The Gift of Green
Home is where the eco-friendly heart is
“Without question, people are moving in a direction of buying green, both at the holidays and throughout the year,” says Tommy Rosen, founder of the Eco Gift Festival, which was held on Dec. 12 -14 in Santa Monica, Calif., and featured more than 200 green companies.
“It all comes down to health at the individual level and at the planetary level. We have to bring balance and health back to the planet and back to ourselves.” Retailers big and small - from local décor shops to large furniture stores - are offering eco-friendly gifts, with plenty of ideas this holiday season for each member of the family.
Sleep Tight
“We have everyone from grandmothers in North Carolina to single men in New York City buying our bedding,” says Marisa Mercer, co-owner of Plover Organic, which is based in Portland and sells everything from quilts to pillowcases to table linens in 19 states. “All Plover Organic textiles are made from 100-percent organic cotton, and we use only low-impact, fiber-reactive dyes, so you can feel confident that you’re giving a truly green gift.”
The Entertainer
While bedding is Plover’s top seller, “right now we are actually selling more tabletop (napkins, tea towels and tablecloths) than anything else,” Mercer says.
“It’s just the season of entertaining and having people over, and you want your table to impress. Tabletop pieces are also inexpensive, thoughtful gifts that anyone would appreciate getting.” Other green tabletop items to consider: certified organic wine, such as Cooper Mountain in Beaverton, Ore., or organic beer, like Butte Creek Brewing from Chico, Calif.
Not Just Man’s Best Friend
Rover can switch over to organic, too, with hemp beds and eco fleece beds from Harry Barker. The company, based in North Charleston, S.C., sells its products through 1,500 retail stores throughout the U.S. Sales are up 28 percent over last year, says Carol Perkins Rawle, owner of Harry Barker.
“The beds are fantastic. They’re filled with eco fiber, made from recycled post consumer and industrial plastics, anything from a water bottle to a detergent bottle. They sterilize them and grind them up, so no petroleum is used,” she says.
“Our customers demand eco friendly.”