A GREEN GUIDE TO SHOPPING FOR CHRISTMAS-ok
BORROWED FROM GYPSY SPIRIT
BUY LOCAL: when people buy locally made goods, they have more of a connection with their community. It’s easy to forget your responsibilities when the community making your goods is so far away.
BUY QUALITY: Buy your child one thing he/she can play with for years, rather than 20 things they’ll play with for a week. Good quality toys can be handed down and never lose their value. Apply the same principle to clothes. The pressure for ‘fast fashion’ has high social and environmental costs. A T-shirt that ends up in a landfill after just a few outings represents a huge waste of resources.
BUY SECOND-HAND; A partner might just prefer an antique ring you put some thought into, or their favourite album on vinyl. TradeMe (E-Bay) is a good place to start looking for some quirky one-offs or barely used toys that have outlived another family.
BUY FAIRTRADE: There are Trade Aid shops everywhere that offer you a chance to ensure that Third World workers are paid a fair price for their goods.
BUY ORGANIC AND CHEMICAL FREE: Whether its turkey for dinner or a dress to wear to the office party , there are a growing number of food suppliers and clothing manufacturers grow and make quality goods without using chemicals or pesticides. A potted plant makes a wonderful gift. How about a parcel of garden seeds. and maybe a small trowel set.
GIVE TIME: Try making loved ones gift certificates of your talents ( two free massages, a free photoshoot, special dinner , driving lessons , car wash, babysit etc).
GIVE EXPERIENCES: How about a wine-tasting session, cinema tickets, or a chance to swim with dolphins. Experiences not only bring people together but also create less waste. A game is a great family present., either a croquet set or board game that everyone can come together and play occasionally.
GIVE A GOAT: ( my personal favourite idea) Charities like OXFAM give a goat to a family in need on your behalf. Or if you don’t fancy a goat, maybe a cow, camel or donkey. …or this years favourite —the Kalashnikov rifle, melted down to make farming instruments for subsistence farmers.
MAKE YOUR OWN: The thought of a home-made gift is possibly the scariest prospect of going green with its vision of bizarre craft objects. Who has time to preserve fruit or jams? But many objects make a fine gift that are laying around your home already. Frame a piece of your child’s artworks, or put together an album of photos. Then of course we can knit, sew or draw.
GO WITH THE GREEN GUYS: Goods that have been produced with the environment in mind have certificates that say so. Find out which companies make an effort towards eco-friendly policies and buy from them. Greenpeace lists DELL and NOKIA as the best in the world of electrical gear, whereas toy manufacturers like MATTEL and HASBRO SHOULD BE AVOIDED for their use of sweatshop labour.
BUY LESS; With less than 300 hours left this is a radical suggestion, I know, but why not rry being less commercially driven this year? Does the two year old really want that all-singing, all-dancing toy? Or is he/she likely to spend more time with the box?
TOP FIVE GREEN PRESENTS THIS YEAR:
1: AN Award winning Organic wine from a vineyard aiming for Carbon-Zero emissions. ( see http://www.grovemill.co.nz )
2: A 3-D wooden crocodile puzzle from Trade-Aid. They’re handmade by a co-operative of Sri Lankan Artisans and profits go to the victims of the tsunami. You can’t do better than that.
3: An annual family pass to the Zoo. No wrapping paper, no packaging, no batteries. A great way to spend time together while learning about our environment.
4: An organic 100% Merino wool top. The Sheep eat organic , never get dipped, and are holistically managed. The clothes are made in Christchurch NZ…but must be available overseas as well.
5: Carbon Zero Credits ( another favourite idea) : You can buy carbon credits to offset a loved-ones CO2 emissions, and the money is used to regenerate native forests. At $20 a tonne you could buy them a years worth of commuting to the office ( around $40) or offset their recent flashy shopping trip overseas.
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