Good Karma Gift Guide

Make your holiday shopping count with gifts that give back.

Aplaca knitwear is hand-knit with soft Alpaca fiber and can be found at the Fair Trade Gift Store Waconia.

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Children's Music

Shop News: November 2011

By:

Becki Iverson

Dana Raidt

|   November   |  From the print edition

Whether you're ready for it or not, the holiday gift-giving season has arrived. And while you could easily head for the department store and find something simple, there are plenty of options in which your dollar gives both ways.

Here's our rundown of gifts that benefit not just those on the recieving end, but those who made it available to you in the first place as well.

Because we're looking for a bit of good karma ourselves, we also invite you to enter for a chance to win the Forgotten t-shirts depicted below. The male shirt is a medium, the womens is an XL. All you have to do: tell us what your favorite gift of all-time was (and which shirt you think will fit you better). E-mail your answer to giveaways@metromag.com by Friday at 5 p.m.

Alpaca knitwear, $39.99–42.99 at Fair Trade Gift Store Waconia

This unique store specializes in fair-trade and handmade accessories, home décor, old-fashioned children’s games, beautiful paper goods -- and the hand-knit soft Alpaca fiber you see above. 851 Marketplace Dr., Waconia; 612.730.9520; waconiagifts.com

Peace Coffee products, $11.99–$59 at Wonderland Park Coffee Shop

Peace Coffee brings more to the table than caffeinated goodness. Getting your morning joe from this locally based, fair-trade, environmentally responsible company is a great way to support sustainable lifestyles for coffee growers around the world. Help the wannabe barista on your list become a homebrew pro with press pots, cold-press makers and kettles—and, of course, beans with which to brew. 3262 Minnehaha Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.877.7760; peacecoffeeshop.com; peacecoffee.com

Gear and classes from Freewheel Bike

Freewheel’s three Twin Cities bike shops offer affordable gear, classes and the chance to aid less fortunate bikers abroad (Freewheel made a donation last year that helped supply South African cyclists with equipment). Patronizing Freewheel will not only make you feel good about your carbon footprint, but your charitable footprint as well. freewheelbike.com

GiveMN.org donor gift cards

Local e-philanthropy site GiveMN.org is launching a donor gift card program this year. Available in any denomination, the cards let the recipient choose a non-profit they’d like to support. “It puts a different twist on ‘I gave to X charity for you’,” says executive director Dana Nelson. givemn.org

Sierra Club book and “wild place” sponsorship

Here are two of our favorite environment-supporting gifts this year: Sponsor a “wild place,” such as Yellowstone or the Everglades, for as little as $25, or gift Rosalind Creasy’s Edible Landscaping ($39.95), which will help you forage dinner in your own backyard (talk about eating local). sierraclub.org

Forgotten Shirts, $18–25

This local organization provides a fair wage for cotton farmers and textile workers in poverty-stricken sub-Saharan Africa. It also hits closer to home, teaching at-risk teens valuable skills by employing them as screen printers at its Twin Cities headquarters.  The result? A domino effect of goodness—and comfortable, unique T-shirts. forgottenshirts.com

MN Music 4 MN Kids CD, $18

Proceeds from this family-friendly CD featuring songs by Dessa, Mason Jennings, Cloud Cult and more go to fund care at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics. childrensmn.org/music

Global Mamas Trunk Scrub shea soap, $6

This lavish soap is sold by Global Mamas, a non-profit, Minneapolis-headquartered organization helping African women find sustainable income opportunities. They also sell handmade clothing, jewelry and other shea products. tradeforchange.com

DO Ubuntu bracelets, $15 at Omorphia

 The bulk of the proceeds from these stylish bracelets goes to helping HIV/AIDS-affected South African women and children through skills training, seedlings and equipment for permaculture gardening and meals for orphanages. Humans aren’t the only ones benefitting from your purchase—the OBC helps run a re-socialization program for the area’s orphaned elephants, who would otherwise disrupt villages and the local ecosystem. 206 Water St., Excelsior; 952.401.3311; omorphia.net; orphanbracelet.org

Amias Project Cattle Bags, $125–195 at Northrup King Building

This Minneapolis organization works with Barabaig villages in Africa to design handmade jewelry and accessories inspired by tribal apparel. The gorgeous Cattle Bag (available in several colors) combines tradition with function: bracelets like the ones worn by Barabaig women are used as part of the metalwork, while the bag is sized for a laptop and includes multiple pockets. (The Northeast Minneapolis Amias studio is open the first Thursday of the month from 5 to 9 p.m., or call for an appointment.) 1500 Jackson St. N.E. #263, Mpls.; 612.821.6465; amias.org

Thrift-store gifts

Before you dismiss this one as tacky or weird, hear us out. Thrift-store shopping is inherently brimming with good karma: purchases often benefit local charities, and you’re basically recycling. Plus, what better place to find affordable gifts with character—even if it does take a little more time and elbow grease? Reputable direct-charity shops include: Animal Ark, Hope Chest for Breast Cancer shops, Arc’s Value Village, Goodwill and Salvation Army. Visit local blogs thingsifoundatthethriftstore.com and highplainsthrifter.net for thrifting tips, as well as tricks for restoring vintage items and making ordinary finds gift-worthy. animalarkshelter.org; hopechest.us; arcsvaluevillage.org; goodwill.org; salvationarmyusa.org

Natural-foods co-op memberships and gift cards

A co-op membership (most run between $70–100 and are good for life) gives your favorite locavore or vegan—or anyone who appreciates quality food—a sense of ownership and a year-round gift in the form of members-only discounts and perks. And while you can’t guarantee they won’t blow the money on tubs of natural cheesy poofs and kegs of organic root beer, a co-op gift card makes a great gift (and a subtle hint to cut back on the ramen) for college students. You can rest assured they’re eating decent food, and both of you will take comfort in knowing every dollar helps support environmentally and socially responsible purveyors. Visit coopdirectory.org for locations near you.

+ Have a great gift idea you think we should know about? E-mail our web editor at drew.kerr@tigeroak.com.