• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
With the conversation turning to climate change, it’s become quite a challenge to buy gifts without feeling guilty. Here are some climate-friendly gifting ideas that would make Gretha Thunberg smile.

Your guilt-free gift guide

17th December 2019
Dr Peter Oberem (right), the founder of Afrivet Southern Africa, with Ronan Smith, Bimeda’s chief executive for the Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific division. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Bimeda’s Afrivet takeover ‘to strengthen animal health offering’

17th August 2022
Agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza has placed a 21-day ban on the movement of cattle across South Africa due to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

SA battles 116 FMD outbreaks amid 21-day cattle ban

16th August 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
Illegal sand mining poses a threat to many ecosystems, human safety and agricultural practises. Photo: Pixabay

Will the world run out of sand?

16th August 2022
Organic certification is a long, but rewarding process. Photo: Supplied/Food for Mzansi

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

16th August 2022
This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

16th August 2022
Prof. Theo Venter gives his take on the ruling party’s recent policy conference and what it means going forward. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

16th August 2022
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms. Thoko Didiza, MP has taken the decision to suspend all movement of cattle in the whole country. The Ministers decision is aimed at halting the continued spread of Foot and Mouth Disease in the country. It also means that cattle may not be moved from one property to another for any reason for a period of 21 days reviewable weekly. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

FMD battle: Govt prohibits movement of all cattle

16th August 2022
Justin Platt, founder and CEO of Zylem and RegenZ argues that instead of basing management decisions on a purely rational and cognitive approach, farmers need to harness (and trust) their unique intuition. Photo: Supply/AdobeStock

Farmers, trust your intuition and go with your gut

16th August 2022
Leanne Gammage and Jackson Andrew, co-founders of Masterstock Cape Wild Food. Masterstock Cape Wild Food is a speciality salt brand focused on regenerative agriculture. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Agripreneur 101: Regeneration at the heart of this salt company

16th August 2022

R350 grant puts sisters on agri path to success

15th August 2022
The uMngeni Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal is supporting local farmers through a new agricultural unit that has been established in the municipality. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Farmer support: KZN municipality leads the way

15th August 2022
Farmers in the south-western parts of the country can expect a slightly drier than usual spring. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: Below-normal winter rainfall to continue

15th August 2022
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
11 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Food For Mzansi
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
    • All
    • AgriCareers
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Farmers
    • Groundbreakers
    • Innovators
    • Inspiration
    • It Takes a Village
    • Mentors
    • Movers and Shakers
    • Partnerships
    Leanne Gammage and Jackson Andrew, co-founders of Masterstock Cape Wild Food. Masterstock Cape Wild Food is a speciality salt brand focused on regenerative agriculture. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Agripreneur 101: Regeneration at the heart of this salt company

    R350 grant puts sisters on agri path to success

    The uMngeni Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal is supporting local farmers through a new agricultural unit that has been established in the municipality. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farmer support: KZN municipality leads the way

    This drone is collecting data which farmers can then access on the yield management platform. Photo: Supplied/Aerobotics

    How the Internet of Things is transforming agri

    His life took a turn for the worst when he ended up in jail for dealing in drugs, but Thembinkosi Matika turned his life around and now helps others through his Legacy Farming Project. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Drug dealer turned farmer ploughs back

    Christo Van der Rheede is the executive director of Agri SA. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Former music teacher leads agri’s greatest symphony

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Claire and Martin Joubert have sacrificed and struggled to become top breeders of Ankole cattle in South Africa. But giving up was never an option, because they wanted to offer only the very best Ankole genetics in the country. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farming couple lives and breathes Ankole cattle

    Tackling climate change, one tree at a time

  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi

Your guilt-free gift guide

by Jackie May
17th December 2019
in Lifestyle
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
With the conversation turning to climate change, it’s become quite a challenge to buy gifts without feeling guilty. Here are some climate-friendly gifting ideas that would make Gretha Thunberg smile.

With the conversation turning to climate change, it’s become quite a challenge to buy gifts without feeling guilty. Here are some climate-friendly gifting ideas that would make Gretha Thunberg smile.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

At the end of 2018, few people cared as much about the impact of our consumption on the planet as they do at the end of 2019. Now, thanks to the efforts of activists, scientists, devastating climate events, and of course our slow economy, we could be heading into Scrooge’s idea of a perfect Christmas.

That would be very sustainable, but no fun at all. At Twyg, we’ve thought long and hard about gifting and have devised a guilt-free guide.

First, think about making a donation to a charity in someone else’s name and give a bit back in the process. Some charities will even issue a certificate or card with the details of the donation, to give you something to hand over on the day.

You could also buy an experience instead of another thing that might very well end up on a landfill one day soon. We like the idea of memberships to yoga studios, film clubs, the Two Oceans Aquarium, museums like Zeitz Mocaa, national parks and botanical gardens.

This year, it’s perfectly acceptable to gift second-hand goods. Books, clothes, accessories, knick knacks, kitchenware…Markets can be Christmas fairs with the right mindset. Think creatively: a second hand picture frame plus a beautiful postcard could become a fresh new artwork. Tacky ceramic cats plus a coat of spray paint plus an air plant could be millennial kitsch chic. With a carefully wash and iron, second hand clothes, will be as good as new.

Finally, if you must buy new – buy consciously. Shop local, shop sustainable, shop mindfully. Below is our carefully curated list of gifts, both conscious and beautiful.

1. Lola & Co Organics

Olwethu Yekwani's skincare range serum.
Olwethu Yekwani’s skincare range serum.

Olwethu Yekwani launched a skincare range for the growing number of consumers of beauty products who want natural, organic products that haven’t been tested on animals. She believes that consumers must inform themselves and that they have the power to choose well. This year, we suggest buying her multipurpose balm and facial serum. The balm is a mix of shea butter, coconut oil, lanolin, castor oil, bees wax and vitamin E. You can use it on your hands, body and hair! The facial serum is made from a blend of oils, including rosebank, calendula, grape seed, argan, marula and baobab, as well as vitamin E. It’s for your face and neck.

  • Cost: Balm: R180 and Serum: R175
  • Order via Instagram: @lolaorganics

2. KhweenSheBar

Kwheenshebar’s Turmeric Soap and Koosh Cream.
Kwheenshebar’s Turmeric Soap and Koosh Cream. Photo: Georgie Wood

This duo pack of soap and cream is a gift that will keep giving. Once you’ve tried Kwheenshebar’s Turmeric Soap and Koosh Cream, you’ll not go back to commercially made products. The cold-pressed bar contains turmeric, raw shea butter, organic coconut oil, carrot oil and water. The soft and emollient cream is for both skin and hair and contains unrefined shea butter and organic hemp seed oil.

  • Cost of duo pack: R360
  • To order Whatsapp: 082 586 3809

3.Your Badge Statement bag

Big urban shopper bag.
Big urban shopper bag.

We’ve loved following this Cape Town bag brand. The upcycled urban shoppers deliver a meaningful message through an environmentally conscious ethos aimed at highlighting the importance of good bag habits. Its iconic silhouette, born from the shape of the world’s most widely used shopping bag, is made from a repurposed high-density polyethylene (HDPE) decorative shade cloth, selected because of its strength, durability and recyclability.

 

  • Cost of the big urban shopper is R300 and standard urban shopper R250
  • Order online: https://yourbadgestatement.com/

4. Kare Mesh expandable tote

Kare Bags are made from 100% unbleached cotton yarn.
Kare Bags are made from 100% unbleached cotton yarn. Photo: Georgie Wood

We love these gorgeous reusable shopping bag from Kare Bags made from 100% unbleached cotton yarn. The small company is woman-owned, community-driven and products are locally, ethically and sustainably made in Cape Town. The tote doubles as a handbag and a shopping bag.

  • Cost: R250
  • Order at www.karebags.co.za

5. Plasticity clutch bag

Plasticity clutch bag
Plasticity clutch bag.

Plasticity is a small business based in Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo where these unique and functional products are designed from discarded plastic from the community and environment. Products are created to inspire hope and change, at an individual level.

  • Cost: R90 small clutch, R120 medium clutch and R150 large clutch.
  • Order via email plasticityplastic@gmail.com

6. Pichulik bracelet

We love this woman-owned, fair trade jewellery and clothing company. Every season, the talented people at Pichulik produce a collection with an inspiring story. For this guide we recommend these bracelets to brighten up any look.

  • Cost: R350
  • To order online www.pichulik.com

7. Ivygrace earrings

Ivygrace earrings
Ivygrace earrings.

Ivy Nhlapo is a self-taught creative based in Langa, Cape Town. She often works with waste to create new products, like bags. These earrings come in a range of colours and are light and easy to wear.

  • Cost: R100
  • To order call Ivy on 071 084 8055.

8. Chasing Bees swimming trunks (for the men)

Chasing bees is a small family-run enterprise based in Cape Town that makes a range of patterned swim trunks. The swim trunks are all designed, printed and sewn in Cape Town. Chasing Bees supports environmental conservation by giving a minimum of 5% of the profit on each pair of trunks sold to ujubee.com, an organisation dedicated to the study of wild bees and other pollinators and the conservation of their habitat.

  • Cost: R690.
  • Order online at http://chasingbees.co.za
Chasing Bees swimming trunks.
Chasing Bees swimming trunks.

9. Akina Label (swimwear for women)

Akina Label’s swimwear
Akina Label’s swimwear.

Akina Label’s swimwear is made from 78% Recycled Polyamide and 22% Lycra Elastane. Their yarn is made from EcoNyl, a regenerated nylon which comes from consumer waste found in landfills and oceans around the world, such as fishing nets and various textiles. Their products are cut and sewn in their factory in Cape Town and packaged in a 100% recycled plastic zip bag.

  • Cost: Products range from R500 – R1200
  • Order online: https://www.akinalabel.com

10. Waste Wise: 169 Ways to Save the Planet by Helen Moffett

This is a great gift. You can dip in and out of for years to come. Helen’s  tried-and-tested plastic-free tips are an essential guide to conscious living. The published poet, author and editor has always been waste-free and waterwise. She says, “My parents were green: an environmental botanist and an organic gardener. They both grew up on farms, and so did I for the first eight years of my life – in the thirsty Little Karoo. Having watched my parents deal with every scrap of waste our family produced for decades (there is no garbage collection from farms) means I’ve never been able to take an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude to waste.”

Published by Bookstorm), this book is available at good bookstores for about R226.00

On another note

Not only should you take care about what kinds of gifts you buy, try to reduce how much you do buy. We suggest you introduce a Secret Santa or White Elephant system, which can be fun. All you need to do is assign each person in the family to buy a present for another person anonymously. Often, a maximum and minimum price range is set. In this way, everyone gets one gift, hopefully something they will love.

Oh, and remember to think about the wrapping: if it’s shiny and glittery, it’s likely not recyclable. Either skip the wrapping this year and rather go for upcycled options (newspaper, colourful scarves, random fabric, scrap paper – that “too good to throw away, but we’re not really using it” wrapping paper from your birthday three years ago).

Above all else, enjoy your holiday and each other. Be safe and see you on the other side.

  • Follow us on Instagram @twygmag and twyg.co.za for all things cool and sustainable especially fashion. Additional reporting by and Emma Jones-Phillipson and Georgie Wood.
Tags: accessoriesAkina LabelBooksChasing Bees swimming trunksclothesIvygrace earringsKare Mesh expandable toteKhweenSheBarLola & Co OrganicsOlwethu YekwaniPichulik braceletPlasticity clutch bag
Share196Tweet123Send
Previous Post

Shepherding nature back into the future

Next Post

PODCAST: Urban Farmer uses rooftop space in Hillbrow to make a difference

Jackie May

Jackie May

Jackie May has worked in big and medium-sized mainstream media organisations in London and South Africa for more than 25 years. In 2019, she founded Twyg, an agency that creates content, campaigns and events to creatively inspire a transition to sustainable living. She launched the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards in July 2019. Prior to launching Twyg, Jackie edited the South African edition of the international women’s fashion magazine, Marie Claire and was the Cape editor of the national newspaper, The Times. She has written a memoir, frontpage newspaper stories, countless stories, features and columns. She is on the South African team for Fashion Revolution. Jackie has an MA in Philosophy from the University of London and is currently studying at the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosch. She lives with her family in Cape Town.

Related Posts

Tru-Cape Fruit wants to know if you have South Africa’s second oldest pear tree growing in your garden? Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

SA’s second oldest pear tree might be in your backyard

by Zolani Sinxo
22nd March 2022
0

Do you live in Cape Town and have a very old pear tree in your yard? Two fruit experts are...

Next Post
Women in agriculture: Farmers from across South Africa are featured on the Farmer’s Inside Track podcast. Pictured are Food For Mzansi’s Dawn Noemdoe with urban farmer Sibongile Cele. Photo: Food For Mzansi

PODCAST: Urban Farmer uses rooftop space in Hillbrow to make a difference

Organic certification is a long, but rewarding process. Photo: Supplied/Food for Mzansi
Farmer's Inside Track

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

by Nicole Ludolph
16th August 2022
0

FARMER'S INSIDE TRACK: Organic certification poses a challenge to many South African farmers who go that route. Alan Rosenberg, chairperson...

Read more
This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

16th August 2022
Prof. Theo Venter gives his take on the ruling party’s recent policy conference and what it means going forward. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

16th August 2022
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms. Thoko Didiza, MP has taken the decision to suspend all movement of cattle in the whole country. The Ministers decision is aimed at halting the continued spread of Foot and Mouth Disease in the country. It also means that cattle may not be moved from one property to another for any reason for a period of 21 days reviewable weekly. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

FMD battle: Govt prohibits movement of all cattle

16th August 2022
Justin Platt, founder and CEO of Zylem and RegenZ argues that instead of basing management decisions on a purely rational and cognitive approach, farmers need to harness (and trust) their unique intuition. Photo: Supply/AdobeStock

Farmers, trust your intuition and go with your gut

16th August 2022

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

FMD battle: Govt prohibits movement of all cattle

Farmers, trust your intuition and go with your gut

ICYMI: Below-normal winter rainfall to continue

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

Agripreneur 101: Regeneration at the heart of this salt company

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 12 global awards in the first three years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

Bimeda’s Afrivet takeover ‘to strengthen animal health offering’

SA battles 116 FMD outbreaks amid 21-day cattle ban

Will the world run out of sand?

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2021 Food for Mzansi

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.