This Mother's Day, Give an Eco-Friendly Gift That Keeps on Giving

This year, inspired by a successful Earth Day, we want to keep the momentum of eco-friendly and sustainable shopping going through Mother’s Day. We have compiled a sweet list of gifts to surprise your Mom with to show her just how much you love her and Mother Earth. Buying an eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift is even easier when it helps your Mother’s life become eco-friendly. Gifting Mom a thoughtful conscious gift will prove how much she means to you and the effort will not go unnoticed. Here is our thoughtful list to make your shopping experience feel effortless.

1. SUSTAINABLE PLANTS -

We love gifting plants for any gift but on Mother's Day we want to make it a bit more special. This year is the perfect year to help your Mom plant a sustainable garden or fill her house with air purifying plants to filter her space. A sustainable garden has several benefits to the environment and we are here for it. 

 The definition of a sustainable plant may be a plant that:

• Does not have a known significant insect or disease problem
• Drought tolerant (once established)
• Not invasive, and is long-lived

Selecting plants with these qualities may contribute to developing sustainable landscapes or landscapes that require fewer resources. Planting native plants is a eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift that has so many great benefits. The biggest one is conserving water. Native plants are adapted to local environmental conditions, saving time, money, and the most valuable natural resource, water. In addition to providing vital habitat for birds, many other species of wildlife benefits as well. We love a succulent garden for any home. They are very easy to take care of and require minimal watering. There are literally thousands of native plant options but here is a guide to find out which ones will work best for you here. 

Spring bulbs are also a great way to show your Mom some love. There are several varieties of bulbs that provide Spring and Summer  blooms that can be planted now. Flowers will not only make your Mom’s yard look amazing, but they can attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Supporting your local pollinators is a bonus to a beautiful garden and the best way to support the ecosystem. Try arranging some bulbs in an up-cycled basket to make this beautiful gift even more sustainable. 

2. ALL NATURALS BATH BOMBS- 

If we learned anything from last year, it is that self-care is very important and essential. Gifting your Mom an all natural, eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift will make her feel so special. Staying safe is still very much a thing and being able to give your Mom a little spa day at home is too cute. An all natural bath bomb is definitely needed so Mom can take a relaxing bath. We love the idea of everyone’s Mom in the tub sipping on her favorite beverage soaking in that all natural goodness. The bad news about bath bombs is that some of them have harmful ingredients that are not the best for the environment or your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin. The good news is that there are safer natural alternatives that are crafted with botanical extracts, oils and minerals that will benefit your skin. There are so many wonderful varieties of bath bombs available now that are made from natural ingredients and don’t include preservatives or chemicals. Treat your mom to an assortment of natural and earth-friendly bath products that she can use to pamper herself after a long and stressful day. Normalizing self-care days is a message that society needs to hear. Getting your Mom all the essentials to create her own self care day at home will show her how important it is and that she should treat herself consistently. We all need less stress and more self care all 2021. 

3. AVRE SHOES- 

If your Mom needs new shoes, this is the perfect time to gift her a pair of AVRE’s recycled sneakers. This eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift will show her that sustainability can cover all aspects of life, even fashion! AVRE stands for Authentic, Versatile, Responsible and Empowered. We want to spread our message to all women especially the Queens that gave us life. We want the Earth to be saved for all future generations and leave it better than we inherited it. Our signature repurposed threads are made out of recycled water bottles and form to the shape of your foot, providing maximum comfort and flexibility. Our innovative 3D knit-to-shape technology has led us to minimize waste and have a better impact on our future generations. The carbon footprint we leave behind is of utmost importance for us and with our innovative manufacturing process and materials we are able to lower ours with every pair. AVRE has a style to fit into any Mom wardrobe or activities that she gets into. Whether she’s a fitness Mommy or just needs a refined chic everyday sneaker we have her sneaker needs covered. 

For the fitness Mom, we would recommend the Swift Icon or Momentum. These are both light-weight and built for wear and tear. If Mom is going hard in the gym then these styles will definitely keep up with her and give her the support she needs for a pain free workout. 

For the trendy Mom, we suggest getting her our Infinity Glide or Energee styles. The unique split sole on both of these sneakers gives an added edge to any look. Trendy Mom can pair these sneakers with any outfit from mom jeans to sweats and still give off a polished vibe.  

Lastly, for the comfort Mommy we love the Limitless or Life Force styles. The limitless is our minimal yet chic slip-on that comes in 7 different colors. From all white to black and camo there is definitely a color that will fit seamlessly into Mom’s looks. The Limitless features a slight platform sole and textured woven top built for comfort with no fussy laces. Our Life Force Sneaker comes in 3 staple colors and is light and airy. These functional shoes are the best everyday pair to have around for anything that comes your way. Did we mention that all of our styles are washable and made from 8-10 plastic bottles? Mom will love the look and powerful message that a pair of AVRE shoes brings. She’ll definitely brag to all her friends about this great gift and how proud she is of you for being a conscious shopper. 

4. ESSENTIAL OILS-

Essential oils have grown in popularity recently for their homeopathic qualities. They are compounds extracted from plants. The oils capture the plant’s scent and flavor, or “essence.” Unique aromatic compounds give each essential oil its characteristic essence. Essential oils are obtained through distillation (via steam and/or water) or mechanical methods, such as cold pressing. Once the aromatic chemicals have been extracted, they are combined with a carrier oil to create a product that’s ready for use.

Essential oils are most commonly used in the practice of aromatherapy, in which they are inhaled through various methods. Essential oils are not meant to be swallowed. The chemicals in essential oils can interact with your body in several ways. When applied to your skin, some plant chemicals are absorbed. It's thought that certain application methods can improve absorption, such as applying with heat or to different areas of the body. 

Inhaling the aromas from essential oils can stimulate areas of your limbic system, which is a part of your brain that plays a role in emotions, behaviors, sense of smell, and long-term memory. Interestingly, this system is heavily involved in forming memories. This can partly explain why familiar smells can trigger memories or emotions. Here is a guide of common essential oils and how to use them. 

To get Mom an essential oil starter kit click here.

5. REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE/SANDWICH BAGS/TOTE BAGS-

Another great eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift idea is hooking your Mama up with all of the reusable things to get her daily sustainable life dialed in. Sometimes it’s easier to start something new, like using reusable water bottles, sandwich bags and grocery bags when you get them as a gift instead of having to buy everything yourself. You’re more likely to use them consistently to show the person that gave them to you how much you liked it. With that said, if you buy all of these reusable goodies for your Mom, she will use them! The hardest part is starting with these little changes and then being consistent and buying more consciously will be second nature. We love this idea for an eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift because it’s like an eco-friendly care package that serves multiple purposes. Don’t let your Mother drink out of plastic water bottles anymore. Make sure she’s the cool mom with a reusable BPA free bottle. Here are some we like: 

For Reusable plastic bags we like STASHER reusable bags that are BPA free and come in several sizes to fit all of Moms snack needs. This gift will really make it easy for her to get in the habit of using them and being more consistent. This small change would change the amount of plastic that gets thrown away and sent to the landfill. For more information about reusable bags read here.

Totes are always our first choice for a reusable bag. Tote gang for life. These sturdy, well made bags are not too expensive and come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They are built to last and are a timeless look whether you’re grabbing groceries at the farmers market or picking up soap at Target. You can even use the tote as the vessel to wrap your eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift by  placing all the other gifts in the back and repurposing some old newspaper as tissue paper. Here are timeless totes we would want to keep for ourselves:

 Big Bud Press  A perfect go-to bag with long straps, a huge main pocket, and our signature outer double pocket for maximum storage and organization. Mom will love all the bright colors. 

L.L. Bean These range in price from $24.95-$35.95 depending on the size and length you choose and comes in 5 different colors. 

Uniqlo  This eco-friendly tote is VERY affordable and basic which is perfect for a bag you can use anywhere. Featuring a simple design, the bag can be paired with anything and comes in 2 different sizes. You can even get it embroidered with Mom’s initials to give that extra special touch. 

We hope that this guide gave you some great eco-friendly Mother’s Day gift ideas. We know that your Mom will love anything you decide to get her this year. Educating our Mom’s on why sustainability is so important is a very rewarding job. It’s also something that you can bond over together. Trust us when we say that once you start you won't be able to stop shopping sustainable. Good luck on this admirable journey! Even though they seem like small changes, they get you thinking about the bigger picture and Mom will too. What are some ways that you and your Mom practice sustainability at home? Let us know in the comments and share so everyone can get their Mom and eco-friendly gift this year.