The art of giving this year seems inextricably linked to finding ways to be kind; kind to each other, kind to our communities and kind to our environment.
It’s a Christmas for sustaining ourselves and thriving with good times, good people and good things.
Our local communities are full of businesses and people who ensure the act of making sustainable choices is a joy. Shopping sustainably doesn’t need to be at the sacrifice of fun or the occasional indulgence, in fact, there is even room for a little extravagance. Christmas shopping with this mindset just adds to the satisfying feeling of a great retail session.
No matter where we looked and who we asked, our neighbourhood businesses and retail professionals had great sustainable gift ideas and Christmas hacks to share. Whether it’s creative ideas to do things differently or bigger budget group buys, there’s a little something
for everyone.
Sustainable personal care gifts
Shut the Front Door at the Three Lamps end of Ponsonby Road has a range of ethical, sustainable and eco friendly products that their super helpful staff can give you the full run down on. One of their recommendations are the delicious smelling Ethique shampoo and conditioner bars. There are no plastic bottles to worry about recycling or going into landfill. The hair bars have low impact packaging and come in formulations to suit every hair type and they last for ages.
#GiveUptheBottle is the brand mantra of this incredible homegrown business that aims to do its part to rid the world of the harmful waste plastic bottles cause. So far the company has prevented eight million bottles from entering landfill. All the Ethique products use biodegradable, sustainably harvested ingredients and packaging, are cruelty and palm oil free and are made in New Zealand.
Of course the big question is, ‘do these hair bars do the trick?’ Will you be giving the gift of glorious healthy looking hair and luscious locks when you add these to your Santa sack? The answer from my experience is yes! Shiny luscious and healthy tresses need not come at the cost of the environment so this is a gift that could change behaviours, save the planet, and make every day a good hair day.
Josie, store manager at Shut the Front Door, Ponsonby has another sustainable giving suggestion that is beautiful, affordable and environmentally friendly. “It’s hard to go past a stylish Frank Green reusable coffee cup. Buying practical, plastic free, low waste products is easier than ever.” She also suggests people can think beyond just the gift and think about how they package it. “You can get creative by wrapping gifts with reusable fabric or bento style wraps. Sustainability doesn’t have to end with the gift,” enthuses Josie.
With a few weeks to go until Christmas there’s still time to shop. Shut the Front Door’s Christmas hours are 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 10am – 5pm Sundays.
For the little one
It’s always satisfying when products are as beautiful and good for people as they are for the planet and environment. It’s a combination that Nature Baby has successfully maintained for over 20 years, ensuring the world our children grow up in is as pure, beautiful and chemical-free as possible.
This year Nature Baby has a holiday edit of sustainable summer essentials to make it even easier to buy gifts for little ones that will love them through the long hot summer ahead. Their organic terry towelling and cotton basics are perfect for beach days and poolside fun.
The beauty of Nature Baby clothes is that everything you buy lasts and lasts and lasts. We know of body suits and onesie’s that have been passed around wh-anau for the last 16 years and still look great. Their classic style and amazing quality make them coveted baby pieces to be passed down and around among family and friends. From the Tilly suit in the gorgeous k-ohwai pattern, to the Kitty suit in the playful dragonfly or seahorse print, generations of little ones will look and feel wonderful in the sun.
Days on the beach in the wide open clean air with the smell of the sea washing over you are likely to be a popular tonic for what has been a challenging year. What better way could there be to rebuild your worldview (or just help your little ones build) than to make sand castles with an entirely eco-friendly bucket and spade? The Mibo compact bucket, sieve and spade kit in three fun designs is the perfect stocking filler. Made with Algoblend® from brown seaweed collected in France, it ensures you won’t be bringing any harmful plastics to the beach with you when you go.
Quality is an heirloom in the kitchen
Being busy is synonymous with the Christmas season and getting busy in the kitchen over this time is something many of us look forward to, and for some it’s a great way to relax. Cooking, baking and sharing foodie creations is a practical and perfect way to show your love and Milly’s in Three Lamps has an abundance of choices and ways to help you achieve this.
Part of Milly’s charm is it’s commitment to heritage brands that are designed to last a lifetime or longer. “Many of our products are expected to last for generations making them pretty sustainable,” says Liz Oldfield of Milly’s. As well as traditional heritage brands like KitchenAid, Demeyer and Le Creuset, Milly’s also has a number of eco kitchen products that continue their environmentally friendly kitchen theme.
“I particularly like our new Zip Top silicone containers, our ‘Carry Your Own’ Cutlery, and our latest range of water bottles,” says Liz. Another of Liz’s top picks is the book ‘Use it All, The Cornersmith guide to a more sustainable kitchen’. By the original waste warriors Alex Elliott and Jaimee Edwards, it’s a book that will help you buy less, waste less, save money and get more from what you’ve got.
Let them eat cake!
It isn’t hard to find ways to be both indulgent and sustainable. Jordan Rondel, founder of The Caker, has a range of four wonderful recipe books as well as a selection of incredibly easy cake kits that make it easy to give guilt free luxury this Christmas. The books are filled with recipes that look as divine and delicious on the page as they will be to eat.
“My freshly updated line of cake kits are perhaps even more fun to receive as gifts,” says Jordan. “You get to bake a Caker quality cake in the comfort of your own home. The kits are sustainable with everything you need to make a cake, minus a few fresh ingredients inside the box ensuring there is barely any waste. You can even reuse the silver boxes.”
More than mindful fashion
From beautifully crafted, sustainably made diaries, to the make-and-create fun of the Liam pattern collection, Ruby takes environmentally friendly style and creative collaboration to an uber fashionable level. Not content to just make fashion mindful, Ruby is enabling people to experience the satisfaction of producing their own timeless Ruby dresses, tops and pant suits.
Liam pattern designer, Emily Miller-Sharma believes everything is circular and has created a series of timeless patterns for people to experiment with as well as a series of ‘Offcut Designs’, to give you ways to make use of any spare or left over fabric. Check out their free, downloadable pdf Lil’ Pouch or Sleek Mask patterns.
“I truly believe that the future is circular! And so circular considerations underpin all decisions made throughout this collection’s design and production process,” says Emily.
Their collaboration with Made of Tomorrow, a New Zealand sustainable design company has resulted in the beautiful Ruby 2021 diary. An attractive and useful gift that will be a year long companion that people will love to use to keep track of their lives and plans. In signature RUBY pink this diary is 100% New Zealand made and totally environmentally friendly from start to finish. The cover is constructed from five recycled coffee cups via the CupCyling initiative, the internal pages are from FSC-Certified paper and even the gold embossing on the cover is completely recyclable.
If you are looking for a gift that will last the test of time, the Ruby Resort 2020 Tides collection has pieces that will uplift the spirits of anyone who wears them. Bandeau maxi dresses, luscious summer linens and fun crop tops paired with wide leg pants are some of the beautiful styles that will stay fresh and current for summer after summer. Designer, Deanna Didovich explains that the Tides collection is all about creating silhouettes that accentuate the body’s natural curves and colours that are charming and optimistic. “It’s a vibrant collection, full of stand-out prints, playful silhouettes and uplifting colours. All the makings of a carefree season soaked into a wardrobe fit for an unforgettable summer,” says Deanna.
From Ponsonby Road and Mackelvie Street to Jervois Road, Richmond Road and beyond there are so many retailers who are offering shoppers lasting quality and sustainable choices. Forget the car, stroll up and down the many streets packed with character filled boutiques and keep your carbon footprint small. There are plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants to help keep you sustained along the way.
One tip for a slightly indulgent and delicious shopping pick-me-up is to stop for an espresso martini at SPQR – it’s decadent, delicious and an extremely practical way to maintain your shopping productivity.