Around this time of year, the stress meter rachets up -- and so can the green guilt. Every trip out to a holiday gathering, excursion to the mall or large box shipped by UPS grows your carbon footprint exorbitantly, especially as compared to the rest of the year.
I drove as much Thanksgiving weekend as I had the entire rest of November. It's awful.
So how to tone that down? Last year, Green Space delved into the Three R's, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, and I'd invite you to check out those ideas -- they still ring true in 2008.
But there is a major change for this holiday season as opposed to last: more and more people are watching their wallets. In the spirit of the economy and the environment, then, let's look at a few ideas that celebrate giving and saving.
Gift of time. Who can be more broke than a kid? I remember making gift certificates for family members for hugs and small chores like weeding. Give a grown-up version for Christmas this year: babysitting for your sister and her husband, a formal dinner party (cooked with locally grown-food, of course) for your closest friends or dog-walking services once a week for a good neighbor that's getting up there in age.
Similarly, tickets to a game or a show with your parents create memories that a blender or necktie can never match.
Environmentally-thoughtful gifts. Green Space has talked about 41 Pounds before, and we'll probably do it again -- they're a locally-based company with a great concept. It's simple, you pay them $41 and they get all your junk mail stopped for five years -- an estimated 41 pounds a year. So why not purchase the service for a loved one?
Here's another idea: buy someone you know that is trying to eat locally and healthily a subscription to an organic community-supported agriculture farm. They'll get fresh produce once a week from June to November -- and probably repay you with fabulous meals. Check out Maple Creek Farms, which has been at this for 15 years in the Thumb area.
It's funny, but the embodiment of saving often goes hand in hand with environmental consciousness. And that's a wonderful thought to take into the new year.
On that note, Green Space wishes you a wonderful holiday season. See you in 2009.
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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