It's all the buzz, companies all over are going "Green". Touting their products as "organic" or "natural". With the holidays just around the corner finding a unique green gift will be of even greater importance as shoppers are being especially discriminating about gift giving this year.

With all the hype how can you tell if the company you are buying your gift from is green? First of all, companies who are truly 100% green are very few. These companies use only certified organic natural ingredients, limit or eliminate the use of petrochemical, re-use and recycle, and buy local. Most companies such as Capella's Garden Soap Co., my handmade natural goat milk soap company, are still using natural products as far as safety will allow, but may or may not be certified organic. They may also re-use shipping packaging and keep formulations 99-100% natural and biodegradable. Where ever possible they are trying to keep green in a competitive economy.

What you need to watch for are the big companies selling their products as green. It's not to say that some aren't, but don't be fooled. From the get - go these products carbon footprint may be significant. They are shipped to your local grocery, drug or department store from manufacturers, to distributors, then to the store. Already they are making a huge impact on the environment, the farther away from you it was made - the worse it gets. Being green set aside, products made outside our country are being subject to countless safety recalls which make buying local even more important.

Then look at superfluous packaging. If you've found a wonderful unique gift in a shrink wrapped plastic basket, secured in a box by plastic coated wires, and then shrink wrapped again around the box how much are you throwing out? Locally handmade items usually use far less packaging and still look amazing!

Now take a look at the label on your "natural" product. Does this gift contain synthetic ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate and ammonium laureth sulfate? How about mineral oil? What about the preservatives?

Are the ingredients from renewable resources? For instance, many handcraft soapmakers have eliminated palm oil from thier hand made soap recipes because of it's negative impact on the rainforest as they demolish it to make room for more palm plantations. Many have gone back to the same (and best!) soaping oil that has been used for generations - lard. This is a renewable resource and a byproduct from the meat industry. It is one of the few good oils a soaper does not have to have shipped to them.

If you have found your unique gift online does it come in a brand new box full of packing peanuts and shrink wrap? If it does, see if their site mentions reuse of packing materials, if not you can always email and ask. We re-use these items from some of our suppliers who sadly are still using them. Often we save bubble wrap and packing peanuts from the landfill buy acquiring them from members of our local freecycle group. We hope that our customers will also reuse the packing items and not send them to the landfill. We ship nearly everything flat rate and while the boxes maybe new, they often aren't and have been re-used several times. Even in shipping out bath bombs shredded paper from a supply of discarded clean paper that would normally be recycled can have a new life as very good packaging material.

Handmade products are the way to go for a green gift. With my goat milk soap for instance, no two bars ever look they are pieces of art in themselves. I use goat milk from the goats on my farm (to read my process on making 100% goat milk soap click here) They are biodegradable, made of natural oils from largely renewable resources, I package minimally in small shrink bands and ship in re-used packaging. There are other companies on the internet as well you will find who are using similar practices.

Lastly, I want to encourage you to by local if you can. That is absolutely the best way to go green. You will find many unique green gifts at your local farmer's market and craft shows, but if you can't, seek out companies on the internet who are making efforts to go green. Take a closer look at packaging, ingredients, and shipping materials. These little things can make a big difference!