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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:

America's Wetland: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana seeks to reverse 75 years of wetland deterioration along Louisiana's coastline and barrier islands, which serve as a habitat for over 5 million migratory waterfowl and provide much-needed storm protection for human communities as well (www.americaswetland.com).

Founded by the late musician John Denver, Plant-It 2020 plants, maintains, and protects indigenous trees in forests and urban areas all over the world through programs such as "dollar-per-tree" (www.plantit2020.org).

The once-endangered, but still threatened, manatee has been removed from Florida's endangered species list, but you can 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).

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).

Architecture for Humanity provides architects around the world with opportunities to create environmentally sustainable temporary shelters in developing and disaster-stricken countries (www.architectureforhumanity.org).

After raising livestock and donating the animals to poor families, Heifer International educates communities on how to sustain agrarian economies in an effort to alleviate world hunger and promote environmental health and sustainability (www.heifer.org).

Mercy Corps provides aid and sustainable economic development to areas devastated by war or disasters. 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).

To help poor communities get on their feet, Trickle Up provides seed capital for start-ups or expansions and business training to women especially, from Niger to the U.S.A. (www.trickleup.org).

Throughout Africa, Keep A Child Alive provides HIV/AIDS medications and grants for constructing and staffing medical clinics (www.keepachildalive.org). In Ethiopia, AHOPE For Children (African HIV Orphans: Project Embrace) funds orphanages that provide medical care and anti-retroviral drugs to HIV-afflicted children (www.ahopeforchildren.org).

Partners in Health supports community health care programs for the poor in Russia, the Carribbean, and North, Central and South America (www.pih.org).