The Millennial Files

“Tis the Season to Give to the Future”

With the elections over (mostly) and the holidays upon us, it’s hard to stay focused on environmental issues– especially considering the mad ads for conspicuous consumption at substantial discounts, plenty of packaging. Nevertheless, now is the perfect time to reflect on if our actions during the next month, intended to deliver a little immediate gratification to those we hold dear, will result in longterm harm to the environment and future generations.

I recently received a letter  from the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) advocating recycling gifts this year. The idea was not so much re-gifting, which can be tricky, but to opt out of the mad grab for your hard-earned or plastic money, rampant during this holiday season. With so much more unrefutable evidence and consequences of global warming, it is incumbant on all forward thinkiers not to contribute to the abundant waste already being produced. I for one, do not feel like taking credit for another iceberg melting or glacier receding.

The first example would be to gift a valued personal item or heirloom piece. I hate to admit it, but many of my favorite earrings, chokers, bracelets and jacket have been elevated ‘used’ to vintage. Manys astute teen-agers love this stuff.  I must admit, however, this option has a limited market — not to mention we may not all be ready to purge our closets and armoires of their cherished contents. 

Another option would be give a gift with deeper meaning — like sponsoring a wolf or domestic animal for a Third World/developing country, or adopting a acre in the recipent’s name. When I have done this before, the person in whose name I gave the donation or sponsorship, received a thank-you note acknolwedging “a ____ has been given in your name….,” accompanied by a certificate, and in the case of wolves, photo of the sponsored animal.

For those who prefer gving something tangible, shiftyourgift.com and  treehugger.com have some interesting ideas. At TreeHugger, there are a number of links in the left, lower column for sustainable and recycled products. A few of the sites were a little tricky to navigate for ordering, but their products are unique enough to make it worth submitting emails or making phone calls to complete the transaction. ConserveIndia.org, for example has a complete line of handbags, wallets, sandals, bags etc. made of recycled plastic bags, that have an amazing likeness to leather.

Here’s to a great holiday season filled with smiling faces, responsible shopping, undepleted bank accounts and under-limit credit cards.