permaculture

["Felicity Wright" <flickwright@ozemail.com.au>]

Some great ideas from Kathryn.

We also support Amesty International, Oxfam, CARE, UNICEF, Greenpeace and 
others by buying from their catalogues or on-line  - which is the caring for 
people bit of PC and promoting tolerance and harmony. Each country would 
have different websites (we're in Australia).

We have been using newspaper for wrapping Xmas pressies for years - and even 
the kids have become used to it (yeah, they groaned initially).

What about personal gift vouchers - for assistance in the garden, some 
job/task another person would find awkward, doesn't have the skills for or 
is just too big - given them X hours work or a half day or a day? A massage 
voucher, childminding promise, animal or plant minding/watering voucher for 
when they go on holidays, offer to assist with a harvest or processing (if 
they have gluts), making a compost heap, shifting house, cleaning.

Think about gifts made locally by hand and using local resources and gluts - 
jams, pickles, biscuits (cookies), preserves, dried fruits. Don't have to be 
hand-made by the giver - but encouraging and rewarding those who do make 
things by hand.

Visit local markets to see what people are making and selling that they have 
made.

Support business that support producers, artists and craftspeople to earn a 
right livelihood - such as local shops/art & craft galleries/wholefood 
stores.

In terms of PC principles, consider gifts that have more than one function - 
that reward the producer (person who made it - offered it), that do not 
represent huge embodied energy or are environmentally negative, that make 
the giver feel good (because they're being ethical and giving according to 
their principles), and are a pleasure to receive for the recipient.

cheers
flick


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "L.SantoyoDesigns" <santoyo@earthflow.com>
To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 10:35 AM
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Eco X-mas


> Great resources for green gifts:
>
> CO-OP America's GreenPages:
> http://www.greenpages.org/  - You'll find resources organized by state and 
> topic here.
>
> Gaiam Catalog for various home products
> http://www.gaiam.com/retail/default.asp
>
>
>
> Choose a theme and give gifts around that:
>
> *green cleaning products gift basket and a coupon for the first cleaning
>
> *luxury green bath items (hemp shower curtain, organic cotton towels, 
> bathrobe, etc, organic bath products )
>
> *for an outdoor themed gift, think heirloom veggie and flower seed 
> selection and a promise /coupon to help plant them, plus solar footlights 
> for the garden!
>
> *gifts of compost or any cool soil amendment (bat guano, worm manure, etc) 
> for the gardener plus a bat house or worm farm...
>
> *enroll the giftee in a class that you know they would secretly enjoy but 
> wouldn't treat themselves to
>
> *treat them to a permaculture design consultation or workshop!
>
> *find a local CSA and give a gift subscription to that- and not just to a 
> friend, but consider giving CSA subscriptions to homeless shelters, soup 
> kitchens, the local school ,etc. Imagine if school parents joined together 
> and bought enough subscriptions to provide all the kids with fresh, local, 
> organic produce throughout the year? CSA subscriptions to local dairies 
> and chicken farmers as well!
>
> *gift basket of locally grown organic/crafted products
>
>
> *Magazine subscription to any progressive magazine such as
> Natural Home, Dwell, Utne Reader, Permaculture Activist, etc....
>
> This is just a fraction of the possiblities...think of the giftee's daily 
> life and what the ideal would be to make it a green day...everything that 
> is touched, used or consumed could be a better product or system....then 
> treat them (and yourself) to that change.
>
> Happy Hunting,
>
> Kathryn Santoyo
>
>
>
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