As the holidays draw closer, the pace of the season tends to accelerate. Between traveling, cooking, shopping, and party planning, most of us get caught up in a hectic swirl of festivity.
I welcome the holiday cheer, but while we gather with our friends and family, I hope we can all remember the larger world we are a part: the air, water, land that connect all living things. Even in our hectic modern lives, we rely on these natural systems to sustain us. We need the changing seasons, the coming rains, the fresh air, and the vibrant plants and animals in order to thrive.
We can honor these natural systems by giving thoughtful gifts this time of year.
We’ve all been on the receiving end of well intentioned but utterly useless presents that consume natural resources to produce but are destined for little more than a long life in a landfill. NRDC supporters Kyra Sedgwick, Laurie David, Tony Shalhoub, and others created a very funny series of PSAs about the gifts we never wanted.
Through NRDC’s Green Gifts, we can give gifts of substance and meaning, gifts that replenish the Earth rather than drain it. And NRDC’s Green Gift Guide can help you get started.
We suggest a wide range of sustainable presents that make a positive difference in the world. You could give your friends and family members the gift of having a tree planted in Costa Rica, a wolf pup adopted, or an urban park improved in their name. They can know that they are helping sue a dirty polluter or keep our beaches clean.
Our guide touches on a broad array of topics—from advancing clean energy to protecting wild places—making it easy to choose a gift that reflects your recipient’s individual passions. And with ideas starting at $15, there are presents that can fit anyone’s pocketbook.
When you give these gifts, you and your loved ones you become part of a larger web, a whole community working to restore and respect our natural systems. Here is what we can accomplish together: