Less tinsel, more fun: eco-tips for Christmas
Give a good conscience: the best online shops
© Hans Huber / Westend61 / CorbisWhy always run to the first department store? At these online shops you will find great eco-products that have been produced fairly and ecologically. And many are now participating in the "GOGREEN" program and sending their parcels CO2 neutral. With our ideas and eco-tips your Christmas will be wonderful even without tinsel - and environmentally friendly!
Responsibility: online shops with green fashion
Avocadostore.de: The avocado store has also become a major eco-marketplace with thousands of offers. From vegan shoes to green fashion, hand-crafted wooden cribs, recycled wrapping paper or Christmas coffee, you'll find everything the eco-heart desires.
Glore.de: There are unusual pieces of different labels. For example, casual sneakers made of eco-certified nubuck leather.
Unique-nature.com: A similar concept has this shop for noble fashion and accessories. Christmas offers this year for example: a beaded bag, hand-knitted mittens or a luxury shower gel.
Lieb-kind.de: Cute baby clothes or chic fashion for pregnant women and young mothers are available here. All labels use only organic cotton. Also included in the program: toys and natural care.
Bioshirt-company.de: For Confessors: The T-shirts and bags of the Bioshirt Company adorn peace signs and "... love the planet" motifs - even for children. Everything from 100 percent organic cotton. New to the program and matching the trend are yoga basics.
Armedangels.de: Sexy and funny are the t-shirts, pants, sweaters and dresses of the Cologne model label. The entire collection is Fairtrade certified, the cotton comes from organic farms. Over the past three years, more than € 30,000 in revenue went to fundraising projects. In the future, the people of Cologne want to use all resources to make it easier for the people who directly participate in the production of the textiles. Special X-mas offer: A black vintage shirt with a golden angel.
Reflection-online.de: This small online shop relies entirely on high-quality yoga fashion, wellness clothing and natural cosmetics.
Hessnatur.com: Hess Natur also offers a great selection of clothing, accessories and home textiles - from cap and shirt for the child, to belts and linen vest for him, to lingerie and precious pashima scarves from a Nepal project for leprosy patients. By the way: During an examination by Stiftung Warentest in 2010, Hess Natur was the best of all the tested organic providers.
Gepa-shop.de: Also at the Fair Trade Company GEPA there is recently fashion. Chic caps and shawl collar made of alpaca wool, for example, or gloves and wrist warmers for chilblains. And detailed information about the people who make the product is available free of charge.
Original and useful eco-gifts for Christmas
Waschbaer.de: The Freiburger environmental shipping raccoon is like a small department store: In addition to fashion, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, beautiful soaps, furniture and home textiles you will find beautiful things to craft and decorate for the Advent season: table light bags, beeswax plates for self-turned candles or mini solar candles. And in the Christmas market department, there are such unusual things as an earth-time folding rule, a ginkgo tree seed set or a mini globe for children.
Greenpeace department store: Small but nice is the offer in the Greenpeace department store: A pretty pencil box, the award-winning paper game "Pepastar", a chic animal memo and chopsticks made of polished, oiled rosewood can be put into the shopping cart as chopping boards made of cherry wood or extra thick, luxurious fireplace covers ,
BetterFair.de: 100 fun and tasteful gifts exclusively from fair production offers BetterFair. In addition to picture frames made of recycled wood (each one unique), one can order for the beloved also an Indonesian lucky elephant, which promises wisdom and prosperity. Part of the proceeds goes to aid projects. And because recycling saves a lot of water, energy and raw materials and is therefore even better than buying new ones, Betterfair also offers bags made from recycled rice sacks or juice cartons.
Jewelery and stones: shine with a clear conscience
A single gold ring weighing ten grams, causes three tons of toxic waste during production. In the Amazon alone, gold mining removes 100 tons of highly toxic mercury every year. For the mining of gemstones in Africa farmers are expelled from their land, the sale of diamonds financed civil wars. Under www.faire-edelsteine.de you will find a lot of information about this topic. Gold and silver are e.g.by Indian mining cooperatives in Argentina who practice traditional gold panning and do not use cyanide or mercury. The Fair Trade Minerals & Fair Trade Gems Association also offers good information.
On largely natural stones (such as tumbled stones), minerals and crystals, the Hamburg company www.laurinsgarten.de specialized. Currently there are stones for "Hot Stone" massages and instructions.
"Create your own ring" is the motto at IO E TE, Four different versions and six different stones are available.
Toys: check for harmful substances
Many parents know it: The cool, remote-controlled car or the laser sword are broken already on the second Christmas day - and hazardous waste, since they contain numerous pollutants. Buy toys with the "play well" sign. It stands for durable, high quality products; Independent educators, physicians and technicians inspect around 600 toys a year. Pollutants are only randomly examined, since 2005, however, only PVC-free toys may receive the seal. Time and again, however, find TÜV, Stiftung Warentest and Ökotest in toys a true chemical cocktail, especially in products that are imported from Asia. No meaningfulness has the CE markIt is mandatory in the EU and will not be reviewed. Better is the GS-label (stands for Geprüfte Sicherheit), but unfortunately it happens that this character is forged. Make sure that the test institute is named in addition to the stamp. TÜV Rheinland awards the recommendable "proof mark" (wooden toys, for example, are checked for residues of wood preservatives).
On the safe side, you are, for example, when the Environmental organization BUND to order. Lovingly crafted cuddly toys made of organic cotton are there as well as a solid wood rocking horse, a shop for self-assembly or finely polished blocks, from which a castle or city can be built. And that spares the nerves of the neighbors: a Bobbycar made of native wood with extremely quiet wheels. Cute stuffed animals are also available in the GEPA online shop.
If you think not only about the health of your children, but also about the people in the producing countries, find out on the side of the action fair plays, which companies pay attention to socially acceptable and environmentally friendly conditions.
Wood products with FSC seal
Those who want to make sure that no rainforest is cleared for wood products should pay attention to the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) seal. It stands for environmentally friendly forestry. Through an online database can find dealers throughout Germany, for example, stationery or household products made of FSC wood.
Double joy: giving and donations
Oxfamunverpackt.deFor people who already have everything, a donation gift from the aid organization Oxfam is ideal: Donate, for example, ten trees or mosquito nets for people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The recipient then receives a card and a funny fridge magnet symbolizing the project.
Also the aid organization World Vision now offers a similar service. From fruit trees to children's bikes to a fishing net, the ideas are enough. As a thank you there is a certificate.
Gift sponsorship: Does your loved one care about the fate of endangered species? Or do you enjoy meadows and trees? How about a sponsorship of avenue trees or the endangered wildcat or the lynx?
Planethelp and Clicks4charity
You prefer to give books, MP3 players or cosmetics? Even then you have the opportunity to donate part of the money: over PlanetHelp or Clicks4Charity, Both portals cooperate with more than 500 online shops from Amazon to Zalando and ensure that with each purchase you can support a good cause of your choice. Just go to www.planethelp.de or www.clicks4charity.net the desired online shop, select a charity that you want to support - and already flows a certain percentage of the purchase price to the relief project. You can support, among others, Doctors Without Borders, the Berliner Tafel, the German Cancer Aid or the Women's Fund UNIFEM.
Give time and experiences
Avoid fix giftswho end up in the garbage after a short time - even the unloved tie for the uncle and the egg timer for the aunt have finally devoured in the production of energy, water and raw materials. Give away time: an evening babysitting or two weeks of watering flowers while on vacation. Are you taking a stressful walk for your friends? to the telecom or to the train center. Offer cinema or theater tickets or a subscription to the vegetable box from the organic farm.
Christmas tree & Co .: How to decorate sustainably
Christmas trees with eco seal
23 million Christmas trees are sold every year in Germany from domestic production, plus imports come mainly from Denmark. Most of the trees come from plantations. Prefer a Christmas tree that is Naturland organic seal or the international FSC seal wearing. An up-to-date list of outlets can be found at www.robinwood.com. It is sorted by federal states, with opening hours and directions. By the way: Christmas trees in a pot look very eco-friendly. But they are torn from their hibernation by the transport into the warm living room and often do not grow anymore.
Wrapping paper with "Blue Angel"
Access Recycled wrapping paper with the "Blue Angel", If your family or your friends do not care about hours of unpacking, you can wrap gifts in colorful shawls (which you can give away right away). Avoid metal and plastic films as well as coated gift papers.
Decorate environmentally friendly
Tinsel: Most German manufacturers renounce now toxic lead in tinsel. But in imported goods it still happens (recognizable, for example, the reference "from Staniol"). The problem: With the Christmas trees disposed of, the glitter threads wander into composting plants. Lead accumulates in the environment and in human blood and can lead to learning disabilities in children. It's best to forego it completely.
Artificial snow: It looks nice to mist the Christmas tree with silver or gold spray. But the tree is not compostable afterwards. Use environmentally friendly spray snow made of starch from the craft shop.
candles: Five candles in the room consume as much oxygen as a human. Ventilate regularly! Caution is especially in colorful cheap paraffin products offered - when burning numerous toxins are released, as well as candles with enamel coating. A quality notice is the "RAL" label. Or you can access stearin candles (from renewable raw materials) or real beeswax candles right away. The latter are expensive, but burn almost pollutant free.
Lamp oils: The burning of lamp oils creates pollutants. Use oils free of dyes and fragrances and ventilate the rooms well. Take a lamp with safety lock. Again and again it happens that children swallow lamp oil or suck on the wick. Since 2000, 700 cases of poisoning by lamp oil have been reported in Germany.
Sparklers: To date, not all substances are known that are contained in the smoke of sparklers. Therefore: do not burn too many at once. Even better: go outside!
lights: The TÜV Rheinland tested 83 fairy lights and came to frightening results: 65 had some significant safety flaws on. For some products, the bulbs get so hot that there is an acute fire hazard. Worst of all, the cheapest chains cut below five euros. Access to fairy lights with LEDs. They consume up to 80 percent less electricity and have a longer service life. New for outside: fairy lights with solar panel.
