The holiday season is upon us, and from everywhere the chorus to consume is growing. It can be hard to keep in mind the health of our planet during the holidays, but we have lots of ideas that can help you bring joy to the season and still feel good about your impact on the natural world.

** Check this page often for updates and fresh ideas! **

GET OUTSIDE

A visit to any of Rhode Island's beautiful natural places in the autumn and winter is a great way to spend quality time with friends, family, and out-of-town guests. Explore our state parks, national wildlife refuges, Audubon Society refuges, Newport's Cliff Walk, Narragansett Bay, or those small parks and coastal access points in your own neighborhood. Try someplace new or return to a favorite spot. Take a ride on a bike path. Visit Blithewold in Bristol, or the mansions in Newport, and stroll the gardens. Check with Audubon for programs and excursions, try a seal-watching trip with Save The Bay. Check NNN's Community Calendar for events every week, all year round, and be sure to scroll down for a listing of other local calendars with even more events.

BUY LESS STUFF

One of the easiest, and best, things to do to lighten our impact on the natural world is to simply buy less stuff. If you have a list of people to buy gifts for, ask yourself if they really need any more things. If your gift is only going to collect dust, or end up in a closet somewhere, what good is that? Try giving a coupon that promises you will spend some special time together -- a trip to Block Island, or a summer day at the beach, a Gallery Night, or a sports event, or a nice dinner and a play.

Of course it's harder for kids, but even kids can appreciate getting fewer things but better ones, and promises of more fun to come -- a trip to the circus, or to the zoo, to a baseball game, or a canoe or kayak trip. Click here for a recent essay by Bill McKibben with a different take on consumerism and Christmas. "We need to be out in the cold air, we need to think about others, we need to serve," he says. Way more than we need more stuff.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY

Money spent to support a vibrant and diverse local economy helps our environment in lots of ways. Goods produced and sold here consume less fossil fuel in transport. Local companies create jobs for your friends and neighbors, keeping everyone productive. Supporting local farmers keeps Rhode Island's countryside green and healthy. Artists enhance our quality of life and their orginal works make great gifts.

Local food: Edible Rhody magazine is all about local food. You can find their issues free at local markets and restaurants, but you can also buy an annual subscription online, it would make a great gift for the foodie on your list. Check out Farm Fresh RI's listing of local artisan food producers and restaurants that feature local food. You'll find creative breads, locally brewed beer, chocolates, fresh milk, and even handmade dog treats.

You can also find R.I. products at lots of local markets, if you look -- cornmeal, coffee syrup, bread, and more. Stores that feature local and organic foods include Whole Foods (in Providence and Cranston), The Green Grocer (Portsmouth), and the Alternative Food Co-op (Wakefield).

Opening on December 1, the new Providence Wintertime Farmers Market has tons of great local gifts you won't find anywhere else. Just for starters -- oysters, cider, honey, maple syrup, artisan cheese, chocolates, coffee, wreaths and trees, johnnycake mix, and more. Find it all at AS220, every Saturday from noon to 3. And you can stock up for yourself on fresh eggs, vegetables, and salad greens too. (OK, the coffee is not grown in RI, but it's fair trade.)

Local wine: Why not wash down that local food with some local wine! Our local vineyards are beautiful places to visit, and preserve open spaces and agricultural traditions. They deserve our support! Check out Sakonnet Vineyards in Little Compton, Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth, and Newport Vineyards in Middletown (they also offer hard cider). These vendors may offer products made from grapes grown elsewhere... if you want to stick with R.I. grapes, be sure to ask. You can also find local beers at your liquor store. Newport Storm and Trinity Brewhouse are two brands that I know of, ask your storekeeper for more selections. All of these suggestions have multiple payoffs... they support your local economy, help create good jobs for your neighbors, provide worthwhile gifts that won't collect dust, and enrich the whole experience of living on earth. Better than another pair of gloves, don't you think?

Local Farms: Many of our local farmers keep their farmstands going right through the holidays. You can find Christmas trees, wreaths, greens of all sorts, plus gift shops with a wide range of items. Check out the RI Farmways Web site for a listing.

Local Art: Art events are listed at the RI Council on the Arts weblog. Some favorite annual holiday events are the Foundry Show, in Pawtucket, and the RISD Alumni Show. You can also buy products designed by RISD students and graduates at RISD Works, downtown. Providence artist Shawn Kenney paints gorgeous pictures of food -- perfect for the culinary artist you know -- and donates a portion of each sale to groups that feed the hungry. If a painting is too pricey for you, note card sets of 12 go for $20, and you can buy online.

Farm Fresh RI is selling their beautiful Ripe calendars online for $17. The proceeds support all of their wonderful programs that help RI farmers all year round.

Here's a great gift for someone with a love of nature and a love of art. The Natural History Museum at Roger Williams Park offers Saturday morning drawing classes for adults, using objects from their collections. Each class meets for four Saturdays, 10 to 12, and costs $50. You can sign up online. At SweetFeltGoods, in Providence, Caroline Unruh creates handmade wool blankets from recycled materials. Go to her Web site for more info or to place an order. She can also create pieces to order from your own old sweaters and other wool materials, but it takes three to four weeks for custom work. Prices range from about $60 for a scarf to $350 for a full-size blanket.

Local Villages: Part of the charm of living in our small state is the existence of little historic villages where you can escape the big box stores and the glitzy malls and actually have a good time shopping and strolling right out in the open air. If it's been a while since you visited East Greenwich or Wickford or Pawtuxet, they all are worth a trip. You can browse for antiques, plants, arts & crafts, stop for lunch or coffee, and enjoy being a Rhode Islander. Here are links to some local Web sites to give you ideas: Wickford (their Festival of Lights is Nov 30-Dec 2), Pawtuxet (they have a village stroll event on Dec 9), Tiverton Four Corners, Newport, and Bristol (Illumination Day is Dec. 2).

Providence has some villages of its own - Wayland Square, Thayer Street, Wickenden Street, Hope Street. Other places worth a visit -- Chepachet, Wakefield, Watch Hill, Warren. Remember, if folks don't go to these places and spend money there, one day we'll wake up to find them all gone, with nothing but big boxes and parking lots and pharmacies where the little shops used to be.

BOOKS

Books are the gift that keeps on giving! They bring pleasure and enlightenment, they can be re-used over and over, and while books are not perfectly eco-friendly, the materials they are made of are fairly benign and mostly recyclable. And they don't require batteries! NNN has selected an assortment of hiking guides and natural history books for our local region, plus outdoor gear and more, from Amazon. Check out our selection, and any books you buy from our NNN Amazon Bookstore will help to support Natural News! Audubon also has great gift shops in Smithfield and Bristol that feature lots of books, plus bird feeders, binoculars, and other gift items for the naturalist (or would-be naturalist).

The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society has published a unique coloring book featuring local plants. Yours for only $5 plus $3.50 for packaging and postage -- or you can pick it up at the office in Warwick, most Mondays and Wednesdays. Call 737-1459 to pick up, or order via This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Projo books editor Doug Riggs reviews a selection of art books that feature wild places, wild animals, beautiful landscapes and warnings about the human impact on nature. Barnes & Noble has created an online collection of green-themed books sure to appeal.

GIVE TO THOSE WHO NEED HELP

The holidays are always a good time to remind ourselves how lucky we are, and to share a little of our bounty with those in need. A good way to jump-start the season is with a donation to the Buy Nothing Day Coat Exchange, the day after Thanksgiving. Clean out those closets and give a little warmth to somebody who'll appreciate it. Try hosting a "drop in & decorate" event. Invite your friends and neighbors to stop by and help decorate cookies, that you can then donate to those in need who need a lift for the holidays. The folks at NineCooks.com, based in Gloucester, have an online guide to help you get started, and a link that will make it easy to buy a starter kit with all the gear and mixes you need. Projo.com has a growing online list of local charities ready to accept your donations or money or gifts for kids or food or your time, and put it to good use right here in R.I. You can also find ideas for volunteering and donating at the Volunteer Center of R.I.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ECO-ADVOCATES

Look around at Rhode Island's parks and shorelines, our birds and wildlife, our clean air and water, and take a moment to appreciate the local nonprofit groups who work year-round to preserve these assets for all of us. NNN's Community Links page provides links to all these local groups. Find one or two that appeal to you, and consider sending them a holiday donation or buying a membership, in your own name or as a gift to someone special on your list.

Our pals at The Ocean Project, an international educational group based in Providence, are offering a beautiful calendar filled with colorful pictures of marine life for 2008. But it's more than just a pretty calendar -- it's packed with information that aims to inspire, motivate, and educate. A great gift for a future marine biologist, or anyone you know with a love of the ocean. All proceeds benefit the great work of TOP. Click here to buy online, and mention NNN to qualify for the special "partner" rate!

For icy days when you can't get outdoors, the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuges offer a video DVD filled with amazing footage of local wildlife -- from coyotes to birds to seals to deer. You can explore habitats from forests to salt ponds, barrier beaches and rocky shores. You'll get almost two hours of video, set to relaxing classical music. Gerry Krausse, a recently retired URI prof, shot all the film. Sales benefit the Wildlife Refuges, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for your copy, at $25 each. You can also get a great calendar showing the local tides for every day, from the Narragansett Bay Research Reserve, based on Prudence Island. From their Web site, you can print it out yourself, or send an email to request a printed copy. It's free!

You can give the gift of clean energy, with a donation to Mass Energy's New England Wind Fund. Your gift will support 100% New England resources, promote the local economy and provide cleaner air for our future. Your gift recipient receives a beautiful card highlighting the contribution’s impact, and matching grants are sent back to your community to support clean energy programs. Gifts start at $15.

There are also some great national and international programs that are worthy of your support. Heifer International is one of our favorites, and they have an awesome holiday giving program where your dollars go to buy farm animals for poor families around the world. They are a great choice for the animal lovers on your list. Others that we like (and that are, like Heifer, highly rated for making good use of donor dollars) include National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International.

NATURAL PRODUCTS FOR YOU AND YOUR HOME

Here at NNN, we hear occasionally from folks who are selling "all-natural" personal-care products for you and your home. To tell the truth, we don't have the resources or expertise to evaluate in-depth the eco-friendliness or the health claims of these products. But we do know that it makes sense ecologically to cut down on packaging as much as you can, so products that are packaged in bulk or concentrated form, or packaged in recyclable materials, are a good choice. We also think it's a good idea to choose local products, to support the growth of a local economy.

That said, here are some of the products we have come across...

Shaklee Clean & Green home-cleaning products are concentrated and come in recyclable packaging. The company has made a real commitment to supporting environmental projects, and will contribute part of every purchase made through this link to Natural News. Kenton Athletics, a Providence-based company, sells personal-care products designed specifically for athletes, and made of all-natural ingredients. Whole Foods carries their line, and all products in their stores must meet their standards.

Do you have an eco-friendly holiday idea that you'd like to see listed here? This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it