Q: Do you have any tips for unique eco-friendly wedding gifts or bridal showers A: At last, it’s Etta James/Céline Dion slow dance season
again, and because you love your pal and (hopefully) her partner-to-be, you want to give a gift from the heart. That means a fancy fork set and a champagne flute or two might not cut it. To be honest, though, I’m all for wedding registries and giving people what they ask for. As much as hard-cores will curse it as a tacky consumer-culture innovation, truth is, the marrying couple will end up with two toaster ovens and three blenders if they don’t set up a registry, so why not prevent that kind of waste Plus, more and more mainstream department stores like Sears and the Bay carry a smattering of eco products, including green ceramic cookware, organic linens and big-ticket items like Energy Star appliances. My friends registered at a home store and Canadian Tire (who says you can’t register in two places), which meant they could theoretically sign up for a programmable thermostat, solar panels and a rain barrel from Canadian Tire and get their bedding and tableware elsewhere. If the amorous duo fret about sea level and the fate of polar bears, they might already have a registry at a green shop. And if they don’t, you can always suggest it. Online wish lists can be set up at Grassroots (grassrootsstore.com), which carries a range of gift items from reclaimed wood serving platters to organic towels and pillows, or in person at Pistachio stores for items like eco kitchenware and decor (epistachio.com). Outdoor-lovin’ lovebirds can even sign up for sleeping bags and kayaks at Mountain Equipment Co-op (mec.ca). But if there is no green registry in sight, you can always just peruse these shops as well as other eco spots like Organic Lifestyle (Organiclifestyle.ca), Green Design Studio (greendesignstudio.com), Ecoexistence, (Vaughan south of St. Clair) or the Zero Point (coming to Leslieville in June thezeropoint.ca) for one-of-a-kind green gifts under $100.
Or get creative and pool your funds with friends for totally original green gift like shares in a local organic food box. For $450, Plan B Organics will deliver farm-fresh pesticide-free produce straight to their door for a bountiful 18 weeks (planborganicfarms.ca).