10 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay , November 2 9, 2009 co m m e r c i a l a p p ea l .co m

By Suzanne ThompsonSpecial to Going Green

This holiday season, there areplenty of ways to give gifts that willminimize the effects on the planetand maximize thefun of giving.

Remember, though,the best gifts can’t al-ways be purchased.

T h e re ’s nothinglike receiving acheerfully decoratedcontainer full offreshly baked home-made treats. This isone of the most basiceco-friendly gifts,and one that is pos-sibly the most appre-ciated, as it showsthe recipient you cared enough totake the time and effort to givethem a gift from the heart.

Any kind of consumable gifts —coffee, tea, nuts or fruit — make ex-cellent gifts and can be enjoyedthroughout the holiday season andbeyond. Gift baskets are available inmany local stores and there are plen-

Green giftsmaximizefun of giving

The Commercial Appeal files

Homemade gifts such as fudge andjellies show family and friends you careenough to take the time and effort togive them a gift from the heart.

Some ofseason’s

bestofferings

notfound in

stores

The Commercial Appeal S u n d ay , November 2 9, 2009 | GOING GREEN 11

ty of options, even for the most discern-ing epicureans.

Consider giving a coupon book you’vemade up of chores you are willing to doand events and dates to do them. Anymother of young children would relish acoupon book for a night or two of freeb a b y - s i tt i n g.

Handcrafted soaps and lotions makenice gifts and soapstone items are alsopopular, such as a soapstone wine cooler.

The Hunger Site Store, a charity thatis U.S. owned and operates the GreaterGood Network Stores, is a network ofsites offering products offered from thesites of a variety of causes. Go togreatergood.com for information.

Something people haven’t typicallydone in the past is shop at thrift stores forgifts, but the quality of items and value,make this a very attractive way to recycle.Goodwill, Salvation Army, Disabled Vet-erans and even the Junior League, whichoperates a store called “The Repeat Bou-tique,” are packed with items that aresuitable for gift-giving.

Gifts that can be experienced are al-

ways appreciated. A membership to amuseum or the Memphis Zoo is a giftthat keeps giving all year.

People love getting flowers, no matterwhat time of the year it is, and givinglive plants has the benefit of contribut-ing oxygen to the atmosphere as theyadorn the environment.

The Nature Store carries a line oforganic toys for kids and pets, too.They have a motivational mug, calledthe Global Warming Mug, and when hotwater is poured into it, the coastlinesdisappear, as a reminder of the impor-tance of green living. For information,go to t h e n at u re s t o re . c o m .

Eco-artware.com has a variety of hol-iday gifts available from handbags wo-ven from recycled plastic fruit juicepacks, to art deco style ornaments fash-ioned from vintage 45 rpm records.This merchant has carried the idea evenfurther, offering vinyl bowls also fash-ioned from the antique records.

The Bambu Company makes a line ofcontemporary kitchenware made frombamboo, including serving trays, cutting

GreatChristmasgifts can befound tuckedinto theracks ofclothes andtoys atGoodwill,Sa l v a t i o nArmy andDisabledVe t e r a n ss t o r es .

Thomas Busler

12 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay , November 2 9, 2009 co m m e r c i a l a p p ea l .co m

boards and utensils. Bamboo, which is atype of grass, is a fast-growing plantthat releases 35 percent more oxygenthan trees.

Purchasing carbon offset credits in ap e rs o n ’s name, or making a donation tocharity in their name is anotherthoughtful and environmentally friendlyway to give.

Several companies offer an unusual,but ingenious gift that involves gettingless. For $20, Green Dimes will stop therecipient from receiving junk mail. Sub-mit the recipient’s name, along with

bulk mail they want to receive, catalogsfor instance, and they guarantee a 95percent reduction in junk mail. As abonus, they plant five trees in the nameof the person who received the gift. Goto g re e n d i m e s . c o m .

Another company, the name of whichwas inspired by the weight of junk mailthe average person receives each year,41pounds.org, offers a 5-year subscriptionto its service for $41. This company con-tacts 20 to 30 direct mail organizationswith instruction to stop sending junk mailto a given address. It also contributes one-third of the cost of the subscription to onea reforestation organization.

Students may like getting a new back-pack, but how cool is getting a backpackthat is is the hottest on earth? Solarbackpacks harness the energy of the sunto recharge MP3 players, cameras, evenlaptops while on the go. Voltaic Systemsmakes the pack, which is available inthree colors.

There also are many gift options forsmaller kids. Remember the Radio Flyerred wagons many of us enjoyed as chil-dren? The company now makes a modelmade completely out of recycled plastic,the Radio Flyer Earth Wagon, which isavailable through amazon.com’s toy sec-tion. An Earth Wagon can even providea good opportunity for parents to teachchildren how their plastic drinking bot-tles can be turned into other things.

The Center for a New AmericanDream conducted a poll and that 82percent more people would rather re-ceive a photo album of family andfriends than a gift bought in a store. Inthese digital days, that’s not surprising.

A beautiful wooden bird feeder is agift that not only lasts, but brings withit an array of colorful visitors.

Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal files

A membership to the Memphis Zoo isone gift that keeps on giving all year.Memberships to museums and seasontickets are other great options.