Green Gift Ideas for Dad

March 15, 2009 by  
Filed under Featured, Go green Gifts

Many families have committed to living in a way that supports a cleaner environment. If this describes your family and you are looking for some great gift ideas for the special man in your life, the following options are right in line with eco-friendly goals and ideals. There are grown-up toys and cool gadgets that any green dad would love and appreciate.

The High Tech Dad

For dads who love high tech gadgets, there’s great news. iPods, and MP3 players are excellent green gadgets. Apple follows solid eco-friendly values. The great thing about iPods is that they give dads the ability to download songs from iTunes. iTunes has a great variety of songs, new and old, and Dad will no longer have to buy complete albums to hear his favorites. This saves money and waste. MP3 players provide portability, so he won’t have to use the computer to burn CDs either.

Music loving dads can listen to tunes with the iPod on the go, by attaching to a sound or car stereo dock, or on the computer. They can even be taken on a run or to the gym with the attachment of an arm band made specifically for that purpose. Some fancy athletic shoes even have the capability of being synched to iPods or MP3 players in order to monitor exercise activity. It doesn’t get much cooler than that. For extra green impact, solar power chargers for the MP3 make a great gift purchase.

The Outdoorsy Dad

Green gadgets abound for the outdoorsman, especially those that love camping. One such gadget which can really come in handy is called the Forever Flashlight. This flashlight powers up when you shake it. It works like this: shaking for just 30 seconds moves a magnet in the flashlight over a coil, generating electricity for as much as five minutes of power. It requires no bulbs or batteries and is completely waterproof. There are also many different varieties of solar lanterns or flashlights. If left outside and exposed to sunlight during the day, they will be ready to go with power to light at night. Solar power has been put to use in other camping gadgets as well, including radios, cooking ovens, and computer chargers.

The Physically Fit Dad

Any dad that likes to work out knows that it’s important to stay hydrated. However, plastic water bottles are terrible for the environment. No matter how fit he is, plastic water bottles will outlast him in a landfill because they aren’t biodegradable, and the plastic can leach chemicals into drinking water that are potentially harmful. Fortunately, there is a great eco-friendly alternative. Sigg or Klean Kanteen are manufacturers of sporty reusable bottles. Klean Kanteen offers a line of various sized stainless steel bottles with different lid options or attachments. Sigg bottles are aluminum with a lining of inert epoxy inside. Both brands are sleek, attractive, healthy, long lasting, and environmentally friendly.

Any of these products would be great ideas to show dad how much you care about him and support his concern for environmental issues at the same time. Many gadgets and toys coveted by dads everywhere can be eco-friendly.