Unique holiday gifts inspired by change

I don’t know about you, but my holiday shopping doesn’t usually begin until December. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the desert, where I have to put myself into the holiday spirit by sipping pumpkin spice frozen drinks and playing constant Christmas music throughout December to remember that it is December, because it is still 65-80.

(Okay okay, it dips down into the 30’s at night by January).

If you haven’t had the chance yet, head over to my Pinterest board, “Change” where I keep an updated stash of links to many great ways to make a difference in the world around you, from sustainable clothing to little, daily tips and tricks I have come across and myself use. It’s a great inspiration for daily, positive change.

Speaking of change, in an ongoing quest to purchase from sustainable companies with missions I can stand behind, I dig long and hard for the right deals and for companies who care about others and the planet as much as I do. I wanted to share some of those with you as you consider sustainable, meaningful purchases and gift giving this holiday season.

Shop brands with a mission, like Tentree. I love stylish clothes with a purpose, so I was ecstatic to find Tentree. Not only is their clothing line serious stylish, soft and comfy, but each purchase you make plants ten trees. That’s definitely a cause I can snuggle up to.

Next up is Fair Indigo, a company with some seriously game changing aspirations in the name of clothing.

“When fashion is done right, we can all do well. You, us, farmers, garment workers, and our shared home Planet Earth. There’s more than enough good to go around for everyone to prosper. And we can all do our small part to change the world. Just by changing our clothes” (Fair Indigo)

Their values 100% align with all things I strive to achieve when purchasing clothing. With no shortage of snuggly alpaca cardigans and a style on par with any top brands I would go after, some of their hoodies are definitely top of my wish list this year.

Buy BeGirl panties for yourself or for your loved ones. To make it short, girls without access to mestrual products are often forced to stay at home instead of go to school. In many countries, “menstruation restricts the ability to attend school, perform routine tasks, and participate in daily life free from shame or stigma” (BeGirl.org). Girls without an education, “are more susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases, early pregnancy and other health complications. If all girls received 12 years of education, the frequency of early births would drop by 59% and child deaths would decrease by 49%” (Malala.org).

Through BeGirl, girls with poor or non-existing access to sanitary products receive free products and access to workshops to learn about menstrual health and hygiene. Your purchase of BeGirl Panties supports the work to get girls access to these necessary undies and allows them to move on with their lives. You can also sponsor one or many girls, through their website.

Design your own shoes through Sseko Designs and be part of a mission to employ and develop scholarship opportunities for women in Uganda who are working to pursue their dreams and overcome poverty.

“To date, we’ve enabled 87 women to continue on to University! We also provide employment (along with access to a comprehensive social impact program) to our team of 50 women in Uganda. And we do it all through a financially self-sustaining model, one that also enables us to create opportunity for women in the U.S. to earn an income through the Sseko Fellows program.” ~ Sseko Designs

Ivory Ella started out a goal and one single t-shirt. They wanted to save the elephants. One elephant dies every 15 minutes throughout the entire African continent, and they wanted to do something about. So they created a single tee. The tee sold out in all of 17 minutes and has developed into an adorable full line of elephant logo-ed clothing. They donate 10% of all of their proceeds each year to Save The Elephants.

Or, if you’re looking for a more direct contribution, starting at a minimum of $50 a year, you can foster a baby elephant in Kenya through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and receive a personalized foster parent package for your baby elephant.

With the belief that all dogs matter, and with the goal of saving as many of them as possible, iHeartDogs began as a Facebook page and soon grew to much more. Now with proceeds going from causes ranging from Pets for Vets (pairing military veterans to suitable service dogs, among other things), Project Play™(dog toy purchases provides a toy for a shelter in need), and Paw For A Cause (each purchase provides food to shelter dogs in need) among others, proceeds from these pet-themed products go to causes worth caring about.

Through the World Wildlife Fund you can also adopt animals, from tiny foxes to elephants and receive a cute plush toy of your “adopted” animal.

You’ve seem them on The Dodo, PEOPLE Magazine, of course all over Facebook and Instagram, and you can help enrich the lives of those other-abled little goats in need through Goat’s of Anarchy. Their book series, and most importantly the 2018 Goat Calendar, should wiggle right into your favorite goat lover’s heart. And if you’re not doing so already, I highly recommend following their Instagram account for adorable daily little goat photos, including goats in duck costumes, among others.

It’s hard to go wrong gifting a bottle of wine for the holidays. So why not make that bottle count? Luckily, Benefit Wines partnered with All Breed Rescue in Vermont to donate profits from the sales to the rescue. Cheers to that!

Save the planet. Be responsible for removing one pound of the trash from our over-polluted oceans (as in 151,670 plastic bottles collected just by Mr. Trash Wheel in the Chesapeake Bay in 2016) and buy a 4Ocean bracelet. Their busy crew travels from coast to coast around the world to pick up trash from the ocean and turn it into something new, in this case, a stylish boho bracelet that I’d certainly sport.

Toss the plastic wrap, Beeswrap is where it’s at! Beeswrap creator Sarah Kaeck infused organic cotton with beeswax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin to create a washable, reusable, and compostable alternative to plastic wrap. Meet Beeswrap, the best thing to happen to your kitchen since … well, EcoLunchBoxes (this link contains an affiliate link*). Now you can create less waste and keep a lot of bad stuff from seeping into your food. It’s definitely on my wish list this year.

Buy palm oil free soap. Like my own (Serindipitie Soaps). Come on, you had to see that one coming. All of my handcrafted goat milk soap is made in small batches, entirely by hand, by me, and with carefully selected ingredients. They do not contain any preservatives, bleaches, or fillers. Everything in them is listed in the ingredients. In fact, most of the soaps have less than 10 ingredients, including being free of parabens, alcohol, animal fats, artificial fragrance, artificial colours, and palm oil. Save the orangutans!

Including causing deforestation, America’s palm-oil consumption (just look and see how often this unnecessary ingredient shows up in products at the grocery store) is responsible for decreasing the orangutan population of Sumatra and Borneo by over 20,000 just in the last 10 years.

“This sharp decline coincides with a growing demand for palm oil in the U.S. Between 1990 and 2010, the average quantity of palm oil consumed in the United States increased by 2000 million pounds. Yikes. Over 98 percent of all palm oil used in the United States comes from Southeast Asia.”