In my email this morning, I received an invitation to participate in a low-carbon gift exchange with other Climate Fresk members.
“Intriguing,” I thought and added, “might it also save on holiday stress?” Well, the answer is, “Yes and no.” The “gifts” are virtual and exchanged over the Internet. They require no running around at the mall. That's good. Here are their suggestions for what to give.
Share your skills or expertise: a coaching session, a workshop, or an online training (e.g., yoga, video editing, etc.).
Offer a cultural recommendation: a book, article, or film on a topic dear to the community, such as the Anthropocene.
Support an ethical or educational initiative: why not gift a subscription to an independent media outlet?
Inspire with your passions: share a list of your favorite podcasts, books, playlists, or recipes, or even ethical and sustainable resources (such as fair trade brands or creative tools).
Be creative: DIY crafts, an original travel guide, an active listening session, animal sponsorship, or a virtual museum tour.
These suggestions focus on climate change and climate justice, but it isn’t difficult to think of ways you could personalize the gifts. If you’re like me, the problem with “virtual gifts,” is that you have to actually do what you promised. Maybe you could include an actual time and date along with the offer.
Will I be giving gifts like these to my family this Christmas? Nah. We do a book exchange each year using White Elephant rules. Everyone wraps one fiction book and one nonfiction book. We each give two books and walk away with two books. Talk about low stress! That’s the kind of holiday I can really enjoy, and it’s low carbon as well. The gifts are easy to reuse and recycle. Plus, the enjoyment of reading a good book is a gift nobody can take away from you.
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