If you're gift hunting for a tree hugger, we're here to help. You're sure to find the perfect present below, whether you're after goodies for upcoming Father's Day, a birthday, or getting prepped for Christmas.
Buying a present for an eco warrior is a minefield, and they made the minefield themselves. Fast fashion is out, obviously. Plastic anything is out. Something flown in from a warehouse on the other side of the world, individually wrapped in three bags, is very out. They will check the label, and whatever the label says will be discussed.
So here's a guide where the gift itself passes the test. Everything below is printed to order in our Sydney studio, which means nothing is made until someone buys it and nothing gets landfilled at the end of a season. The blanks are ethically sourced AS Colour, the inks are OEKO-TEX certified, our printing has been carbon neutral since 2021, and we're rated by Good On You. That's the label conversation handled before it starts.
Sixteen options, running from blunt statements to birds worth protecting. Adult unisex sizing, XS to 5XL. Every picture goes straight to the product.
16 gift ideas for the eco warrior in your life
 How Good Are Trees Tee
Three little trees and the most Australian possible way of expressing environmental sentiment. No lecture, no stats, just: how good are trees. Unanswerable, because they're very good. |
 Look After Our Friends Tee
A grid of tiny animals, each labelled: little friend, sleepy friend, fancy friend. The whole conservation argument in its friendliest possible form, on a lime green vintage-style tee. |
 This World Tee
A painted Earth with pink stars: "this world belongs to all of us." The hopeful one, for the eco person who leads with love rather than doom. |
 Inside Microplastics Tee
"Inside you there are two wolves," corrected to "microplastics," delivered by a frog on a bicycle. The bleakest fact of the decade, made weirdly cheerful. |
 Nuclear Neverland Tee
A three-eyed unicorn in a glowing lava wasteland, drawn like a psychedelic kids' book that went wrong. For the eco person whose optimism has a body count. |
 Support Your Local Planet Tee
Shop local, applied at planetary scale. There's only one within delivery range, so it may as well get the loyalty. |
 Not Cool Tee
A polar bear on a shrinking bit of ice under a red sun, saying "not cool." Both meanings, fully intended, and the bear is right on both counts. |
 Protect Powerful Owls Tee
Australia's biggest owl, staring straight through you. A real threatened species with the best name in conservation, printed exactly as seriously as it deserves. |
 Certified Bird Nerd Tee
Drawn by Bridget Farmer, printmaker and bird illustrator from rural Victoria. Half the eco warriors you know are also this, and the certification is self-issued. |
 White Ibis Tee
The White Ibis Appreciation Society, membership badge included. Defending the bin chicken is the entry-level position of Australian environmentalism, and this makes it official. |
 Spotted Pardalotes Tee
Two spotted pardalotes among the wattle. Tiny native birds, drawn properly, for the person who plants natives specifically to attract them. |
 Clear The Air Tee
"Shall we clear the air?" Wildflowers, mushrooms, one snail. Works as an emissions statement and as a way to end an argument, which makes it the most versatile shirt here. |
 Save The Planet Tee
"The Earth is fkn dying, your problems aren't that important rn." The blunt one. Abbreviated swearing only, but it does not soften the message, and neither will the person wearing it. |
 Planet B Tee
A worried little hand-drawn Earth thinking "there ain't no planet B." The classic protest-sign line, in a form gentle enough that even the doom is likeable. |
 Back In Black Tee
A black cockatoo painted by Kirsty McIntyre, on purple. The habitat these birds depend on keeps shrinking, which makes wearing one around a fair form of campaigning. |
 Earth Speaks Tee
"The Earth speaks to all of us, if we listen," carried by a gentle giant robot the Ghibli fans will clock instantly. For the eco person whose formative text was a cartoon about the forest fighting back. |
Still stuck? Pick by what kind of eco warrior they are
They're not all the same fight. Match the temperament:
- Front of the march, sign in hand: Save The Planet, Planet B, Not Cool, Support Your Local Planet.
- Leads with hope, not doom: This World, How Good Are Trees, Clear The Air, Look After Our Friends.
- Doom, but funny about it: Inside Microplastics, Nuclear Neverland, Earth Speaks.
- Their activism has feathers: Protect Powerful Owls, Certified Bird Nerd, Spotted Pardalotes, White Ibis, Back In Black.
The bird wing of this list continues in the bird collection, and if their causes go beyond the environment, the activist collection is where we say the rest of it out loud.
You can also check out our other gift guides for cinephiles, nerds, Aussie millennials, foodies, kind people, birdwatchers, tired people, grumpy bastards, and pun lovers.
The part that actually matters for this gift
An eco warrior will judge the shirt before they judge the slogan, so here's the shirt's own record. Every piece is printed after you order it, in our Sydney studio. No mass production run, no warehouse of dead stock, no end-of-season landfill. Print-to-order is slower than fast fashion because it's the opposite of fast fashion.
The blanks are AS Colour, ethically sourced with Amfori BSCI and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifications. The inks are water-based and OEKO-TEX certified. Our printing has been carbon neutral since 2021, we're rated on Good On You, and a portion of every sale goes to Australian charity. We say printed in Australia rather than made in Australia because that's the honest version, and honesty is rather the point with this particular recipient.
None of this makes a t-shirt a tree. But as presents for this person go, one shirt made because they wanted it beats almost anything that came off a pallet.
Questions people ask before buying this stuff
What do you buy someone who cares about the environment?
Something that doesn't quietly contradict them. The failure mode of eco gifts is good message, terrible supply chain. Printed to order on ethically certified blanks solves that, and then the design just has to match their style of caring, which is what the list above sorts by.
Are these shirts actually sustainable or is this greenwashing?
Fair question, and the one they'd ask. The specific claims: printed to order so there's no overproduction, AS Colour blanks with Amfori BSCI and OEKO-TEX certifications, water-based inks, carbon neutral printing since 2021, Good On You rated, printed in Australia rather than vaguely "made" anywhere. We'd rather list the specifics than use the word eco-friendly and hope.
Is there anything preachy here?
Save The Planet is the only one that tells the reader off, and it does it with abbreviated swearing. Everything else does its work through polar bears, robots, tiny birds and one frog on a bicycle. The message lands better when it isn't shouting, and so does the gift.
How do I get their size right without asking?
Fits are relaxed and unisex, XS to 5XL. Go with whatever size they wear in a normal t-shirt, and size up one if they like things oversized. Measurements are on every product page, and there's a gift card if you'd rather they choose.
Are these adult sizes?
Adult unisex only. Despite the name, Lonely Kids Club is an adult label. The smaller sizes fit most teenagers fine.
How long will it take to arrive?
Everything is printed to order, so leave time for us to make it before it ships. That's the trade-off for nothing sitting in a warehouse, and this particular recipient will respect it. Current production and delivery times are on the shipping page.
Designed and printed in Sydney since 2011. Original designs, printed to order, carbon neutral since 2021, and firmly of the opinion that trees are, in fact, good.
