He taught you how to ride a bike, then later how to drive. He cooked his version of omelets, the “cheesy dadlet,” and made peanut butter sandwiches for you and your friends. He dropped you and your futon off at college and smiled proudly on graduation day.

With Father’s Day upon us, it’s time to give something back. Even if you believe that it’s a commercial holiday pushed on us by the greeting card companies–who can argue about a day set aside to make dear old Dad feel special? And why not get Mother Earth in on the gig, too? Here’s a bunch of great ideas for Father’s Day that won’t harm the planet and will show the paternal figure in your life just how easy and stylish it is to go green.

Paperless Father’s Day Cards
If you do nothing else, send Dad a card from this selection of animated, singing and artful eCards for every possible sentiment. Not only will it not cost you a cent, you’re doing something good for the environment too! For every card you send, Care2 makes a donation to save a square foot of the rainforest.

The Gift of Time
Sounds corny, but a lot of dads just want to spend the day with their kids. Pack a picnic and go fly a kite. Invite him over for scrambled eggs and the crossword puzzle. Take a hike, rent a canoe, hop the train and get out of the city. As long as you’re doing it together, it’s the perfect Father’s Day present that doesn’t involve any shopping.

The Old Stand-bys, Gone Green
A necktie, a razor, a box of chocolates–not exactly the most original gift ideas. But with a little outside-of-the-box thinking, they can be. Try this Preserve Triple Razor, from Preserve. The handle is made from recycled plastic, including Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups, and is fully recyclable–thanks to a postage-paid label provided by the company. Or check out this gorgeous and totally groovy Organic Hemp Vegan Necktie. It’s sweatshop free, is made from 100 percent organic hemp that’s a finished linen-like fabric grown non-toxically and dyed in four colors with environmentally friendly fiber-reactive and plant-based dyes. If you’re going the chocolate route, go dark–the antioxidants are great for Dad’s heart–and go fair trade, which promises a minimum price to the farmers, prohibits abusive child labor and promotes environmental sustainability.

Green Gadgets
If your dad is a weather geek, like mine, or a climate watcher he’ll love this Handheld Weather Forecaster–also perfect for keeping an eye on that pesky little global warming problem. If your dad’s got a green thumb, or even if he just thinks he does, maybe he’d like this Sunlight Calculator for his organic garden. Bookworm dads running out of space in the library might appreciate an Amazon Kindle.

Energy Saver Dad
Is your father trying to reduce his carbon footprint, or just keep his gas and electric bills down? He’d love this Kill-a-Watt Electricity Usage Monitor, which connects to appliances and assesses how efficient they really are. Help your dad keep the “Power Vampires” at bay with a Energy Saving Smart Strip With Autoswitching Technology, with 10 outlets that work together, autoswitching your devices on/off automatically, saving electricity and money.