The pandemic and ensuing inflation crisis have been hard on the average person, but not to much on the ultra wealthy. With record corporate profits, there is no need to line the pockets of the wealthiest any more than they already are this Holiday season.

Fight inflation and corporate greed by keeping money in local hands. An OxFam report shows the richest 1% of the globe added $26 trillion to their accounts over the last two years, and the Walton family — whose fortune came from Walmart — added $8.5 billion in 2022 alone. “While ordinary people are making daily sacrifices on essentials like food, the super-rich have outdone even their wildest dreams,” Gabriela Bucher, executive director of Oxfam International told CNN.

Showing solidarity and support for neighbors who have local businesses and create local art and goods for the community is more important than ever. Here are some of the top sustainable local gifts to buy, places to donate your money, and markets to shop at. Get in the season and shop guilt free knowing you aren’t contributing to the corporatization of the nation.

Bloomin

Seed Paper – Boulder

Inviting someone to a Holiday party? Throwing a birthday and need to send out invites? Sending thank yous to all your gift givers? Seed paper is the ultimate way to entice your guests to not only remember your event or truly thank someone, but also to bolster the environment. Plantable paper sprouts after it is returned to the earth with several options for which type of plant you want to see sprout when the sun returns.

Colorado Hemp Honey

CBD Hemp Honey Jars – Parker

What could be more relaxing that sipping a cup of tea infused with CBD Hemp Honey on a lazy Holiday evening? Get the ultimate relaxation gift and slip into the spirit — without any alcohol needed — with this incredible gift. Choose flavors from elderflower, ginger, lemon, and more.

Front Range Anglers

Fishing Rod – Boulder

There is likely nothing more sustainable than eating what you catch. Give the gift of a connection to the outdoors, the search for adventure, the pleasure of boredom, and the connection to mother nature that only catching a fish can bring. The benefits of being in nature, regardless of catching anything that day, vastly outweigh the cost of the gear.

Honest Soap Company

Handmade natural soap – Online

Staying clean is important, but so is making sure you’re not polluting your body or the environment with harmful chemicals and unnatural ingredients. Feel fresh with a clean conscious by gifting sustainable soaps this season with incredible scents ranging from Eucalyptus Goat’s Milk Agave to Geranium Bourbon.

Green Girl Recycling

Monthly Residential Recycling – Regional

Looking for something non-traditional for an environmentally conscious person in your life? Buy them a way to ensure their electronics and other goods are recycled in a way that is best for the planet, not for profits. Plus, you get an end of year report of just how much of an impact you made on your green footprint via recycling with Green Girl.

Able to Sail

Sailing Lessons – Longmont

For a gift that will give over and over again, help someone you love connect with nature in a unique way while also building confidence in themselves. Diane at Able to Sail will build character and impart skills that will last a lifetime and take you places, literally. Plus, the LGBTQ+ Camp option helps everyone feel included and safe.

Wild Bear Nature Center

Make Your Own Chocolate Kit – Nederland

Not only does making your own chocolate come with it’s own tasty reward, but connecting with how food is made, what ingredients go into it, and the labor it takes are great ways to introduce someone to home cooking and sustainable food. Plus supporting Wild Bear Nature Center means your money also goes towards wildlife conservation and supporting summer camps, among other activities.

Brewhop Trolley

Holiday Light Tour Tickets – Longmont

Get in the Holiday spirits by jumping on the Brewhop trolley, sipping something cold, and enjoying show of lights. Not only does the trolley eliminate the need for a designated driver, it saves on gas by not having to drive from bar to bar on your own. Running on a continuous loop stopping at each location for an hour, hop on enjoy the ride.

Boulder Jewish Community Center

Join the Goat Co-op – Boulder

Nothing inspires passion more for connecting with nature and supporting animals than taking care of a farm animal. The JCC offers shifts at the Goat Co-op to feed, care for, and connect with animals that provide us with so much. The ideals of a cooperative community farm also help illuminate a path towards more sustainable and less corporate food.

Beyond Nature

Bird Bath – Erie

It is healing to simply sit outdoors and take in your surroundings. Encourage yourself to do so more, and help keep our feathered friends well watered by grabbing one of the unique bird baths from Beyond Nature. Using all locally upcycled materials, these pieces are perfect for the garden or yard and perfect for the planet as well.

Sustainable Village

Blumat Drip Irrigation System – Boulder

With water rates skyrocketing and no end in price rises in sight, it may be time to plan for the future for your wallet and the planet. Blumat Drip Irrigation systems efficiently water your yard and garden without wasting Colorado’s most precious resource — water. Whether you are gardening in a greenhouse, indoors, or outdoor, there is a perfect irrigation system for you.

Local Sustainable Businesses, Charities and Nonprofits

Although these locations did not have specific gifts on our list, we recommend taking a look at what these businesses, charities, and nonprofits have to offer if you are interested in giving green this winter season. Another great gift idea for the person who has everything already is to make a donation in someone’s name towards a nonprofit aligned with their goals.

Eco-Cycle 

Boulder

Not a green bike shop, Ecocycle nonprofit aims towards a Zero-Waste future by recycling, composting, and reducing plastic use as some of their main goals. One of the best ways to push back on climate change is to stop producing so much plastic and single use items. Eco-cycle believes there needs to be a partnership between individuals, businesses, and the community in order to make a wholesale difference from the local level on up.

Green Latinos

Boulder

Want to fight climate change and racial injustice at the same time? Green Latinos is the place to donate or support. Instead of giving material things this season, make an actual difference by empowering an organization to continue their important mission of bringing justice of all kinds to our communities.

The Natural Funeral

Lafayette

The ultimate commitment to living a green life is also having a green death. The Natural Funeral offers numerous options for returning to the earth when the time is right. Although not the most joyous gift, the Natural Funeral is so unique and offers resources, packages, and explanations for making the transition from life to back to the earth we came from we felt we had to include it on the list of local sustainable businesses.

Berkelhammer Tree Experts, Inc.

Boulder

Berkelhammer understands trees and the life systems that surround and support them. Offering standard services as well as invasive species treatments for Emerald Ash Borer bugs, they will not only make your yard look incredible but help keep local plant species thriving by reducing these harmful pests.

The Flower Bin

Longmont

Who doesn’t love plants? Give the gardener or succulent enthusiast in your life the perfect gift and support a locally owned and operated garden center. Plus, poinsettias! This is the perfect place to not only snag a present but also to decorate your own space with live Christmas trees, wreaths, and more. Shopping local is nothing new for The Flower Bin, they’ve been living that motto for over 50 years now.

Bricks Retail

Although “Miracle on 4th St.” will be over by the time you read this, Brick’s is still the best place to buy local year round. They are hosting more pop-up markets (see below) throughout the Holidays but you can’t go wrong shopping at their brick-and-mortar location either. From food items to vintage signs, you’ll find something quirky, unique, and more importantly, from Colorado, here for anyone on your gift list.

Hope’s Storehouse

Longmont

Hope’s is a place for, well, hope. They offer consignment items looking for a second life, sure, but they also provide a food bank, community resources, and a place to go to feel welcomed away from home. Give a gift with meaning by supporting a local business that gives back instead of ordering something off Amazon.

The Pros Closet

Louisville

Riding a bike is already an incredibly sustainable and eco-friendly way to get yourself around town, but when it’s time for a new ride maybe rethink purchasing a new bike, and go with a great quality used one instead. The Pros Closet helps cyclists stay even more in tune with the environment by reselling high end used bikes that are in great shape.

Little Horse Books & Vintage

Louisville

Old books and vintage items just go hand in hand. If you have a friend or loved one who loves to collect those items others have discarded, Little Horse is the place to grab it. Spend some time here sorting through the hidden treasures, turn the pages of an old book, and you’ll see the magic of vintage, thrifting and collecting second-hand items as well.

Thorne Nature Experience

Boulder

Thorne Nature Experience provides youths with a hands-on connection to nature via summer camps, early childhood education, and community programs. This connection to nature can inspire a lifelong love for preserving wilderness, helping animals, and reducing pollution that a classroom simply cannot fulfill.

Holiday Markets

Adams County Historical Craft Show

Dec. 2 – 9755 Henderson Road, Brighton

Everything for sale here is made by hand and part of the proceeds go to help the Adams County Historical Society as well. Buying local, thinking sustainable, and supporting historic preservation are all great reasons to come, but giving a handmade one-of-a-kind gift full of time and devotion is what really impresses this holiday season.

Brick’s Pop-up Market

Everyday – 471 Main St, Longmont

Bricks is hosting a pop-up market from now through December that include food, shopping, and entertainment throughout the opening. Offering 100 local Colorado brands, the pop-up is open every day from 10am until 8pm, except for Sundays where they close at 5pm. Bricks takes the guesswork out of giving local.

Boulder Holiday Gift Festival

Dec. 10 – 2850 Mapleton Ave, Boulder

Free concerts starting at noon, over 100 vendors, and local crafts all make the Boulder Holiday Gift Festival the place to find yourself on Sunday the 10th. Located at the Boulder YMCA, this indoor market will be here regardless of the weather.

Erie Highlands Arts & Crafts Festival

Dec 2 – 185 Highlands Cir, Erie

Swag bags, hot pepper jams, and food trucks all help make this an event, not just a time to shop. Free admission and live music also make the whole gift buying experience even better. Find a local craft, perfect gift, or unique item for  under the tree or in the stocking.

Winter Market

December 2-3 Boulder County Fairgrounds, Longmont

No winter season is complete without strolling through a winter market, warm drink in hand, searching for that perfect present for that special someone. Boulder County’s Winter Market is a great spot to take in the sights and sounds, but also snag a gift. Be sure to stop by.

Art & Gift Sale

Dec 3 – Lafayette Public Library, Lafayette

Mental Health Partners and the Lafayette Public Library are partnering together to offer a local gift and art market. Support an incredible cause and find a gift that resonates in a unique way at this healing through art event.