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Gift ideas with a difference
Greens merchandise makes great gifts, but there are many other places you can get fairtrade, sweatshop-free, organic and environmentally friendly products, or shop in a way that raises money for a good cause. NB This page does not constitute Greens endorsement of any shop/organisation - please check them out for yourself and make up your own mind.
- ABC Shop: the retail arm of our public broadcaster.
- Alternative Technology Association: Energy saving and household conservation magazine subscription
- Amnesty
International online shop: Promoting and defending human rights.
- Annie's Organics: Organic beauty products
- ANTAR (Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation) sells books, CDs, magnets, pins, badges, key rings and more.
- APHEDA: Union Aid Abroad gift and card catalogue: cards and gifts to help people in developing countries.
- The Asylum Seekers' Resource Centre gift catalogue: has bookmarks, notepads, keyrings, cards, calendars, CDs, T-shirts and shower timers.
- aToMik green: Latest products for energy and water conservation
- Ausie Olive: Handmade soaps and beauty products made from high quality natural ingredients
- Australian Conservation Foundation: 2008 diaries and calendars
- Australian
Marine Conservation Society: Non-profit conservation organisation which sells different sorts of T-shirts and marine animal themed jewellery.
- The Australian Rainforest Foundation has a gift catalogue.
- Baby Behinds: Re-usable Cloth Nappies
- Babyscent: natural skincare products for babies, kids and adults, made with the high quality plant derived and biodegradable ingredients
- The Body Shop doesn't test products on animals, some product ingredients are sourced by 'community trade' (a bit like fairtrade) and it conducts company-wide environmental audits with an aim to becoming increasingly environmentally sustainable.
- Bush Heritage Australia encourages you to consider giving 'an eco-gift that keeps on giving'.
- Carbon Market: large range of eco-friendly products
- CAE runs affordable courses in dance, cooking, languages, fitness and much more.
- CARE: has a gift catalogue that includes school backpacks, blackboards, composting systems and water pumps for people in need.
- Cancer Council: funds and conducts research, provides support and advocacy on cancer, and sells a range of sunsmart and other products. Shop is in Carlton.
- CERES environmental park in Brunswick has a nursery, runs food and gardening courses and sells memberships.
- Cheeky Butt: sells cloth nappies for babies and other gifts for new mothers
- Childwise: works against child sexual exploitation and is selling a celebrity cookbook called 'Cooking for the kids'.
- Choose Cruelty Free: Non-profit organisation campaigning for cruelty-free products (not tested on animals). T-shirts, hats, soaps, makeup, stickers, stationery and bags can all be found under 'support us'.
- Clean Conscience: Cleaning Products designed for minimal environmental impact on our planet.
- Climate Positive: Let someone know that their gift has been donated to fund projects that address the impacts of global warming
- Combined Charities Christmas Shop: sells Christmas cards to raise money for 43 not-for-profit groups.
- The Dharma Door: sells fairtrade and eco-friendly gifts, homeware and food items both via their website and throughstockists around the country.
- Earth Garden: Subscription to the magazine with sustainable living tips
- Ecoathome: eco-store online
- EcoEssentials: online organic department store
- Ecopaper: Recycled, biodegradable and sustainable stationary
- Ecoshop: Australian eco-friendly shopping
- Eco Wear: Nature Friendly Clothing
- Efergy: purchase an energy saving meter
- Enviro Mental Gear: Sells no sweatshop tshirts and hats.
- Environment Shop: environmentally-friendly products. Physical shop has now moved to Thornbury.
- Environment Victoria: is selling six 'Gifts that give back' and has produced a Festive season guide that explores ways you can make your whole festive season more sustainable, with ideas for gifts, wrapping, decorations, food and drink and more. Click here to download it.
- Eternal Source: Eco-friendly products including tree-free greeting cards, DVDs, CDs, books, furniture, skin, hair and oral care
- Ethica: is a project of the Sisters of St Joseph which sells fairtrade crafts such as scarves, toys and wall hangings made by Peruvian women.
- Fabric Of Life: sells fairtrade textiles such as wall hangings, bedspreads and cushions, as well as toys, money boxes and umbrellas, as well as indigenous fibre and textile arts from South Australia's Ernabella Arts.
- Fairground Child: is a shop in North Carlton stocking fairtrade and organic products.
- The Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand: has an online fairtrade product locator.
- Fairtrade
Coffee suppliers:
Oxfam keeps an updated web-based list of where you can get fairtrade
coffee. There's no longer any excuse to drink anything else!
- Fair Wear: Coalition committed to stopping the exploitation of home-based outworkers, sells no sweatshop hoodies, T-shirts, singlets and educational videos and DVDs, plus the People and Planet diary (also available from the Vic Greens).
- First Ray: Imported organic, biodynamic, fairtrade and sustainable tea and fish
- Friends of the Earth: Social and environmental justice organisation. Also has a shop in Smith St Collingwood.
- Generation Wonder: designs and stocks products with 'wonderful stories', with categories including Animal Conservation, Tsunami Projects, Fair Trade and Organic Cotton.
- Global Conduct: online fairtrade shop based in the Hunter Valley in NSW.
- Global Eco Solutions: Water saving products
- G-Magazine: Subscription to the green lifestyle magazine
- Going Green Solutions: sells a mix of personal and baby care products, stationery, bike and walking wear, as well as compostable catering ware and reusable sandwich wraps.
- Going Solar: Carlton shop selling solar, energy-efficient and other environmentally friendly products.
- Got
Soul: Environmentally friendly, cruelty free, vegan products.
- The Green Directory: online green business directory.
- Greenfleet: Nonprofit organisation that plants trees for subscribers, to offset transport-related greenhouse gas emissions.
- Green
Pages Australia: online green directory.
- Gstore: Products for Water Saving, Energy and Greenhouse Saving, Waste Reduction, Gifts and Education
- Guide Dogs Victoria: has a gift shop, or you can buy someone a puppy sponsorship.
- Haul: makes a whole lot of groovy stuff from used billboards, truck inner tubes and number plates - you might have seen the bags they made from our 2006 State Election campaign billboards. Shop is in North Fitzroy.
- The Heide Museum of Modern Art is a fine not-for-profit institution which sells memberships and has a gift shop.
- Hunter Gatherer: Vintage, Fairwear and local crafty fashion, raising funds for the Brotherhood of St Laurence. Shops in St Kilda and Fitzroy.
- ibuTrade: aims to 'provide original, Fair Trade and environmentally friendly gifts and homeware to those with impeccable taste and ethical habits'.
- International Women's Development Agency: or IWDA is an Australian non-profit organisation that creates positive change for women and their communities. Make an online gift to help thousands of Women around the globe.
- The Jesuit Social Service in Abbotsford sells biscuits, fudge and cakes made by 'at-risk' young people, and including wheatfree/gluten free options. Follow the links to order online, or make a donation.
- Jasper Coffee: Fairtrade coffe
- Justsite: Online shopping with companies that have made a commitment to
ethical trading.
- Livos Australia: has natural makeup and finger paints, as well as a range of other paints, oils and stains.
- Lort Smith Animal Hospital: has a Christmas catalogue of cards and gifts
- Local and Global: shop in Belgrave that aims to support local artists, fair trade and social justice.
- Melbourne Museum: is a fine public institution with gift shops at the main Carlton site as well as at Scienceworks (Spottswood) and the Immigration Museum (Flinders St, Melbourne CBD).
- The Mirabel Foundation assists children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parental illicit drug use, and sells T-shirts, books (including a coffee table book of photos of Elvis impersonators), and a CD of children's music.
- Multi-Powered Products: specialises in equipment that uses alternative energy, such as lighting, radios and outdoor gear, but also has some science kits for kids.
- Mundo Maya: Central American handmade gifts from a small ethical-trade business.
- Natural Paint: natural paint that is environmentally friendly
- Neco: online eco-store
- New Internationalist: is not just a magazine and calendar these days, but also has an Australian online fairtrade shop selling lanterns, bedlinen, board games, torches, bags, books, nighties and more.
- No
Sweat: sweatshop-free, union made, vegan friendly clothes and shoes.
- No Sweat Shop label: lists manufacturers and retailers which comply with the Homeworkers Code of Practice, to ensure that the people who make their products are all paid proper wages.
- One Colour: is an online shop selling 'global gear with justice in mind'.
- Organic Fabric Online: sells organic fabrics
- The Organics Directory: Online directory of organic businesses and products.
- Oxfam shop: Fair Trade products online. Also have retail shops in Cheltenham, Camberwell and the Melbourne CBD. The Oxfam Close the Gap campaign also has some seriously funky T-shirts and wristbands about indigenous health.
- Pea Pods: environmentally friendly nappies for babies
- People
for Fair Trade: Volunteer network which promotes Fair Trade and sells coffee,
tea and plungers.
- Plan International Australia: is an aid agency that currently sells customised e-cards.
- Planetwise: sells recycled handmade paper goods including wrapping paper and gift boxes.
- Puppet Pals: is a business based in Templestowe selling fairtrade handcrafts with a focus on early childhood.
- Qualitops: Sweatshop-free clothing in Collingwood.
- Rainforest Rescue: has gift cards called 'Daintree Buyback', 'Ecuador Protect Forever' and 'Plant a Rainforest Tree', in different denominations to show the number of square metres or hectares of forest protected, or the number of trees planted.
- The Royal Children's Hospital bookshop sells a few gifts as well as a large range of books about child health and development.
- Sankofa: On-line fair trade shop specialising in handcrafted products from Africa - homewares, textiles, accessories, children's clothing and more.
- Seed Jewellery: sells fairtrade jewellery.
- Siham Craftlink: sells fairtrade crafts from Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Peru.
- The Starlight Foundation: raises money for seriously ill and hospitalised children, and sells cards and gifts such as a 'Giggle Wish' or 'Day away wish'.
- Small dreams: toy shop in Northcote stocking wooden, locally made and fairtrade toys.
- Sustainability Victoria: has a Waste Wise Shopping Guide online.
- Tear Australia: Supporting community development internationally and counter-consumerism locally. Gift vouchers to aid people in need in the Third World.
- Todae: eco-store online
- The Green Directory: a wide range of eco friendly products and services for sustainable living
- The Trading Circle: Non-profit, fairtrade shop in Abbotsford, helping women to trade their way out of poverty.
- Unbranded: Design your own message for the front of sweatshop free clothing.
- Vegan wares: Collingwood shop selling shoes and other products made from leather alternatives.
- Vision Australia: has a gift and card catalogue including large-print items suitable for people with reduced vision.
- Wesley Mission Melbourne: sells gifts and cards to benefit people in need in Melbourne - from toiletries to linen to a bike.
- Wharington: eco-sufficient and sustainable furniture
- Wilderness Society: sells calendars and diaries, and has a Wildshop online that sells a range of other gear.
- World Vision Australia: purchase gifts, indigenous art or fairtrade coffee to support those in need
- XSProject Australia: handmade products made from reused garbage from indonesia to help clean up the environment and help Indonesia's poor
If you know of a website that isn't listed on this page, but you think should be, please email the details to pc@vic.greens.org.au.
Animals Working Group