No green gift guide here...

If you’ve spent anytime at all in the green blogosphere over the past week or two, you’ve run across at least one… a green gift guide, that is. They’re everywhere! No problem with that… they are helpful for finding new and/or innovative products you might want to give to a person on your list… but do you really need another one?

I don’t think so… and so I’ve decided to forgo any kind of gift guide this year (even a “meta guide” like we did last year). You’ve got plenty of other choices for useful guides.

But that doesn’t mean I’m turning into a Grinch… I just think there are other ways we can address the gift-giving associated with winter holidays… and so I invite you our first (and maybe annual… we’ll see how it goes) Eco-Gifts Twitter Chat.

On Tuesday, November 30th (yep, that’s tomorrow) from 1-3 pm CST, we’ll discuss green gifts and holiday gift-giving on Twitter with the #ecogifts hashtag. It’s your chance to give and receive gift suggestions, of course, but I’d love to broaden it out beyond purchasing ideas. Some discussion topics I have in mind:

• What qualifies as a green gift? What criteria, certifications, or standards must it meet for you?
• Should we give green gifts to those who don’t share our environmental values?
• Is giving a green gift more about the giver than the receiver?
• Is “Buy Nothing” something we should apply to the whole holiday season… not just Black Friday?
• What ideas do you have for handmade gifts (especially for those of us who aren’t experienced crafters)? Or gifts that don’t involve a physical item (gifts of time and labor, charitable donations, etc.)?
• Is shopping from local businesses a good first step?

I’m literally writing questions as they come to me… and they’re all suggestions… we can discuss whatever you’d like on the green gift front.

So, are you going to be pushing links to sustainablog product engine pages?

Nope… not even one… you know it’s there. If you’d like a suggestion, or are having trouble finding something in the engine, feel free to DM me during the chat (just make sure you’re following me: @sustainablog)

We’re going to ask green retailers to participate, but to also respect the chat as a “no pushing self-serving links” zone (hey, we all do it the rest of the time, so we can take a break).

Come join us, and let’s all guide each other… sure, to products we might want to purchase, but also to other green ideas for giving that don’t necessarily involve a trip to a store, a visit to a website, or even, in some cases, a credit card… Feel free to enjoy a cup of eggnog while you’re chatting…

Talk to you tomorrow…

UPDATE: Yes, the “official” chat is over, but the hashtag’s still there… so feel free to add your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions: #ecogifts.

And, yeah, I am going to do the product engine links here, of course… check out our selection of eco clothing for men, women, kids, and even babies as you’re doing your shopping.