Holiday Gift List: Donate to These Top 5 Eco Charities

You want to give back to the community and the environment this season but just don’t know where to start. With all the scams out there and a Salvation Army Santa on every corner, it’s hard to know where your money is going and if it’s going to the right things. This list of top five charities has been given an A+ or A by API and has been approved to meet the follow requirements: they generally spend 75% or more of their budgets on programs, spend $25 or less to raise $100 in public support, do not hold excessive assets in reserve, and receive “open-book” status for disclosure of basic financial information and documents to AIP. So this season you can open your wallet without the stress.

Conservation Fund: From Northeast to Southwest, they work with their partners, to conserve land, train leaders, and invest in conservation at home.

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: Their mission is to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitats.

Trust for Public Land: They are a national, nonprofit, land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, community gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come.

Earth Island Institute: They are a non-profit, public interest, membership organization that supports people who are creating solutions to protect our shared planet.

Greenpeace Fund: Their mission is to expose global environmental problems, ensure that the Earth is able to nurture life in all its diversity and promote solutions for future generations.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photo by Lighter Footstep

Holiday Prep: Recycled Wrapping Paper

Ever feel like you spend just as much on wrapping paper as you do on the gifts? Ditch the wasteful paper that just gets balled up and tossed in the trash and make your own from items around the house. Try one of these eco-friendly alternatives to traditional, non-recyclable wrapping paper:

• Newspaper - It’s super easy to find, cheap, and large, and you can make wrapping unique by using colorful comics or photos.
• Magazines – Dazzle your gifts with these glossy magazine pages. Tape pages together to create sheets for larger presents.
• Sheet music – Sheet music adds a whimsical facet to your gifts.
• Calendars – Since you’re going to toss your old calendar anyways, why not use it to personalize a gift?
• Maps – Customize your gift with your favorite countries.
• Brown paper shopping bags and butcher paper – Not only is it recyclable, but this type of paper also lends itself to a fun craft for your kids. Use stamps with non-toxic ink or paint, or let the kids decorate with whatever their little green heart desires.
• Tissue paper – Save tissue from other purchases, such as clothing, to wrap your gifts. You can even play on the sheer nature of tissue by wrapping your present in a dark color or pattern, then covering it with a lighter solid for an artistic, layered look.
• Fabric – Fabric pieces or scraps can be used to make bows or ribbons to decorate your gift.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photos by Real Simple

Holiday Prep: Ditch the Christmas Tree

Approximately 30-35 million (million!) living Fir trees are cut down in the US alone every year. Talk about unnecessary waste. These trees help the environment by converting CO2 into oxygen but when they are cut down, used for a few weeks, and tossed, they release large amounts of stored CO2 into the atmosphere and your home. Now we’re not saying don’t have a tree (it is Christmas) but try one of these more eco-friendly alternatives.

• A potted tree is a great way to keep your tree all year long. You can buy it already potted and keep it outside then move it indoors and decorate for the holiday.
• Make an artwork Christmas tree to hang on the wall. Draw the tree and decorate with real lights and ornaments.
• Get creative and head out into the woods to collect fallen pinecones, branches, and more to create your own DIY Christmas tree.
• If you’re crafty, make a stuffed tree out of fabric … like a pillow.
• Grow your own in a pot. You’ll have fun watching it grow over the years.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photo by I Like Trampolines

Green on Wheels: Celebrity Hybrid Drivers

A-list celebs are known for the glitz, glam, and, of course, their lavish means of high-priced cars. These days, celebs are ditching their fancy exotic imports for more eco-friendly options. America Ferrera, Cameron Diaz, and Julia Roberts are some of the proud owners of a Toyota Prius, one of the most popular hybrids. George Clooney cruises around LA in his Tango 600, a two-seat electrically powered car which he was one of the first to purchase. Paris Hilton recently bought herself a birthday gift in the form of, no not diamonds (well maybe that too), but a GMC Yukon, the first full-size hybrid SUV. That’s one driving force we’ll pay attention to.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photos by GreenDiary

A Change of Climate: Cool It, The Movie

Remember Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth? Yeah, it’s kinda like that but with a real solution. Cool It is a new movie based on the book of the same name and by Bjorn Lomborg. Bjorn, along with award-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner, travel the world exploring the facts and science of global warming and its impact. Lomborg’s mission is simple: To bring the smartest solutions to climate change, environmental pollution, and other problems in the world like HIV/AIDS, malaria, and the lack of potable water. Watch the trailer and get inspired …

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne
Photo by Cool It