14 Awesome Earth Day Gifts For Employees

Earth Day, founded in 1970, aims to raise awareness of environmental issues that need urgent attention, like deforestation, air pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Originally an American initiative, today it unites billions of people around the world in the fight against the most pressing environmental issues. 

Earth Day also unites employees and employers. Employees increasingly want to work for companies that match their values, and celebrating Earth Day with your employees is a great way to showcase your dedication to sustainability and the environment. It’s a fun but necessary initiative for kickstarting long-term sustainability in the office and at home. 

Celebrate this Earth Day with these awesome Earth Day gifts for employees. Whether you’re looking for something thoughtful, fun, or practical, this list has it all. 

14 Of The Best Earth Day Gifts For Your Employees

1. Rewards Card 

Research shows that 68% of employees prefer choosing their gifts, and it might just be in your budgeting benefit to take this research at face value. 

If you don’t know your employees well or you have a big team that makes personalization difficult, rewards cards are your best bet this Earth Day. 

Sign up with PerkUp and send cash rewards all across the globe with ease. Add a personal message, one dedicated to Earth Day, and talk a bit about how your employees can help the environment. 

As a bonus, unlike other rewards cards, PerkUp lets you keep all the unused funds. With PerkUp, you never waste resources – a key concept for Earth Day. 

2. Desk Or House Plant 

There is no better Earth Day gift than a plant. Greener and more robust landscapes are a must for a green future. Fortunately, a greener environment doesn’t have to be limited to the outdoors. 

Decorate the office, improve your employee's mental and emotional well-being, and better the atmosphere in the office with desk plants. Small, compact, and impactful, they make a great Earth Day gift. A low-maintenance plant, like a succulent or peace lily, makes the perfect office companion. 

If you’re feeling extra generous, get your employees a house plant like a peace lily or a fern. 

3. Charity Donation 

Another key concept of Earth Day is charity donations, specifically to climate initiatives that improve environmental crises around the world. If you want to make a difference and get your employees involved, give them the opportunity to bring change. 

Offer to make a small charity donation in your employee's name. You can also ask them to donate on their own and match their donations. 

Donate to a charity of your choice, like the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, etc. Or you can donate the funds directly to Earth Day, who’ll put it straight to work fighting the environmental crisis at the frontline. 

4. Reusable Water Bottle 

Part of making a difference is taking responsibility for your own waste and CO2 emissions. One way to cut back on plastic and water waste is by using a reusable water bottle. 

So, get your employees reusable water bottles to take on all their adventures. Take it one step further and personalize the bottle with your company logo. Employees love branded company swag and it’ll be no different on Earth Day. 

5. Lunch Box & Cooler 

Buying lunch every day at work is expensive. Overconsumption is also very bad for the environment. But what are you to do when just the thought of packing lunch is overwhelming? 

Well, you get your employees cool lunch boxes and coolers. They’re reusable, meaning your employees aren’t creating more waste. And having a cool lunch box and cooler to pack your lunch in is much more of an incentive to pack lunch than you’d imagine. 

Even if your employees only pack lunch a few days out of the week, it’ll still make a difference. 

6. Earth Day T-Shirt 

Show your support for the cause with Earth Day t-shirts. Whether it’s promoting the Earth Day website, the need to save the planet, reduce, reuse, recycle, or a meme that wholesomely supports climate change, a t-shirt is a versatile and easy gift. 

There are hundreds of options to choose from. You can also design your own line of branded swag with climate change slogans to showcase just how much your company stands behind the Earth Day cause and sustainability. 

7. Solar Powered Charger 

Going completely solar isn’t a viable option for everyone. But that doesn’t mean small changes don’t make a difference. 

Long hours commuting and even longer hours at work drain phone batteries fast. This means more people are charging their phones at work and increasing their carbon footprint. 

A mini solar-powered charger uses the sun to charge small devices, like phones and wireless earphones. It’s portable, easy to use, lowers CO2 emissions, and makes for a great Earth Day gift. 

8. Tray/Mini Garden 

Another fun way to introduce greenery into your employee's office, whether it be at the company building or their remote office, is with a tray or mini garden. 

As the name suggests, these tiny gardens are cultivated in little trays or pots. There are a multitude of plant options to choose from, from hardy cacti to little flowering cosmos.

9. Zero Waste Toiletries 

With the sustainability market growing, we’ve seen an influx of zero-waste toiletries hit the market. These are natural cleaning products that have no packaging. Those that do have packaging are refillable and produce no waste that ends up in a landfill.

Opting for zero-waste toiletries is a simple but highly effective way to reduce your climate impact and reduce consumption – both necessary steps for a cleaner, greener future. 

Give your employees a taste of the zero-waste world with zero-waste toiletries. From bars of shampoo and conditioner to body wash in reusable glass containers, they might find products they like and stick to the zero-waste way. 

10. Gifts Made From Recycled Materials 

If you’re looking for simple, budget-friendly gifts with a positive message, gifts made from recycled materials are your best bet.

Recycled paper, tote bags, sunglasses, jewelry, cleaning supplies, clothes – these are just a few of the hundreds, if not thousands, of options out there. 

11. Reusable Travel Cutlery 

Whether it’s a business trip across the country and eating takeout on the road or buying a drink from your favorite coffee shop, all the disposable plastic spoons and straws make a dent in our environmental goals. 

The best way to overcome this is with reusable travel cutlery. Gift your employees a small travel kit with a steel straw, spoon, fork, knife, and chopsticks. Your employees can use their steel set instead of the disposable cutlery at eateries and reduce plastic waste. 

12. Seed Kit 

Encourage your employees to grow their own garden with a small seed kit. Most seed kits come with instructions and a nutrient-dense growing medium. All your employee has to do is water it. 

Make the gift even more useful by purchasing a herb seed kit. As pretty as flowers are, there’s nothing as fun as reaching over to your little windowsill garden to pluck fresh herbs for dinner. 

13. Compost Bins

Organic waste like food waste is not just bad for our wallets. It’s also bad for the environment. And with a third of the world’s food going to waste, it’s clear we need to do better. 

Help your employees do better by gifting them a small compost bin. They can use the little bin to collect all their food waste, which they can then convert into fertilizer to grow their own plants. 

14. Natural Eco-Friendly Candles 

Candles are great gifts, but they’re not always eco-friendly. If you still want to gift candles this Earth Day, opt for eco-friendly candles. Made from natural beeswax and scents, these candles are great for the environment and your employees' carbon footprint. 

Final Thoughts

Earth Day is fast approaching and the need for change has never been more crucial. Raise awareness for the Earth Day cause, show your appreciation to your employees, and reduce their carbon footprint with these amazing Earth Day Gifts. 

Don’t hesitate to take your Earth Day initiatives beyond Earth Day itself. Use this as an opportunity to implement long-term sustainability practices in your business model and encourage your employees to do the same at home. 

To get on board with sustainable gifting and minimize waste, check out PerkUp. With PerkUp, you can effortlessly send rewards your employees truly want and need. Send gift cards, eco-friendly items, and branded swag across the world. Book a PerkUp demo today!