Since our household is a lively mix of Jewish, Christian and African American culture, the holiday season (we call it Chanukwanzamas) is a particularly busy and exciting time of year. In keeping with our principles (and pocketbooks) most of the gifts we exchange with friends and family consist of the home-made jams, sauces, and liquors we cook up over the year as the local fruit crops ripen. Nevertheless, we always turn to the Internet (and even the local mall) for a few “store-bought” goodies to brighten the heats of our loved ones. For the past few years I’ve been working hard to make the gifts I buy reflect the spirit of the season by “buying green” wherever possible. If this sounds like something you’d like to do, I’ve assembled a short list of suggestions to help make  the presents you give are as green as the holiday tree they sit under.

One of my favorite places to shop is the Real Goods www.realgoods.com, a mail order alternate energy equipment company that also stocks a huge assortment of green power gadgets and eco-friendly gifts. Yes, Real Goods carrys the obligatory fair trade coffee and organic yak wool socks, but they also sell cool stuff like a crank-charged electric shaver. One of my favorites is the BoGo solar flashlight -a rugged piece of originally developed as a utility light for rural Africans. See my earlier review for details on how this flashlight is changing the lives of many African families.

For those of you giving (or receiving) battery-powered gadgets this year, it’s a good idea to power them with rechargeable cells. You can buy NiMH rechargables at most retail stores or enjoy the wider selection and lower prices available from on-line vendors like Greenbatteries.com and All-battery.com. Your planet (and your pocketbook) will thank you.

Another great place to shop for your holiday gifts is Ten Thousand Villages, a series of shops and an on-line store work with over 130 artisan groups in more than 38 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to sell beautiful handicrafts, rugs, jewelry, clothes which are all produced under fair trade agreements. These gifts are not high-tech but they help artisans to earn a fair wage and give them the opportunity to build  a better quality of life.

If your tastes run more towards the mainstream, you can still make green choices. Many consumer electronics manufacturers have made great strides in improving the energy consumption and overall eco-friendliness of their products. I recently served as a judge for the eco-design category of Consumer Electronics Show’s Innovations awards and was happily surprised at how many seemingly ordinary HDTVs, computers, and other high-tech toys draw less than half the power than comparable products a few years ago. Likewise many mainstream electronics makers are already using eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes. To see some specific examples of green consumer electronics, check out my recent article “Going Green from the Inside Out”.   

As far as the green gifts I’d like to see under my own tree goes, my list for Chanukwanzamas-Claus includes a computer case with a built-in solar charger or perhaps a solar-powered gadget bag to keep my camera, cell phone, and other digital goodies ready for action (see the video below for an example). I’ve also got my eye on an electric bike – perhaps one of the snazzy “Eneloop” models recently introduced by Sanyo. If my Secret Santa was feeling especially flush, I’d urge them to give me one of Brammo Motors’ amazing electric motorcycles. With a top speed of 65 mph and a range of a bit over 42 miles, it’s the perfect vehicle for short commutes and outings.

Voltaic Solar Bags from Jennie Bourne on Vimeo.

There are lots more green options for holiday gifts but hopefully this brief collection  gives your imagination a jump start. If you need a bit more inspiration, check out my 2007 Green Gift Guide or its companion Green Computing Guide. If you have any other suggestions for especially cool green tech or eco-friendly gifts, please be sure to reply to this article or post your own blog entry!