MNN - Mother Nature Network

Father's Day is around the corner ... June 21 to be exact. So it's time to start looking for the perfect gift that will make both Dad and the planet smile. Got a father who's hard to please? Never fear, here's a list of green Father's Day gifts perfect for all kinds of dads, from sports nuts to tech-heads.   

 

The Traditional Dad: If ties and shirts are your Dad's thing, hook him up with a cool hemp tie from Ecolution or stylish organic cotton polo shirt (Patagonia, $55)

 

 

 

The Sports Nut Dad: Got a dad who loves sports? Buy him some season tickets to his favorite local sporting event or scour eBay for old sports memoribilia that might suit his tastes. If Dad likes to get out and play, get him a fair trade basketball (or football, or soccer ball) from Respect ($29.99) a bamboo baseball bat (Perfect Game Spot, $59) or a hip snowboarding bag made from recycled billboards (Green Guru, $85.)

 

  

The Outdoorsy Dad: It's easy to find a green gift for the dad who loves the outdoors. If Dad loves to garden and work in the yard, give him a gift certificate to the local nursery or let him pick out some organic seeds and gardening supplies from Seeds of Change. And any dad who likes to hike and camp will love the Solar Backpack that holds all his gear while using solar energy to charge his cell phone, iPod or PDA (EcoExpress, $129).  

 

 

The Techie Dad: For dads who love their gadgets, buy a digital picture frame to show off his pics without the hassle of printing, an online subscription to his favorite magazine, carbon offsets for all of his gear (calculate how much you need from TerraPass) , a solar power charger for all of his gadgets (Solio, $99) or give him the gift of paperless reading with the Amazon Kindle 2 (Amazon, $359.)  

 

The Foodie Dad: Connoisseur dads will love a basket of gourmet organic goodies from Whole Foods or your local natural food store or you can order one from Global Exchange or Kate's Caring Gifts. Better yet, cook him a yummy meal from organic and local ingredients or whip him up a batch of sinfully delicious organic chocolate chip cookies.  

 

 

 

And don't forget, what your Dad really wants is to spend a little time with you (and maybe a little free labor.) If you really want to please your Dad and the planet, offer up your time: paint a room, weed the garden, fix his computer or wash his car. 

 

(MNN homepage photo: esse757/Flickr)

 

See also:

• Father's Day poems: A guide

• Father's Day songs: A guide