Supporting the Local Economy and the Environment

During this gift giving season, consider ways to use your purchases to support the local economy while also doing something good for the environment.  It may sound difficult, but it can be easy.  Think about the people on your gift list and imagine a service they would enjoy:

• a massage
• a hair cut
• a pedicure
• an evening at the threatre
• seats at a sports event
• membership to a museum
• passes to the zoo
• vehicle detailing work,
• health club session with a trainer
• a gift certificate for a home energy audit
• and more.

Each of these suggestions involves a purchase that could be made over the internet to avoid extra travel. These gift ideas require the work to be performed primarily by local people. The work cannot be outsourced. There is little to no waste generated by these purchases; unlike products that produce waste from the time materials are mined, formed, transported and packaged in materials we discard or recycle.

Will County adopted a slogan when we created WillCountyGreen.com, the Will Power to Rethink, Renew, Reduce and Recycle.  Each of these types of gifts fulfills that idea in that we are rethinking gift giving, many of these ideas renew us in spirt and economically, they reduce waste and conserve resources while the small amount of packaging needed when presenting them, such as an envelope or card, can be recycled.

There are more gift ideas that fulfill these goals. Perhaps you have other ideas that support the local economy, are useful gifts and do not generate waste.  Please suggest them in the comment section.

No matter what you give, enjoy the holiday season.