A friend of mine has recently gotten married and is prego. But because I live in the distant north (at least in comparison to my friend) I couldn't make it to the wedding and I most likely won't be able to make the baby shower either. I wouldn't be deterred.
Once my winter semester was finished, I booked it downstate. A two week break from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (aka the UP), was much needed. These breaks are usually filled with a lot of traveling and seeing people (the rents, high school friends, etc).
To find presents I traveled to Traverse City, Michigan. Last fall the I attended the Bioneers conference and they shared a lot of local eco-friendly stores. In one such store I found presents for both the wedding and the baby. The Green Island is a cute little store that only sells eco-friendly products. Products such as: bamboo kitchen utensils, organic bedding, a wide variety of washable/organic fabric diapers, etc.
For the wedding present, I found a set of gorgeous hand carved bamboo salad servers. They were a really deep rich brown with black handles that which have white accents (the pattern reminds me somewhat of a tame African print).
I had some trouble picking something for the baby. My experience with children is limited. (That's putting it mildly.) I didn't know what kind of things my friend already had, what was still needed, what she thought would be helpful. The reusable organic diapers seemed like a good idea, they had some really cute patterns but would my friend actually use it? How big would her munchkin be? Is it any greener buying a green gift for my friend knowing that they wouldn't be used?
I settled on a creamy white onesie with blue seams (a safe pattern that way there would be some chance of my friend actually using it). A 3-6 month size outfit that way the munchkin could grow into it.
I also found some green wrapping paper (that wasn't grocery bag brown) that was created from the energy produced by wind turbines and recycled paper.
Overall I was rather proud of my gifts. I managed to get all of this for approximately $40 with tax.
If you're interested in the store and its products check it out at: http://www.gogreenisland.com/index.php
I forgot to take pics before giving them, so I'm waiting for pics from my friend. Hopefully I won't have to wait indefinitely.
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