The best presents to give are not always wrapped ...
This Holiday Season give change, give back, give green! Alice @ 97.3 searched around and here are a few unique ideas we’d like to share.
Give Change
The ‘starter kit for change’ is an ideal gift for anyone who wants to start being more conscious. Full of green goodies that include everything from a recycled tote bag, to compact fluorescent light bulbs, to fair-trade hot chocolate and more!
www.starterkitforchange.com
Give your girlfriend a Laga Handbag. Laga Handbags are handmade by women who survived the tsunami in Indonesia. Every bag sewn and sold brings hope for a better tomorrow. An average-size bag takes almost a full day to complete; each piece is an amazing work of art! Look Good, Do Good.
www.laga-handbags.com
Change the world one pair at a time… one pair of shoes that is. Soles 4 Souls facilitates the donations of shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide/ They coordinated relief efforts for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, netting over 1 Million pairs donated for these disasters. Find out how you can donate at www.soles4souls.org/donate
Give Green
Green Zebra 2009 Savings Guide (San Francisco or Peninsula / Silicon Valley) is almost like getting a gift 365 days of the year! The 2009 Green Zebra guide makes it easy and fun to live sustainably. Inside the guide you’ll find exclusive offers and coupons to organic restaurants and markets, eco-friendly retailers, green home services, spas, yoga and fitness studios, bookstores and more. Here’s a way to discover green shops and services, strengthen your community and help preserve our planet… and save money too! www.greenzebra.org
The Be Green Now website lets you choose among a great variety of gifts from carbon sequestration offsets to tree plantings. Your recipients will receive cute ornaments and personalized cards sent within 24 hours of purchase! www.begreennow.com
Seeds of Life Trees make a most beautiful gift. They are shipped to be compatible with the geography of the person receiving them. www.themagnoliacompany.com
Buy a leaf, plant a tree! Nugaard Designs have joined forces with Trees for the Future to help “cool down” our planet with a of a one-of-a-kind leaf necklace. Each necklace is created by taking a naturally fallen leaf from Brazil and dipping it in 18k gold. With every purchase of this necklace, a tree will be planted somewhere in the world, aiding in the effort to combat deforestation. Talk about a bonus! threelovelies.com
Buy a candle, plant a tree! PaddyWax will plant a tree for the purchase of every Re-Leaf candle through the American Forests Foundation. The package is also biodegradable and can be used as a planter. www.paddywax.com
Give Back
Make a donation to Alice’s ‘Green Christmas” cause, Graze the Roof. Graze the Roof, a new project of Glide Foundation in San Francisco. Graze the Roof is an edible, container-based rooftop garden featuring sustainable solutions for local Do-it-Ourselves gardening. The garden is expected to produced hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables annually and serves to empower, educate and stimulate healthier dietary choices among inner-city youth and adults. For more information and to make your own ‘holiday’ donation to help steward the Rooftop Garden into 2009, please visit www.glide.org
You can make a great donation gift for kids at the World Wildlife Fund. Recipients receive a plushie to snuggle while you get the warm and fuzzies from making a meaningful contribution www.worldwildlife.org
Check out Oxfam America Unwrapped. This site allows you to select from a variety of gifts for gardeners, students, mom’s etc.. Notifications of your donation comes in the form of a card which is sent to the recipient and explains your donation/gift. www.osfamamericaunwrapped.com
World Vision has gifts that will literally change someone’s life. You can give everything from water and food to education and housing needs. Endless choices that will bring you the greatest gift of all… a selfless act of kindness.
www.worldvision.org
Choose from a variety of different donations from sponsoring immunizations to soccer teams, to newborn deliveries as part of Project Concern. Gifts come in the form of ecards. www.projectconcern.org
