During the celebration, children would bring a gift for their mother and the tradition has continued to this day. In the past, flowers and cakes were a common gift but now we tend to give a variety of different presents. This year, why not consider giving an ethical gift for mother’s day.

Mother’s Day ethical presents

Mother’s Day is an important time to show appreciation to your mum given the years she has spent loving and nurturing you. So, wouldn’t it be good to give a gift that lets her know how much you love her while also representing the same spirit of caring for the environment in which we all live.

An ethical gift is the perfect way to do this. Ethical gifts can be fairtrade, organic, natural, sustainable or recycled. There are many ethical brands producing beautiful gifts so you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Ethical gift ideas for Mother’s Day

Every Mum likes to be pampered from time to time and the bathroom is always the part of the home where they can escape for some relaxation. Instead of searching through the high street for luxury bathroom products this Mother’s Day, have a look online for some natural bath and body gifts to make Mum look and feel good. From luxurious body creams and lotions to beautifully packaged gifts sets containing shampoos and moisturisers, these products are free from chemicals and not tested on animals.

If you want to help your mum unwind even more, natural scented candles can help create the right mood. Candles are ubiquitous these days but many contain dyes or pigments for colour, and fragrances for scent (as well as other minor ingredients). Candles made using natural essential oils for fragrance not only smell better but are also better for the environment as no toxins or chemicals are used.

For a fashion conscious present that is ethically sound, why not buy some stylish fairtrade fashion accessories for mum such as a new handbag or silk scarf. Fairtrade means that the products are manufactured by communities who are given a decent wage for their work and the working conditions abide by fair trade criteria. Bags are scarves are produced by indigenous people using natural materials and traditional skills and you’re unlikely to find anything like it on the high street.

If she likes jewellery, there’s some great silver jewellery for mothers that you could buy. Beautiful pendants, necklaces and earrings made from recycled silver can be bought online. The silver mining industry has a major impact on the environment so buying recycled silver represents the best way to reduce the devastation.

Some great bargain buys can be picked up in clearance sales. Cheap leather jackets are now being sported by the younger generation due to their versatility and low cost. They can be worn with anything, and their affordability makes them attractive to the younger crowd. They can be seen to and from work (and even some schools), in town with pals or out with families.

Leather blazers, on the other hand, scream expensive – but need not be. A well-cut leather coat can look like it cost a packet but actually cost very little; it all depends on where you source it. Of course, having one tailor-made might run up the price, but it’ll fit you like a glove and no doubt look like it cost far more than it actually did. And if you don’t put on too much weight as you get older, a leather jacket made to your measurements can be worn well into your twilight years!

Leather biker jackets are huge at the moment, especially with the current tattoo trend. It seems everyone these days is sporting ink somewhere on their bodies, and what better way to compliment the look than with chunky, belted, zippered, low-slung leather coats. Designed to be functional and practical, a biker jacket will ensure your back doesn’t get too cold while you’re motoring down the highway with your gal (or guy) riding shotgun. And slung over the bike when you pull up, you can still maintain the look as you show off your tatts.

Classic ladies’ leather jackets are indeed timeless. Whether made-to-measure or off-the-shelf, a women’s leather jacket can be teamed with jeans, a skirt, or trousers. In an emergency it can be worn over a formal outfit and not look too out of place. It is equally at home on a picnic or out at dinner.

Even the not-so-humble red leather jackets are still being seen (how can you miss them!). Can be worn to revive an old outfit or set alight a new one, a red coat can make you stand out in the crowd – it’s just up to you how much and how good you’ll look while doing it!

How to become more ethical in the home

If you watch television programmes about green living you may feel exasperated by the amount of money spent by some people to make their homes eco-friendly. If you can afford it, and if you live in a part of the country with plenty of land around you, then this type of lifestyle is achievable, however for the majority of us it’s a case of making the best out of what we already have. But don’t think for one moment that living in a house or flat in a city means that you can’t do your bit for the environment.

Five simple steps to being eco-friendly at home

1). Energy is the one of the biggest factors in becoming more ethical in the home. Reducing your energy bill is a major step toward being green (and having more money in your pocket). Simple things such as not leaving appliances on standby and turning the light off when you leave the room can cut your usage dramatically.

Switching to energy-saving light bulbs and buying appliances with a high energy-efficiency rating can also make a huge difference to your bills. You can also buy your energy from companies who offer electricity from renewable sources (such as wind power). Although the main providers such as British Gas and E-On have green tariffs, a dedicated green energy company is committed to generating energy from a purely environmental point of view.

2). An ethical lifestyle can also be a natural one too. Being more environmentally friendly is better for your health so look for eco-friendly cleaning products that aren’t produced using chemicals. Ethical hygiene and beauty products produced using natural ingredients will help reduce your body’s exposure to harmful chemicals.

3). When carrying out improvements to your house or flat, buy eco paints and products made from sustainable materials. Reducing exposure to toxic chemicals found in traditional paint products is better for your health and sustainable materials reduce the devastation on natural resources.

4). Recycling is easily carried out these days. All councils provide a recycling collection service or facilities so ensure any waste in the home that can be recycled is put out for collection or taken to the appropriate place. Also try to buy products that have been made using recycled materials to continue the cycle and buy products that have the minimum amount of packaging to encourage manufacturers to produce less waste.

5). When it comes to food, look for products that are organic and fairtrade (make sure to look for a certified logo). Reducing food miles or buying products that help impoverished communities is a great way to do your bit for the environment and society as a whole. You can also try growing your own herbs, vegetables and fruit.

Green gifts for friends and family

Some of these recommendations will be down to you to implement in your own home but you can encourage others to do the same by explaining the benefits to them. If they’re not doing so already, they’ll learn something new and hopefully save themselves some money.

You can also steer them in the right direction by giving a green gift. Sustainable gifts for the home and garden are readily available online and when you give the present, you can explain the benefits of the gift so they’ll know what to look for in future when buying for themselves.

The ethical toy debate

The toy industry, which is said to worth around £8 billion, has long been criticised for its lack of environmental awareness. However, that hasn’t stopped adults from splashing the cash. By the time the average British child reaches the age of 16, they will have owned around £11,000 worth of toys. It’s impossible for all those toys to have been made from sustainable materials or be ethically sound, so what’s being done to improve the situation?

The answer has, until recently, been very little. The mass market for cut-price toys lends itself to huge industrialisation leading to outsourcing and then questionable labour rights for the workforce who produce the products. Then there’s the materials used in manufacture.

The idea of the ‘toxic toybox’ has been in evidence for decades. A 1997 study into 71 toys from 17 countries found that they contained between 10 and 40 per cent of a plasticiser that is connected to childhood asthma and reproductive disorders. And the problems still exist today. As recently as 2007, around 21 million toys were recalled for posing hazards such as excessive levels of lead paint.

So, the manufacturing process is damaging to health, natural resources are being depleted and the recycling of toys that are no longer wanted is near on impossible because the materials simply can’t be reused. Will parents refuse to buy their child the latest Dalek or Transformer toy based on these revelations?

Eco-friendly toys

There’s a long way to go until the mainstream toy industry ensures all materials are sustainable and all factory workers are given fair wages and basic human rights. However, this will be the decade of the environment and consumers are waking up to the fact that things have to change.

The majority of ethical toys made from sustainable materials are wooden and while this may not appeal to the ipod generation of kids, it makes sense for the tiny tots. Sustainable toys made from sustainable hale wood or rubberwood and coloured with vegetable dyes remove the danger of potential toxic poisoning and reduce the devastation of natural resources.

Fairtrade toys produced by workers in impoverished areas give communities the chance to work for a decent wage and the profits are utilised to improve health and education.

Recycled toys manufactured from materials that have been recycled (and are recyclable when the toy is no longer wanted) reduces waste going to landfill.

These options are available to us as consumers and the more we demand them, the quicker the toy industry will change its practices.

Reducing product miles

We’re becoming accustomed to the term ‘food miles’ when discussing food production and transportation. Food miles or ‘product miles’ can be defined as the total distance goods are transported from place of manufacture to the place of purchase and use.

Buying fruit, vegetables, meat and fish from British farms and fisheries ensures the food we eat hasn’t travelled too far as well as giving support to local producers and food distribution networks. Buying in season also guarantees better quality produce so if you’re buying vegetables that are out of season it probably means you buying something that has been imported. For example, in your local supermarket you could well find apples that have been shipped in from America (10,000 food miles) or tomatoes from Saudi Arabia (3,000 food miles).

However, it should also be noted that just because something has been imported from another country it shouldn’t immediately be demonised. Fruit and vegetable trade with the UK helps support around one million people living in Africa and Fairtrade gifts help distribute finances fairly to impoverished communities around the world. As a society, we need to make the right choices that will ultimately benefit people and the climate.

A similar case can be made for manufactured goods. Many products are manufactured thousands of miles away and then shipped into the UK. In some cases this can be of benefit however we should be weighing up the pros and the cons. If the same product can be made just as well, if not better, in the UK, and it is more energy efficient to do so, then as consumers we should encourage the process by buying locally.

Buying British ethical gifts

The same argument can be applied to the little luxuries in life such as gift-giving. If you’re looking to give an eco-friendly present this year then choosing British ethical gifts is a great way to keep carbon emissions to a minimum while supporting local traders and producers.

From British ethical gifts for the home and garden to British made jewellery, buying locally and buying online can help keep product miles to a minimum and reduce your carbon footprint.

However, buying a leather jacket is something that people still tend to think about at a particular time of year. The start of the Autumn/Winter season traditionally sees a surge in sales of leather jackets and coats as they are often thought of as being only suitable for wearing during the colder months despite the fact that many modern leather jackets are actually ideally suited to wearing on a summer evening out.

The more astute shopper though will plan ahead and buy their mens leather jacket or ladies leather jacket earlier in the year as during the summer months there are some great bargains to be had on various styles of jackets and coats.

Many styles of leather jacket are timeless classics that, unlike many other types of clothing, never go out of style. This makes buying a leather jacket during the summer sales period an entirely sensible choice. You will basically be buying the same jacket as you would be during the autumn or winter, but you could be saving pounds on the price.

For over 30 years, Blue Moon has been designing leather coats and jackets for both men and women. They offer a wide choice of classic styles at great prices coupled with excellent customer service. They have leather jackets suitable for all occasions and their range includes styles that are smart and casual and suited to all tastes. They also offer some great deals on jackets bought during the summer so now is the perfect time to visit their website and save money on your perfect leather jacket.

Get a bike stand to store as many bicycles as you have in your household. Perhaps your son and daughter have their own bicycles and it would be great to have a designated place for them to store it. You might even have your own bicycle. Why not keep all the bicycles in one place so that it is easier to get it when you need it?

You can even get a bicycle lift and hoist if you want to save space. Perhaps you have minimal garage storage and you want to use all the space efficiently. Consider a wall bicycle hook as an alternative for storing your bicycles. The hook is quite inexpensive, so everyone can afford to have better storage for their bicycles.

If you have gardening tools such as a rake, a shovel and a broom, you can get a wall mounted garden tool rack to keep all your tools in one place. This saves time as you can grab the tool you need within seconds rather than having to search for them for hours, not knowing the last place where you left it could be.

Old clothes, cloths, tiny nuts and bolts or a hose might be kept in garage storage as well. You can get a hose hanger for the hose and a rack for old clothes or cloths. Storage units with drawers are excellent for all sorts of items, ranging from clothing material to hardware tools. You can even get a rolling storage bin for your recyclables. It is easy to move around, especially when you need to get rid of the contents at the recycling centre.

With so many new ideas to sort out your garage storage, you should be able to organise your garage into a better storage facility so that you can get the items you need without having to waste time searching for them. Being organised is the key to having tidy garage storage.

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