Green Christmas: Skip the mall and give the gift of conservation!

We all know it: the holidays can be stressful, expensive and wasteful. All that running around buying things people don't need, trying to read everyone's minds, bracing for Boxing Day returns once everything's been unwrapped.

STOP!

Why not skip the hassle and give the gift of conservation instead?

The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation supports local watershed conservation projects across the Rideau Valley, and you can help it foster a thriving, green community for decades to come. It's meaningful, local, long-lasting and good for the planet.

Check out these five green gift ideas to protect the environment, maintain your sanity and conserve the Christmas spirit of giving.

1. Tree planting: Go on! Be the relative who plants trees for Christmas. The foundation offers two ways to plant trees in honour of your friends and family: memorial trees and special occasion trees. Through both of these programs, we plant native, locally-grown seedlings across the watershed and care for them until they take their place in a vibrant new forest of the future. It's a budget-friendly option, too: a single tree costs $25, while a "family forest" of 25 is only $250. More here! 

2. Memorial bench or picnic table: The holidays can be difficult when you're missing a loved one. This year, have your family skip the gifts and go in together on a public bench or picnic table in memory of someone you love. Comforting to the family, and a comfortable resting spot for everyone else. If that's not the holiday spirit, I don't know what is. Get it here!

3. Go carbon neutral: Take #GreenChristmas to a whole new level this year and go carbon neutral! We can help you calculate your family's carbon footprint for the year and translate it into trees to be planted across the watershed. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and capture it in their wood cells as part of their life cycle. Make it a truly green Christmas this year! More here!

4. Land protection: Protecting natural spaces and natural functions is increasingly vital to our community health.When you give $25 and adopt an acre, you protect land right here at home in the Rideau Valley. Your symbolic gift will help protect more than 1,259 hectares of plants and animals, wetlands, shorelines and forests. These crucial habitats are hard at work reducing our risk of floods, cleaning our water, stopping erosion and storing vast amounts of carbon to keep our communities healthy and resilient in the face of climate change. More here!

5. Quality time: Even Santa can't beat the value of quality family time. Order a $50 annual pass so you can experience the natural beauty of the watershed together at the RVCA's 11 conservation areas. This pass covers parking and boat launch fees all year long! Get it here!