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Dear Joy to the Planet Reader:
I hope this finds you well in the world this
week.
Today's lesson is the long-awaited and much
requested lesson on
 How
to Give Cyber-Gifts and help the
planet...
This time of year brings with it a great deal
of traditional gift-giving...whether it be to kids, adults, single friends or couples. It's a fun time of year where if we
stop to think about it, we are really celebrating our friendships and our
relationships to each other. As you shop for gifts this year, try keeping
in mind the following questions:
What can I give that particular person that will really enrich their life?
How can I send them something that will last a very long time, beyond the
moment of receiving my gift?
Where can I go to find gifts that
will be easy to buy and easy to give, with the least amount of hassle for
me?
The great thing is that the answer to all three questions is
actually simple and easy...you can do all of the above by looking online
for cyber-gifts of all sorts.
And that's what today's lesson helps us do.
The computer age has given us some tremendous
opportunities to enjoy the gift giving season and help the planet at the
same time. The main benefits of doing the radical thing and giving
cyber-gifts only this year are many:
þ
You save on shipping costs and all the paper
packaging. Electronic gifts don't require boxes, tissue, wrapping,
bows or gift cards! You simply click send and the gift arrives when
you want it to.
þ
You save gasoline by shopping from home from
your computer. No more repeated trips to the mall trailing around
looking for a parking spot.
þ
You save on the material of the present
itself. An electronic gift by its very nature is enjoyed online...a
teddy bear is fun, but what about a cool email a week with questions and
activities in it instead? The latter is 100% electronic while the
former requires fabric, stuffing and other things to create...
Imagine sitting down at your computer,
shopping for an hour or two and you're done! No wrapping, no post
office, no running out of scotch tape. Dreamy, right? <g>
To get started, check out these gifts for your friends and
families, and see who you can surprise with a cyber-gift this year. (Note: Some of these examples have been created by the team
behind Joy to the Planet...we love coming up with new green ways to give
great gifts!)
1. For Kids - Give the gift
of 18 "Cool Questions" to ponder each week...one per week for 18 weeks.
"Cool Questions for Kids" is collection of 18
very cool questions to talk about with the kids...whether you're a friend
of kids,
or have some in the family.
Sent by email once a week, you can see a
sample issue here to get a sense
for the kinds of conversations these questions will inspire. Hey,
it's a lot better than "How was your day!"
A completely green gift, the planet will thank
you as
well as your pocketbook, because the collection is only
$9 for all
18 weeks. Written to inspire greater connection between family
members and kids ages 5-10, there are (of course!) planet-friendly
questions in the collection as well. You select the day to start the
collection, whether that be December 25 (Christmas), December 19 (Hannukah)
or whatever day you like, including December 22 (Winter Solstice).
2. For Couples, married or
not - Give the gift of 18 "Cool Questions" and theme dates to go on each
week...one per week for 18 weeks.
"Cool Questions for Couples" is much like the
kids collection, but with questions and suggested planet friendly dates that help the
couple discover what they don't yet
know about each other. Whether for yourself and your partner or for
your friends that may have just started dating...this is an easy and again
inexpensive gift at only $9.
Again sent by email once a week, this gift is
completely battery, pollution and chemical free, and a touching and
personal choice for married and non married couples alike. Check out
a simply great
sample issue here. Where else can you find a gift that will last
18 full weeks for only $9?
Kids, you can send this to your parents or
grandparents too...
3. For Anyone who likes
to read - Give the gift of a paperless eBook or Audio Book, downloadable
and readable via computer or palm pilot.
The selection of eBooks/audioBooks available
is now at the point where it's
 a
true pleasure shopping for them. And what with the way bookstores
get so crowded at this time of year...let me tell you, half an hour
browsing the virtual bookstore has become one of my favorite pastimes! Try
a title that encourages a green hobby like gardening, cooking from
scratch, winter camping or even how to build a straw bale house.
Here are some links to get you started, but
remember eBooks are now available on even the smallest of websites, so
grab a cup of tea and have a leisurely browse around...
For more information about eBooks in general,
you can also go
here.
For a great resource dedicated to AudioBooks,
go here.
4. For the Website Owner -
Give the gift of a resource or tool that will help them improve their
online business.
Okay for this one, be a little forewarned,
there are LOTS of tools, tips, memberships and such that can be of help to
the online business owner. I know, I am one and I'm making my wish list
now! So be prepared for lots of choices, and make sure you hold out
for something that will get you going 'aha, they will really love that.'
My personal recommendation goes out with these:
- An online membership site that teaches about
the benefits of teamwork by my friend Tom Heck (great games included):
http://www.teachmeteamwork.com
- An ebook that I learned a ton from with
examples and blueprints from real successful online businesses, written by
the lovely Alannah Moore:
http://www.totallyvirtualentrepreneur.com
- Another online membership (created by me)
that teaches how to run the day to day operations of an online business:
http://www.internetbizwhiz.com
- Another highly recommended ebook that
teaches the online business owner how to boost their business with their
own ezine (just like Joy to the
Planet): http://www.ezinequeen.com
And last but not least, for this week...
5. For music lovers of all
ages and tastes - Give the gift of a ton of downloadable music.
You may like this so much you buy some for
yourself, and isn't that the way of it sometimes when shopping? The
great thing is, by buying music online, you save a ton of CD packaging,
paper inserts, jewel boxes, and the works. So yeah, splurge a little
and then spread the word about how cool buying online is, okay?
Here are the top sites to start your browsing:
And there you have it! A whole world of
online shopping time in the list above. <g>
As an added note, there are definitely loads
of other ways to shop online for cyber gifts, just not enough room in one
issue of Joy to the Planet to tackle them all. So if you have
questions about other areas of online gift giving, or know of a
particularly great green-friendly cyber gift, please
drop me a line. If
there's enough interest, I'll be happy to do a Part II on this topic in a
few weeks, when December is fully upon us.
I hope you have fun staying at home shopping
in a planet friendly way. Until next time...
Andrea |
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Andrea Lee.
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My
best to you,