Issues > November 21, 1997 (#47) > Sustain the Merriment of the Season

Sustain the Merriment of the Season

It's the time of year to spread some cheer. During this season of consumption and excess, we can tread lightly on the Earth and still give gifts that delight! You can bring someone close to nature by giving native seeds and plants that will attract birds and bees to a backyard or bring the country to an urban setting; or give a loved one a share of a honeybee hive from Rent Mother Nature and fight the decline of these important pollinators. And buying shade-grown, organic coffee helps protect the rainforest habitat of songbirds. Some other ideas:

Cultivating plants, whether in the garden or indoors, is an enjoyable and natural hobby. Gather seeds, bulbs, gardening tools and gloves from a local nursery into a decorative pot for a special someone, or try one of these gift ideas:

Tropical plants and trees, such as fragrant gardenia, flowering banana and wild coffee, can be raised from seed. These sustainably-produced seeds help preserve rainforest habitats and provide local people with an economic alternative to cutting down trees. 78 varieties ($4.95 per packet) and a Coconut Shell Planter Kit ($22.95) are available from Tropical Rainforest Seed Company, 541/758-2916.

Native Seeds/SEARCH promotes the use of traditional Native American cultivated plants and their wild relatives by selling seeds indigenous to the Southwest. Choose seed varieties like For the Birds & Bees Wildflower Mix, San Felipe Pueblo Blue Corn, Acoma Gourd mix, Hopi Yellow Watermelon and Tepehuan Tomatillo ($1.50 each), and put them in a Tarahumara "Petaca," a seed storage basket with lid woven of sotol or beargrass ($15), 520/327-9123.

Datil Mountain Evergreen's "Tree in a Box" helps your giftee start next year's Christmas tree from seed. Choose from six varieties. Each box comes with an information booklet. $7 each, 2 for $12 (includes postage), 505/772-5525.

Room and Bird Board

Shelter and feed birds simultaneously in Smith and Hawken's edible birdhouse made of organically grown Indian corn and millet. Make sure to drill a hole in the bottom to allow drainage, and remember to continue to feed your feathery friends once the corn and millet have been pecked off. $32, 800/776-3336. Other wildlife homes and feeders can be purchased at Gardener's Supply Co., 800/863-1700.

Feed Friends & Family--Sustainably

Be good to your tastebuds and the Earth with sustainably produced foods from farmers' markets, local natural foods stores and:

For traditions' sake, breakfast on Festive Fruit Stollen from Walnut Acres Organic Farm, made with unsulphured dried fruits ($12.95). Instead of fruitcake, try their rich Apricot Nut Cake, made with organic Turkish apricots, pecans and honey ($14.95). A little goes a long way! 800/433-3998.

For die-hards, Fiddler's Green Farm presents Angelina's Organic Fruitcake, made with dried, unsulphured fruits and organic pecans and packed in a holiday tin -- a winner of the Waldo County Fruitcake Bake-off, $16.95 (order by Dec. 15). To chase winter's chill, give their all-organic Tea Time Basket ($23.95), with orange rhubarb butter, wild blueberry jam, English Breakfast and Chamomile teas and a box of scone mix. 800/729-7935.

Celebrate with organic vintages. The Organic Wine Company's Stocking Stuffer includes two French reds and a white ($39.99); the Holiday Sampler has six bottles of red, rosé, white and sparkling brut ($74.99). Order by December 5 to get a corkscrew and wine-tasting guide with each gift. 888/ECO-WINE, ecowine.com.

"Rent Mother Nature"--Support family farmers dedicated to earth-friendly agriculture by leasing a share of a pistachio grove, wild rice paddy, coffee plantation or tangerine orchard. Lessees get progress reports on their crop throughout the season and, come harvest time, a guaranteed share of the yield. You can also rent beehives for honey, a cow for cheese, a sheep for a wool blanket, and others. From $19.95 to $224, 800/296-9445.

We wrote the book(s) on "green cuisine." Give your household food shopper Mothers & Others' Green Kitchen Handbook or The Green Food Shopper, and (s)he'll be equipped to make healthier, better food choices. ($18 each), 888/ECO-INFO, ext. 302.

Natural Fibers

Besides organic and transitional cotton, there's hemp, linen, ramie, and wool -- natural fibers that require fewer chemicals than conventional cotton and synthetics, but breathe and are washable (instead of dry cleaned):

Wrap a loved one in a soft organic cotton terry or flannel bathrobe ($69-$89). Natural Selections also has organic cotton sheets and comforters stuffed with organic cotton or untreated wool ($39-$329), 888/216-9917.

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours: Far Village hemp exfoliators are great for shower or bath. Hemp is strong and durable, and naturally resistant to mold and mildew. Planet Hemp, 800/681-HEMP, sells a scrub-bag with a brush and soap ($22), and bath mitts ($9-$14).

Earthspun Heritage Natural Fibers weaves scarves, blankets, and rugs from wool that's been processed with vegetable-based soap, canola oil and vege-table dyes (starting from $45). Or use their spun yarns for your own project (4 oz. one- and two-ply skeins, $12-$20). 413/549-6271, email: earthspn@crocker.com

Beauty and the Book

Whip up a batch of lotion or facial cleanser, and decorate and fill small jars and bottles (recycle used ones) to pamper a friend or yourself. Recipes for moisturizing bubble bath, body powder, lip balm and more can be found in The Natural Beauty & Bath Book by Casey Kellar (Lark Books, 1997, $24.95). 800/284-3388.

Good Causes

You can support a cause by making someone a member of, or donating in their name to, a nonprofit organization. Local picks might be a homeless shelter, community action group, or adult literacy project. And if you care to venture further abroad:

By adopting an endangered humpback or blue whale in someone's name, you can support The Oceanic Society's research and whale protection efforts off the coast of California. For $35, your recipient will receive a certificate of adoption, a photograph and biography of the whale, and status reports. 800/326-7491.

Adopt a Grizzly. As humans encroach upon the habitat of these loners, Brown Bear Resources in Montana educates the public about grizzly habits and conducts research on bear mortalities caused by human-wildlife conflict. For $30, you can support these efforts and receive reports on your bear. 406/549-4896.

Send "Mothers' Blend" Organic Coffee from Montana Coffee Traders and Mothers & Others will receive $1 per pound sold. $4.75/lb., 800/345-5282.

Presents For Kids

Too many kids' toys are made of plastic! Make this holiday PVC-free (see box on "What to Scrooge On").

Grow a Gardener: Engage kids with gardening activities. If you're apartment- or snow-bound, use a windowsill. Make up a kit with Children's Flower or Vegetable Seed Collections (8 seed packets each, about $13), kid's garden gloves ($7), and How a Seed Grows, for children ages 3-8 ($5). The Cook's Garden, 800/457-9703.

Tuck baby in with a soft, gingham organic cotton quilt ($40) paired with an organic cotton flannel blanket ($16) and baby cap ($5), from Forty Oaks Organic Textiles, 707/769-1097.

Earth Friendly Goods sells a huggable bear made entirely of organically grown cotton ($29.95). And this bear dresses in a stylish recycled organic cotton vest! Wardrobe and gear bag are $4.95-$10. 800/257-2848.

Teach them to tell time with Hickory, Dickory, Dock. This hardwood clock, capturing the classic nursery rhyme, features large removable wooden pieces that teach numbers, colors and shapes and help develop eye-hand coordination. $27, Earthwise Basics, 718/846-7434

Count down the days until Christmas with "The Young Booklover's Holiday Calendar." Inside each covered window awaits a picture from a classic book housed in the children's room at the New York Public Library. Bookshelf illustrations by Adrienne Ottenberg. $7.95 (incl. shipping), The Little Bookroom, 212/691-3321.

Kids Books

Imagine You Are a Crocodile and Imagine You Are a Tiger by Karen Wallace, illustrated by Mike Bostock. (Henry Holt & Co., 1997, $14.95 each). In luminous watercolors, Wallace and Bostock depict the swampy world of a mama croc and her daily activities. Meet her babies, friends and foes. The second book, also illustrated with astonishingly beautiful pictures, shows how a tiger's patterned pelt, a mixture of sun and shadow, camouflages this great and threatened beast. Ages 3-8.

The Painting Gorilla by Michael Rex (Henry Holt & Co., 1997, $15.95) Bright, cheerful pictures illustrate this lively tale of a gorilla's career in art, painting -- and getting rich on -- portraits-in-action of her zoo neighbors: elephants bathing, penguins skating, children covered with ice cream. The problem: What is wealth to a confined animal? The gorilla's happy solution will please young children. Ages 3-6.

Peek-a-boo at the Zoo, Downtown Lost & Found and The Zookeepers Sleepers by Frank B. Edwards and John Bianchi (Bungalo Books/Firefly Books, 1997, $5.95 each). Each "new reader" opens with an illustrated lexicon of words that will be used in the text. Simple pictures and phrases in situations -- like a lost-and-found room becoming Noah's Ark -- should help children read.

Animal Smarts by Sylvia Funston (Owl Communications, $9.95). How do animals get their brain power? Sylvia Funston explains, using examples from bees to cats, giant octopuses to spider monkeys. The influence of instinct upon good sense, and animal-smart house building, food collecting, navigating and communicating, are explored. Ages 9+.

Ever heard of a pudu or an okapi? Kids can read about 12 rare, threatened or endangered animal species in Animals You Never Even Heard Of by Patricia Curtis (Sierra Club Books, 1997, $16.95). Mom and Dad can learn a few things, too! Ages 9+.

Blue Potatoes, Orange Tomatoes by Rosalind Creasy, illustrated by Ruth Heller (Sierra Club Books, 1997, $6.95), provides instructions on how to grow a rainbow garden, where to get supplies and simple recipes. Ages 10+.

"Baby Animals: 1998 Sierra Club Calendar for Kids" offers facts, habits and habitat info about each animal (from chimps to polar bears) and stickers to mark important dates. $9.95, 800/935-1056.

In The Race Against Junk Food by Anthony Buono, et. al. and Denny Fincke (HCOM, Inc., 1997, $9.95), Tommy and his fresh fruit and vegetable pals compete with junk food to save Freshworld from becoming Junkworld. Given raves by an 8-year-old friend. Ages 3-9, 888/217-SNAK.