The 2011 Simply Frugal Holiday Gift Guide for the Eco-Conscious

Well, we’re at the end of the 2011 holiday gift guides today.  I sure hope they helped to give you new ideas and you found some new favourite Canadian stores!  I would like to encourage you to really consider purchasing from the companies I featured as I think you’ll find them boasting great customer service (and wonderful product)!  Not to mention, they gave out some fantastic coupon codes just for you!

Today I’ll be wrapping up the gift guides with the Holiday Gift Guide for the Eco-Conscious.  Perfect for those on your list that are taking steps to care for our planet or would like to make steps in that direction!

Lavish & Lime – Lavish & Lime is a Vancouver-based eco boutique with non-toxic and eco-friendly alternatives that are healthier for you, your family and the planet too. Choose from hundreds of unusual gifts that are sure to ‘wow’ your nearest and dearest on Christmas day.  Their awesome glass water bottles are featured in Chatelaine magazine’s Holiday Gift Guide 2011!  The bottles are non-toxic, eco-conscious, virtually unbreakable and the funky protective silicone cover makes them look great. The dishwasher-safe glass means no steely after taste.  Use the coupon code SIMPLYFRUGAL to save 15% off your glass water bottle purchase through November 30, 2011.  Be sure to check out their Green Christmas Ideas page for great gift ideas!  Lavish & Lime is also generously giving one reader the chance to win a $25 gift certificate!

HotSACKS - Looking for some fun, fashionable and funky reusable shopping bags or produce bags?  The bags were created for those of you who want to do your part for the environment, but don’t want to be a walking billboard for your local grocery store.  You also may care about the environment, but don’t feel like advertising it to the world.    HotSACKS would love to give two Simply Frugal readers a set each of their meshy produce bags!  Meshy hotSACKS  are great for produce and other bulk items like wrapped candies.  Helps reduce the use of those thin, plastic bulk bags that you only use once!  I might also mention, I think these would make great stocking stufffers!

Bare Organics – Bare Organics is a Canadian manufacturer of quality organic skin care products using food grade organic ingredients. Karen “discovered that most “natural” and “organic” baby care products were actually filled with unsafe chemical ingredients. She needed something better so she started researching and testing her own recipes. Now, years later, Bare Organics offers head-to-toe skin care products for men, women, babies and children. Our goal is to help you to make safer skin care choices for you & your family.”  Use the coupon code SFC15 to save 15% off your entire purchase through December 31, 2011.  Bare Organics is generously giving one Simply Frugal reader a Winter Skin Kit worth $60!

With Heart – With Heart seeks the most original and interesting stuff made or designed with heart… hence the name!  With Heart, prides themselves on many eco-friendly business practices: purchase recycled/eco-friendly office & shipping products whenever possible, runs an online business which consumes less resources over all, use public transit to get around whenever possible, use recycled materials for packaging supplies & stuffing, seek out eco-minded artisans & products, follow the FOUR R’s Recycle, reuse, reduce, refuse! (Refusing things like plastic bags and using their own fabric ones, for example)  A number of the lines Ginger carries can be considered eco-friendly; particularly the Dolorous line and the Vapur folding water bottles.  Check them out!

Planet Forward - Planet Forward was started because they wanted to ignite positive change and make a legitimate difference.  They want to reinvent the environmentalist image to include the average city dweller, outdoor enthusiast and ideally incorporate all walks of life. We all have a part to play in helping move the planet toward sustainable solutions.  Find products such as water bottles, travel mugs, cleaning kits, clothing and accessories.  Everything on Planet Forward is currently 50% off!

Lunapads.com – “Lunapads International is a women-owned and operated mission-based business based in Vancouver, Canada. Our mission is to help individuals have healthier and more positive experiences of their menstrual cycles, and by extension, their bodies overall. Our team is made up of a passionate group of women who believe that using natural menstrual products is a creative and empowering way to honor and care for ourselves and the planet.”  Through November 30, 2011, Lunapads.com is offering free shipping on all orders!  Make sure to sign up for their monthly newsletter, you’ll get a coupon code for $5 off your $35 or more purchase.

Barley Sugar Creations – Barley Sugar Creations specializes in gift baskets filled with high-quality products assembled in a creative and highly customized fashion and delivered with an unparalleled focus on customer service.  The main reason I’m including Barley Sugar Creations is because they sell the awesome Soap Nuts!  Soap Nuts are a fantastic replacement for normal laundry detergent.  You can read all about soap nuts and their benefits here.