The Very Best Green Gifts

These days, green isn't just the color of your beer on St. Patrick's Day. If your fiancee is pushing for a green wedding, join her carbon-neutral quest by giving environmentally friendly groomsmen gifts.

When choosing your groomsmen gifts, forgo cigars and leather gifts for eco-friendlier options. You can even give gifts of experiences - rather than giving your groomsmen something they might not get a lot of use out of, offer restaurant gift certificates, a museum membership if he's culturally inclined, or if you're looking to splurge on your groomsmen gifts, season tickets to see his favorite sports team.

Want to give something less pricy? Until wheatgrass and organic veggies become acceptable groomsmen gifts, focus on giving things that are sustainable, or that'll at least last beyond this lifetime. If your groomsmen are parents, or they plan to have kids, create heirlooms for future sons by giving your groomsmen gifts of engraved cufflinks. By engraving these with each groomsman's last initial, you're giving him something he can wear for a lifetime and then pass on to the next generation.

Speaking of useful silver accessories, a nice money clip beats a leather wallet any day. In addition to being animal-friendly, money clips are both classy and convenient as groomsmen gifts - after all, do your groomsmen want a big wallet that'll ruin the line of their suit, or a simple engraved money clip that fits easily and unobtrusively into their pocket?

If your groomsmen skew younger, skip the silver and give them something for the most important place in the house: the top shelf where the liquor lives. The Ultimate Bar Book has all the recipes they need to make the best cocktails for every party, and there's even a section in the back with hangover cures. They'll learn all the classics, and it's a book that can be passed from hand to hand once your groomsmen have all become masters of mixing drinks thanks to these groomsmen gifts.

Not green enough for you? If the future wife demands more eco-consciousness than "nothing was killed or mined to make this," head out on the town and shop around for even greener goods. Look for shirts, ties, or wallets made of natural fibers like hemp or sustainable organic cotton. Keep local industries in business by purchasing locally - for example, if you're in the Pacific Northwest purchase groomsmen gifts of good salmon for your out-of-town groomsmen. If all else fails, just ask the future bride for suggestions. And while you're at it, turn out the lights whenever you leave a room.