10 Sustainable Gifts That Help Protect the Blue Planet

At the New England Aquarium, sustainability is at heart of everything we do—from inspiring future ocean advocates to offering gift-shop items that help reduce plastic waste. Today, every product in our gift shop is plastic-free, biodegradable, or made from recycled plastic materials. This holiday season, explore gifts and one-of-a-kind experiences that give back with these meaningful, eco-friendly picks for ocean enthusiasts of all ages. 

The items below can all be found at the Aquarium gift shop, but there are options for ocean-lovers in our online store, too—including cozy pajama pants, branded New England Aquarium tees and sweatshirts, hats, stickers, and more!

Refried Apparel 

When fashion waste and overstock would end up in a landfill, Refried Apparel swoops in to upcycle them into fashion-forward, handcrafted garments. Because each piece is truly one of a kind, this collection is available only in-store at the Aquarium gift shop. The current assortment includes caps, fleece crewnecks, jackets, and tees.

Wearsponsible clothing

New for 2025, the Wearsponsible collection features responsible apparel showcasing many of the Aquarium’s most iconic animals. The line includes tees, long-sleeve shirts, quarter-zip sweatshirts, and several youth styles. Each piece is made of 100% organic cotton, traceable from seed to sew, fair labor certified, and plastic-free, even in the way the tags are attached.

Native Northwest accessories 

Who knew recycled plastic bottles could look this good? These beautifully designed accessories, a scarf and a packable tote, are made from recycled materials and feature artwork created by Indigenous artists. Native Northwest partners with Indigenous artists for 100% of their designs, ensuring every piece reflects authentic artistry.

Earth Pal plushies

When the Aquarium began removing plastic from the gift shop, one of the first steps was phasing out plastic pellets inside plush animals. Now, more than 380,000 plastic bottles have been recycled to create and fill the shop’s plush toys, including Earth Pals made from 100% recycled materials—inside and out. Current options include a sea turtle, sea lion, and harbor seal, each between 20 and 22 inches in size, along with a jumbo 55-inch stingray.

Seasonal ornament

This hand-painted glass globe ornament features a beautifully detailed green sea turtle—but the real magic is in how it’s made. The artist paints the entire scene on the inside of the ornament, working through a tiny opening at the top of the glass.

Marine Biologist Doll and Ocean Rescue Team 

Inspire a child’s love of the ocean with these sustainable playsets! The Marine Biologist doll—and all of her accessories and packaging—is made from recycled materials. The Ocean Rescue Team playset, featuring sharks, a diver, a research boat, and a diving cage, is also made using recycled materials and packaging. Both sets make eco-friendly, imagination-boosting gifts for young ocean explorers.

Ridwell Express Kit

In October, the Aquarium launched a new partnership with Ridwell, a national company dedicated to helping recycle hard-to-recycle plastics responsibly. The new Ridwell Express Kit includes two prepaid bags that can be filled with common single-use plastics—like food packaging, grocery bags, and bubble wrap—that usually can’t go in curbside bins. Once the bags are full, use the prepaid postage to schedule a pickup or drop-off. Ridwell and its vetted partners can then give these plastics new life by turning them into new products.

Atlantic harbor seal encounters

The Atlantic harbor seals are some of the Aquarium’s most popular animals, and now you can meet these fascinating, curious marine mammals face-to-face as part of our exclusive Animal Encounters program. In these unforgettable 30-minute sessions, groups of up to four guests participate in a training session and learn about the biology and habitat of the Atlantic harbor seals, as well as how our trainers care for and communicate with them. Adults and children ages seven and up are welcome and handicap-accessible options are available.

For an experience that’s as creative as it is delightful, the Aquarium also offers an Art Encounter program in which, along with learning about seals and their care, a seal will create a one-of-a-kind painting in up to four colors of the guests’ choice. It’s both an enrichment opportunity for the seal and an opportunity for guests to take home a truly unique 11” by 14” matted painting.

Aquarium membership

What better way to inspire a lifelong love of the ocean than with a yearlong New England Aquarium membership? For just $79, a membership includes free express admission, discounted admission for additional guests, subscriptions to Blue magazine and the Seamail e-newsletter, members-only hours, and the opportunity to join the New England Aquarium Dive Club, one of the oldest, largest, and most active dive clubs in the world. Members also enjoy discounts on dining, parking, the gift shop, whale watching, animal encounters, and Simons Theatre tickets.

Right whale sponsorship

Looking for a gift that makes a real splash? Sponsor one of the world’s rarest whales, often seen swimming right in our backyard, in an ocean lover’s honor. When you sponsor a North Atlantic right whale, you choose a specific individual—perhaps one that shares a loved one’s birth year or a name they’d enjoy—and select your sponsorship level.  Each sponsor receives a package that includes a locally made right whale key chain, a full-color informational booklet about your whale, and more. Some tiers also include a right whale plush toy and a book about right whales. Best of all, 100% of your sponsorship goes directly to support the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life Right Whale Research Program.

Wishing you a sustainable holiday season

Small choices can make a big difference—and together, we’re already making an impact. In one year, guests helped us save nearly 1.4 million single-use plastic bags from landfills by choosing reusable bags, and in the gift shop we’ve transitioned to recyclable receipt paper from EcoChit, a vendor that supports reforestation projects worldwide. We’re continually working to improve our products, packaging, and processes to help protect the blue planet. Your choices make a difference, too. Every sustainable gift you give and every Aquarium visit you make supports this mission.