GIVE RAINFOREST GREEN GIFTS
step #25
“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things…I am tempted to think…there are no little things.”
BRUCE BARTON
FORTMER U.S. CONCRESSMAN
AND AUTHOR
Saving rainforests can influence more than just what bananas you buy. It provides a new means to gift giving that is both meaningful and memorable. When you give a loved one a handmade gift that benefits the rainforest, it’s like giving three gifts, as the receiver, the craftsperson who made it and you the giver all benefit. This is a great one for birthdays, weddings and the winter holidays!
THE SCOOP
Whatever the occasion, consider giving a sustainably made gift that will benefit the rainforest. There are local artisans throughout the tropical regions of the world who sustainably collect seeds and other materials from the rainforest in order to make beautifully crafted jewelry, accessories, home furnishings and baskets. Fortunately, through companies such as Ecostasy, World of Good, Ten Thousand Villages and others, you can easily find these items in a store near you or by purchasing them online.
Just this small act of giving a rainforest green gift produces so many beautiful results. First, it helps create a broader rainforest economy by giving indigenous tribes and local people the opportunity to make a living in ways that are sustainable. The more alternative markets to destructive logging, cattle ranching and monoculture farming, the better. You also have the pleasure of giving unique, meaningful gifts that come from the rainforest, the oldest ecosystem on earth—and the receiver also shares in that pleasure.
Now that’s cool!
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Buy a gift sustainably sourced and crafted by those who live in tropical areas. Here’s a list of retail and online stores that sell genuine rainforest crafts. (Some items come from areas outside the tropics. To support the rainforest, be sure your purchase comes from a tropical region.)
Ecostasy
Ecostasy is an online collection of totally unique handcrafted items from furniture to bedding to stationary. Definitely higher-end, all items are made from sustainable sources and are truly pieces of art in themselves. The company sources directly from artisans, cooperatives and designers and controls its export and import process. They make excellent wedding gifts!
ECOSTASY
Global Girlfriend
Global Girlfriend imports and distributes fair trade household goods, jewelry, fashion accessories, gifts, toys and more, handmade from mostly renewable sources by more than 80 artisan groups of women in more than 20 countries throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia.
GLOBAL GIRLFRIEND
888-355-4321
Ten Thousand Villages
You can order items online or in one of the retail stores. To see if there’s a store near you, visit the website.
TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES
www.tenthousandvillages.com
877-883-8341
The Rainforest Site
This website offers a mixture of merchandise—some crafted by local artisans in tropical areas, some not. However, the site donates a portion of the proceeds from each item sold to preserve rainforest land. If you choose carefully, you can preserve rainforest land and support the work of a local rainforest artist at the same time!
THE RAINFOREST SITE
www.therainforestsite.com
206-859-5201
These are just a few suggestions to get you started. Continue to search online if these sites do not have what you want. Good key words to use are “fair trade,” “rainforest” and “gifts.” Shop rainforest green and have some fun with this one!
RESOURCES
Ecostasy
www.ecostasy.com
Global Girlfriend
www.globalgirlfriend.com
Ten Thousand Villages
www.tenthousandvillages.com
The Rainforest Site
www.therainforestsite.com