1) Buy a living tree for the holiday and after the holiday either plant it or give it to your community parks department to plant – this is an excellent way to compensate for your use of internal combustion transportation.
2) Buy or use recycled wrapping paper – better yet use the sunday funnies or purchase cloth scraps at your local fabric store (remind people receiving the gift that the gift wrap is reusable).
3) For large gifts simply tie a bow on it! Some folks hide the large gifts and give a card that includes hints about where to find it. More fun!
4) Send digital Season’s Greeting Cards.
5) Give your time! Give a grandparent, parent, spouse, friend a card with a commitment to help with household chores for a day.
6) Organic Vegan Dinner! Give a gift of a locally grown organic vegan dinner either at your favorite local haunt or you prepare it. The lower we eat on the food chain the healthier the environment.
7) Adopt a needy family. This is a good way to begin to build community as well as helping out those in need.
8. Find eco-organizations like http://www.plant-trees.org/main.htm and give a gift of a healthier planet. Also, check out Co-Op America and support Green Businesses at http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages. [Ed Note: And while you are at their website drop Co-op America a note to let the Green Party participate in their Green Festivals like they let the Democrats do.]
Filed under: buy local, Ecology, Environment, Green Party Websites, Holidays, international politics, Our Favorite Radio Stations Tagged: | Environment, turkey
Great tips, thanks! We’ve also turned our annual Chrannukah (Christmas/Hanukah) party into a fundraiser for a local charity. We served 35 friends a full sitdown dinner, had incredible local musicians jam, interspersed with a drum circle. Then we asked for donations equivelant to what would have been spent for a night out. The money all goes to a predesignated charity. ours is supplements for heating bills for elderly and low income families.
Everyone loves this party, and we enjoy hosting it.