Recycled LED Motherboard Menorah, $19.99 at Perpetual Kid

Is there anything as classic as a set of hand-crafted wood building blocks? No bells, whistles, batteries, LEDs, CFLs, or PAM*s required. Just an imagination and a desire to build things. And then to knock them down and build again.
The set of 24 blocks in walnut, maplele, and cherry comes boxed and ready to give. [...]

Baby (and parents!) will love these lullaby renditions of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, U2, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, The Eagles, Bob Marley, Coldplay, and more. Or check out organic socks or a cozy, insulated, fleece sac. Babies have it goooood.

OK, maybe that 12-year-old on your list won’t so much care that the surface of this ball is made of recycled rubber, or that for every 70 balls, 1 tire is left out of a landfill (not the most impressive stats, perhaps, but it’s something). But the camo-green color and catchy “Think Globally, Hoop Locally” slogan (printed right on the ball) jazzes up the Wilson Rebound–and what kid doesn’t love that new basketball smell?

What do you get for an engagement gift for a creative type-couple with a wacky sense of humor?

Check out this recycled bottle lamp. Not only can they customize it with their favorite bottled beverage (Grape Nehi, anyone?) but it’s sure to be a conversation piece as well as a lesson in conservation.

Ooh. Ah. Ooh. Ah. Glug. Burp.
Well, don’t you know. . .
That’s the sound of the men working on the (recycled bicycle) chain gang bottle opener.
$14 + shipping ($10 for 2 or more), at Resource Revival.

My sister and I have this little joke: I find out she’s throwing a party to which I’m not invited, and I call her and tell her I’m busy that night. Then, on the actual night of the wine tasting or football-watching gathering or bbq, she has a great time with her friends and I [...]