Sustainable is Good | Where design, lifestyle and packaging meet

Sustainable Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Vintage Antiques

 
A sure bet for wonderful holiday presents are vintage items.  Buying vintage items is the ultimate in sustainability.  Here are some wonderful ideas I found from Etsy. 

NICK HAUS:  Victorian Black Forest Wall Shelf.  Openwork beautifully carved wood. This shop has a coupon for 15% for all items enter NHBLACKFRIDAY2010 at check out through Monday 11/29.  Shop has more than 60 carefully curated items. $75.

CALLOOHCALLAY: Vintage set of small copper molds with tin lining.  Shop has hundreds of other items. $25

MOXIETHRIFT:  Vintage planter white and brown light blue inside rectangular.  Shop has hundreds of other items. $8

HINDSVIK:  Mid Century Wood and Metal Lamp.  Lots of visual pop. Shop has more than 50 other items. $89

JOHNNYVINTAGE:  Retro lunch box.  Shop has more than 100 other items.  $23.

 

See the other recommendations from the 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

See my list on ETSY of additional gift suggestions

Sustainable Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Practical Presents Dryer Balls

Today's installment of the Holiday Gift Guide focuses on practical presents for the home.  For eco-friendly practical presents there is no better place than Etsy.  Etsy my favorite place to look for handmade and vintage items from small businesses all across the country and globe.  Etsy has made tremendous improvements in their site over the last few years and it really makes it easy to search and find wonderful items.

Today's focus is on dryer balls - makes the perfect stocking gift.

Farm Fresh Fibers:  Wool Dryer balls.  Made from wool from their farm's Romney sheep and Angora goats in Vermont.  Dryer balls help reduce drying time without the use of harmful chemicals or toxic plastics like many of the conventional versions.  These natural dryer balls also do not leave a residue on clothes like dryer sheets.  Farm fresh also sells a lavender scented version.   $12 for 3.

The Yarn Box:  Recycled Wool Dryer Balls.  These dryer balls are made from recycled wool in Seattle Washington and come in a nice little bag.  $18 for 3.

Green Belle Designs:  Dryer Balls 6 pack.  Here is a nice value pack of felted wool dryer balls from Green Belle Designs in Belleville, PA.  This assortment features natural colors which we like.  $24 for 6.

Sustainable Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Toys

Back in its 2nd year the Sustainable is Good holiday 2010 gift guide kicks off today Black Friday.  This year I will be featuring a variety of products over multiple days which can help you choose more sustainable gifts this holiday season. 

Items in this years gift guide are selected by me and must include natural or recycled/re-purposed/reused components and have responsible packaging.  This year you'll see some great handmade items, some wonderful suggestions for vintage finds and of course some excellent products worth mentioning from retailers.

You can always check out last year's guide for some excellent products still available.

Today's gift guide suggestions focus on gifts for kids.
 

Fuzzy Dalmatian Puppet:  Adorable puppet made by Puppets by Margie.  Each Puppet is designed and made by hand.  Margie currently has over 50 puppets for sale in her online shop.  $7.50

Idbids Waverly Eco-Friendly Starter Kit:  Include storybook, soft plush toy and cinch sack made of organic cotton.  Components made from eco-friendly and recycled materials.  Company is participating in Amazon's Frustration Free packaging program which means there is no excessive wasteful packaging.  $19.99 on Amazon.

 

 

Squishy Press:  These books are designed with babies in mind.  They are printed in the US using eco paper, inks and printing process using no harmful glues or chemicals.  They currently have two titles Opposites and Silly Faces.  $11.95

Green Mountain Wee Woolies:  Felted Wool Castle with King and Queen Dolls.  Green Mountain specializes in unique wool items handcrafted in Vermont.  Check their Etsy store for a number of dolls and other fun toys.  $22.00

Mountain Valley Spring Water

There is something charming about Mountain Valley Spring water packaging.  Their design and bottle shape hasn't changed much over the years and a result it stands out on the shelf amongst the many modern brands that seem to pop up regularity.

While I'm generally not a fan of bottled water when I do purchase it I look for brands that come from the region I am in - trying to reduce the overall environmental impact of the purchase.  Mountain Valley originates in Arkansas and has been selling spring water since 1871.

While their packaging has retained its original look the materials used have evolved over time.  The company began incorporating rPET into their plastic bottles in 2008 and their glass bottles are made form 35% recycled materials.

Moutain Valley Spring Water is available at a number of retailers across the country including Whole Foods Market.

 

Greener Packaging Group Bridges Gap Between Green Packaging Suppilers and Business Owners

Navigating the numerous eco-friendly packaging choices can be completely overwhelming for a business owner looking to green their packaging.

Fortunately there is a new site Greener Packging Group where green packaging industry leaders come together offering information and resources to anyone looking for more sustainable packaging options.

The site launched in August and is a partnership between five suppliers including Salazar Packaging, the Chicago area company of green packaging expert and Greener Packaging Group founder Dennis Salazar. 

His firm is joined by Distant Village Packaging, Nashville Wraps, Eco-Bag Products, Inc., and Globe Guard Products. Through these leading packaging companies, buyers can find packaging products that are fully vetted and more sustainable.

“B2B companies seeking more environmentally-friendly solutions for retail and industrial packaging now have access to an essential resource,” said Salazar.

“Our B2B sustainable packaging directory allows B2B buyers, engineers and operations personnel to find multiple high-quality suppliers all under one roof – saving the time, money and frustration that come along with searching for truly eco-friendly packaging products.”

The on line directory provides easy navigation, with such categories as bags, baskets and containers, boxes, filler and cushioning, films and wraps, stationery, mailers and envelopes, and more. The Green Packaging Group blog introduces visitors to the latest in sustainable packaging solutions and discusses new, simple and effective approaches to eco-friendly packaging.

After launching the site Salazar told SISG, "Traffic on the site has been brisk and we are thrilled with the initial results."

He said visitors to the site are pleased to see companies working together and providing the resource.  According to Salazar, many visitors to the site are surprised at the sheer number of green packaging products and options that exist. 

Visitors have also found the blog on GPG to be very useful with posts on specific areas of interest to those considering green packaging options.

I've always found the information Dennis posts to be both insightful and valuable especially given the large volume of options available to someone considering greener packaging.  Dennis especially recognizes the challenges faced by small business owners who may not have the volume needed to work with the larger eco-packaging companies but still want to green their packaging.

Green Packaging Group provides a number of important resources in one place and I think it will become a useful go to source for green packaging options.