Gifts in the Perfect Shades of Green

Gifts in the perfect shade of green – organic, nontoxic, sustainable and otherwise good for the planet – are everywhere this season.

The best of the new generation of eco-friendly merchandise is beautifully designed and often understated. Unlike eco-minded merchandise of the more strident, Save the Earth school, these new products tend to lead with good design and relegate their eco claims to the fine print.

“Green is the new black,” says Anne-Marie Luthro, vice president at Envirosell, a New York City-based market research firm that studies the ways people shop. Luthro and other retail gurus believe there’s a growing awareness on the part of shoppers that the choices they make can have an impact on the world.

This season, more friends and loved ones on your list are likely to be captivated by a gift that indulges them and also walks softly on the earth. You won’t have to work hard to find lots of intriguing items.

“Green products, eco-friendly products are more widely available and more palatable,” says Gwynne Rogers, business director for The Natural Marketing Institute, a market research firm in Harleysville, Penn. that specializes in new product development.

“They’re more enticing on their own, apart from being just green.”

A reduced environmental impact is not necessarily the main selling point here. The goal of gift giving is to match the people on your list with something they’ll truly enjoy.

If your list is not comprised solely of Sierra Club members and Al Gore, you’ll want to consider more than carbon footprints as you shop.

Find gifts you’ll feel good about giving and that will delight the recipient, committed environmentalist or not. Everyone on your list – as well as the earth – will be thrilled.