Gifts That Give Back

The greenest gift is one that consumes no resources but still manages to make the world a better place. You'll see the most immediate results of your donation if you choose a non-profit in your community, so check the yellow pages or visit Local Independent Charities of America (www.lic.org) for reputable organizations. For a global impact, help these worthy causes:

AHOPE For Children (African HIV Orphans: Project Embrace) funds orphanages for HIV-afflicted children in Ethiopia. Orphaned by AIDS, the children also receive medical care and anti-retroviral drugs. Sponsor a child for $30/month or make a one-time donation (www.ahopeforchildren.org). Mercy Corps provides aid and sustainable economic development to areas devastated by war or disasters. Individual donations can be made to help displaced Lebanese families or those affected by the Indonesian earthquake last May, or you can purchase "Mercy Kits" that aid a variety of efforts, from giving school supplies to Iraqi children to providing livestock for poor, rural families (www.mercycorp.org). Doctors Without Borders delivers emergency medical aid to people caught in the throes of armed conflict, epidemics, disasters and exclusion from medical care all over the world (www.doctorswithoutborders.org). Partners in Health provides health care to the poor in Russia, the Carribbean, and North, Central and South America. The group's 13-year background in community health allows them to tackle broad-reaching "unsolvable" health crises worldwide (www.pih.org).

This past year, Florida legislators removed the once-endangered, but still threatened, manatee from the state's endangered species list. Help reverse further harm to the species by supporting the Save the Manatee Club (www.savethemanatee.org). Encourage more oceanic preservation efforts, like the federal government's recent establishment of the world's largest marine preserve that provides refuge for over 7,000 species, by giving to the Blue Frontier Campaign (www.bluefront.org).

Donate to the Betsy Lydon Fund, a cash award handed out by Slow Food USA to preserve family farms and biodiversity. Call 718-260-8000 for more information.

Kids may enjoy a gift to The Elephant Sanctuary, a 2,700-acre farm in Tennessee that rescues retired circus and zoo elephants. "Adopt" one of the farm's 19 elephants or donate to the sanctuary or other international elephant programs (www.elephants.com).

As always, electronic subscriptions to The Green Guide ($15) consume mere megabytes of disk space, yet provide year-long guidance on all things environmental and support the non-profit Green Guide Institute (www.thegreenguide.com).