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Claire Moshenberg's picture

Happy (almost) Father’s Day! Celebrate the dads in your life with nontoxic gifts and treats. With these easy tips, you can take toxic chemicals out of your Father’s Day BBQ, select or create your own luxurious nontoxic gifts, and wrap up your Father's Day presents in environmentally friendly, affordable packaging.

Shaving products, cologne, and more: Festive shaving kits, cologne sets, and other men's product packages are popular gifts for Father's Day. Make sure you're choosing the safest cosmetics possible for the men in your life.

Better BBQs: Taking the traditional Father's Day BBQ route? A few easy swaps and tricks will help take toxic chemicals off the guest list for your Father's Day feast.

  • Be efficient: According to TreeHugger, barbequeing with the hood closed is an easy way to maintain energy efficiency while also helping your meats get evenly cooked.
  • Marinate your meat: The process of grilling meat creates compounds called HCAs, which have been linked to breast, prostate, and colon tumor growth. One of the easiest, and tastiest, ways you can reduce HCAs in your grilled meats is to soak meats in a marinade before throwing them on the grill. Choose vinegar or lemon based marinades: Their acidity prevents HCAs from sticking to the meat. Steer clear of sugary marinades that encourage charring; these should only be used in the last few minutes of grilling. And remember to marinate your food in a closed container in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
  • Reduce packaging: Look for ways to reduce the amount of plastic and packaging you purchase. Save money, and avoid packaging, by buying bulk snacks, sweets, and ingredients. Steer clear of overly packaged convenience produce, like prewashed lettuce, premade carrot sticks, or individually wrapped fruits or veggies. These items often carry a higher price tag. Look for loose produce at your supermarket, or use this tool to find a local farmer’s market. Skip plastic tubs or bags by using minimally packaged ingredients to make one of your favorite snack foods at home, like potato chips or salsa.
How to Wrap Your Father's Day Gifts:
  • Tape:  The Green Guide recommends stocking up on PVC free tape or recycled gummed paper tape. And remember, when that flurry of gift opening is over and it’s time to gather up and recycle the wrapping paper, tape interrupts the recycling process. Make sure to remove all tape from leftover packaging and paper that you recycle this holiday season.
  • Cards: Create original, earth friendly cards by decorating recycled paper!
  • Wrapping paper: Recycle, recycle, recycle! Newspaper, coloring book pages, old maps: All of these paper items make perfect wrapping paper. Let your kids decorate recycled paper by drawing or painting hearts, tracing hand prints, or just adding their own gorgeous scribbles.

 ***Looking for nontoxic tips? Join us this Thursday at 6:00 pm PT/9:00 pm ET for a tweetchat with Women's Voices for the Earth! Click here for more information on how to join.


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