When you get down to it, most of us are lucky and have pretty much everything we could want (or at the very least, we have what we need). Every year, it seems like most of the people I’m shopping for seem to have everything, and I always feel that it’s a little pointless to buy them just another knickknack or something that will end up stuffed in a closet. At the same time, we are growing more conscious about our world and the people on it, and there are more ways to shop responsibly, and more gifts with some real meaning and heart behind them. Since Christmas is about kindness, giving and caring, it is the perfect time to buy gifts that benefit everyone. So here are a few places to shop if you’re looking for a gift that has plenty of good to go around.
Check out Heifer International (www.heifer.org) or Oxfam’s (http://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com/home.php) websites. They let you pick a gift (such as a flock of chicks, a trio of rabbits, a desk and chair for a school…or manure!) which is sent to families, villages or schools in need. These gifts can provide lasting resources, income, protein, and many of them multiply…so your single gift could eventually end up providing for an entire town.
Ten Thousand Villages (www.tenthousandvillages.com/home.php) sells beautiful handmade goods (jewelry, textiles, toys and instruments) from around the world. Purchasing items from this company provides people in third-world countries with jobs and income, and ensures that the craftspeople are paid fair wages for their work. Plus you get to give a unique gift with some real culture.
Even the mainstream markets are going green…you can shop Ebay World of Good for just about anything on your list and you can be assured that your gift will be either “people positive,” “eco positive,” or “animal friendly.” Find them at, http://worldofgood.ebay.com/
If you’d like to do some good, but want your recipient to be able to physically enjoy a donation, consider an annual pass to a national park near them. This could let them explore the outdoors that they might not have otherwise, and also helps fund our National Parks. http://www.nps.gov/index.htm
If you want to give the gift of charity, but can’t decide on one, you can let your recipient do the deciding. With Tisbest, you purchase a gift card, and your giftee gets to pick from over 250 organizations to donate to. What a cool way to get the recipient involved! https://www.tisbest.org/Default.aspx
You may know someone who is trying to reduce their carbon footprint, you can help them by giving them the gift of carbon offset. http://www.carbonfund.org/ Your donation will support carbon offset projects that will help with global climate change, and push for alternate forms of energy...you even get to specify if you’d like to support a specific project (for example you could choose to support, renewable energy like landfill methane or hydroelectric projects).
There are so many choices when it comes to charitable gifts; you can adopt specific animals like elephants, polar bears or leopards, or you could support local charities by donating your time at a homeless shelter or battered women’s shelter. Whatever you choose, you can be glad that you will be giving a gift to your friend or family, and gift to the world.
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