Every Christmas a lot of stuff changes hands. LOTS! and LOTS! and LOTS!!! Some are useful. But many end up in our trash a month, 2 months 3 or 6 months later. I mean I have received for a Christmas a tissue paper holder cover, a cheap body spray full of chemicals that smells like an insecticide, a plastic contraption that I never figured out what it is. I am sure many of you have had similar experiences. It is said “It is the thought that counts.” I am not sure how much thought went into those gifts. I mean do we have to throw anything at people. Is this really what Christmas is all about? In my very humble opinion many gifts that bring real and lasting happiness are not material stuff at all.

This Christmas can we choose the green market place to do our Christmas shopping? Lets us help our beautiful planet recover a little. And by so doing heal ourselves. For, what is good for the planet is good for us and what is good for us is good for the planet. So on to the online tree hugging dolphin loving stores for shopping. Keep that car in the drive way. Get a cup of good fair trade coffee, sit in your comfy chair, take a deep breath and relax. Let your fingers do the walking and let mother Earth breathe easy. Are you ready! Here we go!

The DailyGreen.com is a web site where you will find a list of items that you can give which are none stuff. You can give someone a CSA membership for a couple of hundred dollars. CSA stands for community supported farming. The receiver of this gift will get a year’s worth of fresh vegetables right off the farm. The veggies are in season and often organic. I wish someone generous will give me this gift. Not only will I get nutritious and delicious veggies I will be supporting local environmentally sustainable farms and farmers.

You can give a Volunteer Vacation. This is giving someone the joy of giving. Instead of a luxury vacation such as sitting at the beach sunning yourself and sipping a cool drink in a far off island, you will be giving back to the community by helping out in restoring a local ecosystem that is in danger or any of many other needs that could use a helping hand. This could be unbelievably uplifting and rewarding gift.

This is my favorite one. You can plant an urban tree in the name of the environmentalist in your life. He or she will be trilled. It costs anywhere from $25 to $100.

Another lovely gift is adapting endangered animals such as the sea otter and sea tutle in the picture.

There are many more terrific gift ideas like these on this website and other web site. Explore for yourself and enjoy .

If we have to buy stuff how about buying those that are made from recycled material. On this same web site you will find a recycled gift section and they have some cool gifts many will be happy to have. For instance they have colorful and techi looking cufflinks made entirely from computer circuit boards. A gift after my own heart. There is a chair and ottoman made of recycled skis, very cute for $375. It is a bit expensive but then chairs are expensive and it comes with an ottoman. I can see myself relaxing in it in a garden or porch. Wait till you see the yogurt container earring for $6.95. It is the cutest thing ever. They have hundreds of enticing items. Go to their website and have fun!

Now, if we have to buy stuff that are new, here are some environmentally and socially just companies to do business with.

Ah Shayh Skin Care Products

I stumbledupon this website as I was researching for this hub and it fits perfectly with what I have in mind. It is collective of women from the US in cooperation with women from the Dogomba tribe in northern part of Ghana where shea nut butter is harvested. The major goal of this women’s collective is the eradication of poverty through economic opportunity, education and a voice in their government for these African women and their families. The people of Dogomba have relied upon the shea butter tree for their lively hood for ages. The butter is used in cooking and for skin care to protect against the tropical sun.

The Ah Shayh collective not only is committed to the social justice of eradicating poverty but also is dedicated to environmental justice. The company makes sure that the cultivation of the shea tree is environmentally sustainable. They are careful that the savannah ecosystem remains in balance and able to support the diverse wild life. They are a member of Co-op America and operate under fare Trade guidelines. Co-op America is an organization that sets high standards of social and environmental justice of which I have been a member for years.

In fact you can go to the Co-op America web site and you will find hundreds of companies that are green and socially conscious.

World of Good Inc

World of Good Inc is a young company about five years old whose main goal is to help consumers make good choices. Choices that are good for the producers, consumers and our environment. When you buy a hand bag, a piece of jewelry, furniture, or clothing you are buying well made goods by expert artisans that are fair trade. They are beautifully hand crafted mostly by women in the developing world. These women are poverty stricken and only want to be able to feed, take care, and educate their children with dignity.

So when we buy these beautiful items from World of Good we are helping these families around the world. What better way to give this Christmas. World of Goods now has a new product line known as Original Good but they are the same company with the same initiative. WorldofGood has recently teamed up with e-Bay and you will find many of their items sold there at very reasonable price and shipping is free. There are beautiful organic hand made clothing, stunning hand crafted jewelery, hand bags,shawls, home decor etc. I saw a gorgeous bracelet made out of recycled bone (from a yak) for $5 and it is hand made in Nepal. You can’t bit that price.

There are many more socially and environmentally conscious companies on line I leave it to you to explore more. Have a merry green Christmas!