Host: What are some options if I want to give green this year?

Nancy Mitchell: This is a year where we are bombarded with articles and information and television interviews, people care about the environment, they care about their community, they care about their planet. If this is near and dear to you, give in that way and there are very, very, many, many alternatives for green giving. Think about giving a lasting gift. Someone is a gardener; they own their own home, give a plant that they can put out into their garden later on. Give herbs for their Herb Garden; give things that help the community, give a gift in someone s name or families name to a local charity, to a shelter. Give a gift that will help internationally, there are organizations where you can give something that is an animal that goes out to support a community. You can give gift boxes, you can, within your own family, think about how you can conserve resources. Instead of buying ten rolls of wrapping paper, maybe you buy a little bit of butter paper, you buy or you collect let us say the paper that you get from a linen store or the paper you get from a china and glassware store, having your children decorate those papers. Use stamps that you have created out of potatoes, rubbers, sponges or something you make wonderful paper yourself. Wrap your gifts in that manner, choose gifts that do not need wrapping paper. You might do home baked goodies and tuck them into reusable canisters or small bags that can be reused. Use your imagination and try to have the least impact, you can on the environment. If that is near and dear for you, for heaven s sake go for it. What you do want to avoid is don t make a political statement. When you are doing it, some people may not share your views, do not say Because I read this or Because this is what my political party believes or Because this is what is important to the democratic or the Republican Party, I have decided this year and you ran your ideas down someone s throat, please avoid that. Do what feels sincere for you is important to you.

You can also decorate in your home in green ways. There are many, many, many ideas that you can come up with, where you have less of an impact on the society; there is less trash to throw out after the holidays. You can also again as we mentioned earlier give gift cards. Some companies are padding themselves on the back saying that their cards are even printed on echo friendly materials biodegradable instead of plastic, you are giving some kind of recycled paper. Do what you can to personalize a gift perhaps you are going this year to make craps. Use your imagination you can give green. Just make sure that it is not a political statement that you are trying to make.