Your Sustainable Holiday Shopping Guide

Holiday shopping doesn’t have to mean buying more stuff. Our sustainable gift guide highlights local shops, secondhand treasures, and low-waste options that make giving feel good—for you, your wallet, and the environment.

Sustainable & Local Gift Ideas for Villa Park (and Beyond!)

  • Buy Villa Park gift cards to support local restaurants, makers, and small businesses

  • Shop secondhand at local resale stores like The Old Globe and JL Vintage Odds and Ends (Lombard). Vintage hunting = sustainable gifting

  • Support local bookshops, like Cornerstone Used Books and Unicorn Comics & Cards

  • Get active with a gift card to a local escape room like Escape the Room (Oak Brook) or an amusement center like Activate Games (also in Oak Brook)

  • Treat someone to a cozy coffee date at Villa Perk or Funky Java

  • Give pottery or art class experiences, such as Salt Creek Pottery or Michael Symber Studios (Elmhurst)

  • Gift memberships or tickets to Chicago-area favorites: Brookfield Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago Botanic Garden, Field Museum, MSI, or the Art Institute

  • Build a “Sustainable Starter Kit.” Include a reusable tote bag, beeswax wraps, stainless steel straws, and a note about why you chose eco-friendly gifts

  • Create a homemade “gift certificate” for your help planting a native garden in the spring. Pair it with a packet of native seeds from Possibility Place Nursery or a local garden center

  • Gift a wellness experience: yoga, meditation, massage, or mindfulness classes at local studios like Ahimsa Yoga Studio (Elmhurst) or spa packages at Villa Park/Lombard area spas

  • Buy a share or support local food systems through nearby CSAs like Rustic Road Farm (Wheaton) or Green Earth Harvest (Naperville)

  • Donate to an environmental group your loved one cares about, such as Sustain DuPage, Illinois Sierra Club, The Conservation Foundation, or Go Green Villa Park

  • Go BIG with a sustainable surprise: an e-bike, scooter, home composting system, rain barrel, solar consultation, electric yard tools, or a plan to install an induction stove

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