Another holiday season has arrived, and it’s time to begin the search for the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Bring back that warm and fuzzy feeling of gift giving by going green this holiday season.
Every year it seems there are an increasing number of great eco-friendly options that will not only lessen the impact on the environment but are almost guaranteed to put a smile on the recipient’s face.
National Parks and Federal Recreational Pass
If a special someone on your list enjoys heading out to one of our nation’s great parks or recreation areas, this is an excellent green gift that provides entrance to over 2,000 recreation areas for one year for the pass holder plus three visitors. It covers national parks as well as national forests and the Bureau of Land Management and Reclamation ground.
This is a great way to open up a world of travel options while also helping to support some of the most spectacular places in America.
Community Farm Produce
Give a friend or family member fresh, locally grown veggies each week by setting them up with shares of a community farm to receive produce throughout the season with a CSA program. The gift helps to support local farms and the health of the gift recipient.
This is a simple idea with a significant positive impact. The farmer offers a certain number of “shares to the public,” that generally consists of a box of vegetables and other farm products.
The shares are purchased through a membership or subscription that provides a box, bag, or basket of seasonal produce on a weekly basis throughout the farming season. LocalHarvest.org offers a comprehensive directory of more than 4,000 CSA farms in its database.
Living Gifts
Give the gift of a plant that will keep on growing such as a peace lily or dracaena which are both decorative and help to clean the air. Another option for those who like to garden is to create a basket filled with seeds and gardening supplies. Bulb plants also work well as they can be given at any time of the year and stored to be planted later.
Adopt an Orca or Another Marine Mammal
For those who love the sea as well as the magnificent creatures who call it home, consider adopting an animal who lives there. At WhaleMuseum.org, a Southern Resident Orca of your choice can be adopted for a year.
This includes a personalized adoption certificate with a photo of the whale; a personal biography of the whale; an annual newsletter subscription, patch and bumper sticker, and a one-year membership to The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington state, as well as monthly email updates on the Orcas in the region.
Organic and Fair Trade Chocolates
Who doesn’t love chocolate? Forego giving conventional chocolate as its production isn’t good for our planet and has even fueled wars in Africa while also spreading toxic pesticides.
For the chocoholic in your life, give organic and fair trade products that support sustainable agriculture and the health and rights of workers such as the gift assortments from Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates found at mama-ganache.com.
-The Alternative Daily