25 Days of Giving - Day 21
Another Great Gift Idea...I read a great article recently where the author talked about 7 reusable things she carried in her purse. Besides being in awe of the depths of her purse, I was inspired by the thought of carrying these things that would help reduce your environmental footprint a fair amount.The thought expanded into the idea of assembling this into a holiday (or anytime) gift for a family or individual. I’ll insert a plug to say we have several of these items at Austin Creative Reuse, so please check us out if you should want to pull something like this together.We even have the make-your-own tote bags (for carrying everything) that you could either sew yourself or leave as a kit if you knew your recipient had a sewing machine.I’m following the article’s suggestions to get you started, but you can customize to fit the individual.Here’s the general list:
- Reusable shopping bags – Austinites have this down, but you can get creative with sizes or styles.
2. A bag to carry produce. Here’s a DIY version you can make from a t-shirt.
http://www.ecouterre.com/recycle-an-old-t-shirt-into-a-produce-grocery-bag-diy-tutorial/t-shirt-produce-bag-2/?extend=13. A drinking cup or water bottle. We have a nice variety of stainless steel cups in stock at the center. You could also switch it out for a refillable coffee mug.4. A litter bag5. A container that could be used as a doggie bag. The author had fashioned one using a Tupperware container with a couple of baggies and twist ties. Depending on your budget, you could buy a stainless steel style ( I found this one on mightynest.com, though I would
imagine you could find them locally) or a plastic variety, which are readily available.6. A cloth hand towel to be used for spills or any clean-up jobs.7. A refillable note pad ( with reuse paper) and a refillable pen or marker. This last item comes to mind as we've been making them recently at ACR, and I think they're a very practical thing to have around. You can DIY to make one or buy it for $1.50 at the center.It’s exciting to think if most people carried and used these items on a daily basis, what a difference it could make in the amount of trash generated.The last bonus - tie a ribbon on it, no need to gift wrap. I think it’s an all-around winner of a gift idea.