NATURAL PERSPECTIVES:

There is no better time than the Christmas season to show your love for God’s green planet. Unfortunately, this planet is in crisis, and not enough people recognize it yet. And nowhere near enough people are doing something about it. Vic and I are talking, of course, about the biggest crisis our civilization has had to face — global climate change.

Global climate change, which is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the past 150 years, is changing the environment more rapidly than anyone thought possible. We all need to do everything possible to reduce our impact on the planet while there is still time.

Christmas is a great time to think about environmentally sound presents (and wrappings). I did most of my holiday shopping in just one day in front of the computer. This was the first time that I’ve done most of my shopping online, but it won’t be the last. I waited for catalogs to arrive, flipped through them to make selections, and hopped online. After Christmas, I’ll recycle the catalogs.

Having the gifts shipped directly from a warehouse saves energy big time. A warehouse uses 1/16 the energy of a shopping mall. Also, instead of everyone driving his or her individual cars to a mall, the gifts are delivered essentially via mass transit. UPS even calculates routes with as few left turns as possible to save time idling at lights. I would never think to do that. The only downside to catalog or online shopping is the extra packaging that is involved in sending individual items. But with the exception of Styrofoam, most of the packaging is recyclable.

The next thing I did was think of the environmental impact of each present. I chose gift boxes of organic fruit for some people on our list. Harry and David ( www.harryanddavid.com), based in Oregon, does a fine job of selecting premium, gift-quality fruits. I chose their organic selection because organic farming helps build the soil instead of depleting it, and it doesn’t put harmful pesticides into the environment.

This year, I found some gifts made of organic cotton. Cotton farming uses one-quarter of all the pesticides that are used on the planet. I found organic cotton towels and bed linens at Gaiam in Colorado ( www.Gaiamliving.com).

They have other friendly-to-the-environment products as well, including things made of bamboo, a renewable wood. Bamboo also produces fibers that can be made into bed linens, clothing and more. Their hand-crafted items are fair trade, meaning they were produced by artisans who were paid a livable wage for their work. One of the really neat aspects of this company is that they offer you a chance to make a donation to a conservation group that plants trees in order to offset the carbon burned during shipping of the gift items.

Another interesting company is Viva Terra ( www.vivaterra.com), also based in Colorado. They offer decorative and kitchen items made from recycled and renewable materials, plus gift baskets of organic foods.

For those people on your list who already have everything, consider making a donation in their name. Two people on our list got donations to Heifer International. We gave them an opportunity to choose between a gift of a pig, sheep, or goat, or six rabbits, or two flocks of poultry. The goal of Heifer International is to end world hunger and poverty through donations of livestock. They require the recipient of livestock to give one of the first offspring to someone else in the community in order to spread the gift of sustainable food.

Other options for donations are gift memberships in environmental organizations such as the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center or one of the Bolsa Chica groups. Or consider a donation to the Huntington Beach Tree Society. Planting trees helps fight global warming because trees take up carbon from the atmosphere.

Vic believes in shopping locally to keep our tax dollars at home. He did all of his shopping at Bella Terra. I shopped there too, getting books for some people on our list. Restaurant gift certificates are another great idea. You might think about Good Mood Food at Warner and Springdale. They have vegetarian meals that are both beautiful and delicious.

For special people on your list, a garden composter made of recycled plastic is a great way to live greener. Every bit of food that you grind up in the garbage disposal goes down the drain, off to the sewage treatment plant and ultimately into the ocean. Or buy a fruit tree for your yard.

You could search for a coffee maker with a thermal carafe instead of one that has a heating element. You can get flashlights and radios that wind up for electric power — no batteries required. Solar-powered items are another good gift idea. If other electric items are on your list, make sure that they are energy-efficient Energy Star items. This year, we have avoided giving gifts that require batteries, because batteries are just that much more toxic waste. And speaking of waste, gift wrap goes in the trash the day after Christmas. Buy reusable gift sacks.

Global climate change is no longer just something way off in the future. It is here, and it is affecting people all over the planet. The increase in number and intensity of storms, droughts, floods and heat waves is directly related to the amount of energy we use. Please think of the planet this year at Christmas, and give the gift of sustainable living.

VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and environmentalists. They can be reached at [email protected].