplies or beautiful eco-friendly storage, you’ll find a wide array of options at Earth Hero. Check out their holiday guide of beautiful and useful products to give or get for yourself. Better still, your purchase supports donations to help environmental cleanup efforts.

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Find hundreds more zero-waste products at Life Without Plastic, which carries everything from bamboo combs and toothbrushes to metal storage containers.

Check out our other gift guides for more eco-gifting inspiration:

  • Herbal Gifts
  • Easy Homemade Gifts for the Not-So-Crafty
  • Healthy Living Gift Guide

Save these sustainable gift ideas for later!

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Photo credits: Cover — chamillewhite, Susannah Shmurak, vvuls, DNY59

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Susannah

Susannah is a proud garden geek and energy nerd who loves healthy food and natural remedies. Her work has appeared in Mother Earth Living, Ensia, Northern Gardener, Sierra, and on numerous websites. Her first book, Everything Elderberry, released in September 2020 and has been a #1 new release in holistic medicine, naturopathy, herb gardening, and other categories. Find out more and grab your copy here.

25+ Sustainable Gift Ideas People Will Love in 2024 (2024)

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