10 Ocean-Friendly Gifts You Can Give This Holiday Season

Baking, sharing, giving, hanging the lights for all to see—what do the holidays mean to you?

Some of us enjoy feasting with our family, and others prefer to recharge from work chaos. Then there are those of us who simply relish at the opportunity to eat an endless array of sweets.

But while most of the country celebrates these joyous events, it’s going to be a stressful season for our one and only planet.

In the United States alone, there will be about one million tons of extra garbage used each week between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.

Those numbers are absolutely staggering. The time to start caring about our planet was yesterday, but today will do just fine!

We should all be able to celebrate without a second thought about how our holiday gifts will impact our world’s oceans and our precious planet.

So, if you’re ready to give without guilt, you’ll want to shower your loved ones with ocean-friendly gifts that will make a lasting impact on their hearts, but not our planet!

1. Organic Threads from Round + Square

There’s no other way to put it, fast-fashion is a leading cause of pollution for our oceans and atmosphere.

If you want to resist and instead, give an environmentally conscious gift with an efficient supply chain and stylish design, Round + Square is the perfect choice!

Not only are these tees made with 100% Organic Cotton, but they’re also delivered in an organic cotton pouch. That means from the warehouse to your loved one’s doorstep, not a single piece of plastic is used!

Round + Square’s commitment to our planet is more than surface level. With every purchase of the “I Woman Power Now” tee, 10% of proceeds will be donated to Big Blue & You. Because what’s better than looking good and doing good by our planet?

2. Caffeine To-Go with Ocean-Friendly Stojo

These days, having a cup of coffee in your hand is basically like an accessory. You can’t leave the house without it!

And if you have a coffee aficionado in your life, they’ll love the portable, leak-proof, collapsible, and reusable capabilities of the Stojo.

Whether they’re in the mood for an Americano or an iced coconut milk latte, this ocean-friendly cup is made for the boardroom, bus, or backyard.

3. Recycle In Style with Recover Brands

Recover Brands takes the term ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ to new heights with their 100% recycled apparel. When they say transparency, they mean it.

Each Recover item is made from 8 recycled plastic bottles that are shredded, melted, and then turned into yarn!

And every crafted piece equates to less plastic in our oceans. From tees and tanks to hoodies and caps, you’ll find something for everyone on your list.

4. A Watch For Good

WeWOOD creates their all-natural watches with reclaimed and recycled wood. But that’s not where their ocean-friendly practices end. For each watch purchased, WeWOOD plants a tree in the forest!

To date, WeWOOD and their partners have planted over 600,000 trees. We can’t turn back the clock to fix the harm done to our planet, but we can vote for a cleaner Earth with every dollar we spend.

5. Here, There, Everywhere Bottle

We should all make a goal to enter the new year free from plastic water bottles. When you give the gift of a BPA-free, hot/cold beverage container, you’re pushing the mark one notch further.

Cotopaxi is a conscious brand that collaborates with organizations from all over. In fact, 2% of their profits go to alleviating poverty around the globe. Now, that’s something to think about every time you take a sip of water!

6. Cozy Toes

Underwear, money, clothes, toiletries, isn’t it funny how we would now love to receive those items that we dreaded getting as a kid?

Smartwool uses recycled materials whenever possible and actually sources wool from animals who are allowed to roam and graze with as little human interference as possible.

With a pair of socks from Smartwool, your loved ones can keep their toes warm while protecting our planet.

7. Sip With Ease

This year, single-use plastic straws were enemy #1, and for a good reason! But while most of us ditched our straws, sipping fanatics were left with a void in their normal drinking routine.

That was until the FinalStraw was released! This reusable, collapsible straw can be tossed in backpacks, purses, and even pockets for easy access whenever a delicious beverage presents itself.

They’re so cool and compact your friends might even want to pull it out at the holiday work party.

8. Clean Body, Cleaner Earth

For ocean-friendly shoppers, buying soaps, lotions, and creams are usually the last frontier for sustainable products, simply because it’s so hard to find items that aren’t packaged in plastic.

However, Lush Cosmetics has implemented a stellar set of ethics that protect animals, our skin biome, and the planet!

With their naked (unpackaged) goods that eliminate harmful plastics from ending up in our oceans to their sustainable ingredient list that ensures each element is ethically sourced from start to finish, snagging a few bath bombs from Lush Cosmetics will be a sweet gift this season.

9. Meditation Moment

With a new year comes the opportunity to reevaluate and realign with the things that matter. Instead of giving a present, perhaps you can help give the gift of presence.

The Suga Meditation Mat is created from recycled wetsuits. With such an awesome backstory and even greater mission, what better way to create that connection back to our oceans?

10. Shades For A Cause

From planting trees and sponsoring cataracts surgeries to hosting garbage clean-ups to protect our oceans, there’s really no end to the service mindset at Proof Eyewear.

And with a pair of glasses from Proof, you don’t have to trade ocean-friendly practices for style.

Their eco-conscious collection is made by layering a cotton-based acetate and wood to create a completely biodegradable pair of shades.

When you purchase these for that special someone, they’ll shine right alongside the sun.