JOIN USThe idea of gifting something to a loved one is always stressful. One has to keep in mind their likes, dislikes and even fetishes to think of something special for them, Be it a birthday or an anniversary or a promotion, one always like to celebrate the occasion with a gift.
But in today’s world of increased awareness of ourselves and our surroundings, do you really want to burden people with gifts that will only add to their clutter? Today, there is an increased demand to reduce wastage. Our planet doesn’t need another plastic photo frame nor does it need a glass dolphin statue. Such thoughts immediately lead one to wonder if gifting can be eco-friendly too. What if we could gift things that don’t add any more stress to our already-burdened planet, instead help it turn more ‘green’.
Looks like this is actually turning into reality in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A firm, Gift-a-Green, has developed ‘green’ cards that you can grow and eat. These cards are not just recyclable, but they are actually a base to grow leafy microgreens.
With the help of the company, Urban Cultivator, who provides them with their seeds, Gift-a-Green sends their little package of green to people you love with a greeting message such as ‘Thank You’ and ‘Happy Birthday’. These are sent through post, just like a postcard. The pouches come complete with soil and seeds.
At the back of the packet, there is a postcard with a label. This gives you space to write a personal message like a normal postcard. You write the address of the person you want to send it to and put your stamp on it. The pouches are expected to sell for about $10 each.
When the ‘giftee’ receives the card, all they have to do is add water and wait patiently. As soon as the Gift-a-Green pouch is opened, and the seeds are watered, edible microgreens will begin to sprout after one to two weeks. The company has specifically selected seeds that grow and are ready to eat within a two-week period.
After it has grown, the giftee not only has a great decorative element, but also something that proves to be green. Gift-a-Green offers five different varieties of seeds including mustard, arugula, sunflower, kale and radish.
The beginning
Bryan Kinney, co-founder of Gift-a-Green, said in a recent interview that the idea came when they were trying to develop an online tool to aggregate gifts from
Canada and recycle them. The idea however evolved further into developing an eco-friendly product. It comes in the form of a thin pouch with a greeting card attached to the front face, and a postcard on the back.
The fact that you can send something to someone which the recipient need not put in the garbage right away is quite amazing. Further, it is promoting a healthy lifestyle.
With such a ‘green’ gift, every home-dweller can experience growing microgreens and help sustain the planet. Imagine getting a postcard in your mailbox that will not go into the dustbin after a few days?
Given the climate change effects we are witnessing today, there’s an urgent need for something like this in our country too. Since we are known for our festive celebrations, it makes sense to gift something like these cards. Such cards can also replace the tambula in marriages.
The world needs our help and all it takes is a little effort on our part to make it healthy and green again.