Gift guide part 1: Dreaming of a green Shanghai Christmas

Ah Christmas time! It has finally arrived: the time to open our hearts, give back, spread holiday cheer and ... exacerbate the hastened pollution of our environment? Not quite. Fortunately, there are plenty of Shanghai green gift options that are as stylish as they are environmentally-friendly.

1. Shanghai green gift: Bambu kitchenware

The next holiday potluck party that calls for the contribution of a tray of cheeses or a large bowl of holiday pudding, look no further than Bambu’s kitchenware made from renewable materials. While these stylish bowls (RMB 380) and trays (RMB 150) may not make your cooking taste any better, leaving them as a gift at the party will certainly make a good impression on your host and the planet.
Nest, Rm. 201, 2/F, Bldg 3, 210 Taikang Lu, near Sinan Lu, 泰康路210号3号楼201室, 近思南路, +86 21 6466 9524

2. Shanghai green gift: A bike

Santa doesn't use gasoline, so neither should you. Because hitching up Rudolf could be a little tricky, a bike is a Shanghailander's next best option for green transport around the city. You can purchase a new set of wheels for yourself or as a gift in almost any budget range at local bike shops. For fixed gear bikes and anything off road, Speedcat is the place to shop. If you’re looking for a bike that’ll go anywhere -- literally -- Dahon Folded Bicycle Store has folding bikes that will fit under the tree (and just about anywhere else). Giant has a variety of mid-range bikes and accessories.

Giant, 743 Jianguo Xi Lu, near Hengshan Lu (multiple locations) 建国西路743号，近衡山路, +86 21 6437 5041
Speedcat, 404 Xiangyang Nan Lu, near Jianguo Lu 襄阳南路404号, 近建国路, +86 21 6467 1586
Dahon Folded Bicycle Store, 698 Tianshan Lu, near Gubei Lu (multiple locations) 天山路698号, 近古北路, +86 21 6234 8070, www.mydahon.com

3. Shanghai green gift: Organic fruit basket

BIOFarm, China’s largest supplier of organic products, offers the gift that literally keeps on giving, for three months at least. Sign up a friend for BIOFarm’s home-delivery service of organic fruits and vegetables for the minimum subscriptions of three months or go all out with a gift of up to a year. A basket that feeds one to three people per week costs RMB 69. Another option? Newcomer to the organic game FIELDS. FIELDS also does home delivery as well as supplies local restaurants. You know you're good when the PuLi Hotel is a client.
FIELDS, +86 21 6217 4505, www.fieldsinchina.com.cn
BIOFarm, 400 620 0789 or +86 21 6469 1721, info@biofarm.cn, www.biofarm.cn

4. Shanghai green gift: Shanghai Roots & Shoots donation

A truly selfless green gift is donating to a environmental philanthropy on a friend’s behalf. Roots & Shoots, the brainchild of Jane Goodall, is an international philanthropic organization with the aim to “educate youths about environmental issues and humanitarian values.” For RMB 25 each, you can buy a tree for Roots & Shoots' Million Tree Project to help stop desertification in China  as well as offset the gift receiver’s carbon footprint (which you can approximate online). If you want to "splurge" go for the RMB 30 bamboo tree ornament where RMB 25 goes to planting a tree and RMB 5 buys you an memento to remember your donation. With a green gift as easy as this one, everyone can breath a bit easier.
Milllion Treet Project, Shanghai Roots & Shoots, +86 21 6352 3580, info@mtpchina.org, www.mtpchina.org

5. Shanghai green gift: Recycled Wrapping Paper

We know not to judge a book by its cover, but it’s even harder not to assess the contents of a gift based on its wrapping -- so your wrapping better look good, and green. You won't feel a tinge of green guilt this year when you wrapping gifts though if you do it in Paper Tiger’s recycled paper. You'll have a clear conscience and your gift will be the best looking box under the tree. RMB 15 per sheet.
Paper Tiger, 796B Julu Lu, near Fumin Lu, entrance via Lane 786, turn left at first row 巨鹿路796B弄, 近富民路, 从786弄进入, 在第一个弄口左转, +86 21 138 1781 7514, www.papertigershanghai.com

  6. Shanghai green gift: Anything from Live Green

Some of the best green products can be found online. One site that has just about anything your green conscience could desire is Shanghai-based Live Green. From stapleless staplers to adorable recycled paper holiday cards, stainless steel chopstick to keep in your desk for lunch to bamboo towels, this site has just about any stylish green gift you could want. Is it more eco-friendly to shop online?  Who knows, but with all the possible presents here, we do know that you might not have to look anywhere else.
www.livegreen.com.cn