Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

photo credit: thadman

With the “slide” toward the holidays starting pretty much after Halloween, and with the economy as it is, many people are already budgeting or even shopping for the upcoming season. Now, perhaps more than ever, people are looking for gifts worth giving, especially for those “hard to buy for” people.

Add to the lack of ideas the fact that—for many of us—our parents, grandparents, or in-laws have expressed they no longer want “gifts.” They are busy clearing out and downsizing—sometimes even delivering boxes of stuff long since left behind, under the auspices of not being sure if we still want them.

For Christmas a couple of years ago, the in-laws drew the biggest blank for me. I was working steadily down the “list” of family and friends, jotting down gift ideas, and found myself skipping them on each pass. In trying to figure out what to give someone who didn’t want anything, I came across Heifer International. (Care of a flyer that somehow ended up in my mailbox—a rare case of welcomed direct mail.)

My in-laws take a lot of pride in their yard, especially their chicken coop, a somewhat uncommon fixture in their neck of Marin County. And more than once we’ve been sent home with fresh fruit or eggs, and benefited from the nutrients the organically-fed animals provide.

Heifer International shares the same pride in the benefits of livestock (and their by-products) and extends those to families in need. Their Online Gift Catalog highlights a variety of breeds available for donation and the assistance each animal offers.

For example, a $500 donation supplies an actual heifer, and training in its care. According to Heifer International, one cow can produce four gallons of milk daily, affording enough for the family and its neighbors. The sale of surplus milk can go to household costs, like medicine, clothing or school fees. Plus, in receiving the cow, the family agrees to pass its first calf along to another family. That family does the same, and so on, eventually helping “an entire community move from poverty to self reliance.”

If $500 is a strain on your holiday budget, a goat or pig costs $120, honeybees cost $30, and a flock of chicks or ducks costs $20—each with the potential to extend beyond the initial needy family to benefit the community at large. You could also partially fund an animal (for a portion of the donation price) or join forces with others to fund an entire project. Current projects include sending livestock, agriculture or green tourism training to parts of Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Honduras, Nepal, China, Poland, and Ukraine.

Stretching our dollars to give gifts worth giving will be an invaluable resource in this holiday season. Heifer International offers one way to truly share the holiday spirit. In fact, the in-laws were thrilled to play a part in helping someone else share the pleasure of having chickens. To learn more, check out: www.heifer.org

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2. Give More & Use Less Holiday Competition Rules
3. Weekly Green Round-Up: A Green Holiday Season