Green Gift Ideas
Throughout the year there are many occasions requiring us to purchase, make or think of special gifts.
Have you considered making environmentally conscious decisions when purchasing.
When organising a gift for someone special, try to purchase or create an item that is more environmentally friendly.
This section will provide a few green gift ideas. If you have any green gift suggestions email Council at ourenvironment@blacktown.nsw.gov.au to be published here.
For around the Home
- Camphor Laurel natural anti-bacterial wooden chopping board
- Native Plants
- Bees wax candles (green, natural)
- Rechargeable batteries and battery charger
- Native plant seeds
- Fruit and vegetable seeds - to grow their own food
- Gardening gloves or any gardening utensil
- Worm farm or Compost bin - Council offers residents worm farms and compost bins at a reduced price.
- Solar products - torch, radio, battery charger, garden lights
- Fill an empty bottle eg resealable wine bottle, with liquid fertiliser from your worm farm for the garden
For kids
- Bamboo toys
Specifically for them
- Gift voucher for an activity such as sea kayaking, canoeing or white water rafting
- Gift voucher to a local restaurant
- Clothing - Certified Organic Cotton, bamboo or hemp products
Organic Products
- Certified organic chocolate or chocolate coated biscuits
- Organically based skin care products
- Box of certified organic fruit and vegetables
- Certified organic wine
- Certified organic tea or coffee products
- Certified organic towels and linen
- Certified organic cotton clothes
Home Made
- Products made in Australia
- Make your own cards from recycled materials
- Make some natural cleaning products. Consider attending one of Council's free Non-Toxic Cleaning Workshops. For more information click here.
- Make your own personal vouchers for a special person eg redeem this voucher for a hug, one home cooked meal, a basket of ironing.
- Make your own gift hamper just from 'Australian Made' products
- Make your own wrapping paper from recycled paper or newspaper
- Keep and reuse gift bags
Other Items
Council has not assessed nor endorses these schemes, but here are some ideas that may be useful.
- Purchase a goat (or other animal) for a needy farmer on behalf of your special person. Click here to go directly to Oxfam
- Make a donation to an environmental charity. For listed charities visit auscharity.org
- Fair trade football, No Sweat shoes (New Internationalist/Oxfam)
- Subscription to a magazine - G Magazine , National Geographic, Australian Geographic or an eco/gardening magazine.
- Gift Membership to a local environmental organisation eg Permaculture Sydney West or Australian Conservation Foundation.
- Subscription to adopt an animal
- Movies - An Inconvenient Truth, Who Killed the Electric Car, The Power of Community - how Cuba survived Peak Oil
- Give vouchers to a DVD rental store
- Ecofleece products
- Subscribe to Greenfleet or Carbon Neutral and have trees planted to offset the recipients carbon emissions.
- National Parks annual entry pass
- Gift voucher to local community college to attend a course eg languages, craft, cooking.
- Box of Murray River salt flakes
New Years Resolutions
- Adopt a Road
- Offset your carbon emissions for the year, generated from using your motor vehicle.
- Attend more community events
- Become a bushcare volunteer
- Attend a Sustainable Living Workshop (click here)
- Join the Supporters of Sustainability (SOS) Challenge
- Make conscious shopping choices, buy locally or products made in Australia
- Join a community garden
- Holiday in Australia
- Donate Blood
