Green Gifts

I've always been a fan of saving the environment, and now the general populace seems to be catching on. (Thanks, Al Gore!) There are tons of green gift options being circulated this year; here are some of my faves.

For the kids, there's the nifty Power House: Sustainable Living in the 21st Century Science Kit or the equally awesome Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit. Both seem like they could be edutaining. And I mean that in a good way, not in the way that edutainment usually resembles neither education nor entertainment.

These solar chargers would make practical, useful, and relatively inexpensive gifts for, well, anyone with a mobile phone/iPod/DS/other gadget. If you feel particularly generous, of course, you could give one of these Voltaic Solar Backpacks/Bags. That'd be nice, too.

For environmentally friendly stocking stuffers, try Clif Bar Cool Tags: For every $2 Cool Tag you buy, Clif Bar invests $2 in a wind farm.

And perhaps the coolest green suggestion yet: Adopt a sheep in the Abruzzo region of Italy. There are three price options ranging from 80-190 euro, but I think the 140 euro option sounds pretty excellent. For the approximate equivalent of $201, you get not only the satisfaction of knowing that you're helping fund organic farming, cheese-making, and sheep-herding (and becoming the adoptive parent of a little Italian lamb—baaaa!), you also get:
1) adoption papers and photos of your sheep
2) 3 kilos of pecorino cheese
3) 1 kilo of juniper-smoked ricotta
4) 1 kilo of sheep salami (or caciocavallo cheese if you’re vegetarian)
5) 1 pair of 100% virgin wool hiking socks

You know you want the cheese. I know I want the cheese. I've always wanted to adopt....

Green Giant

No, I'm not just referring to the color of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree—this year it'll be strung with 30,000 LEDs to make for a more energy-efficient holiday season. It's a start....

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

How to have an environmentally friendly Christmas has never been a particular concern of mine. To be frank, I've never even considered it before. But after reading this informative Slate article, I have resolved to be more aware of the holiday decisions I make and their consequences. Some of their suggestions are very easy to follow—I already combine shipping as much as possible, for example. Not only does it save on fuel, it saves me kizash. I'll buy some LED light strands this year and stay away from sparkly wrapping paper (well, as much as possible). Fortunately, I've been inadvertently green for years now thanks to my entire family's practice of reusing gift bags and Mylar wrap/tissue paper as long as possible. (Seriously, we have to coerce my grandmother into finally ditching a piece of Mylar that's wrinkled beyond recognition.) Other Slate suggestions, such as using Sellotape, are good, but pretty hard to follow. No problem if you're in the U.K., but here in the U.S. there is Scotch tape and knockoff Scotch tape and that's it. Good luck finding Sellotape. Though Berkeley is just crunchy enough that I may be able to scrounge up some. I'll have to check.