Environmentally-Friendly Holiday Gifts
Compiled by Katie and Mic LeBel

 Natural Personal Care & Aromatherapy Products

Kathy’s Family —  www.kathysfamily.com  or (866) 634-0008 — Kathy’s Family features a unique new line of high-quality, natural bath and beauty products including lotions, massage oils, body wash gels, bar soaps and sea salt soaks. Kathy grew up on a prairie farm in Minnesota with 11 other siblings and has dozens of extended family members. Each package displays a vintage photo of a family member, recounts old stories about relatives and includes humorous anecdotes that capture the essence of a good wholesome country lifestyle and family values people embrace. The company offers a special holiday gift pack.

Mad Gab’s — www.madgabs.com  or (800) LIP-LUBE — Mad Gab’s makes natural lip balms, Elephant Lube hand and body salves, Liquid Lube body oils and soy Clean Candles. Made with care and poured by hand, the company uses recyclable packaging, great flavors and unique ingredients like shea butter from Africa. 5% of pre-tax profits are donated to non-profits aligned with Mad Gab’s mission. Mad Gab’s recently added the all-natural, nut-free, silky-smooth Liquid Lube body oils with aroma-therapy scents for all four seasons. Clean Candles are new for the holidays and featured in gift packs.

Recycline — www.recycline.com  or (888) 354-7296 — Recycline makes recyclable toothbrushes for children and adults from recycled materials including Stony-field Farm yogurt cups, thanks to a partnership with the nation’s fastest growing yogurt company. The toothbrushes come with a postage-paid mailer so they can be returned to be recycled into plastic lumber products. Developed with dental professionals, they are good for oral health and the environment. Their latest product is the Preserve Tongue Cleaner which is also made from recycled materials and completely recyclable. All of their products make great stocking stuffers.

Vermont Soapworks — www.vtsoap.com  or (866) SOAP-4U2 — Vermont Soapworks is the largest manufacturer of handmade, all-natural bar soap in North America. The company also offers non-toxic cleaners, a fruit and vegetable rinse, biodegradable camping soap, aloe castile liquid soap, aloe castile bath gels, bath salts and aromatherapy misters. The bath gels are the first all-natural, non-detergent bath gels on the market. The Butter Bar and Blue Bar are new products, and the entire line has 100% recycled content “window” packaging allowing the customer to see and smell the product.

Way Out Wax — www.wayoutwax.com  or (888) 727-1903 — Way Out Wax offers a complete line of all-natural candles using a special blend of waxes to create the cleanest and longest burning aromatic candles possible. All candles are hand-poured in small batches and they only use pure essential oils to scent them. Just in time for the holidays, they are launching an aromatherapy collection, an unscented collection, and hemp-citronella candles. Each of these new collections include travel tins.

Well-In-Hand Epic Herbal Medicinals — www.wellinhand.com or (888) 550-7774 — Well-In-Hand offers a line of products that offer natural relief for frustrating conditions including acne, dry skin, warts, yeast infections, body odor, head lice, insomnia, herpes, pain, persistent bleeding and hemorrhoids. The company is launching a new line of four Moisture Rescue Sea Scrubs that make a nice gift for the holiday season. Nothing invigorates and refreshes the skin like sea salt and kelp exfoliation.

Organic Food and Accessories

Artisan Gear — www.artisangear.com  or (888) 499-4367 — Artisan Gear offers an award-winning line of contemporary canvas bags and accessories. Founded in 1989, the company has grown to become the most recognized name in hemp canvas bags in North America and Japan. We will feature their Courier Briefcase as a gift idea — a deluxe soft-sided bag that can comfortably hold books, legal size papers, carry-on gear or a laptop. By adjusting the strap, it can also be worn as a backpack. Made from 100% hemp canvas, it features a “no sag” bag, cushioned grip, two zip pockets, a large pouch pocket, an accessory panel, key keeper, and back sleeve pocket.

Nutiva — www.nutiva.com  or 800-993-HEMP — Nutiva offers delicious and healthy hemp and flax food bars, hemp oil and shelled hempseed. The company uses the finest non-GMO organic ingredients and donates 1% of sales to groups that promote sustainable agriculture. The new Hemp & Date Bar features a delicious blend of organic ingredients loaded with nutritious protein, omega-3 essential fatty acids and Vitamin E and is a healthy stocking stuffer. Nutiva is one of the industry leaders fighting the federal DEA in the courts regarding unreasonable hemp rules proposed in 2001.

Pinch Plus — www.pinchplus.com  or (207) 761-3772 — Pinch Plus sells organic herbs and spices packaged in one tablespoon-sized sachets offering a convenient and economical way to buy and store herbs. Each spice packet includes information about the spices and country of origin, as well as suggested recipes. They are packaged in air and light-tight packets so they retain their potency and flavor far beyond bulk-size or jarred seasonings and are the perfect fit for holiday cooking and the kitchens of camps, cottages, ski condos, rental houses and sailboats. For the holidays they are offering “A Pinch Of Christmas” spice packets.

RoastYourOwn — www.roastyourown.com  or (888) 30-ROAST — RoastYourOwn.com is an innovative website that offers home coffee roasting equipment and the widest selection of high-quality sustainable coffee beans. Home roasting creates the freshest, tastiest coffee possible and the roast can be tailored to one’s tastebuds. The company imports coffees directly from growers supporting sustainable coffee production and the families who produce the coffee. Whenever possible, RoastYourOwn finds exemplary coffees that are organic, shade grown and Fair Trade. A perfect gift idea for the holidays or any occasion, RoastYourOwn.com offers several gift packs.

Gifts for Pets and Pet Owners

Blue Dog Bakery — www.bluedogbakery.com  or (888) 749-7229 — How about holiday treats for four-legged family members?  Blue Dog Bakery offers Premium All-Natural Low Fat Peanut Butter and Molasses Dog Biscuits. These are the first low fat natural dog treats to be distributed nationwide. Similar to the explosion of interest in healthy natural products for people, there is growing concern among dog owners for the health and nutrition of their dogs.

Oops I Pooped — www.oopsipooped.com  or (888) 811-8804 — Oops I Pooped is committed to promoting the importance of cleaning up after pets, and offers a fun new product that is environmentally responsible. The new biodegradable pet waste bags offer dog owners a convenient way to dispose of pet waste that helps keep the community and environment clean. These make a great stocking stuffer for dog owners!

Planet Dog — www.planetdog.com or (800) 381-1516 — Planet Dog makes unique and innovative products for dogs and their owners including travel products, toys and other gear for dogs and their owners. Their new line of dog toys, featuring the Orbee, has gained national recognition. They are also introducing Planet Cat, a new line of products for feline companions. The company donates a percentage of profits to animal welfare, education and environmental organizations through Planet Dog Philanthropy (PDP), their non-profit grantmaking organization.

Tree-Free Greetings — www.tree-free.com  or (866) 873-3373 — Tree-Free Greetings is pushing the envelope in the $7.5 billion greeting card industry by offering cards and envelopes that feature high quality artwork. The emerging company is also distinguishing itself from the competition by printing cards on environmentally-friendly paper made from kenaf. Tree-Free will be launching new Pet Photo Tins that are intended to be gift items. The Photo Tins are offered with 12 of their colorful tree-free Pet cards and envelopes. When the cards are all sent, the beautiful container is designed to be reused for safely holding a stack of favorite pet photos.  

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