P.A. MacLean
RedwoodAge.com

Struggling to find the right “green” gift for an eco-boomer in your family, or just want to buy green to show your concern about global warming?

The holidays provide the opportunity to make your own statement about saving the planet, from giving a boost to healthier lifestyles among friends to trying new vegetarian foods, non-petroleum-based toys for kids or books that allow you to explore new environmental ideas.

Here are five quick ideas to put a little green into the holiday season. They range from $5 to $65 and cover plenty of ground.

Herbal First Aid Kit – Herbalist Cara Saunders lives on a stretch of private land in the Klamath National Forest in Northern California. Her company, Bear Wallow Herbs, provides tinctures and salves to ease the pain of burns, bruises, bee bites and a wide variety of ailments, all contained in a small first aid kit for $50. It comes with laminated, color-coded instructions on the use of each item. Or tinctures can be purchased individually. 

Nada Chair – Oh how my aching back loved the Nadachair. The company has been around for 22 years with this device which has one part that slips behind your back and leg straps that go over your knees. It prevents the slouch and aids tired backs on bleachers at sporting events or sitting hours in an office chair or driving your car. This can also provide back relief for the pregnant. It zips closed with the straps for easy carrying. “It costs less than a massage and less than a chiropractor,” said James Knight, who sells the back aids in three sizes, at $40, $45 and $65. 

Soy Jerky – Inexpensive treats for the new vegetarian in your house. Tasty Eats  is a 6-year-old company that makes soy-based jerky that is vegan, low-fat and offers a source of protein for the non-meat eater. Danielle Robinson says she kept looking for a chewy, low-carbohydrate snack, but couldn’t find it in traditional vegetarian recipes until she found soy jerky. It launched at Expo Asia in 2000 and “has been selling like soy hotcakes ever since,” Robinson said. There are eight flavors from Cajun Chick’n to Teriyaki Soy to Tandoori Chick’n. They sell for $2 to $4 a package.

Recyclable Shopping Bag – Chicobag.com provides an alternative to plastic grocery bags for $5. The brightly colored nylon satchels carry up to 20 pounds and scrunch into a small pouch that clips to a keychain, backpack or purse. It is always ready to use. When it wears out, send it back to Chicobags and they recycle it into woven mats. Company founder Andy Keller said he got the idea after dropping off junk at a landfill near Chico, Calif., where he saw tons of plastic bags blowing around. “I was disgusted by the plastic and thought of a solution on the way home,” he said. The average American uses 300 to 700 plastic bags annually. And 10 billion paper grocery bags require 14 million trees.

Gaia Girls books – The adolescent environmentalist is a sort of Harry Potter meets the Sierra Club, according to author Lee Welles. She created the Gaia Girls book series to reach pre-teen girls with adventures that include an environmental message and suggest children can make a difference. The first book, "Enter the Earth," is about a 10-year-old girl on a family farm in upstate New York who must confront the threats of the corporate farmer next door. She has the help of Gaia, a talking otter, who provides magical powers. The second book, "Way of Water," brings us a young girl in Goza, Japan, who has lost her parents to drowning and lives with a grumpy uncle. They sell at $12.95 each, from Chelsea Green Publishing.