Green Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
Mom always appreciates the flowers, perfume and going out to dinner on Mother’s Day, but there are other ways to show her how much she’s loved that last long after those gifts are gone.
In the spirit of “going green” here are some great Mother’s Day gift ideas that not only help our environment but go a long way in making mom’s special day even better.
SPRING CLEAN WITH GREEN
It seems like mothers get stuck with most (or all) of the spring cleaning every year. Why not pitch in and help her? Schedule a day when you both can have a spring cleaning “party” and buy all recycled and organic cleaning products. There are more and more choices on the market than ever before as we all become more environmentally aware.
These products are just as efficient as chemically produced cleaners, non-toxic and don’t pose the pollution concerns when you dispose of them.
Don’t forget those old basics. We all know the countless uses of household items for cleaning; white vinegar and baking soda being two very useful items. Perfect “green” cleaning solutions that cost little and work great.
Not only will mom greatly appreciate the help from you but you both will have done your part in protecting “Mother Earth” from unnecessary chemicals.
GET RID OF THOSE PLASTIC BAGS
Do you know that in some countries plastic grocery bags are being discontinued altogether or you must purchase them at the store? These bags last for countless years in our landfills without breaking down. For a Mother’s Day get her a collection of reusable grocery bags.
The best choice is sturdy tote bags made of canvas. They’re easy to carry, can handle the weight and an excellent “green” Mother’s Day gift idea. Use your imagination! Get some in her favorite color, or with her favorite flower or cute animal picture.
Add a small remarkable board and marker for her grocery list instead of throwing away a paper list every time to avoid even more waste.
GET THE HOUSE ENERGY EFFICIENT
With energy prices soaring, we all need to find ways to conserve any way we can. The house is a great place to start.
Leaky windows, unsealed doors, inadequate insulation and inefficient heating/cooling systems quickly add up to high utility bills.
For a unique Mother’s Day gift idea, have an energy consultant come and inspect her home. Contact your local electric company; they often will do this for free.
Mom may be very surprised at how much money she could save by making some basic changes around her house.
Once she knows what she needs to do either help her with the improvements or hire someone to get the job done.
NO MORE INCANDESCENT BULBS
There are states now that intend to discontinue the use of traditional incandescent light bulbs due to their negative impact to the environment. The wave of the future will be the new “compact fluorescent” bulbs that are now on the market. They’re more expensive than regular bulbs but last much longer than incandescent bulbs. That means fewer spent bulbs in our landfills and less energy consumption.
A great Mother’s Day gift idea would be to buy her some pretty new lamps for around the house and use these new bulbs in them. Then go around and change the rest of bulbs for her.
Treat her with a great new book from her favorite author so she can relax with it under her pretty new reading lights!
DON’T FORGET MOM’S WHEELS
As busy as we all are these days it is easy to forget simple maintenance on our vehicles. By putting off that tune up on the car you’re consuming more fuel than necessary.
As a Mother’s Day gift idea why not take her car in for a thorough tune up? Basic things like new spark plugs, new tires or an air conditioner check up could save her a great deal of money.
Not only will she have more dollars in her wallet but she’s helping to reduce the air pollution and wasted fuel, an ever increasing problem.
After the tune up bring mom’s car to be detailed, it’s like spring cleaning for her car!
Maybe while her car is being done you can treat her to a spa session or massage. Who wouldn’t like that Mother’s Day gift!
Celebrate this Mother’s Day by using some of these “green” gift ideas and you’ll not only show mom how special she is but Mother Earth will be grateful too!
Brenda Prevost owns and operates http://www.allholidaytreasures.com which sells lights, decorations and costumes for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, July 4th and other holidays.
