If you have any foodies in your life, consider some of these sustainable stocking stuffers for the kitchen. Our food comes from the earth, so our kitchen supplies should be kind to the earth too.
For children, the holiday season truly is magical: the snow, Santa Claus, presents, time away from school, all the fun movies. But one of the things I appreciate most about my family is the way my parents made Christmas real. Did you know that the tradition of stockings may have originated from the story of Saint Nicholas? Saint Nicholas, a fourth century bishop, famously saved three women from a life of poverty by dropping gold coins in their shoes. Supposedly one landed in a stocking! As adults, Christmas can feel a little less magical and a lot more stressful. So, remembering the “real” can help us focus on what’s important, like care for those in need and love of family and friends. Sustainable stocking stuffers, especially things that are useful, are a whimsical way to meet needs.
Saint Nicholas is all about living simply and generously, so I think the holidays are a perfect time to take a page from the history book. Let’s shower our friends and family with gifts that matter, make a difference, and represent the spirit of kindness! For those with the gift of hospitality, what better gift is there than food, right?
Sustainable Stocking Stuffers: For Home Cooking
Now, I’m not suggesting trying to fit a new frying pan into your loved one’s stocking. If so, hope they have big feet or a magical Mary Poppins-style stocking! Instead, these are small practical gifts that are helpful for the home chef to move toward a more sustainable kitchen.
Reusable Cotton Produce Bags
Grocery shopping is one of the most difficult areas to avoid waste. While I don’t mind throwing my herbs and limes in with the rest of my groceries, what do you do to avoid plastic bags with bulk goods? You can’t just toss a bunch of free-floating cashews in your grocery bag! To avoid cashew chaos, reusable cotton produce bags are a great investment. There are many different sizes, and they fold up for a perfect stocking stuffer fit.
I always highly recommend buying from a local zero-waste store if you have one, but Amazon does carry many options if you’re in a pinch, like this organic cotton mesh produce bag set. These particular bags are produced by All Cotton and Linen, are washable, and come in a variety of sizes. You could also buy directly from this company!
Eco-Friendly Food Storage
I have a whole blog post devoted to sustainable options for food containers, so I’ll keep this brief. From silicone lids and beeswax paper to reusable zipper bags and food huggers, many food storage options are stocking size. Even sticking a few silicone lids in a stocking could start your friends and family on their way to a greener life. It would certainly be an encouragement to ditch plastic wrap. Is anyone not annoyed by that stuff? Just like tinsel, it tangles, rips, and sticks to itself instead of doing its job!
Compost Bags
When I first started my compost journey, I bought the tiniest box of compost bags. If you need a gift for a new composter or someone you think might be interested, this is a fun combo stocking/under-the-tree gift. I love the idea of wrapping up a kitchen counter compost bin (they’re quite sleek!) for under the tree, and then putting a little box of compost bags in a stocking. Natural Home Brands carries the cutest little kitchen compost bins too and in a variety of colors.
Remember, about 30% of waste could actually be composted, which would greatly help with our landfill problem!
Fair Trade Cookie Cutters
Any fans of the Great British Baking Show out there? Since we’re not all talented at creating works of baking art from scratch, check out these adorable cookie cutters from Ten Thousand Villages! Shopping fair trade is a fantastic way to support artisans around the globe.
These particular cookie cutters are made from stainless steel coated in copper. And the creators behind this product are represent by Noah’s Ark International Exports, an organization of artisans in India. This group provides education and medical support for these skilled craftsmen and women and their families. Pretty cool that a stocking stuffer could be providing stockings to a family across the world!
For Food On-the-Go
When I’m at my busiest, I find myself eating on-the-go more than at the table. Anyone else in that gravy-boat? While I don’t want to downplay the value of family mealtime, I know that a lot of waste happens because of eating out or from a lunchbox. Let’s move on to some ideas for sustainable stocking stuffers for out-and-about people.
Snack-Size Stasher Bags
Throughout college, I always had an emergency bag of trail mix in my pocket. Even now, I work full-time at a desk job, perform, and run a blog, so snacks are an absolute necessity! However, if I used a plastic bag every time I brought a snack, I think I’d create my own plastic landfill. The solution: snack-size Stasher Bags are perfect for pockets and slip right into a stocking.
In case you missed my blog post on eco-friendly food storage, here’s the “SparkNotes” rundown on Stasher Bags:
- Durable
- Heat and cold friendly (Even ovenproof!)
- Silicone (Free of toxic chemicals)
- Feature a strong seal
- Dishwasher safe
Why not “stash” one of these bags in a stocking or two this holiday season?
Sustainable Straws
Something as small as a straw can’t cause that much of a problem, right? Well actually, straws have proven to be a huge problem. Researchers estimate that Americans use over five hundred million straws everyday. Unfortunately, many of these straws end up in our waterways, causing damage to marine life. I don’t think any of us want more straws in our oceans than fish, but that seems to be where we are heading!Of all the single use plastics that seem easiest to give up, straws are definitely up there for me. But I have straw lovers in my life, so I know it might be a difficult ask for some of you! If you’re skeptical, I have a sustainable “sip-able” solution for you. The truth is that metal straws are actually pretty fun. I love using one in my smoothie or cold coffee.
Reusable straws are also convenient for keeping in your purse, bag, or desk. And while most straws come with a cleaning brush, they’re actually pretty easy to clean in a dishwasher too. Feeling particularly fancy? Check out these glass straws!
Stojo Coffee Cup
If you’re a coffee addict, you know that when the urge for coffee hits, you can’t stop it. Even if you keep a mug in your desk or a travel mug in your car, what happens if you’re on the move with no access? The Stojo Coffee Cup is perfect for emergencies, will store easily in a bag, and definitely fits into a Christmas stocking!
How will it fit into the stocking without taking up too much space? It’s actually a collapsible cup made of silicone. It’s also BPA-free and dishwasher safe, so it’s perfect for the on-the-go coffee lover!
Travel Silverware Set
In the United States alone, roughly 100 million plastic utensils are used everyday. With the strange shape of forks and spoons, they are especially difficult to recycle, meaning that most will end up in a landfill. When you eat out or are on-the-go a lot, it can be difficult to remember your own silverware or to not rely on plastic cutlery from a restaurant. If you have a busy family member, they might benefit from a travel silverware set in their stocking.
I love this reusable cutlery set from Package Free Shop because it includes chopsticks too! The whole set is made from bamboo, which means it is stain and heat resistant. It includes a nice case, making travel a breeze. Perfect for Santa’s long night out in the frosty air!
For Kitchen Cleanup
Speaking of stains, kitchen cleanup is always on the mind of those who love to cook. In our kitchen, it feels like we clean up one mess only to make another! Since the holiday season often centers around what happens in the kitchen, cleaning supplies make useful and sustainable stocking stuffers.
Dish Brushes
Nothing seems to wear out more quickly than a dish brush. They get nasty quick! Unfortunately, many sponge and dish brush options are made with plastic. As they need to be replaced often, I think it’s worth looking at some better non-plastic alternatives. Another perk: a small dish brush will slip right into a Christmas stocking with no problem. Though, I hope your loved one won’t take this gift the wrong way and think you’re hinting that they need to wash the dishes more!
I have found several good zero-waste options for dish brushes on the market. If you’re looking for a sponge that will really clean without destroying your non-stick pans, this dish scourer is a win. The bristles are naturally antibacterial, made from the husks of coconuts, and biodegradable. If a handle is a “must” for you, then check out the agave and teak dish brush from the ZeroWasteStore. Made from agave fibers, teakwood, and metal, it is completely compostable and recyclable. Plus, the head of the brush is removeable, so you can replace it many times before composting.
Biodegradable Dishcloths
How about something for quick spills and counter wipe-ups? While traditional cloth washcloths are great for deep counter cleans, sometimes it’s helpful to have an easier option on hand. This isn’t the first time I’ve brought up the problem of paper towels, but it’s worth bringing up again since Americans spent $5.7 billion on paper towels in 2017.
SWEDEdishcloths have been around for some time and are the perfect sustainable stocking stuffer. Each dishcloth claims to be equal to seventeen rolls of conventional paper towel! Besides being uniquely crafted from wood pulp and cotton fibers, they are also machine washable and compostable. And, they’re just cute, especially the holiday ones.
Hand Soap
So, you’ve cleaned your whole kitchen (sustainably, of course), and now your hands are wrinkled like a raisin and dirty. Having quality kitchen hand soap is essential, but all the plastic that comes with disposable soap containers is just not earth friendly. Blueland flies in like a superhero with a wide variety of cleaning supply options. Since their supplies come in tablet form, they are Christmas stocking ready. Just tell the gift recipient to mix with water, and then they’re set to clean!
Now if you want to stick with the festive spirit, I would highly recommend some of their holiday hand soap tablets. You could even drop their three holiday scents (peppermint, gingerbread, and evergreen) into a stocking and wrap up their glass foaming hand soap pumps for under the tree. Curious about all the good work that Blueland does for the earth? Read more in this blog post or on their webpage if you’re interested.
Sustainable Stocking Stuffers: Success!
And that’s a wrap, folks, since you need to get to wrapping! Actually, one of the best parts of a Christmas stocking is that you don’t even need wrapping paper. I guess that means the stocking is pretty sustainable itself. I guess good ol’ St. Nick knew what he was doing after all. Speaking of which, St. Nicholas Day is technically on December 6th, so you are already late getting your stocking gifts if you are trying to be historically accurate!
I would love to hear about holiday traditions in your family. Do you even do stockings? Are there any unusual traditions in your family that have carried down through the generations? My family is known for shaking packages, eating untraditional food on Christmas Eve (usually Hispanic-inspired cuisine), and being generally exhausted after many a music performance and church service.
Be Well. With Love.
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