My most recent observation: You can buy eco-friendly goodies — or you can just give that money to eco-motivated nonprofits and get those eco-friendly goodies for free.

Okay — So I suppose if a “free” gift requires a donation, that gift isn’t exactly free. Still — If you can use your money to just get what you want — or to help an eco-charity AND get stuff you want, wouldn’t you prefer the latter?

Allow me to illustrate.

>> Environmental Working Group, an eco nonprofit whose Skin Deep database I use frequently, offers a Pollution Solutions gift bag (right) — for a $135 donation.

>> In contrast, Jump Start to Green offers a “Jumpstart Complete” bag (left) — ostensibly a bag that contains all one needs to get started on a green lifestyle — for $89.99.

So EWG’s bag does cost $45 more. But let’s look at the differences. Both bags give you a Klean Kanteen stainless steel bottle, a reusable grocery bag (EWG’s is more eco), and eco-fying info (EWG offers a cosmetics guide, pesticide magnet, notepad and bookmark, while Jump Start offers a 6-page “Guide to Green”).

Beyond that, Jump Start offers what seems like a lot more items, but most don’t actually seem like stuff a would-be environmentalist would need.

Yes, Jump Start’s CFL bulbs, Smart Strip powerstrip, and sponge cloths could come in handy (though not regiftable without seeming either cheap or eco-pushy). But the rest of the stuff, I’m not so sure. I’ve yet to meet anyone who actually uses a shower timer, for example. A brick would do about as well as the Toilet Tank Bank, and a refrigerator thermometer’s totally unnecessary in most modern fridges, as is a hot water temperature card in most modern homes. The stamped and addressed envelopes intended to reduce junk mail could be taken care of more eco-style with a few phone calls, and the last 3 items — the dry-erase tracker, static stickers, and car wndow sticker — which are intended to help record and remember eco-habits, could be replaced with simple pieces of recycled paper or post-its.

EWG offers extras too: A Box of 6 Crummy Brothers organic chocolate chip cookies (yummy for yourself, or totally regiftable or acceptable as a contribution to a holiday potluck), a 6-piece Pyrex glass container set (again, regiftable if you’ve already got reusable containers), and $25 in coupons for free products from companies like Seventh Generation and Stonyfield. If you’re one of the first 500 donors, you also get a copy of Green Goes With Everything (regiftable, though eco-pushy if given to someone with no eco-inclinations).

Weigh those differences when you make your holiday shopping and gifting decisions. I guess part of what I’m trying to do is encourage you to let your money serve a double purpose if that’s possible. But a second point of this post is to encourage you to evaluate the real value of any gift bag you buy. Sure, gift bags make for fast, easy gifts — but what good are they if many of the items in them aren’t necessary?

Evaluate the eco-merits of your eco gift bag before typing in your credit card number — because most just hold CFL bulbs and faucet aerators, plus a whole buncha doodads people don’t need (an “energy wheel” that “gives users helpful tips on ways to conserve energy,” anyone?) Make sure you’re getting your money’s worth — not contributing to unnecessary waste by buying up eco-duds.

Update, 12/2/08: A new give to get post — A Surf-inspired eco T-shirt with benefits

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