When Is A Green Gift NOT A Green Gift?
We’re shaking it up today for Green Gift Week with a guest post from Nick Kellet, Green Parent and creator of the Gift TRAP Game
A proud green dad of three girls, ages 7,9 and almost 11, Nick believes that being green is about making sure we do our bit to save the world for our children and their kids. “It’s our job to make them aware of the impact of our actions and choices and to follow through on the talk.” So he created the hip new Gift TRAP Game
Here’s what GiftTRAP’s Nick Kellet has to say about giving (and receiving) green gifts:
What image does the idea of “Giving Green” conjure up in your mind?
Bicycles
Solar Panels
Garden Composters
Wind turbines
Cloth napkins
CFL light bulbs
Organic wine
Recycled handbags
Whilst these gifts are all “green” in their own right, they can quickly change their color depending who you give them to. Exchanging gifts in our crazy world is a complicated dance of protocols and etiquette. There’s so much choice and everyone has his or her own unique perspective on the world. The perfect present can remain oh so elusive. An unwanted “green gift” ceases to be “green”. Unwanted gifts don’t get used and are simply wasteful.
According to our research here’s what people do with gifts they don’t like:
Re-gift it to another friend- 29%
Return it (with receipt) – 20%
Give it to charity – 19%
Keep it just in case – 19%
Sell it online – 8%
Garage sale – 5%
Our research shows that 1 in 3 gifts are unwanted. Does that surprise you? With so much “consumer” choice and so little “consumer” attention it’s easy to understand how this comes about. It’s not nice to tell your friend that you don’t like their gift, right? Or do they? It’s interesting to see what people think they want to be told if their friend does not like their gift:
Tell you they hate it – 65%
Pretend that they like it – 35%
So how much does “bad giving” cost YOU in your lifetime? We’ve estimated (based on average spend) that a typical person wastes $8k on unwanted gifts in their lifetime. So there’s lots of room for improvement. How do you choose the perfect gift? It takes two to tango and it takes two to give a good gift; a fact that many people find surprising. One friend must learn to listen, ask curious questions and remember things you say and then the other friend must learn to express their passions and bare their soul. In fact both friends need to reciprocate. When this happens and the next gift-giving occasion comes around you will both be fully equipped to choose wisely. So with all the stress of trying to pick the perfect present, where is the fun in giving?
Watching them open it – 48%
Seeing if they really like it – 27%
Thinking about what to give – 14%
Waiting for the gift they may get you! – 7%
Wrapping it – 5%
So the morale of the story; make sure you are present when your friend opens your gift. Try to get them to be honest. Watch out because 65% of people think they are good a lying; Here’s what people would do if their friend gave them a present they didn’t like:
They’d never know because you can fake it – 65%
You’d pretend, but they’d really know – 20%
You just have to tell the truth – 15%
It’s interesting how this conflicts with people’s desire to be told the truth. One encouraging statistic came from asking people’s views on second hard gifts:
A welcome change from rampant consumerism- 42%
A benefit to the environment – 31%
Tacky and cheap – 23%
Unclean and unwelcome – 4%
Over 70% of people surveyed had a positive opinion of second hand gifts.
Perhaps there’s hope in this material world.
Nick Kellet is the inventor of the award winning “Designer” party game called the Gift TRAP Game
Voted best party game by Games Magazine and Creative Child Magazine. It’s the world’s first gift-exchange game. Think “Secret Santa “as a board game.
Since launch in ’06 it’s been published in 8 languages and is on sale around the world. It’s a fun way to get your friends and family talking about green issues and how these thoughts map to all the other options and preferences in our lives. It’s been architected to create some fun conversation amongst friends.
For more info see http://www.gifttrap.com. Play on Facebook at http://apps.new.facebook.com/gifttrap/ Virtual gifts are big on Facebook, but with GiftTRAP there’s a twist, it’s a game where your friend gets to choose the gift they want – the challenge is did you guess it right! How well do you know your friends?
You’ll never cease to be amazed and discover new things you never knew about your friends and family. It’s a fun way to get some great gift ideas for your friends. And there’s nothing better that being present with your friends while you exchange virtual gifts.
The stats from this article were collected at GiftTRAP.com
Re-gifting is such a great way to reuse an gift that’s just not your style. I’m glad it seems like more people are starting to see the value in it!
I think regifting is a great idea, as long as you’re not rude or unthankful for the thought behind the gift. My kids get things they never use — which stinks for the person who paid for it — so several times a year we go through their shelves looking for unopened items and then I keep them on my “gift” shelf, for friends, cousins, or donation. Nothing should go to waste!