Live a sustainable life
Sustainable gift ideas
Rather than giving your loved ones just anything as a present, you’re looking for something sustainable, meaningful and inspiring? We’ve compiled some great ideas for you.
Fashion that plants trees
Swiss fashion label Nikin has a unique concept: for every product sold, the company plants a tree. That’s already more than half a million to date. Sustainability and fairness are also at the top of the company’s philosophy when it comes to production and shipping: Durable products are created and, if possible, produced in Europe using environmentally friendly materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester or pineapple leather. The label ships its good on a climate-neutral basis and collaborates with integrative workshops.
Give wild bees a home
What bees do for our planet is indispensable. And it’s easy to do something for the bees: A wild beehive looks pretty and provides a habitat everywhere for the peaceful crawlers who also do valuable work in the city – without anyone having to become a beekeeper.
In the shop run by Wild Bee and partners you get a gift set with a bee hive complete with start-up population and winter care set.
Rent a bee colony
Prefer to give a person honey for their kitchen rather than bees on their balcony? If so, you can “rent” a colony of honey bees for someone from a nearby beekeeper. Your contribution enables the beekeeper to look after the bees for a year as well as enabling the recipient of the gift to go on a visit and a guided tour. The package includes three kilos of honey from the person’s “own” colony complete with personalised label.
Lease a cow
How about a great treat for someone who loves animals and cheese? If this is what you're after, cow leasing is the right option for you. You can choose a cow from ten different mountain farms that you can “lease” for someone, either for a month or a whole season. The package includes a certificate for the cow, visits to the mountain farm, the opportunity to watch the cheese being made, a day helping on site and cheese from the leased cow at a reduced price.
Pleasure hiking on the Swiss Whisky Trek
Gifts don’t have to be material. Spending time together in a breathtaking local landscape complete with exclusive enjoyment makes for unforgettable memories. One good example is the Swiss Whisky Trek through the Alpstein region. All 26 local mountain inns store their own Säntis Malt on site – a Swiss Alpine whisky that takes on a different flavour depending on the storage location and altitude. In this way, each inn can be proud of its own unique whisky. Hikers are able to view the sometimes very unusual places where the barrels are stored (hole in the ground, wooden hut, wine cellar, forked tree branches, etc.), enjoy a fine drop of the whisky themselves and of course purchase bottles of it, too.
www.swiss-finest.de/b/saentis-malt
Vitamins in the basket
Fancy giving someone the gift of healthy fresh food, helping them to save shopping time and also including a weekly surprise – while at the same time supporting local farmers? All this is possible with a vegetable and fruit basket subscription. You’re sure to find a provider in your region. Some suppliers also deliver nationwide, for example Öpfelchasper, which delivers the baskets to the doorstep of homes or offices in Zurich, Basel, Bern, Winterthur and French-speaking Switzerland on a weekly basis by bicycle.
Compost rather than waste
Almost 30% of Swiss household waste is organic. So it’s actually a shame for it to end up being burnt rather than turning into humus. A Zurich-based start-up makes clean indoor composting possible: Earthworms do the job in a special composting container made from clay – invisibly, odourless and without the need for any further work steps. After a few weeks, a valuable humus grows that makes an ideal plant fertiliser. What is more, it also makes you happy when you run your hands through it – thanks to certain microbacteria that are absorbed through the skin.
Sustainable home cinema
How about giving a year of inspiration to a film enthusiast? Membership of Films for the Earth is a great option here. The world’s most comprehensive directory for film and sustainability has the most fascinating documentaries on subjects such as permaculture, our ecosystems, resource extraction, upcycling, consumption and mobility. If you opt for Membership Plus, the recipient also becomes a sponsor of one square metre of young forest as part of a reforestation project near Eglisau.
Make your own natural cosmetics
How about giving someone enhanced beauty and moments of sensual pleasure with care products that are free of microplastics, synthetic substances and hormonally active agents? A DIY course in natural cosmetics DIY is just the thing here. A wide range of suppliers demonstrate how to make your own creams, body butters, lip balms and massage oils – both on site and in online courses. The Migros Club School also offers natural cosmetics courses in many cities.