did you help fulfill a dream this christmas?

We sure wish we had known about the DreamBank. It's the ultimate gift registry where you can give and receive the perfect gift and do good at the same time.

Instead of giving or receiving gifts that, although appreciated, may not really be wanted, you post a dream gift on the site and friends and family contribute to your dream.

It's a win-win as you get what you really want, friends and family can avoid wasted hours shopping, you help spare the planet some of the nasty side effects of manufacturing and packaging unused gifts and your gift automatically generates funds that are given to important social causes.

Check it out at dreambank.org

give a goat this year

We have a little contest running round here whereby each time someone says the word "christmas" they put $1 in a pot.

So far, we've said it enough to buy a goat from Oxfam, which will be purchased in the region where it is needed. Talk about a real gift this Chr...er, yuletide. We're saving for a donkey ;)

one of a kind fun

The One of a Kind Show and Sale has become a yearly pilgrimage in my family…one that we all thoroughly look forward to and for so many reasons.

The Show offers up fantastic alternatives to shopping in big box stores and buying mass-produced merchandise. It also provides the opportunity to buy local and unique gifts all while supporting our Canadian artisans.

The 2008 Christmas show in Toronto will have twice the square footage in the Green section compared to last year. This is clearly in keeping with the growing trend of consumer awareness about sustainability and the environment.

The show runs in:

Toronto from November 27th til December 7th at the Direct Energy Centre and

Vancouver from November 20th til 23rd at BC Place Stadium.

Ready...set...shop!

give the gift of a goat

Still shopping? Skip the mall and give a truly meaningful gift. The 'Oxfam Unwrapped' program is a unique collection of gifts you can give while helping people in developing countries become more self-sufficient. Give a survival kit or bicycle, or even a chicken, goat or donkey.

The recipient receives a card detailing the gift you bought in their name while the actual item goes to those who need it most (you don't actually have to wrap up the goat).

Visit oxfam.ca to learn how Oxfam Canada is making a difference.

say no to the wish book

This holiday season, Environmental Defence is sharing ways to protect the environment with their Top 5 Tips for a Green Holiday Season:

1. Tell Sears you don't want their 1083-page Wish Book Christmas Catalogue. Canada's largest catalogue is made from clearcut forests and threatened woodland caribou habitat in Ontario. It also uses as much energy to produce as the equivalent of 3,300 homes annually. Why not go online instead or take the bus to your local Sears store?

2. Replace your Christmas lights. Use low-energy LED lights and help reduce the annual holiday power surge! Check to see if your local utility is sponsoring an exchange program.

3. Skip the plastic. Using re-usable shopping bags can reduce the approximately 65,000 tonnes of plastic that is thrown away during the holidays in Canada. You will save on fossil fuel consumption too!

4. For your tree. The best thing you can do is use a locally-grown potted tree that can be replanted in the spring. If you buy a cut tree, then make sure that it is from a local tree-farm. While cutting the tree adds to your carbon footprint, the tree that will be replanted to replace it is your carbon offset.

5. Eat local. Reducing the distance your holiday food has to travel not only lowers your carbon footprint, it support local economies.

Support Environmental Defence by giving the Gift of Green to family and friends on your list who are concerned about the planet.

get real this christmas

Literally - the David Suzuki Foundation says you should buy a real Christmas tree over an artificial one.

Justin Smallbridge, who researched the issue for the foundation, said it's better for the environment since - for the most part - they are grown and sold locally, produce oxygen, are fully recyclable, and, once cut, are replaced with at least two more seedlings.

According to Statistics Canada, real Christmas tree sales were worth $73.9 million in 2005. About 2.4 million trees were exported to places as far away as Ireland and Thailand. Up to six million trees are grown in Canada each year.

But not everyone wants to get real. According again to StatsCan, $36.6 million was spent importing artificial trees from China in 2005.

Full article from the Vancouver Province >>