Have a Green Christmas
Blog Post
Monday 10th December 2007, 10:25am
by TimNorton in
It's getting very close to Christmas time again, and thoughts of decent presents must be worrying us all. But how to offset rampant consumerism and commercialisation of the holiday season with our environmental, ethical morals?
To help in your search for the perfect eco-gift, your Greens Senators have put their heads together to come up with a few suggestions towards having a Green Christmas.
Planet Happy Toys is a comprehensive online store selling sustainable children's toys of all kinds. From dolls to dressing up clothes, books to puppets there's something to please everyone here. Products include the cute cooking set pictured.
The Voltaic solar bag is a mobile power generator, designed to charge your cell phone, iPod and other devices without tying you to a power outlet, which makes them ideal for traveling. Embedded in the outside of the bags are three lightweight, tough, waterproof solar panels which generate up to 4 watts of power.
The world's first windup media player from Trevor Bayliss is currently available through Ethical Superstore. This will appeal not only to the environmentally aware, but to anyone who's ever suffered the disappointment of having their Ipod die on them during a long train ride. With no need for batteries, a 40-second wind is all it takes to have music wherever you go.
You can't do any wrong with the huge range of gifts being offered through Oxfam Australia's website. These are great ways to show your care for someone, whilst also helping out the developing world. Choose from; clean water, drums, eye health, a donkey, a bridge, literacy classes, a piglet... the list goes on. Oxfam will then invest your money in these items/services in the name of your loved one. Similar gifts and projects are available through CARE Australia and TEAR Australia.
If you've got more of an activist streak, take a look at Greenpeace's Giving site. Gifts are bought in your loved one's name, and money is donated towards whichever area you choose. Pick from; sponsoring an anti-whaling activist, one litre of eco paint, a share in a portable sawmill, protection of a Pacific yellowfin... and do your bit to help Greenpeace's efforts.
Christmas cards are one of the most wasteful uses of stationary - lasting only about 3 weeks of the year on average. If you can, opt for a digital version of a greeting card, however if you're determined to have that physical presence, check out online craft market Etsy for heaps of handmade, recycled Christmas cards. Alternatively, look into purchasing some Amnesty International cards, to ensure the money is going to a good cause.
Coupled with the card dilemma is the old wrapping paper problem. Give a tree a break this yuletide by wrapping your winter bestowals in reusable fabric gift bags-you can easily whip up your own with some basic sewing know-how. Can't tell a bobbin from a feed dog? You can purchase bags in assorted sizes, including ones made from organic cotton or recycled fabric, from stores such as Lagniappe Gift Wrap, Lucky Crow, and Wrapsacks.
Looking for an eco-friendly and convenient alternative to charging your cell phone, camera, or laptop? The Brunton SolarRoll beats out solar-powered bags and backpacks and, certainly, the hassle of trying to find an electrical outlet when you're traveling with mobile devices in tow. All you need is a little sunlight, and you can easily charge laptops, cell phones, cameras, and even car batteries!
We've seen an array of solar-powered battery chargers, but the HyMini takes wind power to a whole new portable level. This cute little personal wind turbine can be hooked up to various devices to charge your phones, cameras, and other small electronics when you are on the go: walking around, driving or even riding your bike.
Know someone who wouldn't be content with such small scale wind operations? Then bring on the big one! Australian store Healthy Habitat have a wind turbine that is a great way to start to produce your own power, at a very affordable price. This unit is relatively easy to install and can provide power 24hours a day, generating 200 watts in wind speeds as low as 8 metres per second.
The original Bioviva board game, the most awarded educational game of all time with 13 international awards. Combining tremendous fun with learning about science, nature and the environment, Bioviva is a popular game loved by many. Players travel the world laughing at some of nature's strangest scientific facts while learning to be environmentally friendly.
Why not send a gift to a total stranger? Chillout has some great instructions on the do's and don't's of sending gifts to refugees locked up in Villawood, Maribyrnong, Baxter, Port Augusta & Christmas Island. Something as practical as an international phone card for them to contact relatives, or as simple as a teddy bear for a young girl could make all the difference.
Biome, an Australian-based organics company produce some fantastic gifts, our favourite of which is the Great Green Start hamper pack. It includes the Greeniology book - by Australian author, Tanya Ha, an excellent, comprehensive guide to green living in Australia along with a range of eco-friendly products to get someone's green heart fluttering.
We're not all rich enough to own our own elephant, tiger or meerkat. But you can achieve the same aim by sponsoring an animal at one of Australia's zoos. Programs exist at the Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide Zoos. Most programs allow you to place your donation in someone's name, will issue them a certificate and are tax deductable.
You can also adopt a slightly larger Orca Whale or Dolphin through the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Australia.
Don't forget that soon after Christmas comes the New Year, and everyone can do with a new calendar. The Wilderness Society 2008 calendar features a diverse range of wilderness images from all over Australia, with the added bonus that proceeds from the sale go towards funding this great cause.
Neutralise your carbon emissions and help slow global warming by purchasing green energy credits through Climate Friendly. Easily calculate the emissions from your car, air travel, home, office, or event, and pay online to neutralise your emissions today. The money you spend will support new renewable energy projects that prevent as much greenhouse gas from entering our atmosphere as you have released.
Imagine a dollhouse complete with solar panels, a wind turbine, a greenhouse, and a desalination system! Thames and Kosmos, a toy company, has come out with what they call their Power House, a kit that lets you build your own little house that's full of alternative energy goodies! You can also 'build and operate an electric train, windmill, solar cooker, solar hot water tank, hygrometer, electric motor, power hoist, sail car, and more!'
Fair Go Trading are an Australian-based retailer and wholesaler of fair trade and organic goodies commodities and craft including coffee, tea, chocolate, drinking chocolate and snacks. They also have a selection of fairly traded crafts, bags, toys, footwear and clothing. By purchasing Fair Trade, Organic and Eco products, you are helping the producers, artisans, and the land by giving them all a 'fair go'.
Almost one in five consumers (18%) will purchase more 'eco-friendly' products this holiday season than in the past, and a similar number (17%) will shop at more "green" retailers, according to the Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends, commissioned by Deloitte.
Greenpeace have released their quarterly Guide to Greener Electronics, which for the first time assesses TVs and the game consoles market. It's a great way to assess the green credentials of various manufacturers outside of the marketing spin. Companies making the most progress with new products without the worst toxic chemicals are now ranking higher than companies who have only committed to remove them in the future.
Many parents are also worried about increasing levels of toxic chemicals found in toys. Check out Healthy Toys for a constantly updated database of the health (and unhealthy) aspects of most toys on the market today.
For the bookophile in your family, have a look into buying a copy of the books WorldChanging, 365 Ways to Change the World, Change the World 9 to 5, The Ethics of What We Eat or Silencing Dissent, to name but a few of the many great books available at the moment.
There are hundreds more that we could go into, but for lack of time. For more ideas, check out the gift guides from Inhabitat, Treehugger, Green Daily, Organic Style or Etsy. Also check out a Macro Wholefoods supermarket near you for more organic, ethical ideas.
This list is provided merely as a suggestion. The Australian Greens and their elected representatives did not receive any money, donations or gifts to endorse any product listed here.
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Comments
Great stuff, guys - thanks
Great stuff, guys - thanks for the ideas!
PS It sure feels like we have something worth celebrating this year!
This year my friends were
This year my friends were told, where possible, I would be sending an e card and on the greenpeace site is one where Rudolphs red nose energy runs out and a new energy efficient globe is put on his nose....so I think this is my e-card choice for the year.
here is a link if you would like to send this card which has a great 'energy saving' message
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/fungames/e-cards/green-and-happy...
I am a Buddhist so will be saying a special prayer for the Turkeys.
I really REALLY enjoyed this list and very good karma to those who compiled it.
I did the last of my Christmas shopping today, only the 4th time this year, I have made the one hour trip to the nearest town. I was very, very touched at those who know of me and how well David looks after me (as my carer) and how ill I have been this year and when the Pharmacist came out from behind the counter and said "Wow it is so lovely to see you, you look great, we've missed you' and put his arms around me and kissed me on the cheek, I got a bit teary and tried to cover it up a bit with a joke about him being the one keeping me alive with all the medications he sends home with David each fortnight. Another lady in a shop asked me if I had written any more kid's books this year and I must say truthfully, I didn't recognise the lady, but she must have known my face. How very kind of her to remember me!
I was thinking on the way home, THAT was the real Christmas spirit to me. Not all the cheap $2 China made, plastic crappy toys in the cheap shop. The love and concern of the people and the happiness of the shop assistants and people I met who showed me, they had missed me and how they were just so happy to see me up, walking - I could see that this even touched David, even the head Librarian, put her arms out to me and was herself teary at seeing me up and about again.
Concern.....loving compassion, thinking of others, also known as 'metta' - which in Buddhist term 'loving kindess for others' That is what I was shown, from my doctor, to the sales assistants. They cared. There is something very touching and very special about feeling 'cared' about, especially by these hard working people.
I know, I am very lucky to have moved to a rural area and still have a town with that 'country' attitude where every one you pass on the street says "G'day and Merry Christmas'. Two female police officers were choosing Christmas jewelry to wear on the BIG LOCAL Christmas street parade and were joking around and I laughed with them. Yes...HAPPY POLICE!! Enjoying the fun of dressing up for Christmas.
Here, we do dress up all of our lounge room with vintage Christmas items (we have 5 trees actually - all different) and on Christmas eve, we will light up all the decos and the 7 children on the farm at the end of the road come down and David will read a Christmas story to them - he is doing the "Grinch" this year. And the children love it - they are in a magical kindom suddenly. On the way, they pass my Mums house and she will suddenly throw on all her Christmas lights in her window and Christmas deco's and she comes out as "Mrs Christmas" with an apron of Christmas material on and hands out lollies as the kids stand in the middle of nowhere with the stars above them, in the dark, looking at my Mum's Christmas lights. These kids are happy if they get a bon bon or a balloon - just a simple little thing. They often send down a 'rock' to me, or a bit of string they have plaited and I absolutely treasure these little things. They know how to make their own fun and don't even know what a Playstation is. They make home made kites and bows and arrows. These kids are home-schooled and are very advanced. They are great kids who have been brought up to help another with no need of reward - to respect all and to be kind and loving and to watch over each other.
I know.....we are so very lucky. I wish everyone could have a Christmas where their family is with them and it is a joy to be together and celebrating in the simple way we do. Each year, I see more and more, that the tacky Christmas of cheap trinkets and toys that will break and were likely made by some poor person overseas - is NOT the real Christmas. We try hard each year, to really just enjoy being together. A Christmas that is as free as possible of the commercialism impossed on us.
Yes, I am so lucky. Merry Christmas to all who read this and thanks again to the Green's for such a great list of items to peruse. Only trouble is when you go to www.etsy.com it is easy to sit there for an hour or too, just being blown away by the amazing handmade items featured. My suggestion is the plantable cards, made with all recycled paper that are embedded with wildflower seeds. It's a gift that gives twice.
love and light
susan xxxx
Susan, your Christmas sounds
Susan, your Christmas sounds absolutely beautiful. :)
Great ideas but I have an
Great ideas but I have an ethical problem with sponsoring an animal caged up at a zoo.
Some excellent ideas the
Some excellent ideas the Greens have come up with Tim, well done.
All of my friends and family are well beyond the "santa stage", and to us the religious aspect means little. Christmas is purely an opportunity to get together, stuff our faces with food, and hand out presents in an orgy of indulgence and rampant consumerism.
About a decade ago we collectively passed some tipping point in the "dudd present" stakes, and decided to abandon the suprise element in gift giving. We now deliberate over what gifts we would like to receive, the initial response is normally "I don't really want anything". With a combination of suggestions from givers and our own ponderings, a list eventually emerges, the givers then coordinate their efforts to avoid doubling up. Dudd presents (and feigned smiles) have now been virtually elliminated.
The point I'd like to make, is that no matter how green, environmentally sustainable, or ideal, YOU believe a gift to be, if the recipient doesn't want it, or like it, then its a dudd gift. YOU have contributed to trashing the planet, and the recipient is left in the inenviable position, of choosing between lying about how pleased they are to get something that they secretly detest, or offending you.
My Christmas message is, let's kill some of the surprise to save some of the planet.
A note on the Oxfam gifts -
A note on the Oxfam gifts - since the livestock industry causes 18% of global warming greenhouse gases, please don't buy people pigs, donkeys and other animals to make the problem worse. Try leaving the poor turkey out of the "celebrations" too; in fact, if you want to really spread love and compassion this year, try a vegan Christmas.
As for Greenpeace - if you want to actually stop whaling, support the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (perhaps buy a loved one a membership). Instead of going to the massive marketing coffers of the Avon ladies of the environmental movement, the money buys fuel and supplies to help with direct action against whaling ships.
Other than that, thanks for the list!
Mario That's a good point.
Mario
That's a good point. For those of you worried about funding caged animals, maybe check out the World Society for the Protection of Animals or the WWF
Daily Veg
Quite right - we should have included the Sea Shephard in our list. They're an important part of the fight against International whaling.
Blimey - sorry about all my
Blimey - sorry about all my grammatical errors and typos. Had a migraine when I typed it.
Off topic - can I point you
Off topic - can I point you guys at this post at GrodsCorp with a handy photo of everyone's favourite Mr 1.9% interrupting the ANZAC service last year to take videos of himself...
That photo's got to have some use.
This year, sorry.
This year, sorry.
The Victorian Greens have
The Victorian Greens have also put together a handy list of green-friendly Christmas gift ideas.
That is a good list - thanks
That is a good list - thanks for putting it up Tim. I must say I was proud of my Mum yesterday. She came home from the nearest local town to and she had met up with a stall for Greenpeace there. She signed up and pledged $30 a month to help stop the Whaling and I thought FANTASTIC! So good for my Mum, it was like a present on behalf of my family, we all rejoiced at this chance to help in a practical way!
I wonder if I can add a Buddhist idea for a special Christmas gift? For the cost of just $2.50 a week (about the cost of one cup of coffee - $10 per month), you can sponsor a Tibetan monk or nun or child, who (usually) have escaped from Tibet to India - many do not make the long journey and some that do, lose fingers or toes through frostbite. You can help and choose the recipient you would like to sponsor by photos. I've sponsored a monk for about 8 years I think and recently started sponsoring a nun and for just $10 a month, this covers money for their food and medicinal needs. It would be a lovely idea if someone sponsored, or sponsored on behalf of someone for Christmas, a monk or a nun for a year - though you can pay the $10 monthly. If anyone is interested, the info is here.
http://www.monksponsorship.org/
Some of the monks can write in English and I have received some lovely letters from the monks I have sponsored over the years. The monks also receive all of that $10 - nothing is held back - the link above explains the scheme well. That money also means that they sometimes get to travel to receive special teachings from people like His Holiness and for this they are very thankful.
there is also the 'wings of dharma' gift
http://www.fpmt.org/shop/sacredproduct1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=1594&Categ...
and you can also help a prisoner who wishes to learn more about Buddhism by paying for a subscription for them, of the Mandala Magazine - more info below
http://www.fpmt.org/shop/sacredproduct1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=1608&Categ...
if you wish, there is also the chance to donate $12 to help feed the monks at Sera Monastary - again, most of these monks have fled from Tibet, many were tortured
http://www.fpmt.org/shop/sacredproduct1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=1455&Categ...
Each $12 donation will provide three meals a day for one month to one of the more than 2,700 monks.
there are many other great ways to give this Christmas at the FPMT site (the Federation for the Preservation of the Mahayana tradition).
love and light
Susan xxxx
aka (Thubten Drolkar) which is my tibetan name
Thank you so much for adding
Thank you so much for adding the Buddhist links Tim!
Oh and sorry, this is still
Oh and sorry, this is still Susan Macauley LOL - I just got sick of not having an avatar! No sock puppet here!
love and light
susan xxxx
A great guide to keeping
A great guide to keeping your Christmas green has just been published by Environment Victoria. It features much more than just gift ideas, from green energy providers to recycling and waste management.
Thanks for the mention, keep
Thanks for the mention, keep up the good work!
Have a Green Christmas
I was just thinking about Have a Green Christmas and you've really helped out. Thanks!
Have a Green Christmas
Why would you be thinking of having a greeen christmas at 10.15pm on a Friday evening in March? Just curious or did an underlying inuendo escape me?
Be Practical
This Yuletide season, we should give more emphasis to the time we can have to spend with our love ones and not to the gifts that we can receive from them. Being able to celebrate Green Christmas with them is truly remarkable. I believe that having this kind of celebration, it just show that we preferred to be more practical and smart. Because when we go for green stuffs, we can able reduce our expenses. Usually, these kind of items are much economical and long-lasting unlike other stuffs, they tend to break easily.
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