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Just as the beautiful snow cover comes back every year, so too does the task of finding that perfect gift to show our gratitude to our children’s devoted teachers (or even our yoga, pottery or Spanish teachers!).
The Équiterre team has devised a list of fantastic gift ideas, chock full of items that are zero waste, local and environmentally friendly – some that can be kept and reused year after year!
Gifts that you can make yourself
Just watch out for food allergies or intolerances. When in doubt, refrain from using eggs, nuts, dairy products and gluten.
- Chocolatey treats! Truffles, chocolate-covered fruit, chocolate bark… who doesn’t like chocolate? https://www.canalvie.com/recettes/savoir-cuisiner/techniques-et-conseils...
- Handmade holiday crafts, drawings or small jewellery gifts, with a note from you and your child. A perfect way to express your gratitude.
- Homemade soap, hand cream or other product.
- Check out the Homemade Teacher Gifts page on Pinterest for tons of ideas!
Locally-sourced gifts
- Encourage a small local business: almost every neighbourhood has a florist with beautiful plants in sturdy pots, a small gift shop with items made by local creators, a hip little neighbourhood movie theatre, a new restaurant that everyone’s talking about, a café or even a repair café! A gift certificate is a great gift.
- Give the gift of entertainment: a gift certificate for a museum or a concert hall.
La mansarde bleue, ABACA florist and Cinéma Beaubien on Beaubien street in Montreal’s Rosemont district
Holiday fairs and markets are great places to find just the right Quebec-made gift to suit all tastes:
- Salon des artisans récupérateurs (eco-friendly creations)
- Les salons des métiers d’art
- Le Souk@SAT
- Les salons des cercles de fermières
- Puces Pop
- Zero Waste Christmas Market at the Épicerie écologique Loco
- Les Marchés Etsy (several cities in Quebec)
- Le Grand Marché de Noël (Quebec City)
Your teacher may want to kick back with a tasty beverage during the holiday season? Discover the many options that Quebec has to offer!
- Quebec wines, cider and beer
- Mead/Honey wine (there is an assortment of drier honey wines, a great gift for the most discerning of palates!): Beez Free sparkling honey wine (ferme apicole Desrochers, Miels d’Anicet)
Gifts for the planet
A gift that’s not just nice, but environmentally responsible as well.
- A subscription for organic vegetable baskets from the Family Farmers Network
- A gift certificate for a zero waste activity or training
- A waste-free lunch kit (silicone sandwich bags, reusable lunch bags made in Quebec, beeswax wrap (or make your own!), etc.)
- Carbon offsets
- A gift certificate for a zero waste grocery store
- If your teacher has a green thumb, what about a small plant? You can use cuttings or use the seeds you had stored last summer. Or order seeds online: https://acti-sol.ca/quelques-semenciers-et-grainetiers-a-decouvrir/
- A gift certificate for Renaissance or a local thrift shop
- A Laucolo poster, notebook or calendar (to support a local artist and celebrate the seasonality and biodiversity of our local food and plants!)
For the teacher with a thirst for knowledge, a gift certificate can help him/her learn how to make and do all sorts of things, such as baking bread, canning, medicinal herbs for the family, furniture making, sewing, drawing, ceramics and so forth. For example:
- https://creaco.ca/listings/
- http://jardinsdugrandportage.com/ateliers.html
- https://www.les-affutes.ca/ateliers-collectifs/
- http://alchimiste-en-herbe.com/calendrier/
- And if your teacher really wants to help the environment, make a donation to Équiterre in his/her name! A direct contribution to the fight against the climate crisis, and to support sustainable mobility and sustainable food and agriculture.
Relaxation or personal care gifts
- A gift certificate for a local spa or a yoga/meditation session (depending on your teacher’s interests)
- Cream, soap, essential oils, eco-candles or bath salts made in Quebec make a nice gift that’s always appreciated
Ok, so the hardest part is done. Now all that’s left is to choose a gift that your teacher will love!
Encourage fellow parents to give waste-free eco-gifts as well. Green gift giving helps the planet and helps you sleep easy :)