The first person who comes to mind when we hear “mom” — someone whose love and motherly instinct has gotten us through a difficult time — is different for all of us. But at the risk of sounding like a documentary narrated by David Attenborough, it’s timely to point out that we all share the same Mother Earth.
Just like human maternal figures who put up with our gnarly teenage years without (much) complaining, our planet takes a lot of shit from us humans.
With report after report about the growing damage of plastic consumer waste and CO2 emissions from companies that give consumers all this stuff, it’s natural to feel guilty about participating in gifting holidays.
Of course, you can’t not get your mom a Mother’s Day present. Eco-friendly gifts will help your mom reduce her carbon footprint while still getting her something she’ll obsess over. These go far past cute reusable bags: We’re talking countertop LED gardens that let her skip the grocery store’s plastic packages, sunscreen that won’t hurt coral reefs, and really cute workout leggings made from recycled water bottles. Really, just anything that’s made from materials already in circulation or that replaces a single-use item with a reusable version is a good place to start.
Government policies and pollution from big corporations are the bigger problem. Full stop. But the fact that your gift won’t end up releasing methane in a landfill or becoming part of the eight million metric tons of plastic dumped in the ocean every year is still an impactful gift for the planet.
Here are our favorite eco-friendly gifts for Mother’s Day 2022:
