‘Tis the season to be jolly fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la Buying
wasteful gifts is folly fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la Don we now our
eco-outlook fa-la-la fa-la-la fa la la You can be both green and
merry fa-la-la-la-la fa-la-la-la Yes eco-fans, it is possible to
spread lots of holiday cheer without sp
reading around lots of waste. Here are my top 10 eco-holiday
ideas:
‘Tis the season to be jolly fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
Buying wasteful gifts is folly fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
Don we now our eco-outlook fa-la-la fa-la-la fa la la
You can be both green and merry fa-la-la-la-la fa-la-la-la
Yes eco-fans, it is possible to spread lots of holiday cheer without spreading around lots of waste. Here are my top 10 eco-holiday ideas:
• Entertainment coupons and tickets – Attending a concert, play, sporting event, movie or other performance can create lasting memories.
• Homemade food – Whether it’s a cherished craft or hand crafted food, when someone receives a homemade gift, they know that you spent your valuable time creating something for them.
• Food items – Gifts like fruit baskets, cheese assortments, and alcohol are widely appreciated and are unlikely to go to waste. Consider a “wine of the month” subscription or similar arrangement that lasts all year.
• Donations – With a world full of needy people and a society as comfortable as ours, why not send a donation to a trusted organization in honor of a friend or relative as a gift.
• Magazine subscriptions – Magazines can provide hours of entertainment, education, and just plain enjoyment all the year through. While magazines do consume resources to produce, I’m sure that all your friends and family members can be trusted to recycle it when they’re done.
• Plants – How about a little greenery as a way of being green? Plants purify our air and just make our homes and workplaces nicer places to be. Naturally, you need to be careful when purchasing plants to ensure that the recipient has a good place to plant it.
• Professional personal services – Do the folks on your gift list enjoy a full massage? Do they regularly get manicures or pedicures? Buying a gift certificate for these services is a great way to ensure that your gift will be appreciated.
• Time – Giving your own time to someone can be the greatest gift of all. Perhaps you can make a monthly lunch date, offer your babysitting services, or offer your assistance to someone as a gift this year.
• Green gifts – There are many items that help protect the environment that make great gifts. Compact fluorescent bulbs, canvas shopping bags, and transit coupons are just a few that immediately come to mind.
• Don’t buy anything: My personal favorite idea is not to feel compelled to buy anything. If the holiday season is about sharing our joy and love with our family and friends, expressing these feelings through gifts seems somewhat secondary than just expressing your feelings directly wither verbally or in a lovely note or card.
Eco-Fact of the Week: A survey in New Haven, Conn., found that holiday gift-giving destroys up to one-third of the value of gifts, because recipients do not want, use or value what they receive.
Eco-Web Pages of the Week: Alternative Gifts has a great site that can help you give a donation as a gift. Check out www.altgifts.org . For Green Gifts as discussed above in #9, there are few places better on the web than www.realgoods.com/
Anthony Eulo is an assistant to the city manager for the City of Morgan Hill who is a big fan of nonmaterial gifts. He welcomes your questions, comments, and thoughts and can be reached at 779-7247 or en*****@************ca.gov
