Recession Green Gift Giving Solutions - "Do It Yourself!"

This post will wrap up the last few posts and bring our Recession series posts to an end on a high note with a good chuckle (I'm sure we can all use one)....So most of us are not shopping at Saks this year, even if everything is practically on sale and for free (relative to the Saks standard), but most of us are looking for green gift alternatives. There are enough blogs and articles out there about green gift-giving so I'm going to stay away from that, but just in case you're living under a rock here are a few:

Gaiam's "Green Gift Guide: 30 Ideas for the Style Maven, Gadget Guy, Yoga Lover & More"

Treehugger's "Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Give Green to Save Green"

The Environmental Defense Fund's "Green Gifts for the Holidays"

These articles will give you great product green gift giving solutions, but I have a more green and recession friendly option inspired by my friends over at www.diygiving.com - "do it yourself!"

Remember when you were in kindergarten, before you knew how to count your change and balance a budget? Remember the creative freedom you had in putting together hand made gifts? Most importantly remember the big smile you put on your loved ones' faces when you gave them your hand-crafted gift that got posted on the refrigerator instead of returned to the department store or re-gifted to an enemy?

Well nothing put a bigger smile on my face than the above photograph of a "diy," "Do It Yourself" gift option, posted by an anonymous contributor on the diyGiving website, which features creative, do-it-yourself, economical gifts ideas for the holidays and special occasions. Not only was I smiling but I was on the floor dying of laughter. What's more organic and priceless than a good laugh??

Just make sure you're being eco-friendly and using Maxim Sanitary Pads when putting together your holiday slippers!

Holiday cheers to the creators of diyGiving.com for coming up with such a unique concept in green (in more ways then one) gift giving. Visit the diyGiving website to submit your "diy" Gift Giving idea; Maxim promises to send free Maxim products to whoever can up with more creative "diy" feminine hygiene inspired ideas like the one above. Email us with your address when your idea has been posted and we'll send you some Maxim Organic and Natural Cotton Feminine Hygiene Products so you can come up with more creative "diy" gifts or maybe just use them yourself.

Have fun "doing it yourself!"

Recession Retail Madness Ctd: Organics Will Prevail!

My Recession Retail Madness experience at Saks, described in the last post, is a rare opportunity, a spur of the moment occurrence based on the thrill of getting fashion for less, not anything like an organic shopping experience. Organic shopping comes with deep value. Values live beyond a sale or fashion trend. It's not like fashion where "one day you're in and the next day you're out." It's more like, once you go organic you'll never go back.

But, what are the numbers saying and do numbers outweigh values and trends?



The past four to five years have seen the largest growth in organic sales, anywhere from 20 - 30%. Here are some pre-recession statistics about the growth of organics that will tickle your green pickle:

- A study by the Soil Association shows retail sales of organic product sales at over $4 billion in 2007, with an average annual growth rate of 22%.

- “Sales of organic personal care products rose last year almost 20%, eight times the rate of overall sales of cosmetics and toiletries, according to some research.” (PLMA Scanner Spring 08)

- A survey of organic industry leaders by the Organic Trade Association forecasted that everyday use of organic products of all kinds would be both accepted and routine by the year 2025. Such a forecast is evident in the OTA’s 2005 Organic Non-Foods Category Sales Percent Growth figures provided below:


Organic Non-Foods Category Share, 2005
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05 Sales % Growth
Organic Categories ($Mil) 2005
------------------ -------- --------
Organic Supplements $238 29%
Organic Personal Care $282 28%
Products/Cleaners $ 19 29%
Organic Pet Food $ 30 46%
Organic Flowers $ 16 50%
Organic Fiber (Linens & Clothing) $160 44%
-----------------------------------------------------------
Total Organic Consumer Non-Foods Sales $744 32.5%


Here are some recently sited in-recession statistics that aren't so ticklish:

- Nielsen, a consumer marketing research company, reports "While 52-week dollar sales of UPC-coded organics are up 21% vs. last year, the most recent four-week period ending October 4, 2008, shows growth of only 11.2%. Last year, organics saw 27.1% sales growth during the comparable four-week period ending October 6, 2007."

- Mintel, a leading tracker of consumer product intelligence, reports "the price of all food at home increased more than 7% in the past year. “To cope with higher prices, many shoppers are simply opting not to buy pricey organic or premium brands,” explains Mogelonsky," a senior analyst at Mintel.


It's funny that this year Mintel is projecting a slowing of organic sales, when just last year they were predicting steady growth in organics as reported in "Organic Becomes Mainstream," showing that no projection or report could have ever predicted the recession were in now. This doesn't mean that "Organics are Recession Proof," but I would say they are trend-proof.

Sure organics have been on trend for the past few years, which is what some analysts are saying caused the tremendous sales growth indicated in the "ticklish" statistics first presented, but organics go beyond trends, especially when it comes to necessities and clear health threats, like the dangers of dioxin and the irritation caused by synthetics in conventional feminine hygiene products (had to plug my products here because they really do serve as a good example). Some women have no choice but to stick with organics because of the confirmed negative repercussions of choosing otherwise.

In observing and speaking with the people around me I feel confident in saying "organics will prevail!" Just today I spoke with a Sales Associate in the Organic and Natural department at NYC's very busy and bustling Fairway Market who described the mood of the Organic Shopper as extra conscious on where her dollars are being spent but not sacrificing her need and value for organics specifically in places where it really counts, like feminine hygiene. I was also very happy to see one of my close friends whom I know lives paycheck to paycheck is still stocking his Method, naturally derived biodegradable cleaning products; for him it came down to a re-prioritizing of his spending habits, like his own coffee in the morning instead of stopping at Starbucks on the way to work.

Like the way organics make us think twice about what we're putting inside and on our bodies or the way we're treating our environment, the recession is making us think twice about where we're spending our money. For many people it's a great time "re-access" their spending habits. The only difference is a recession is like a fashion trend, "one day it's in and the next day it's out." This recession will pass, just like tube socks died with the 80s, but Organic lifestyles are more intrinsic and here to stay because they are value driven.