Nessa Land via Creative Commons
1. Group Gifting. When 15 people go in on one couch, bike or coffee shop gift certificate, that’s about 14 packages, aka “things,” that won’t sit on a shelf and end up in a landfill.
2. Skip the card! With inlu, when guests RSVP and contribute, they can leave a note.
3. Forget paper invitations. Our web-invitations let you coordinate the gift, event and/or charity collection on the world wild web. (psst…if you have to print them, that’s fine too! Try recycled paper and run a few off your computer. Less inks, dyes and bleached papers.)
4. Shop local. If you are the organizer or gift recipient, you can collect from far away and purchase something right in your own town! Check ETSY for local artisan gifts.
5. Skip the stuff, send the funds to what matters to YOU. Save a Cheetah, fund a water play pump system or provide Malaria Nets across the globe. Or, contribute to a local Make a Wish Chapter, Humane Society Shelter or Food Pantry. You ask people to pitch-in, we’ll pool and send funds in ONE SUM for you!
6. In lieu of shipping and pollution, skip extra rounds of CO2 emissions.Think Grandma in CA, Nana in FL and Auntie in AZ. Instead of packing and shipping from three locations, collect online and buy in ONE effort.
7. Get something you TRULY want vs. “just because” registry items. Statistics say that only about 1% of the stuff we buy is still in use after six months! So, if you’re gonna get a “thing” make it something AWESOME!
8. Be green the easy way. This has double meaning- in a down economy, it’s hard to justify spending a lot of money on anything! It’s also a perception that it’s expensive to be green. Inlu helps people save money by skipping the extra “stuff” and the rundaround (did you know the average person spends around $75/year on gift wrap?), while being greener by reducing waste AND, if you want, pooling for a fabulous, eco-friendly gift. Niiiice.
“Two of the hurdles that keep people from doing things in more earth-friendly, less wasteful ways are the extra time and cost often associated. Also, just not having the knowledge of how, or the tools, to help even the most eco–focused citizens live their lives in more eco-responsible ways. Inlu is a tool that removes the hurdles and provides the tools which will contribute to a paradigm shift in the more wasteful ways we have done things in the past. Helping us become a population that respects and protects both the earth and it’s residents today and in the future.”
-JUDY S, Los Gatos, CA
9. Set a gift cap- it curbs the crap. We’re NOT saying all gifts are crap…BUT if there’s something you REALLY want, it’s more likely you’ll use it for waaay longer. So, get that awesome gift BUT set the cap at the cost of the gift. Example: all you want is a new, funky cork eco-friendly birdhouse. It costs $X. Once you reach $X, all funds OVER THIS AMOUNT can be pooled and sent to any charity of your choice.
10. Give the gift of services. Ahhhh….a local massage is a fabulous SERVICE. Yoga classes? Yep. Dinner gift certificate? Yep. Movie passes? Sure. You get the idea. If you love your community, why not give a gift that keeps the love alive?
GET STARTED! Go to inlu.com, create an account (free) and start DRAFTING YOUR inlu. You can save it for later in your dashboard.
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