Just got back from shopping for a presentable-looking little table to put my laptop on, so I can take down the hideous card table in the living room. I'm addicted to working on my laptop while I watch TV in the evenings. But I can't leave the rickety card table up while family are here for Thanksgiving. It's just too ugly.
Never did find a little table, but the shopping almost did me in. There's very little in life that I hate more than shopping, especially on a day when traffic is clogged. I found a scratched-up black TV-table at Goodwill for $8 that tempted me, and a perfect cherry "hall table" at the Amish furniture store for $269. Get real! I can't afford that. So I came home with nothing. Perfectly good waste of a beautiful Wednesday afternoon.
Anyway, contemplating more shopping makes me want to gag...so I'm re-thinking the upcoming holiday season. I'm beginning to contemplate holiday presents that don't involve shopping. A gift list that doesn't require shopping will not only contribute to my serenity, but I'll save the fossil fuels required to drive around town endlessly. And if I get environmentally conscious gifts - all the better.
Here is a list of a few eco-friendly gift ideas that don't involve shopping:
1. Adopt a gorilla in a loved-one's name:
http://shop.awf.org/adopt/
2. Contribute to local Habitat for Humanity green building projects
3. Adopt-an-acre of rainforest: www.rainforest-alliance.org
4. Plant a tree or a special garden together: www.kidsgardening.com
5. Give a membership to Sierra Club, your local land conservancy, the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, World Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation Society, Waterkeeper Alliance, or the American Bird Conservancy.
6. Give a gift certificate to a local grocery that carries organic foods exclusively.
Next post: suggestions for socially conscious gifts.
Source: Footnotes: The Newsletter for the N.C. Sierra Club. November 2007 (adapted from www.duke.edu/web/ESC/2005-12-06holiday.html)
Key words:: earth-friendly gifts, no-shopping gifts, eco-friendly gifts, environmentally conscious gifts, sustainable gifts, holiday gifts, shop from home
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