Yes, it is almost Christmas but some are still thinking about Christmas gifts. Have you ever considered avoiding the malls and online stores and giving a green gift?
Name a Star
Yes, you can have a star named after your sweetheart, parent, child, or friend. The Star Foundation Network allows your loved one to look up in the sky and see your gift every night…provided it isn’t cloudy. Each star costs $39.95 and the recipient gets a certificate, a signature medallion, a map of the constellations, a map and mythological explanation of the star, an astronomical term sheet, a fact sheet about stars, a hint sheet for viewing stars, and a reference guide of interesting astronomical books.
Adopt an Octopus
If your loved one is more an ocean than sky person, consider adopting an octopus. That’s right; you can help preserve the ocean ecosystem by adopting an octopus for someone. For $35, you get to adopt an octopus in their name and your loved one gets an octopus cookie cutter. Not the octopus type? Don’t worry, you can also adopt a dolphin, shark, polar bear, penguin, sea turtle, hammerhead, killer whale, or seal at Oceana North America.
At Changing the Present, you can help make a difference by giving your loved one nothing at all. Actually, what you give them is the gift of giving to others. You can donate $10 to International Trachoma Initiative to pay for one surgery, donate $90 to U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants to provide legal assistance for a child, donate $100 to Catholic Relief Services to offer HIV counseling to 48 couples in Africa, donate $100 to Winrock International to provide a one family with a share in a community water system, or donate $10 to the American National Red Cross to provide a hot meal for communities suffering from an emergency.
(This image is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, taken or made during the course of an employee’s official duties.)
