More eco-friendly gifts for weddings - or the Holidays

post from How To Get Married In Green on 15 November 2008 12:17:00 AM. © How To Get Married In Green

As promised, here are some more eco-friendly gift ideas from HTGMIG the book ... they could well give you inspiration for your Festive Season shopping.

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Locally made crockery. There are some very talented designers and manufacturers of ceramics and fine china in the world, so it makes sense to ensure that any crockery items on your wedding list are made locally and not imported. If you have a pottery or ceramics business in your neighbourhood, they might be prepared to create a set of crockery for you which would be a delightful addition to your list.

Cutlery. If you really want to be eco-friendly it's even possible to buy biodegradable cutlery! However assuming you want to keep yours for as long as possible, you should avoid the potato starch and wooden options which will last for a very short time and instead and look at - perhaps ? cutlery made out of recycled stainless steel, although that may have its problems too. Your best bet is to key "eco-friendly cutlery" into your favourite search engine and check out the most recent developments.

Beds and bedding. Try if you can to include locally-made beds, preferably in sustainable or reclaimed wood, with mattresses made from natural, fairtrade substances. Biodegradable duvets and pillows exist at the time of writing but as far as I can see they are only available in North America. Interestingly enough they're made from a fabric derived from corn. Also available are organic sheets, blankets and other bedding in organic fairtrade cotton and fabric made from bamboo. Once again, these are primarily sold from North America but are certain to come to the UK before long. Key "organic bedding" or "eco-friendly bedding" into your favourite search engine.

Metalware. Silver and pewter are popular metals for wedding gifts, but as you'll have gathered if you read Chapter 4 metal mining is usually very "dirty" in environmental terms. Silver mining is every bit as disastrous as gold mining, and the process of silver plating usually involves a cocktail of nasty chemicals including acids. Pewter, being an alloy of tin, lead and sometimes other substances, may have some potential hazards too. Pewter made in the UK today has to be free from lead and nickel by law, but many pewter objets d'art (and silver / silver plated ones) are imported. In fact centuries ago, pewter was used widely for plates and bowls, before ceramics came into being, and people eating high-acid foods like tomatoes would sometimes succumb to lead poisoning ? the acid in the food would dissolve the lead in the pewter! If you are happy to have silver, silver plate and pewter gifts, it might be greener to insist on secondhand or antique pieces which, at least, have made their contribution to environmental problems a long time ago and are unlikely to do any further harm. However you may decide that you would prefer gifts of ornaments and tableware made out of greener substances like recycled glass or sustainable/reclaimed wood.

Garden and plants. This range of essential household items does not appear on many wedding lists as it isn't perhaps as glamorous as are the satin sheets and crystal candlesticks, but unless you live in an apartment with no balcony or window boxes you're going to need a selection of these in a new home, and probably a top-up if you're living there already. Most local garden centres offer gift vouchers which your guests could purchase, or they could put on order their choice from your list of various organic house plants, outdoor plants, shrubs, trees, etc. that you can collect when you're ready to use them. Other options could include hand tools, electric hedge clippers, mower, strimmer, leaf blower, etc. (avoid fuel-powered versions as they pump out awful fumes.) Try if you can to ask for locally made products rather than imports, even if they are a bit more expensive. Finally, don't forget to add to the list such items as a composter, bird feeders, and even a wormerie. Key "green gardening" into your favourite search engine.

DIY equipment. You may well want to include a drill, sander, saw and other power tools for home repairs, and these should be as energy-efficient as possible. You'll also need such humble items as a hammer, screw driver, spirit level and other such things which should, if possible, be locally made.

Artworks. If there are some particular paintings and sculptures that you like, preferably created by local artists using natural, organic materials, there's no reason why they shouldn't go on your list ? unless they're very expensive!

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Happy shopping ... which reminds me, I need to make a start on mine. Let's try to make the upcoming Holidays as green as we can this year.

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