10 Eco-Friendly Mother's Day ideas

It's May and mother's day is around the corner and if you have an Eco-conscious mom you're shopping for here are some ideas for gift giving.  My husband thinks I'm so difficult to shop for, but here's a list of things I know I'd love to have.

1. Fair Trade Chocolate.  My favorite is dark chocolate.  Two brands that are most commonly found in grocery stores are Divine pictured to the right, and Black & Green.  Spoil your mom (of wife) away with some yummy chocolate. These bars are large, and typically cost about $4 each.

2. Organic Flowers. Here's an online store to get some organic flowers for your mom.  If they are out of your price range, check the local farmer's market for flowers.  Remember organic is good, so is local and it's great to support local farmers.

3.  If your mom has a green thumb, get her a gift that will keep on giving.  Some fruits that grow well in pots include strawberries and blueberries.  One of my favorite gifts I received two years ago was a blueberry bush.  It's still alive, it's easy to care for and it still gives me blueberries once a year.

4. Get mom some pretty grocery shopping bags.  My favorite is the Envirosax.  They usually run about $8 a pop, and they come in a multitude of colors and sizes. If you follow Mama Bargains she sometimes has them for about half the price, which is where I got mine.

5. If mom is a practical gal, one idea would be glass food containers.  I recently got some Pyrex glass containers.  I got new ones from Target but if your mom is into vintage stuff, I think something along the lines of those on the right would make a snazzy gift.  Storing your food in glass instead of plastic helps reduce your exposure to nasty chemicals like BPA.

6.  Make her dinner!  Taking her out to dinner is ok, but we tend to skip that in my house because Mother's Day is one of the busiest restaurant days of the year. Make the dinner special by getting her favorite foods locally.  If mom's a meat eater, get some meat from a local farm.  There really is a huge difference.  Fresh vegetables are available in some parts of the country now, get a nice spring mix of veggies and make her something special.

7. If mom is really into the local food movement, while you're out getting meat and veggies for the dinner sign her up for a local CSA so she can have fresh fruits and veggies all season long.

8. Mom like the outdoors?  One lovely way to spend the day is going on a hike.  I could give you a few links of how to find the best local places to go hiking, but honestly the best way is word of mouth.  Ask your friends on Facebook, or your neighbors (or her neighbors!).  The best places are almost never online (because people want them to be kept secrets!).

9.  Get mom a gift certificate from an online (or local) boutique that sells natural and organic hair care items and cosmetics like Soap for Goodness Sake.

10. Lastly, don't forget to give her a card.  Be sure to check for recycled green options like these or you can get crafty and make her something yourself.