Welcome to OhmConnect's guide to mindful gifting! In this collection, we emphasize gifts that nurture connections and embrace sustainability, all within a $50 budget. Our team, devoted to fostering a more sustainable future, has meticulously selected items that prioritize meaningful experiences and environmental stewardship over mere consumerism. Each item in our guide is not just a gift, but a statement of care for your loved ones and our planet.
For people trying to limit their carbon footprint, we like to gift experiences or items we know will get a lot of use. That’s why we included two games you can use to deepen relationships, whether in your personal or professional life. These can be played over and over again in a lot of different settings.
This is truly the best get-to-know-you game we’re aware of. It can be played with total strangers or with people you know well. This would make a great addition to any holiday gathering, especially because the prompts are more interpersonal and thought-provoking than political.
By world-famous relationship expert Esther Perel, this game is guaranteed to bring new insights and connections to your relationships. Can be played with just 2 players or up to 6, the game can even be made work-appropriate by removing one section of the cards.
If you like to stuff stockings with toiletries, we have ideas for you! A lot of the products we use in that realm come with wasteful packaging and unnecessary ingredients. Here are a few of our favorite health and beauty items for small gifts this year.
This toothpaste comes in a recyclable container! It also looks great and is incredibly effective, with all natural ingredients.
Everyone loves lip balm and this brand is all-natural and eco-friendly. Made from USDA organic beeswax, it includes a variety of flavors and vitamin E for your skin. These would make an especially lovely gift for someone living in a dryer climate, and they’re non-gendered!
Plastic toothbrushes are silly. They are one of those products that you use for a while and then end up in a landfill, well, forever. Switching to a bamboo toothbrush is a super easy shift. Bamboo is a sustainable material, meaning it’s easy and low-impact to cultivate and produce. Additionally, these toothbrushes are biodegradable AND compostable! They’re also BPA-free for the health-conscious.
This our favorite pick for shampoo bars, though we’ll give an honorable mention to the Lush ones. We recommend the Kitsch products across the board, but especially this shampoo bar. It’s vegan, color safe, and pH balanced. But the main we love is the packaging. Plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles are wasteful and sometimes made from hard-to-recycle plastics. That’s why moving to a bar is such a good choice.
Food waste is a big problem. When we toss food into the garbage, thus relegating it to a land fill, it will emit methane, a massively impactful greenhouse gas. One of the highest-yield environmental things you can do is keep food out of landfills by composting at home. Luckily, it’s not expensive to get started. These cute compost buckets are perfect for a beginner, and they’re made from sustainable bamboo. Not to mention, they come with a charcoal filter on the top to keep the smell inside.
Tru Earth Laundry detergent sheets
The big plastic jugs most laundry detergent comes in are unnecessarily wasteful and are often made from plastic that’s hard to recycle. That’s why we love these laundry detergent strips. They’re just as effective (with cold water, too!) We recommend the unscented variety, especially if anyone in your household is sensitive to smells.
Hands down, our favorite brand for reusable bags. They’re really cute and you can find a pattern for anyone, and they last forever. Keep one in your purse or car for shopping while you’re out and about. They also come with tiny bags of their own, so they’re self contained before use as well.
Editor’s note: If you make a purchase through our affiliate partner links, we may receive a commission. This does not impact the recommendations we make.
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