Easy and Ethical Christmas Gifts

Credit: Flickr/Kate Sumbler

Gifts can be ethical, and easy to buy, too

Don’t stress over finding ethical gifts this holiday season. Just follow this easy guide

Christmas presents a dilemma for the ethical shopper. You know you should be looking for gifts that are local, sustainable and cruelty-free. But who has the time or the money, especially when the big-box stores have one-stop shopping the smaller shops can’t match?

Here are some tips to help you shop with your conscience intact.

Buy Convenience Locally

Who doesn’t love gift cards for fancy coffee? They make the perfect gift for coworkers, bosses, and children’s teachers. Look for a local café near your recipient’s work and buy a coffee card there instead.

Negotiate a Discount

Did you know credit cards and debit cards cost merchants as much as 5% of your purchase? If the slightly higher prices at local stores are hard to swallow, ask for an equivalent discount if you pay in cash.

Choose One Ethical Principle, Not All of Them

You can go crazy debating the merits of sustainable bamboo versus recycled plastic. Do yourself a favour and shoot for just one goal for all your holiday shopping: all local, say, or all fair trade. This year, for example, I’m vowing no new plastic.

Pick a Theme

Gifts represent some of your biggest year-round purchasing power, so it makes sense to use them to support your favourite cause. Giving a book to everyone on your list helps boost Canadian publishers. Paper? You’ll support local stationers. Art? Artists will benefit. Plus a theme makes it easier to come up with good gifts – and who minds that?