Sustainable gift ideas from 12 alumni-owned businesses
Support your fellow alumni — and the planet — with gifts made from upcycled materials, shipped in recyclable packaging, and designed for reuse.
The holidays are nearly here, and for many of us, that means it’s time to find gifts for our loved ones. Choices abound. How do we pick the right gift for each person? How do we ensure our purchases are eco-friendly? Luckily, the UBC community has produced a bounty of entrepreneurs who just might be able to help.
Each of the alumni-owned businesses on this list is dedicated to sustainability in its own way, whether that be making products out of rescued materials that would otherwise languish in landfills or pollute local ecosystems, refusing to use plastic packaging, or bringing a reusable alternative to a market dominated by single-use plastic. These gift ideas can help you and your loved ones live more sustainable lives — and you’ll be supporting your fellow alumni as a bonus.
Make the house smell like cookies
The beer-making process leaves behind hundreds of thousands of tons of spent grain — malted barley that has been soaked to extract the sugars — annually in Canada. Susgrainable, co-founded by Marc Wandler (MBA’19), gives spent grain from breweries a new life by milling it into flour to use in their delicious baking mixes. What better Christmas morning activity than making the house smell like chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, or waffles?
Visit the “Milkless Way”
Emma Smith (BCom’11) is fiercely passionate about animal rights, environmental stewardship, and organic sweet treats. That’s why she founded Zimt Chocolates, a confectionery committed to crafting vegan chocolate — which doesn’t contribute to the hefty carbon footprint of animal agriculture — and using only compostable packaging. Satisfy any sweet tooth with delectable dark, orange cardamom “milk”, or London Fog white chocolate bars, or indulge in their Zero Waste candy bars.
Susgrainable uses flour made from spent grain to make delicious baking mixes.
Photo courtesy of Susgrainable.
Zimt's chocolate bars are vegan, organic, and wrapped in compostable packaging.
Photo courtesy of Zimt Chocolates.
Cristina Dias Carneiro's family's coffee farm is dedicated to caring for the planet and the community.
Photo courtesy of Mogiana Coffee.
Caffeinate your favourite coffee lover
From her family’s farm in Brazil to the roastery in Burnaby, BC, Cristina Dias Carneiro (BCom’99) of Mogiana Coffee is dedicated to sustainability in all its forms. The farm generates all its own power 11 months out of the year, treats all wastewater produced, and composts discarded coffee husks to use as fertilizer. Beyond caring for the planet, they also care for the community: families working on their farm receive free housing, education, and access to health clinics. You can cater to the tastes of the coffee lover in your life with Mogiana’s espresso, French, and Rio roasts, and more.
Fuel their bubble tea obsession
Bubble tea is all the rage, but indulging the habit can mean producing large amounts of waste in the form of plastic cups and straws. Luckily, there are not one but two alumni-owned businesses that make reusable cups for the eco-conscious bubble tea fanatic in your life.
When Derek Ho (BMus’12, BEd’13) and Carrie Lai, who attended the Sauder School of Business, decided to reduce their consumption of single-use plastics, it seemed like they were going to have to give up bubble tea. Instead, they started Reusable BBT Cup, which offers glass tumblers with leak-proof lids and screw tops, as well as all the necessary accessories. For an extra sustainability boost, they sell superficially imperfect versions of their products at a reduced cost so that nothing goes to waste.
Co-founder of Teaboco, Julianne Nieh (BCom’21), who also works as a background actor and a flight attendant, was animated by the same dedication to both sustainability and boba. Teaboco’s glass tumbler comes in a variety of adorable pastel colours and is shipped in recycled packaging. You can even get the whole set, including metal straws, a cleaning brush, and a bubble tea-sized tote bag.
Reusable BBT Cup makes tumblers in several colours and styles.
Photo by Dominic Kwok / Sea To Sky Media.
Not only does Teaboco offer bubble tea tumblers in pastel colours, they sell adorable drink-sized totes.
Photo courtesy of Teaboco.
Unite comfort and fashion
LEZÉ the Label, co-founded by Tanya Lee (BA'13, MM’14), describes its clothing as “buttery.” Not only are they delightfully comfortable, these elegant solid-colour pieces are made from sustainable materials, most notably abandoned fishing nets. LÉZE the Label offers clothes for women and men that are comfortable in every setting — from the nine to five grind to cozying up on the couch.
Pamper the people you love — and the planet
When Natalie Farrell (BCom’11) went looking for a self-care routine that was gentle on the Earth, she wasn’t satisfied by the available options. That’s why she co-founded Well Kept Essentials, which offers a buy-it-once safety razor with a blade-recycling program. Well Kept also makes a collection of bath and body essentials made with all-natural ingredients and low-waste packaging — from bath salts to bubble bath. With all their products made by hand at their North Vancouver studio, Well Kept has everything you need to give the gift of a sustainably luxurious time in the bath.
Promote Okanagan local pride
The products from these alumni-owned businesses would make particularly good gifts for someone who attended UBC’s Okanagan campus or who currently lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley.
It’s hard to find Okanagan spirit more loud and proud than Okanagan Lifestyle Apparel. Founded by UBCO alum Jaclyn Robertson (BA’12), Okanagan Lifestyle is committed to local production that cuts carbon emissions. They use steam cleaning in textile manufacturing to cut water consumption by up to 75 per cent. Okanagan Lifestyle has everything you need for a perfect outdoor day: wine glasses, waterproof playing cards, and frisbees all made from recycled plastics. Plus, their Artist Series T-shirts celebrating Okanagan summer traditions, like picnicking on the lake and mountain biking until dusk, were designed by fellow UBCO alum Ashleigh Green (BFA’14).
Okanagan Lifestyle Apparel's "Shred 'Til Bed" T-shirt was designed by UBCO alum Ashleigh Green.
Photo by Matt Ferguson Photography.
Well Kept's safety razor comes in four colours: rose, cream, black, and kelp.
Photo by Jan Matthew Snarski.
Kelowna locals can refill their products at Chickpeace Refillery to reduce plastic waste.
Photo courtesy of Chickpeace Refillery.
Why buy another plastic container full of laundry detergent when you could just refill the container? That’s where Chickpeace Zero Waste Refillery comes in, founded by UBCO alum Allisha Heidt (MA’12). If you’re buying gifts for someone local to Kelowna, they can visit the refillery in person to restock and do their part to reduce plastic waste. But even if they’re not in Kelowna, Chickpeace offers a range of products that would make good gifts, from luxurious shampoo bars to organic masala chai tea.
For Okanagan locals closer to Vernon, check out FILL, a refill store started by Teresa Sanders (BSc’99). Like Chickpeace, the glass containers can be refilled in person once the product runs out, so you can give the gift of relaxing bath bombs that smell like lavender, eucalyptus, or chai, and FILL can keep the relaxation coming, or you can give a gift to help your loved ones live more sustainable lives, like reusable eye-makeup-remover pads or body lotion in a reusable glass container.
Commemorate a fallen tree
Dazzle art aficionados and nature lovers alike with a stunning print from Aragorn Arts. Casey MacAulay (BSF’97) uses the stumps of trees damaged in wildfires to produce monoprints, which are painting-like reproductions of the trees’ rings. Giving one of MacAulay’s prints is a great way to raise awareness about wildfires, help fund community wildfire recovery efforts, and give a second life to a tree damaged by wildfire, many of which were hundreds of years old.
Add a serotonin boost
Whichever gifts you choose to give this winter, they will be even more delightful paired with a punny handmade card from Angel + Hare. Each card features adorable art created by Angela Wong (BA’19) and comes in recyclable packaging. You can wish your loved ones a Pikachu-themed merry Christmas, “Meowy Catmas” from two cuddly kittens, or “Capy Holidays” from a sweet capybara.
