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Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Show love to your favorite people and to the planet too.
I've gone through the coolest, most innovative gifts that you can give to your loved ones. These gifts mean reducing food waste or giving the music-lover in your life a self-charging, solar-powered solution. There's something unique for everyone -- and every budget.
Also: 12 smart home devices that make great Valentine's Day gifts
Here are the best eco-friendly gifts to give this Valentine's Day season, ordered from first best to fifth best, from most expensive to least expensive. If you're looking for eco-friendly apparel, scroll down to the alternatives section for a few top picks.
The Lomi indoor composter uses an intensive process to turn your food waste into dirt with a press of a button. This is hugely impactful for the environment. The USDA estimates that 30-40% of the food supply is wasted every year, and Feeding America clarifies that food waste in our homes makes up about 39% of the overall amount or 42 billion pounds of waste a year.
Read: Lomi indoor composter review: Is this thing magic?
Enter the Lomi, which tackles that problem with a solution you can place on your countertop. This gadget has fascinated me for a while. You fill the Lomi about 75% full with food waste and it not only processes that waste in a usable way with the right setting and keeps it out of landfills, but it also reduces the mass of the waste.
Watch: Lomi indoor composter review: A great solution to food waste
The Adidas RPT-02 SOLheadphones are incredibly innovative, using Exeger's Powerfoyle™ light cell material to convert natural and artificial light into battery life. The on-ear, wireless headphones self-charge by taking in light and giving you up to 80 hours of stored playtime in exchange. The price point is similar to what you'd pay for a pair of good Beats or Sony headphones, but you don't have to worry about charging and you get a lot more listening time. The RPT-02 SOL are partially built from recycled plastics, upping their environmentally-friendly footprint even more. According to Adidas, 87% of the plastic in the product is post-consumer recycled PC-ABS and recycled nylon (excluding plastics in electronic components) and only 51% of the overall product is made of plastic. The headphones are sweat-proof and splash-proof and, if you need to, you can remove and wash the inner headband and ear cushions.
More: The 5 best solar gifts for the holidays (including a piece of art)
If you live in an apartment or a small space, it can be hard to grow plants indoors. Soil is messy and hard to clean, and it attracts unwanted pests into your home. Even if you have a backyard, you too might not want to grow plants for fear of attracting pests. A hydroponic indoor garden allows you to circumvent seasonal and space limitations and grow fruits, veggies, herbs, and flowers year-round, albeit in small quantities, from the comfort of your own home. It's 30-50% faster to grow plants hydroponically instead of in soil, and you don't need to worry about the plants getting sunlight either: Hydroponic systems come equipped with LED lights that simulate natural sunlight, a water reservoir, and a circulation system. Even if you go out of town, you don't need to worry about watering your plants or turning on the LED lights, as the lights come with automatic timers and the water reservoir simply has to be filled in order for water to automatically circulate. This is a cool system built with a purpose. The only downside is that the quantities of plants grown can be low, so you may be better off growing herbs instead of larger plants. You also have to keep purchasing pods to keep using the machine, which is similar to buying seeds again and again for an outdoor garden.
Gift a sustainable getaway for you and your significant other.
When you gift a Tinggly gift box, you're giving someone the freedom to choose from a wide range of experiences or getaways in more than 100 countries. Depending on your budget, you can go for a $0 free experience, or purchase an experience box ranging from $59 to $299. The Be my Valentine box offers more than 1,000 experiences in over 100 countries, including swimming with the manatees in Florida, taking surfing lessons in California, enjoying a sightseeing sail trip for two in Maine, experiencing a gourmet five-course dinner in Rio de Janeiro, visiting the Harry Potter studio in London, touring a Game of Thrones experience in Croatia, or visiting a Beijing opera night show. There's no expiration date and each gift box plants trees.
You can select either an experience box or a getaway box -- the latter includes a hotel stay of the recipient's choosing. A getaway box can be more expensive, ranging from $199 to $1,299. You can purchase an additional $10 gift box, so that your gift recipient has a physical gift to open, or you can send the gift as an eVoucher via print or email. The latter option is more eco-friendly and it's good to have as backup in case the person loses the gift box.
A Climeworks gift fits perfectly into any last-minute, virtual gifting needs. You can remove CO₂ from the air on behalf of your recipient, helping fight global warming. The Climeworks gift certificate addresses the need for CO₂ removal in conjunction with planting more trees and other efforts in reducing climate change. It's better than a gift card, especially for conscious consumers, and you can send it through email to friends or family in other states or parts of the world. This gift is incredibly easy to purchase: I walked through it in less than five minutes in a test run. You choose a design and you can personalize your message -- you can even schedule your gift in advance! It's great for last-minute gifting too, because you can send your gift immediately through email.
The Lomi indoor composter is the best eco-friendly holiday gift, with its potential for reducing food waste and its high usability. It offers an innovative solution to the landfill problem. I could see it becoming a kitchen fixture in every household, and I hope it becomes affordable for every household. The other items on this list are perfect for any budget.
Eco-friendly gift | Price | Standout features |
Lomi indoor composter | $427 | Reduces food waste from households, can be turned into usable soil with the right mode |
Adidas RPT-02 SOL headphones | $230 | Self-charging, powered by natural and artificial light |
Hydroponic Indoor Garden | $58+ with discounts | Grow herbs, fruits, veggies, and flowers 30-50% faster indoors |
Tinggly Gift Box | $0 to $299 for experiences and $199 to $1,299 for getaways | Versatile, adjustable to your budget |
Climeworks CO₂ removal gift | $12 | Customizable amount, immediate delivery |
Depending on your budget, and the needs of your gift recipient, one of these options could be better than another.
Choose this eco-friendly gift… | If you want… |
Lomi indoor composter | To help households reduce food waste |
Adidas RPT-02 SOL headphones | Solar-powered headphones you never have to recharge |
Hydroponic Indoor Garden | To inspire or enhance indoor gardening efforts |
Tinggly Gift Box | To give an eco-friendly experience or travel getaway |
Climeworks CO₂ removal gift | An inexpensive, last-minute gift that can be delivered immediately |
These eco-friendly gifts meet the following criteria:
The three things that a traveler can do to be environmentally sensitive are:
Include a brief "FAQ" section at the bottom of your buyer's guide. It's where you answer at least three questions about your topic or the products. Each question should be formatted in its own listicle item shortcode.
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You can get them anything on this list! If they're especially conscious about acquiring new items, a digital gift is the best way to go. If they're passionate about a cause, like reducing food waste or gardening indoors or incorporating innovative wearables into their lives, there are options on the list for all of those needs.
ZDNET experts rounded up the overall best tech gifts of 2023.
But gifts can come in all shapes and sizes, so we also rounded up the best gifts by category, price, and retailer -- plus, the hottest tech toys for kids in 2023.
Gifts by category
Gifts by price
Gifts by retailer
Gifts for kids
Of course! These alternatives are more wearable than tech or digital gifts, but they still emphasize sustainability.