by Judith Willson

Created on: January 08, 2010   Last Updated: September 23, 2010

There is bound to be an eco- friendly gift that your mother will love, whether she is super green or just mildly concerned about the environment .  The possibilities are endless, with green gifts available to suit everybody.  Some of the best for mother's day include these nice presents.

Plants

Plants are a lovely, long lasting present.  A plant also helps the atmosphere in a small way by releasing oxygen.  A fruit tree for the garden would be ideal as it is a tree, they are usually very attractive, and it will produce food that doesn’t require transportation. 

Houseplants are better than flowers as they are more original, can be more personal, and don’t die after three days.   A generic bunch of carnations doesn’t really indicate that much thought went into your choice but an orchid, an unusual cactus, a collection of growing herbs or a miniature orange tree does.

Animals

For mothers besotted with animals, a gift sponsorship of a wild animal (which often includes a cute animal toy) is a feel good gift that she will greatly appreciate.    You can try large organisations such as WWF, where you can adopt all kinds of animals, including tigers, Arctic hares, and dolphins, or try a local conservation or animal welfare charity.  If you mother already supports an organisation like this then have a look to see if they have such a scheme.

Recycled gifts

Then there are recycled gifts.  This does not mean an empty baked bean tin made into a lamp.  That is not particularly thoughtful unless you are very good at crafts.  There are many other recycled gifts available though. 

Books are the most obvious.  You might find a gem in a charity/thrift shop.  However you have more chance of finding a second hand book by an author she loves that is out of print, or an obscure one, or a rare one, or an astonishingly beautiful work, by looking online.  This can be a very thoughtful gift but you need to know your mother’s tastes very well indeed.

There are other second hand gifts ranging from antiques to popular culture memorabilia (she might appreciate an original poster for a film she loved years ago for instance), to additions to collections (if she has a hobby of this variety she is likely to enjoy an item she might have been wanting for ages).  Again these are personal and you need to have a good understanding of her likes (and, crucially, dislikes).

Consumable gifts. 

This might sound strange considering that being green involves reducing consumption but the aim here is to give something that will be eaten or drunk rather than encouraging the production of yet more tat.  These are also the easiest to choose,  go for organic and unusual treats.  Chocolates are a bit dull (unless she is a chocoholic) but other possibilities include speciality oils, olives, wine, liqueurs, and special spices.

A day out

Finally, there are outings.  A trip for the two of you doesn’t involve consumption and you are spending time with your mother, which will probably be appreciated more than anything else.   The trip could be a concert, a football game, a night on the tiles, a day spent planting trees (if you have a super green mother), or a meal at her favourite restaurant.   A card (homemade would be perfect) with tickets or an invitation in, and taking some photos at the time makes it a real gift with permanent reminders of the day for both of you..

Learn more about this author, Judith Willson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.