Thoughtful Giving

It's the season to give, but how do you remain environmentally aware and give gifts that help others? I've compiled a list of some great gift ideas that lend people a helping hand and/or are healthy for us and our planet.

Berry Towne Crafts is an online retailer that sells handmade soaps, organic wildflower honey, hand thrown stoneware pottery, NABS approved blue bird nesting boxes and handmade wood crafts. All these products are made in Goldsboro, North Carolina by artisans with developmental disabilities such as autism. I love their Oatmeal Milk and Honey soap and their shipping costs are amazingly low. Check these folks out at http://www.berrytownecrafts.com/.

J.R. Watkins sells a line of natural apothecary skin care products made from environmentally friendly, sustainable and renewable sources. Their products are at least 95% natural and certified by the Natural Products Association. Watkins also sells a line of natural plant based cleaners that are safe for us as well as the environment, a line of natural and organic spices and extracts and an assortment of home remedies that relieve aches and pains. I love the lavender body lotion and my husband and I recently switched all our household cleaners to Watkins. These products are available on-line at http://www.watkinsonline.com/.

Want a natural deodorant that doesn't contain aluminum, alcohol and bactericides? Spa Therapy Works at http://www.spatherapy.etsy.com/ sells vegan deodorants that do not interfere with sweating which is our natural cooling process, but combats and kills odor-causing bacteria. This Etsy shop not only sells deodorant for men and women, but also sells lotions, vegan lip balms and shampoo.

Ten Thousand Villages is an on-line store selling fair trade products, some made of recycled materials. Here you can buy tapestries, ornaments, jewelry, and home decor items. To view the many crafts go to http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/. My favorite product I bought a couple years back is their large trivet made of recycled news papers.

What about the person who has everything? They've asked that no one buy them anymore stuff! How about planting some trees on their behalf? Every dollar donated to American Forests plants a tree. To plant a small forest for someone, log onto http://www.americanforests.org/. Or, how about offering a free loan to an entrepreneur in a third world country to help alleviate poverty? At http://www.kiva.org/, you can select real person and the amount of money you wish to loan. Throughout the course of a loan, about 6-12 months, you can receive e-mail journal updates and when the loan is paid off, you can lend it to another individual. This site sells gift certificates so that your gift recipient can choose the person they want to make a loan to. My husband and I have been making loans for a year now and no one has defaulted on their payments.

If you know of a great gift giving idea that's environmentally friendly and/or helps a particular cause, please leave a comment. Happy holidays!

Proud Tree Hugger

I love trees! Not only are they incredibly beautiful, but they provide homes to animals, shade on hot summer days and the oxygen we breath.

Four years ago my husband and I searched for a new place to call home. We could live just about anywhere since we both work at home so it was a matter of education for our son and what kind of environment we wanted to live. We chose North Carolina for a multitude of reasons, one being the trees!

Unfortunately, our earth and its trees are in jeopardy. Too many trees are cleared for infrastructure and products such as furniture and paper. But this is an issue we can easily do something about. Fall is the perfect season to plant a tree, but if you don't have room for a tree, you can make a donation to American Forests at http://www.americanforests.org/ and they'll plant some trees for you. You can also buy paper products such as facial tissue, toilet paper and paper towels made from recycled materials made by Seventh Generation. These products are not hard to find, you can purchase them at your local Target store. If you are lucky enough to live near a Whole Foods Market, their brand of recycled household paper, 365, is higher in post consumer recycled materials.

So get out there and plant a tree and hug another while you're at it!