Give the Gift that Keeps on Giving!

This season, Clean Ocean Action is offering tips on how to green your holiday. Here is the second of twelve in COA's '12 Days of Green Giving' series.

By: Catie Tobin, COA Ocean Advocacy and Education Fellow

Tis the season for shopping lists, baking to-dos, and holiday decorating galore. With all of the time needed to complete those tasks, it’s hard to devote time to really thinking about personalized gifts for your family and friends, let alone environmentally-friendly gifts. It’s a good thing that there are websites out there that can help you do just that!

Holiday gifts do not necessarily have to be an article of clothing or an iTunes gift card. Why not give something more meaningful and that can help the environment? Become craftier, especially with your holiday décor, utilize Pinterest as a way to create long-lasting (and greener) decorations! Whether you want to transform your house into a Winter Wonderland or you want to create personalized gifts for your friends and family, then Pinterest is a great tool for all you Do It Yourself-ers. 

Websites, such as ReUseIt, are a great resource to use when holiday shopping. Whether it is a reusable eco hero cape for your environmental superhero or eco-finger paint for your artsy neighbor, gifts for all ages can be found on this environmentally friendly website. Other websites, such as The Daily Green, provide other great opportunities to find ideas for unique green holiday gifts.

Gifts do not necessarily have to be something that the recipient physically receives. Another great option to build a greener future with a greener gift is to donate to an environmental organization in said person’s name. For example, Clean Ocean Action provides great opportunities to give the gift that keeps on giving. A donation to Clean Ocean Action in someone’s name allows us to continue protecting our ocean and build a greener future. Our fellowship and internship programs are funded by donations from people like you. They also go to building our educational programs to help shape the next generation of marine scientists.

A donation to Clean Ocean Action can also give the gift of an ocean education. Make a donation to COA specifically for a Clean Ocean Action presentation for your child’s school or an organization you are a part of. Presentations are available for all age groups and topics include the Clean Ocean Zone, Pointless People Pollution, Liquefied Natural Gas, as well as a general Clean Ocean Action presentation. 

Going ‘green’ this holiday season does not need to be a difficult task. Whether it is decorating in a greener fashion or giving ‘greener’ gifts, there are numerous websites available to help you accomplish all of your environmentally-friendly goals. Start a new trend amongst family and friends by thinking outside the box this holiday SEAson and purchasing greener gifts that will be sure to spread cheer!