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.)

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photo credit: d70focus

Growing up literally half-a-mile from Salem, MA, I had mixed feelings regarding witches and witchcraft. On one hand, I had recurring nightmares of coming home from school and finding the Wicked Witch of the West at my house. (I could sometimes tell she was there because her car was parked out front—don’t ask.) On the other, I could barely contain my excitement when Laurie Cabot, the Official Witch of Salem, visited our elementary school. (It was pretty cool.) 

As a pre-teen I frequently saw Cabot walking toward her shop in Salem or around the Commons. And in high school, I was intrigued by, and notably accepting of, a classmate’s announcement that she planned to join Cabot’s circle.

With this “doctor’s kid” kind of knowledge into one branch of the ancient pagan religions, I should mention how misrepresented they are as a group, particularly in popular media. And yet, I must also confess that movies like The Craft and Practical Magic are hopeless guilty pleasures.

While we continue to be fascinated with them, pagans are trying to reclaim their holidays and traditions, as they live pretty ordinary lives. And this month we can celebrate with them.

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photo credit: pfala

While I’m not usually one to buy into shameless promotions, I was intrigued by organic yogurt producer Stonyfield Farm’s recent “Bid with Your Lid” campaign.

Stonyfield, which started as an organic farming school 29 years ago and launched the climate-conscious non-profit, Climate Counts, in collaboration with Clean Air-Cool Planet, has long been a favorite brand in our household, mainly due to a desire to avoid high-fructose corn syrup when possible. But the “Bid with Your Lid” campaign provides another health-focused reason to stock up on the active cultures of acidophilus.

This fall, the company plans to divvy a pot of $100,000 among three environmental organizations…and it’s up to you to decide who gets what.

The “big three” all have worthy causes. They include: Physicians for Social Responsibility (which focuses on keeping toxic chemicals from the environment), Ocean Conservancy (which focuses on climate change affecting our land and seas), and Worldwatch Institute (which focuses on sustainable agriculture systems).

The more votes they get, the more of the pot they receive. Simple enough.

While the main idea is most likely to promote purchases, like most campaigns in the US “Bid with Your Lid” contains a “no purchase necessary” option—which means you can give a gift to your favorite without having to open your wallet.

For more on the promotion, these organizations, or even to place a vote for your cause, check out: www.stonyfield.com

(I swear, it’s not everyday that I recommend an individual corporation’s website, but this could be a way to give without having to give up much.)