Sometimes trying to be environmentally conscious and still loving to shop puts me in a bit of a bind. We all have that one friend who claims to care about the environment but nevertheless drives a three-ton suburban mini-tank to her yoga classes, or happily sucks down 14 plastic bottles of water a day. Fortunately, in my ongoing quest to avoid being a total hypocrite, I have discovered a few gift ideas that we carry at Paper Source that are both environmentally responsible and attractive. One problem that I’ve always had with eco-gifts is that I love bright, saturated colors, but “green” items tend to be full of neutrals—lots of burlap and browns. Lucky for me reusable and colorful are becoming more and more popular.
My favorite new gift is the Curve brew-in mug. A mix of awesome design and functionality cast in a cute pool blue, this mug lets me steep loose-leaf tea on the go. The mug can even brew chamomile and rooibos tea without the pointy bits slipping through the sieve and getting all caught in my teeth. With the Curve, I save all that extra money I used to spend at the tea shop (not to mention all those disposable cups).
My second favorite thing would have to be the stainless steel water bottle from Blue Q. My sky blue bottle is emblazoned with an illustration of a bird wearing a crown in super-saturated oranges and pinks and greens. The designs remind me of the beautiful stencil work I’ve been seeing lately on t-shirts and bags in all of my favorite stores.
Lastly, I love Envirosax and their funky, 60’s inspired reusable grocery bags. Yesterday at the farmers market I told my boyfriend we would leave the market with only what I could fit in my purse… little did he know that I had two sturdy large bags conveniently rolled up and hidden in my bag!
So it turns out that shopping and trying to do the right thing can go together, so long as you take the extra time to search out the right stuff. Fortunately, I’ve done all the work for you. Oh speaking of which, I almost forgot to mention the great cotton totes in PS patterns. Right now we have one in our chocolate kimono pattern, and coming soon in October are introducing a whole new line of totes in our popular Lotus pattern, which will come in two different sizes. I can’t wait to get mine!
–Lindsay, PS Buying Team
PS colors: beet & fuchsia
Latest fave: Lotus Flower Gift Wrap
Great post! Love the brew-in mug. Do you know what the mug is made of?
Thanks,
cristin
can’t wait for the lotus pattern bags! it’s my new favorite!!
Hi Cristin!
Glad you like my post, I love this mug, I use it everyday!
Here is the product info for it,
the Mug is porcelain and the infuser is made of stainless steel.
– Gift Boxed
– Dishwasher-safe.
– Microwave-safe (EXCEPT infuser.)
– Do not put cup on flame or heating element.
– Let boiling water settle about 15 to 20 seconds before pouring.
You make me want to ask my family for every item for Christmas. But I especially want the envirosax.
these blogs are usually pretty boring but this posting from “lindsay” was really interesting and healthy for the planet.
I hope she makes a lot of these suggestions in the future.