Amisha’s adorabe jewelery designs donate partial profits to one local and one global charity that you choose. Their mission is to inspire every patron’s consciousness about both local and global organizations participating in the sustainability movement.

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Some perks include not having to go near a crowded mall, finding something for everyone on your list, and no lines, returns or exchanges.  Best of all, you’ll be making a tangible difference in the world with the cause of your choice, and it’s something that will last long after the latest retail trends fizzle out.

Changing the Present features more than 1,500 meaningful charitable gifts that users can browse by cause or nonprofit to find the perfect gift for friends or their own charitable giving.

Building on a commitment to changing the social norm when it comes to gift giving, and seeking to spark positive change in the world, Robert Tolmach, CEO of WellGood LLC, spearheaded the team that implemented this important effort, and was kind enough to share more details about the program with me in a one-on-one chat about the future of giving.

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“If there is one thing I could give to the struggling people of the world it would be self-reliance. Everyone deserves the dignity of providing for themselves and their families. That’s why I support Heifer International.”
— Walter Cronkite,
journalist and Heifer supporter

Heifer.org is bringing an end to world hunger through unimaginable blessings. Do you love giving gifts? I do, especially when I know that they are going to help entire communities. Sometimes around the holidays or as a birthday gift to a loved one, I give a flock, a gift of honeybees, or one of the many special live gifts they offer that provide better livelihoods. Generosity will never go out of style and there is nothing more beautiful than giving the gift of good health to someone. Are miracles like that possible? Yes,

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We wanted to avoid the crush of gifts that create an association in a child’s mind that the holiday is all about her and what she gets. Our little family has some solid traditions in sharing meals and occasions with friends and family and we wanted that focus to continue since that is the most important part of celebrations for us.

Additionally, with 90 percent of toys coming to our country from China, and 82 percent of the toy recalls involving these imported items, every new bit of inexpensive plastic is as much of a concern as it is a gift.

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Check out Green Couples, Green Weddings, Part 1 for the first part of our green weddings special.

Bridal registries were once a way for a couple to furnish and supply their new home together. Today, more and more couples are either already living together when they get married, or have already furnished a house on their own. Although there are greener choices in registries, a gift registry can be superfluous for green couples who already have what they need. What to do when family members and friends will still want to give the couple a gift to celebrate their commitment?

Instead of registering for things you may not need, why not create a way for your loved ones to donate money, in honor of your vows, to the green charity of your choice? The IDo Foundation and JustGive.org allow couples to give instead of get on their special day. JustGive also provides info for donating your wedding flowers, leftover food, or wedding dress after the festivities are over, so those things that made your day wonderful can be reused and brighten someone else's day

Wedding favors can be green, too. Instead of spending money on trinkets that will inevitably end up in the bottom of someone's purse or gathering dust in a drawer, why not buy something that can actually be put to use, specifically use greening our planet? Plant-A-Memory can create bookmarks, placecards, and other paper items that can be planted. Embedded seeds in the paper grow into beautiful flowers. Seed packets, flower bulbs, or saplings can also be a thoughtful favor that can green a guest's home.

And once the vows are said and done, happy eco-couples will want to get away, and there's no reason why the honeymoon can't be green, too. The International Ecotourism Society and ResponsibleTravel.com can help couples find vacations that are environmentally and socially sustainable. And if you can't swing an ecotrip, you can always offset your travel (and maybe that of your guests, as well) through CarbonFund.org or DriveNeutral.org.

Photo credit: Chicago Joinery, producer of beautiful eco-friendly wooden jewelry.

I hope you are doing well. It is with dismay that I recently read in a Los Angeles Times story about how the investments of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation might be working against the good works that is the foundation's mission. The story chronicles one 14-month old infant, Justice Eta from Ebocha, Nigeria, who has been fortunate to have received immunizations against polio and measles thanks to the Gates Foundation. Unfortunately for little Eta, he has been suffering (and will likely continue to suffer) from respiratory illness brought on by the refining activities of several oil companies. These companies count the Gates Foundation as one of their largest investors. The problem effects large swaths of the Nigerian population. I will not re-cap the whole story, but it is worthwhile reading.

I am pretty certain you are aware that, at $35 billion, the Gates Foundation dwarfs the next largest charitable foundations by a factor of six. Moreover, pledges from your own personal fortune plus the historic bequest last year from your pal, Warren Buffet, mean that this foundation could soon be worth $100 billion. There has not been a force for good on this scale since … well … ever! It is entirely possible that your legacy from this foundation will eclipse the gargantuan business legacy of the Gates' and Buffets.

Bill, I would never bash any individual or any organization that does this much for humanity. I sincerely applaud you, Melinda, and Warren for your epic generosity, well thought out goals, and your commitment to determining where your charitable dollars will generate the most bang for the buck. But…

What I find particularly amusing is a quote from one of your policy wonks pointing out a Chinese Wall between the investment and giving wings of the foundation. One side does not concern itself with the other. One side's mandate is to seek out the "highest returns" while the other focuses on who, when, and how much to give away. Since you spent much of the 1990's asserting that a Chinese Wall existed between OS and Applications at Microsoft (much to the disbelief of others), isn't it ironic that your foundation now claims that another Chinese Wall cancels out some of the foundation's good works?

Bill, please take this advice:

1) Investing responsibly does not mean sacrificing returns. The best academic studies have shown this over and over again.

2) If you must hold those companies, use your size and breadth to get active at shareholder meetings and stop the most repugnant practices. This would help the Foundations goals and help the investment returns.

3) You can still profit from rising oil prices while not engaging in extractive, highly polluting industries. You should already know this from your personal stake in Pacific Ethanol (NASDAQ: PEIX).

4) If you take the lead in making corporations more responsible, other charitable foundations and public investment institutions will follow. You can magnify your good works many times. Moreover, if you can show the mostly spineless mutual fund complexes that social activism can be profitable, they will follow, too.

5) Despite many opinions to the contrary, most of which are expressed by the sour-grapes McNealys, Ellisons, and Andreesens of the world, I sincerely believe that Microsoft is a beacon of social responsibility (yes, seriously). I firmly believe that these activities have been taking place without your knowledge (unlike — ahem — those other allegations from the anti-trust trial… wink, wink). Your "returns at any cost" managers have just been shortsighted. However, since you know now, the status quo just will not do.

Oh, and if your investment managers need some help determining which companies have lousy social performance, have them give me a call.

Give my best to Melinda. Do well by doing good.

Mark

Mark Brandon is the managing partner of First Sustainable, a socially responsible investment advisory, and the author of the Sustainable Log blog and newsletter.