"Give green" this year for sustainable communities

For this year's holidays, NRDC has created a clever menu of "Green Gifts" that combines the concepts of holiday/birthday/whatever cards with purposeful, small-scale charitable giving that can help us do a more effective job of helping communities.  I don't normally allow solicitations in this blog but I've been asked this time and, frankly, our communities work is badly underfunded and in danger of losing staff.  So this is a special case and I'll only ask once.

Here's how it works:  Choose an image from the menu.  Then, NRDC will send your friend or loved one a customized card (printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper) featuring the image of the Green Gift you've chosen. You can personalize the card online and have it sent directly to your recipient on the date you choose (or, if you want to add your own personal touch, NRDC will ship the card directly to you.) You can also select a beautiful e-card to be sent on the date you choose.  While your small gift (most are in the $20-$50 range, tax-deductible, by the way) will not be earmarked for any particular activity, you can bet that people will be counting which environmental causes mean the most to our Green Givers. 

Personally, I would love it if you would choose one of the images below.  Click directly on the image and you'll be taken to the right page:

Stall the Sprawl

(Astute readers will recognize the photo as of the creek restoration at Seattle's superb Thornton Place mixed-use, transit-oriented development.)

Green Spaces

I write often about city parks and their importance to sustainable communities, particularly in distressed neighborhoods.

Green Libraries

Go here for my article about how libraries serve as neighborhood anchors and how many communities (including my own neighborhood) are making them greener.

Get to Work (with green jobs in clean energy)

Green enterprises in Cleveland and elsewhere are beginning to provide great jobs for America's unemployed.

Eco Justice (for disadvantaged communities)

Regular readers know that I am passionate about lifting our distressed neighborhoods with sensitive reinvestment and restoration.  All communities deserve to share in environmental benefits.

Driving Green

One part of solving the transportation mess we have gotten into is more efficient vehicles.

A Breath of Fresh Air (in distressed neighborhoods)

Poor neighborhoods tend to have the worst air pollution and the worst rates of pulmonary disease.  Richmond, California is among the communities that are addressing the issue with creative design in revitalization.

There are 50 choices in all, covering a range of environmental issues.  Go here to see how the process works.

Move your cursor over the images for credit information.

Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment.  For more posts, see his blog's home page. 

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