By Sara Novak
Columbia, SC, USA | Sun Dec 21 13:30:00 GMT 2008
My husband and I haven't exchanged gifts since we first met. We exchange experiences, a trip together here, a dinner there, the list goes on. And as a result, we have these wonderful memories to show for it. This year, instead of giving tons of wasteful gifts, why not give the gift of an awesome experience? Here are my picks for some great green experience gifts to give this year:
Find a spa with eco-friendly practices in your area. Spas like Moss Wellness Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, are designed to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. Find spas with green features like use of eco-friendly body products, wood products from certified well-managed forests, and use of plant and mineral-based cleaning products.
Photo courtesy Luc Novovitch/Getty Images
Pick a green restaurant close to home. Truly green restaurants are often certified by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA). The certification process says that restaurants must use a comprehensive recycling system, be free of Styrofoam products and commit to completing four of GRA's 11 environmental steps each year of membership. Some of the steps include cooking with sustainable foods, using energy efficient appliances, conserving water, recycling, and composting. Restaurants must use chlorine-free paper products and non-toxic cleaning chemicals as well.
Gusto Grilled Organics in New York, NY, is a GRA certified green restaurant. The restaurant has taken many eco-friendly steps including making the kitchen highly energy efficient through wind energy. Additionally, the garbage is separated every evening into food matter for composting and glass and paper for recycling. All of the takeout materials are biodegradable instead of Styrofoam or plastic.
If you can't find a GRA certified restaurant in your area, find one that sources food from local providers and ask questions about their green practices.There are eco-friendly restaurants that don't have the money or time or don't really care about certifications, but they might have info on their web sites so check them out.
Photo courtesy Lisa Romerein/Getty Images
The Charleston Food and Wine Festival is amazing every year and just down the road from me. To me it beats most gifts, hands down. Find a festival that you think your friends or family will enjoy and give tickets as a gift. Gifts like this bring people together and if they are close to home then you don't have to waste tons of gas to get there.
Photo courtesy of Graham Denholm/Getty Images.
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