Gift Guides: Animal Lovers
Hello everyone! We’re back to share another sustainable gift guide to make your shopping for friends and family as stress-free and eco-friendly as possible. In this gift guide, we’ll be focusing on gifts and experiences catered towards Animal Lovers! Whether your loved one is a stay-at-home dog fan or a wildlife adventurer, these gifts will be sure to highlight their care for animals all year long.
Credit: Pacific Marine Mammal Center
Donations: Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Marine Mammal Care Center, Friends of the LA River
Before we get into physical gifts, please take a moment to consider donating to an environmental nonprofit in honor of your loved one. Some nonprofits that help the causes of Animal Lovers are the Pacific Marine Mammal Center and Marine Mammal Care Center, both marine mammal hospitals along the coast of Southern California, as well as Friends of the LA River, which helps to protect and restore the urban ecosystem of dozens of species of Los Angeles. All of the nonprofits featured on Planet Presents work hard to protect our global ecosystem, and a donation would show your loved one you also seriously care about the causes they are passionate about. You can donate to PMMC here, MMCC here, and FoLAR here.
Home-made Birdfeeder
If your Animal Lover is particularly fond of hand-made gifts, a home-made birdfeeder is a fantastic way to show your care about them! All you need is some supplies from your local backyard store and a strong tree branch. You can use almost anything as a birdfeeder, from an old plastic water bottle to half a carved out pumpkin (if you have any left over from Halloween). Assembling the birdfeeder could be an awesome activity for the days after Christmas as well. A gift for your loved one and the birds!
Credit: Beevive
Beevive Solitary Bee Hotel
We often think of bees as creatures who live in hives with thousands of members, but in reality there are several species of bees who are completely solitary animals. These bees don’t have cozy hives to go back to at the end of the day, so a solitary bee hotel - like this one from the bee-saving company Beevive - is a perfect way to give these bees a place to sleep. The hotel is made from sustainable wood and for each of these products purchased Beevive will plant one tree in partnership with One Tree Planted. This is the perfect gift for Animal Lovers who also love tending to their garden, as the bee hotel will attract pollinators to make your plants extra vibrant! You can purchase the bee hotel and other Beevive products here.
Credit: Pacific Marine Mammal Center
Symbolic Animal Adoption
Symbolic Animal Adoptions are similar to donations to nonprofits, but come in the form of choosing a species of wildlife to sponsor and often come with physical or digital components that educate about the specific nonprofit. In this way, symbolic animal adoptions are perfect for younger animal lovers who are beginning to learn about the importance of the environment and giving. Many smaller nonprofits offer symbolic animal adoptions for the animals they specifically work with, including the Pacific Marine Mammal Center for seals and sea lions and The Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys for sea turtles. The World Wildlife Fund, a larger nonprofit, also offers dozens of different animal adoption kits for the many different animals they work with across the world.
Credit: San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Overnight Zoo/Aquarium Experience
For Animal Lovers who are fond of experience-oriented gifts, many zoos and aquariums offer overnight programs that let you spend the night close to the animals, having unique interactions few others will experience! Animals are most active at sunset and sunrise, so zoos will often cater to this and allow you to view the animals after hours. In Southern California, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park offers a variety of overnight programs and accommodations for all different age groups and experiences. The Aquarium of the Pacific also occasionally offers overnight and late night events, if your Animal Lover is particularly fond of aquatic animals.
Credit: The Kind Pet
The Kind Pet Sustainable Products
Founded by two pet lovers on a journey towards sustainable living, The Kind Pet is a fantastic online resource and store for reducing your pet’s impact on the environment. Full of sustainable toys, beds, foods, leashes, and treats, this shop is perfect for any Animal Lover who really cares about their pet. Our recommendations are a sustainable dog/cat harness (they’re more humane and comfortable when your pet is on a leash) and one of the many amazing toys and treats on the website!
That’s it for this gift guide! Stay on the lookout for more gift guides throughout the holiday season and stay tuned to @planetpresentsofficial on Instagram to get more gift recommendations.
