Think Green When Filling Holiday Stockings

12.04.2019

If you’re looking for thoughtful gift ideas this holiday season, consider eco-friendly stocking stuffers that are mindful of the environment and help reduce waste.

Gary Cocke, associate director for energy conservation and sustainability at The University of Texas at Dallas, said eco-friendly gift items might include reusable produce bags and water bottles, cloth napkins, metal straws and beeswax food wrap.

“Holiday gift-giving is an opportunity to be thoughtful about our environmental impact and the values we want to share with others,” Cocke said.

He offered a few more ideas for stocking stuffers that are friendly to the environment:

• • Packets of wildflower or vegetable seeds

• • Low-maintenance air plants that add greenery to any setting

• • Portable reusable cutlery sets

• • Solid shampoo bars to replace bottled counterparts

• • Biodegradable toothbrushes rather than non-recyclable plastic ones

• • Rechargeable batteries that can be reused hundreds of times

• A tea strainer to use with loose-leaf tea. Most tea bags are not compostable, and loose-leaf tea can be thrown directly onto a compost heap.

“We are not likely to solve all of our environmental problems with stocking stuffers, but even small things can create a big impact that may last beyond the holiday season,” Cocke said.

–Robin Russell