If you're stumped for gift ideas for your grandparents for birthdays, Christmas or anniversaries, consider buying them an eco-friendly gift. You might think that green living is a new concept to seniors, but, according to a January 1, 2010 article by Lindsay Armstrong in the Huffington Post, "grandparents [who] grew up during the Depression" are already used to reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Many seniors, for instance, hung their clothes out to dry instead of using energy-guzzling dryers, they used cloth instead of paper towels, and they grew their own fruits and vegetables, many of which they canned for winter eating. Tap into their environmentally-conscious DNA by considering the following green gift ideas for grandparents.
Apple iPad a Green Gift
Apple's iPad makes an excellent green gift for grandparents because the iPad does not use as much energy as a desktop or laptop computer while allowing many of the same functions to be performed, such as surfing the Internet, managing photos, and checking email. The construction of the iPad is environmentally-friendly due to it being PVC-free, having arsenic-free glass, a mercury-free LED display, and an outer case made of recyclable aluminum and glass. Further, grandparents can use the iPad as an eBook reader, thereby saving paper from forests, and can adjust the font size for easier reading.
Battery Charger
Spare grandparents and seniors the need to purchase environmentally harmful disposable batteries by buying them a battery charger for rechargeable AA batteries for their household gadgets and digital cameras. Many people improperly dispose of batteries despite the fact that they can be recycled. This improper disposal results in toxic chemicals such as cadmium and mercury leaching into the soil and water. Battery chargers eliminate the need to buy disposable batteries at all and thus help reduce the number of these environmental enemies that pollute the environment.
Gift of Time
Many grandparents have all the stuff they need and don't relish collecting more objects to collect dust. Further, replaced objects frequently end up in landfills. Grandchildren can provide a welcome green solution by giving grandparents a gift certificate for their time to perform a variety of services around their house. Services could include the cleaning of basements, eaves-troughs, storm or regular windows, cars, the clearing of snow from driveways and walkways, the mowing of lawns and maintenance of gardens, and the moving of storage of furniture.
Charity Gift Card
It can be difficult to come up with ecologically-friendly gift ideas for people who have everything, but the charity gift card can make a great green gift for grandparents. The charity gift card, which was originated by Tis Best, can be purchased in $10-$200 denominations. Grandparents who receive the card can decide to donate it among 200 certified non profits, many of which are involved in supporting environmental causes.
The decision to give grandparents green gifts for Christmas, birthday or anniversary presents will have wide-ranging environmental benefits. Green gifts such as the Apple iPad and battery chargers will reduce their overall energy use and the number of disposable batteries that end up in landfills while gifts of time for household services and charity gift cards will replace the purchase of unnecessary stuff that may end up collecting dust.
Lori Bosworth - Hi! After having worked as a writer in the government for several years, I decided to return to university full-time to finish my ...
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