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sustainable gift guide

Ultimate Sustainable Father’s Day Gift Guide

Monday (6th of June for those reading this in the future) was World Environment Day while today, 8th of June (day of publishing) is World Ocean Day. However, June brings an even more important day for many. It’s a day when dads and us step dads get spoiled (we wish) and a day when we receive presents that were picked up on Boots (no offence Boots) on the Friday. It is of course Father’s Day on Sunday 18th June.

Now, I know that we are not as special as mums. All dads know this and respect this, but I think I speak for many when I ask that just a little more thought is put into the gifts you give us. To help you, and to help the planet, I’ve compiled another one of my Ultimate Sustainable Gift Guide for Father’s Day

Every gift idea in this Ultimate Sustainable Father’s Day Gift Guide is eco-friendly and sustainable. These gifts not only show your appreciation for your dad (or your children’s dad), but also your commitment to preserving the environment. And yes, this IS a message for my step kids and partner?

Books for the Beach

The Overstory by Richard Powers: This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel interweaves the stories of its characters with that of trees, expressing a deep reverence for the natural world. A thoughtful gift for the environmentally conscious dad.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer: A blend of science, spirit, and wisdom, this book beautifully expresses indigenous teachings about plants and our relationship with nature.

The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg: Still on my want list (hint hint) is this incisive, comprehensive guide on climate change, assembling contributions from over 100 global experts to present a sobering yet actionable narrative. Yes, every small action matters.

Manifesto by Dale Vince: You have seen him on Piers Morgan, LBC and on the streets with Just Stop Oil. Now read his rags to riches tale of taking on the energy giants and join the movement to save our planet. As a bonus, the Audible version is narrated by the awesome Chris Packham…

Circular Clothing

Adidas Made with Nature Ultraboost 22: It’s Summertime and these running shoes from the Adidas Made with Nature range is an eco-friendly choice. It’s a green evolution in running shoes that any fitness-loving dad would appreciate. Check out my review of them in the link.

Eco-friendly T-shirts from Rapanui: Choose T-shirts made from organic cotton or bamboo. These materials are not only comfortable but also grown without the use of harmful pesticides, making them a sustainable choice. And as I am publishing this on World Ocean Day, it’s only right that we feature a t-shirt from the Marine Conservation Society

Charity Shop Gift Card: What better way to encourage circular shopping than with a gift card for your local charity shops. Take dad out for lunch and then become his fashion stylist for the day, giving new life to clothes others no longer need, and preventing (or delaying at least) their journey to waste fill.

Ethical Personal Grooming

Purdie’s Organic Beard Oil: Every dad wants to look his best and smell his best and while I cannot guarantee that your dad will look like the above, he will smell like a champion with Purdie’s organic blend of argan, avocado, coconut, olives and sweet almonds.

Bearded Gents Wooden Beard Comb: This wooden beard comb does exactly what your dad needs it to do. It’s sturdy, fits in his pocket and will keep his beard tidy. One word of warning. He might start brushing his beard more AND in public. It can be THAT relaxing.

Sustainable Stationery

Karst Stone Notebooks: Recycled paper is sooo yesterday. Instead why not finally allow your dad to etch his commands in stone. Tree-free, waterproof, and tearproof, his words will stand the test of time. Choose notebooks made from recycled paper or sustainably sourced materials.

Sprout’s Plantable Pencils: And to help plant the seeds of change, why not get dad pencils that contain seeds in their caps Once the pencil is too short to use, it can be planted to grow into herbs, vegetables, or flowers.

Remember, the best gifts are those that come from the heart. By choosing sustainable and eco-friendly gifts, you’re showing your dad that you care not only about him, but also about the future of our planet. Let’s make this Father’s Day a celebration of love, gratitude, and sustainability.

And if you are still struggling, there’s always four words that will melt our hearts: “I love you, Dad”. As a step dad who has all the gear and no idea, that’s all I need to hear.

June 8, 2023 0 comment

Sustainability

Win Sustainable Valentine’s Day Gifts and show love to the Planet

written by Stephen Morrison

Valentine’s Day is a time to show love and affection to the special people in our lives, but it’s also an opportunity to show love for our planet. The earth is our home, and it’s important to take care of it not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day. In my Sustainable Christmas Gift Guides, I shared some fabulously stylish and sustainable trainers and clothing.

For this special Sustainable Valentine’s Day Gifts blog, I thought I’d share some ways that we can show our love for the planet, save money, and still treat our loved ones, this Valentine’s Day.

And, as a special treat, two sustainable and ethical brands are giving away some fabulous Sustainable Valentine’s Day Gifts that you can win by simply reading this blog and completing a few actions (more details later in the blog).

Give the Gift of Sustainability

Instead of buying your special other a traditional gift, consider something that’s eco-friendly. You can splash out on a reusable water bottle, pick up a bamboo toothbrush, or a set of cloth napkins. Collectively, these small changes can make an impact on the environment and if you want to show your loved one that you care about the planet, why not invest in a Marine Conservation Society Tote Bag? Not only will it help you cut down on plastic bags, but it will also help support the work of the Marine Conservation Society.

Plan a Romantic Hike or Picnic

Instead of going out to a restaurant (although I did love our visit to Six by Nicho this weekend), plan a romantic hike or picnic in nature. Not only will you be spending time in the great outdoors (read my blog on connecting with nature), but you’ll also be reducing your carbon footprint if you cycle there or take the train.

In addition to reducing your carbon footprint, you’ll also be keeping active and if you are tracking steps walked or miles cycled using an Apple watch, then the first of our Sustainable Valentine’s Day Gifts could be ideal for you.

They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend and thanks to the good people at the Watch Strap Company, I have a stunning Diamond Edition Stainless Steel Rose Gold Apple Watch Strap.

Yes, it does actually have a diamond set into the strap. And as this blog is focused on ethical and sustainable goods, it’s important and reassuring to learn that the WSC diamonds conflict free and are ethically sourced from, and created by, socially and environmentally responsible labs. Before being set by hand, the in-house UK team of Master Jewellers at WSC meticulously inspect every stone under extreme magnification to ensure that exacting standards have been met and to ensure maximum brilliance and are beautifully flawless (VVS+).

And you can win this stunning watch strap. Competition details are at the bottom of the blog.

Plant a Tree or Start a Garden

If you really want to cut down on the carbon footprint of your meals, why not make Valentine’s Day the day to start a new tradition of planting a tree or starting a garden together. Not only will this be a fun and meaningful activity, but it will also have a positive impact on the environment by helping to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality. Starting a vegetable garden can be a fun and rewarding way to grow your own food and reduce your environmental footprint.

To help you get started on your a vegetable garden, I’ve provided some great resources below:

The Old Farmer’s Almanac: This website offers a wide range of gardening advice, including a section on vegetable gardening that covers topics such as soil preparation, planting, and care.

The National Gardening Association: This organization provides a wealth of information on vegetable gardening, including planting guides, care instructions, and tips for dealing with pests and diseases.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension: This organization offers a variety of resources on vegetable gardening, including a guide to starting a vegetable garden, a planting calendar, and a list of recommended vegetables for different regions.

Reduce Energy Consumption

Valentine’s Day is a great time to start reducing your energy consumption together. Turn off lights when you leave a room. Spend more time together in the same room, add some romantic candles (ok, maybe the energy crisis isn’t quite this bad…so far), unplug electronics when they’re not in use, and consider investing in energy-efficient appliances.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, lighting accounts for about 10% of a home’s energy use, and standby power (the power used by electronics when they’re turned off but still plugged in) accounts for about 5% of a home’s energy use. By turning off lights and unplugging electronics when they’re not in use, you can reduce your energy consumption and lower your electricity bill. It’s maybe because I’m Scottish (and a Dad) but I love nothing more than turning off lights. Saving the planet and saving pennies. What’s not to love?

Support Eco-friendly and Ethical Businesses

Show your love for the planet by supporting eco-friendly and ethical businesses. This can include buying products from companies that use sustainable materials, or who have ethical recruitment or production values; or eating at restaurants that use locally sourced and organic ingredients. Wahaca restaurants are recognised for their ethical practices and I’ve been a fan of their Mexican food for years. It’s made for sharing and perfect date food.

And Valentine’s is the perfect excuse to snuggle up to your loved one (especially if your loved one is a Scottish dad who has turned off the heating).

And what better way to snuggle than in a cosy Brand Threads organic and sustainable Winnie the Pooh pyjama set? For 20 years, Brand Threads have been delivering beloved, and officially licensed, character based clothing to childed and adults.

Brand Threads is a family-owned business that sources Organic Cotton and Better Cotton for its clothing, which possesses sustainable benefits and properties from farm to product. Plus, all fleece robes and onesies are made using recycled polyester – reducing the dependence on petroleum, landfill, and soil contamination.

Fun fact: it takes around 22 recycled plastic bottles to make one of Brand Threads’ robes! And if that is not enough to make you fall in love with these adorable robes and pyjamas, Brand Threads also plant a tree with every item bought online.

Win Some Sustainable Valentine’s Day Gifts

And you can win a set of organic Winnie pyjamas. I have one set, size Large, to give away to one lucky reader. To have a chance to win this and the Watch Strap Company Apple watchstrap, all you have to take part in my Gleam competition below.

Sustainable Valentine’s Day Competition

As someone who has been a part of the problem for most of my life, I’ve decided that it is time to do something positive. To use what I’ve learned in various roles to help leave a healthier planet for the generations to come. You’ve helped me and others keep active with your support. Now. I’m hoping that you’ll help me keep our oceans clean of plastic as I launch One Sky Collaborative.

So this Valentine’s Day, let’s show our love for the planet and make it a sustainable celebration. Together, we can make a difference. And good luck with the Sustainable St Valentine’s Day Gifts competition.

January 29, 2023 0 comment

Sustainability

Ultimate Sustainable Gift Guide – Part 2

written by Stephen Morrison

It’s probably too late to order from the sustainable gift guide in time for Christmas. You do however have time (although time IS running out) to help save the planet. Brands like Boohoo are filling the news with huge sales volumes but also with questions over staff conditions and pay. As a fast fashion monster, they benefit from our desire for the latest looks at discount prices. Just imagine the environmental and economic impact of producing and transporting billions of pieces of cheap clothing across the world. 10% of CO2 comes from clothing.

Instead, why not pick up a few of the eco-friendly and elegant looking garments below and make a real fashion statement?

Low Carbon Clothing

Rapanui

Using modern technology like robotics, renewable energy, on demand production, and organic materials, Rapanui have become a recognised and respected supplier of circular fashion. I say circular, as Rapanui clothing is designed to be sent back when worn out and then recycled and reused for new clothing. I can’t stress enough how much I am impressed with Rapanui and I’m even thinking of using their clothing supplier arm, Teemill, for my own conservation project.

Watch this video and then check out some of the items below, using my code to get a whopping 20% off when you spend over £50.

T-shirts

Whether it’s collaboration pieces from Sea Shepherd, Surfers against Sewage and the WWF or your own custom design, Rapanui have you covered. My own preference is for a collaboration with an organisation I support (read my blog here), the Marine Conservation Society. I loved it so much, I bought it.

Made with organic cotton and water-based inks, this t-shirt was only printed once I completed my sales order and it will be packaged in eco-friendly paper rather than plastic. At £20 each, these tshirts are a great gift for the nature lover in your life.

Pact

Shopping sustainably has never been easier and we’ve never had more choice. Brands like US based Pact sell eco-friendly clothing for women, men, kids, and even babies. They have a great range of organic and fair trade bathroom towels and bedroom sheets. There’s free delivery to the UK for orders over £40 and if you use this code you’ll get 20% off your first order.

For my readers who like wearing dresses, they have a great range of dresses and skirts for a night out or for the office. Or you might want a shirt dress for working from home.

Pact clothing requires less water, uses less energy and they’ve even made a pact with SimpliZero to offset the carbon footprint of every Pact item sold through reforestation programmes, renewable energy, and community projects that sequester carbon from the atmosphere. These are slightly more expensive than you might be used to, but what price would we pay to protect our planet?

Mammut x Unless

Eagle-eyed readers of the Ultimate Sustainable Gift Guide Part 1 will recognise Unless from my shoe recommendation while readers of One Day in Lauterbrunnen Valley will remember my love of Switzerland and hiking. My next sustainable gift reflects both.

To celebrate International Mountain Day, Mammut have collaborated with Unless to create a commemorative hoodie and t-shirt. Profits from both will be donated to Protect Our Winters Switzerland.

Pact

One of the things I love about this collaboration, other than it is a wonderful example of circular fashion, is that it is opening up sustainable clothing to traditional brands. At £55, it isn’t the cheapest t-shirt in my sustainable gift guide, but I will be rewarding myself with one of these when I drop to size large (maybe by next International Mountain Day). Or I could buy a larger size now and take advantage of the Unless Takeback programme that encourages you to return worn out clothing in return for a credit towards your next purchase.

Neem

If I needed another reason to lose fat, then imagine how smart I could look and feel in some beautifully tailored Neem shirts and jackets. Using regenerative (a combination of using traditional farming methods, less water and cutting edge technology) organic cotton and sustainably certified merino wool, Neem have produced a collection of classically stylish clothing.

And I won’t lie. Neem is also on my watch list as I appreciate that they think about the larger gentlemen with loose fighting hoodies and shirts. Made from merino wool, is there a comfier hoodie on the planet? If you know of any, please let me know.

And if you have enjoyed my Ultimate Sustainable Gift guides and found them helpful, please let me know and I’ll create more sustainable themed content (I think this is my fourth or fifth blog).

I am also putting you on notice. My non-profit project, One Sky Collaborative (yes, I will create a proper blog about it), will be announcing partnerships and supporters in the New Year. I hope that you will join us in helping to rid our oceans of plastic.

Together, we can make a difference, and taking small steps to reduce our carbon footprint can help inspire others to develop sustainable alternatives to plastic based clothing.

December 19, 2022 0 comment

Reviews

Ultimate Sustainable Gift Guide – Part 1

written by Stephen Morrison

It’s that time of year when your favourite bloggers and influencers share their Christmas gift ideas and I thought I would join in on the fun with my Ultimate Sustainable Gift Guide Part 1.

Over the next few weeks you’ll find my Ultimate Sustainable Gift Guide listing some of my favourite eco-friendly gifts (some I own, some I want to own…hint hint). Now, ideally we should be cutting down our consumption of plastic based goods (there’s no debating that we produce and dump too much plastic), but it is Christmas and all the gifts in my ultimate sustainable gift guide are good to give. You’ll be helping to save the planet (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it) and supporting the development of sustainable products and alternative materials.

So, get yourself comfy, and get ready to fall in love with shoes that won’t leave a carbon footprint, athletic wear that isn’t fast, soaps that won’t greenwash, and books that won’t read you the riot act, but will provide you with more insight into why we all need to act now.

Sustainable Shoes

When it comes to trainers, my personal collection has diminished over the years, as my running days became numbered and since I started to consider not just how good my trainers looked but also how they were made. It’s been encouraging to see more and more brands pledging their support to more eco-friendly and more ethical means of production. Many of the household brands, such as adidas (read my adidas blog here), are using ocean bound plastic in their manufacturing, but I want to highlight to you the brands that are truly making waves.

The Degenerate

The first is UNLESS Collective with their “The Degenerate” Shoes. These are claimed to be the best shoes for the planet and it is hard to disagree. I have them on order for release in January, but what makes The Degenerate special and my number one pick?

Obviously, they look good, but it’s not a matter of style over substance. The Degenerates are made from plants and minerals and contain no plastic or petrochemicals. If that’s not good enough, it’s what happens to them once you’ve walked enough miles in them. Return them to the UNLESS Collective and they will ensure that they are decomposed and returned back to the earth in the form of soil products. This is circular fashion at its finest. From the earth and to the earth, and at $130 they won’t cost you the earth. UNLESS sells all manner of sustainable clothing, but click here for more information about The Degenerate.

The Wool Dasher Mizzle

Before I was won over by The Degenerate, I almost pressed the buy button on these Allbirds Wool Dasher Mizzle shoes (sale items are currently flying off the shelves). I still might, but I am trying to cut down on my shoe buying, remember.

As well as using recycled plastic bottles to make the shoe laces, Allbirds uses ZQ Certified Merino wool, sugar cane based EVA, natural rubber and even castor bean based foam to make a carbon neutral waterproof running shoe. Yes, even the water repellent coating is bio-based and fluorine free. With Glasgow’s drizzle, the Mizzle is still on my wish list. Check out the Allbirds sale page where you can buy a pair of Allbirds for a song.

The Blue Phoenix

A return to Copenhagen might be on the cards next year. No, my marathon running isn’t rising from the ashes (have I ever mentioned that I ran the Copenhagen marathon?). Instead I might be accompanying my partner who might be presenting at a medical conference. If we do go, I will be coming home with a pair of Vaer’s Blue Phoenix.

These stunning trainers use strong materials, including cut offs of jeans and tablecloths, recycled rubber and cotton, and natural fibers to make durable shoes that stand the test of time. Ideally the soles of these will be replaced when needed adding more years to their use.

The Carlo

While brands like Veja and Cariuma are notable omissions with low carbon emissions, my last pick are TOMS’ Carlo trainers. Over the years, I have bought my girlfriend TOMS’ Alps for our summer holidays in the Alps but I’ve recently been made aware of their efforts not only to improve the sustainability of their shoes but also their ethical approach. Sustainability isn’t just about zero plastic production, it’s also about the economic impact of production. TOMS are committed to donating one third of their profits to community projects, with a focus on mental health, gun violence, and on supporting marginalised groups.

TOMS have created an Earthwise collection “rooted in earth-friendly materials and processes” which include The Carlo above. Using bio-based EVA and plant based dyes, TOMS have vowed to slash their environmental impact by 2025. The clock is ticking, but they are making major changes and this has to be applauded.

And that clock is ticking for us all. It is estimated that by 2050 that there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. One way we can prevent this is by buying less plastic goods and buying more sustainable products. If you are in the market for a new pair of trainers, please do have a look at the suggestions above in my Ultimate Sustainable Gift Guide Part 1 and look out for Part 2 on the best eco-friendly clothing.

December 11, 2022 0 comment