Top 10 Eco Friendly Gifts for Teachers

Ask any teacher and you'll find the vast majority wish nothing more than a beautiful note and a thank you for their work with your child at the end of the year. Eco friendly gifts for teachers are a nice way to say thank you without generating waste. I also know that many parents have such gratitude for the work that teachers do with their kids that they like to give them a gift as an extra thank you.

As a former music teacher with just a small studio, I do recall having a house full of coffee mugs and chocolate and scented candles each year, so this year, I put together a Teacher Gifts Shopping Guide for those who want to give their teacher a gift that's a little different than the norm.

They are all quite left of centre, very useful and eco-friendly and should get put to good use. You may even awaken a new eco-warrior when you gift one of these items below.

Eco Friendly Gifts for Teachers #1 - stainless steel pegs

You're going to think I'm crazy but here me out. Everyone does laundry. Most people hang their laundry on the line. Stainless Steel Pegs only have to be bought once in a lifetime and I am pretty sure that your teacher isn't going to get this gift from anyone else. Even if they do, a 50 pack for $27 puts 25 pieces of clothing on the line. More than one pack would still get plenty of use.

They are sure to start a conversation and your teacher will still have them and be using them in decades. They are sure to have fond memories of you and your child for quite some time to come.

Eco Friendly Gifts for Teachers #2 - beeswax wraps with a treat inside

If you're giving food as a gift, it's a really novel idea to wrap them in something that can be re-used. This is our first suggestion for this type of gift. You may not instantly think of beeswax wraps for this, but here's some reasons why it's a great idea it's a better idea than cellophane or plastic bags & wrap.

• The whole gift will be plastic free
• The wrapping is reusable
• They are actually waterproof so they're great for wrapping sandwiches that won't get soggy
• They can be re-used by your teacher at home in the kitchen or to bring their lunch to work with them.

THREE : A Lunch Box with a Treat Inside

Like our suggestion above, if you're giving food as a gift, it's a really novel idea to gift them in something that can be re-used. Before choosing this gift, you might just want to ask your child if they know what their teacher brings their lunch to school in.

If you visit our lunch boxes category, there's little snack pots to put home-made treats in from - if you buy the Mini Containers from Ever Eco and split them up, each container is $7.65 each, pop a home made treat in and the pot can be re-used for years to come.

FOUR : Stainless Steel Straws - Under $10

Reusable Straws come in different materials and can be bought in sets and singles. For a gift under $10, you can get a stainless steel drinking straw in a handy carry pouch with a cleaning brush from Ever Eco (pictured right). They are also available in sets to split up if you have more than one teacher to buy for, and they also come in bamboo and glass. From Rechusable, you can get an even cheaper on in a cardboard sleeve.

It's budget friendly and affordable and can be easily carried around in a handbag along with our next suggestion, reusable cutlery.

FIVE : Reusable Cutlery - Under $10

For another Eco Gift under $10, the reusable bamboo cutlery set from Rechusable to your right is just $9.95. You get a knife, fork and a spoon and they come in a cotton pouch.

If you're spending a little more, sets go up to $30 and we also have bamboo sporks from just $2.95 which are a great gift to give with some homemade jam or food that can be eaten with a fork or a spoon.

SIX : Reusable Produce Bags

We suspect this year will be the year to give your teacher a reusable shopping bag. Let's take it one step further so yours isn't in a collection of 20 more. Reusable Produce Bags are slowly becoming a popular mainstream staple with stores like Harris Farm selling them at the checkout, but supermarkets have not taken this leap yet.

Sets start from $15.95 and you can either give a full set or split them up and use just one bag as reusable wrapping for something you make yourself or an 'Apple For Teacher' and a beautiful hand written note. You won't have to spend a lot of money to be thoughtful. If you buy the 8 pack from Onya, each bag is just under $2.50.

SEVEN : Reusable Bread Bags

I am big on bags for wrapping instead of wrapping paper. Sure, wrapping paper is pretty, but it's a waste of money and resources and is so easily replaced by so many other things.

Our reusable bread bags are $19.95 each and can be given as a gift on their own or use them to store something home-baked. It doesn't have to be bread, if you're baking cookies, muffins, cupcakes - pop it in the bag and hand it over as the gift that can be taken to the bakery for years to come.

EIGHT : Onya Doggy Waste Bags - Under $10

If your teacher has a dog, they're going to LOVE this present. It's under $10 too. This is a little carry pouch with a carabiner on it and compostable bags to pick up doggy waste. Refill packs are available for $6.95 or they can fill it with any bags they like.

The bags will break down completely in compost and in about 12 months in landfill. They're made with corn that goes to waste that's not even good enough for animal feed, so this is a beautiful gift to give someone who cares about the planet. The little pouch is also made from recycled single use water bottles.

NINE : Swedish Dish Cloth - Under $10

You're going to think I'm a little bit bonkers with this one - giving a teacher a dish cloth. Just hear me out. They can use it at home, they can use it in the staff room. It lasts six months, is machine washable and is fully compostable. They come in really fun designs and my ultimate criteria was for the teacher to think of your child fondly as they use their gift and for the gift not to be wasteful.

This ticks ALL those boxes, and especially for those teachers who really don't like people spending money on them, but a small and thoughtful gift with a hand written note speaks volumes about how much you cherish their relationship with your child.

Did I convince you?