Cool and Creative Eco Chic Gift Ideas

Whether your loved one has an iPod already, or you plan on giving him or her the latest and greatest model on the market, be sure to stuff a little something extra in the stocking—an eco-friendly iPod case. For a classic look, I like the handsome mahogany cases (pictured) hand-crafted to fit an iPod Tough or Nano. They're made in Massachusetts by the artisan M.J. Dinsmore, who uses sustainably grown mahogany that he decorates with cedar inlays and finishes with Danish oil and hand-rubbed wax; he also does custom orders. Another good bet for simple, masculine iPod cases is Vy&Ellle, the brand from a design team that reclaims vinyl (as in "Vy&Elle") from billboards and car seats, and recycles them into pieces of artsy backpacks, briefcases, cell phone holders, luggage, iPod cases and other accessories. Better Energy Systems, a company that developed Solio, an innovative solar-powered charger, also sells earth-friendly accessories, like the industrial-chic Tread Case, each of which is hand-constructed from rubber tires that once carried Columbian military trucks over rugged terrain—so your music lifeline is safe if you drop it.

Prices start at $28.

Imagine Andy Warhol's aesthetic combined with an environmental conscience. For the latest in Pop Art that is both visually stunning, eco-friendly and personally relevant, ask Phoenix-based artist Sandhi Schimmel Gold to create a one-of-a-kind portrait of a loved one. She holds a BFA in painting and has studied mosaics in Turkey and glass in Venice, but her painterly portraits are stunning mosaics made with a hodgepodge of scraps instead of glass or tile. As passionate about the environment as she is about her art, Sandhi calls herself a "rabid recycler," but when it comes to reusing materials for art, she dubs that "upcycling." Her medium? Peer closely at her intricate, kaleidoscopic mosaics and you'll spy bis of holiday cards, junk mail, business cards, cruise ship itineraries, gallery openings invitations and more. For a personalized gift, send her a photograph of your loved one and she'll work with you to create an image that will be fixed together with adhesives, varnishes and paints that are water-based, nontoxic and acid-free. "It's like a giant photo in a way," says Sandhi, who's also done massive scale custom work for corporate clients and restaurants. "It's great because it looks just like a person, but it has something extra—a million little tiny pieces of all kinds of crazy stuff. Stand back and it looks just like him or her, but then you get up close and there's all this writing." The artist is a freqfuent scavenger at yard sales and estate sales, always on the hunt for frames and even canvases, so every element of the portrait is repurposed. Take note, she needs at least a month to work on a portrait. It's well worth the wait for what is sure to be a cool piece of art and a cherished family keepsake.

Prices start at $1,000.

Hardcore outdoor adventurers insist that sleeping under the stars is the only way to get in touch with nature. We beg to differ. These days, yurts are the way to go. The portable tents, modeled after the traditional dwellings of nomadic Mongolians, are increasingly trendy at upscale eco-resorts, and now you can get your own to use as a chic, poolside cabana or for kids' slumber parties in the backyard! Through her clever company, EcoShack, Stephanie Smith sells tents and other structures made with sustainable materials. She made a splash on the design scene with her first tent, the Nomad Yurt, which takes intricate the yurt concept and distills it to its basic, core simplicity. The lightweight tent looks like a billowing cloud with infrastructure. The base and buttresses are made of bamboo and the durable dome is natural fabric coated with eco-friendly water repellent. It's a breeze to dismantle and is as portable as a sleeping bag. It makes a great new toy for avid campers, or it can simply be used as backyard outpost where one can settle in, read a book, and imagine being among the mountains.

Prices from $9,700.

I have a brand new puppy, and I can't wait to dress him up in some of the organic canine fashions from Olive Green Dog, an online retailer based in Austin, Texas, that sells an array of eco-friendly pet accessories. Every chic dog in London needs to keep warm during the dreary winters here, so my furry friend will definitely be getting a stylish cashmere sweater this holiday season. Or maybe the Italian fleece hoodie ... or perhaps a colorful raincoat? They're all too cute. Your pooch can make a statement for the planet in one of the shop's adorable sweaters knitted from renewable fabrics, such as wheat wool yarn, pure Merino wool, cashmere and a fabric called ReKnitz, made from reclaimed cotton fibers. Yoga fans can get Fido the Namaste Buddha t-shirt, perfect for when he or she is doing an authentic downward dog! Even better, buy yourself the same top from their new "Sister Tee" collection of matching shirts for dogs and their stylish female owners, and 10% of your purchase goes to animal rescue charities.

Sweaters from $45.

Jewels aren't frivolous when they're made with sustainability and charity in mind. New York-based Monique Péan is a young entrepreneur who left a career on Wall Street to launch a jewelry collection inspired by nature and indigenous cultures of the world. Her gorgeous designs blend traditional craftsmanship with an eye for the avant garde, and she's blazing a trail in the realm of sustainable, socially conscious fine jewelry. Monique has a knack for chunky but elegant bracelets and necklaces, some of which feature rare fossilized ivory. (We think of it as Neolithic chic.) Any ivory she uses that has not been in the earth for millennia comes from sustainable hunters, north of the Bering Strait. She makes a point to work with conflict-free diamonds and recycled gold, thereby avoiding dirty mining practices, and ensures that her materials are produced under fair trade conditions. But wait—there's more: Monique is involved in several charitable organizations—she's even founded one of her own to support scholarships for children in Haiti. Both of her jewelry lines are made with a specific charity in mind. Her Bering Collection was inspired by cultures indigenous to Alaska and is produced collaboratively with native artisans; she donates 10% of of that line's profits to the Alaska Native Arts Foundation. An entire half of her profits from sales of pieces from her Charity:Water collection go toward building wells and providing sanitation to citizens of the developing world. Her pieces have such wow-factor to begin with, but all these added benefits mean you can shop with abandon! Oh, and for the men out there, Monique makes nice cufflinks. You can find her work at Bergdorf Goodman and Kirna Zabete in Manhattan, as well as select boutiques throughout the U.S.

Jewelry prices range from $340 - $40,500.

A reusable coffee cup holder is a clever and inexpensive stocking stuffer for on-the-go caffeine drinkers. Those of us with a Starbucks addiction probably use cardboard cup holders on a daily basis—but they can total up to ten pounds of trash per person, per year! Why not toss a super-cool, durable one into your bag and reuse it every day? To that end, we've rounded up some of our favorite coffee cozy picks for reducing waste and starting off every morning in style: Perhaps your fashion-conscious friend can slide her cup into a sassy Cozy Corset Cuff, creations that look like Victorian unmentionables meets Betsey Johnson. For additional eye-catching designs, check out the sleeves from Cup Couture, sold online via Kaboodle; they come in a variety of styles and patterns, from animal prints to sporty racer stripes to mod-style polka dots, and they fold up small enough to fit into your pocket. Earthy types will love Contexture's Coffee Cuffs (pictured), wooden grips made from reclaimed architectural scraps. They're especially fun to transport, as they can double as a bracelet or an arm cuff. For minimalist-chic, I like the CupKozy, which is made of felt that rolls up and fits into a tube compact enough to attach to a keychain—these are great gifts for men. (NB: Whichever one you use, just don't forget to remove it before tossing out the cup!)

Prices start at $7.

Rubber inner tubes are not necessarily the first thing to come to mind when you think about luxury handbags, but in the hands of Ken Kobrick and Angela Greene, a welder and an inventor, respectively, the material somehow seems appropriate for a Saturday night gala. Their contemporary yet classically elegant bag collection includes clutches, messenger bags, totes and purses, all made with soft rubber repurposed from inner tubes that have spent most of their lives as part of the giant wheels on agricultural tractors. Added style-factor comes from combining the rubber with calf leather that's vegetable tanned and chrome-free. Ken says the rubber, which they save from its fate in a landfill, is so soft that it sews and cuts like leather. And with each tire having its own individual marks and scuffs, each bag is a one-of-a-kind. These chic handbags might get you some serious mileage at cocktail parties, so to speak.

Prices start at $120.

Ahoy all you sailing fans! Ella Vickers sailed on a boat that clinched an America's Cup trophy, so it's little surprise that she knows how to expertly work the sails. In her venture as a designer, that means using sailcloth and marine-caliber stitching to create eco-friendly bags that are handcrafted with recycled sails or pre-consumer scrap material, and they're lightweight and durable. The bags come in a variety of styles great for men and women—duffels, totes, shoulder sacks and messenger bags—and they are emblazoned with colorful numbers and letters. Know your special someone's lucky number? Request a bag customized with a particular numeral. If the Kevlar, Mylar and white Dacron Ella employs are resilient enough to power through nautical winds, they're certainly good enough for the gym, the office or a weekend escape. Why not bring a big tote to the grocery store and use it in lieu of plastic shopping bags? Of course, those who do sail will love taking the bags on excursions. For even more nautical carryalls, check out the adorable totes from Sea Bags (pictured), a Maine-based company that also fashions accessories from recycled sails, some trimmed with a motif such as an anchor or a star. (There's even a limited edition pink ribbon bag to raise funds for breast cancer research.) What makes Sea Bags especially cute are their signature sturdy, hand-spliced rope handles.

Prices range from $57 to $398.

Even when your computer or television is off, it still draws energy from the outlet. Of course you want to cut back on energy, but who can remember to unplug every appliance every night before going to sleep, or each morning when you're dashing out the door? Enter Smart Strip: this power strip is an effortlessly put the kibosh on idle currents. It monitors power use and when it detects objects are off for an extended time, it shuts down the power supply. Spire's CEO, Janet Kraus, plans on stocking up on the nifty contraption for the holidays. "It's going to be the most unsexy gift, but I'm going to buy my mother-in-law five of these power strips for her living room, den and everywhere else in the house," says Janet. She finds the basic device is a simple way to cut through mixed messages about eco-awareness and all the green noise out there. "I feel like it's a way for me to energize myself and my brother, my mother, my mother-in-law. It's so basic yet it may inspire them to do other things. What keeps people from doing things differently are patterns in life but introducing them to something new like this can change those patterns. And who doesn't want to save energy?"

Sells for $41.95.