Ideas For Socially Conscious Gifts
The most environmentally and socially responsible gifts have always been ones you make yourself out of recycled material. In our culture however, while mom might appreciate a handmade basket, there are some situations where you need something else, but still want to give a socially conscious gift. Especially in business situations where you do not have the time to create 20 unique gifts, you may need to dabble into the emerging business of socially conscious gifts.
The first step in giving a responsible gift is to determine if it is really even necessary. Are your gift-giving habits only formed by watching too many pre-Christmas commercials? Maybe you can make an agreement with a friend that you will both give to charity instead of to each other. When you do buy a socially conscious gift, know that they usually fall under one of two categories. Some are responsible to their labor force and try to use environmentally friendly manufacturing methods, while other responsible gifts benefit a noble cause.
Most adults would be happy to give up the turtleneck sweater and bath set for a donation to disaster relief or impoverished children. Another popular gift for a cause is ones that benefit the awareness or involvement in a movement. Examples are human trafficking or illegal whaling.
To buy products that use fair labor, often in areas where people are basically sweatshop slaves, look for the “fair trade” “sweatshop free” and “organic” tags. You may have to do some research to see what labels mean what. Organic is indirectly backed by the Department of Agriculture. Fair trade is monitored by a nonprofit organization, while some labels like “green” may not be regulated at all. Some unscrupulous businesses take advantage of this fact, so make sure you know what your labeling means before you buy what you think to be a socially conscious gift. As they said in school, education is the way to stop ignorance.
Another good alternative to commercial gifts are socially conscious gifts that encourage you to spend time together or visit a laudable location. Maybe you could buy someone a trip to a National Park, or tickets to a children’s choir. If you still must buy that big ticket item, look up where the money goes, and who might be exploited. Responsible shopper is a tool that looks to do just that.