by Kate Johns

Created on: September 06, 2008

What better way to celebrate Mother's Day than by giving her a gift that she will cherish for the rest of her life and that helps to save the planet at the same time? Giving Mom a gift that will share its space with doing its best to save the world; it will make all the Moms in your life so happy. It's a recycling gift. It's a green gift. However it should not be a re-gift kind of gift. Although, giving Mom a re-gifted fruit cake for Mother's Day would technically fall into the category of recycling at it's best.

But, if your Mom is anything like my Mom she won't take too kindly to being given a re-gifted fruit cake for Mother's Day. Although it would be funny if she gave it to you as a Christmas present that same year. Here are five green Mother's Day gifts that your Mother should ohh and ahh at:

1. How's this for a bedazzling Mother's Day gift that will make your Mom shine? Recycled glass jewelry. We live near a Great Lake and just discovered a fascinating aspect of our lake here-beach glass. It's awesome! It is thrown up on shore by the waves after being ground smooth. Many area retailers have set up shop selling beach glass jewelry. You can find it online by just typing in beach glass jewelry, or recycled glass jewelry. You can even make your own.

2. If your Mom doesn't already have a cell-phone get her a recycled cell phone. Cell phone recyclers take every part of an existing phone and make certain that it is used again. Some of the parts can't be used in the phone again, but does get sold to area metal, plastic, and other parts dealers that reuse these in other forms. This way you are saving the earth from more ever expanding landfills.

3. How's this for making the planet a greener place to live? Creating purses out of used clothing. Several years ago, my daugther's Girl Scout den made really cute purses out of old jeans. You can make terrific purses out of almost anything, even recycled drink boxes and plastic. Purses, wallets, and just about anything you want to hold something in can be created with a little creativity and know-how. Any recycled clothing can be made into a divine, to die for purse. All you have to do is cut up the size you want, sew it with big stiches, glue the inside with fabric glue, and decorate it. It's that easy! You can even have the kids create a purse for their Grandmother.

4. Certainly buying Mom flowers is a great green Mother's Day idea. But, what isn't so green is the gas and oil used by trucks to deliver those flowers. The refrigerant in the trucks and freezers at stores used to keep the flowers fresh-that's not so green, either. But what is a great green idea is planting a tree in honor of Mom. Give your Mother a bountiful spruce tree that she can watch grow and that will add to the environment every year. Buy Mom potted plants that she can leave in the pots thus allowing for minimal effort.

5. Here's a truly green idea for a Mom's Day gift that has the cooking Mom at heart. Buy growing kits of herbs for the Mom in your life. This way she will have delightful herbs to utilize in the foods that she or another family member cooks. And the kitchen will look so pretty with this decorative box on the kitchen windowsill. Even better, design the box with the kids, and plant everything yourself for the Moms in your life.

Creating recycled gifts for Mom is a great way to save the planet, and make Mom happy at the same time. Although re-gifting does fall into the recycling category, make sure you don't give her a gift she gave you last year.

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