Eco-friendly gift ideas for Dad

Show dad how much you care this Father’s Day with gifts that are as good for him as they are for the planet. He’ll flip over his eco-friendly loot and appreciate your planet-friendly values more than the polyester socks and chemical-laden cologne of yesteryear.

When it’s time for Pops to wake up and smell the coffee, make sure it’s made with organic, fair-trade and bird-friendly beans from Toronto’s Birds and Beans. Instead of growing beans on land cleared of all other vegetation, bird-friendly coffees are planted under a canopy of trees that provides a natural habitat for birds and are grown without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.

Got a nine-to-five dad? Send him to the office in an ECOLUTION tie from Comondi, made from natural and chemical-free hemp.

After recent warnings about the dangers of bisphenol A in hard plastic water bottles, lightweight aluminum bottles from SIGG are the perfect solution. SIGG bottles are durable, nontoxic, safe from leaching and 100% recyclable after their long lives. Plus, they’re a proud member of 1% For the Planet, an alliance of businesses committing 1 percent of all sales to environmental causes. Available in Toronto at the Big Carrot, Whole Foods, Curbside Cycle and other retailers.

Give the gift of offsetting a tonne of CO2 with a carbon offset card from Zerofootprint.

Every guy appreciates a cold beer on a hot, sunny afternoon. Tie a bow around a six-pack of 100% natural brews from Mill Street. Mill Street’s Organic Lager is Ontario’s first organic lager and contains no pesticides, insecticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers.

Lighten Dad’s footprint with a pair of rugged Rippler Chukka boots made with organic cotton canvas and a recycled rubber outsole from Timberland.

For the bookworm, check out Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. Pollan lets the facts speak for themselves as he navigates through the nutritional minefield that has come to typify our food culture and examines what we should eat from the perspective of health.

Dad will be a modern-day outlaw with grooming products from Herban Cowboy. Free of dyes and harsh synthetics, this vegan-friendly line includes shaving cream, soap, deodorant and cologne and is bottled in biodegradable packaging printed with soy-based inks. Available in Canada at Loblaws and Whole Foods and online at thevitaminshoppe.com.

Bring a bottle of carbon-positive wine from Lifford Wine Agency to your Father’s Day dinner. Lifford partnered with Tree Canada to plant a tree in Sudbury for every bottle of plantatreewine purchased beginning this spring with the goal of planting 100,000 in the first year. The grapes for plantatree were farmed using sustainable agricultural practices in California, then transported in bulk to Niagara, where they were bottled in PET bottles made in Mississauga and packaged in recycled cardboard cartons made in Ontario. Plantatree Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are available at LCBO stores for under $15.

Dad can generate his own energy with a Logan bag from Noon Solar. Made from chrome-free, vegetable-dyed leather with naturally-dyed hemp, the courier-style bag includes solar technology that can power a cell phone or iPod and is roomy enough for most laptops.

If it’s the thought that truly counts, save precious resources with an eco-friendly e-card from SaveATreeCards or the World Wildlife Federation. Nearly 40% of trees logged in Canada’s ancient forests and 65% of trees from Canada’s boreal forests are used to produce pulp and paper. E-cards eliminate the need for paper, ink, packaging materials and carbon emissions generated by production and delivery.