Christmas Gifts for the Person who has Everthing

Only 4 sleeps until Christmas - and if you are still frantically searching for the perfect gift for that someone on your list that already has everything, then take a look at these great sites where you can support a worthy cause in their name, or send a gift certificate so they can choose how they donate.

• If you're buying for a passionate entrepreneur, you can't go past a gift certificate from Kiva, or Micro.  They can help finance a loan for hard working people in developing countries.
  
  
• Vittana works with microfinance organisations around the world to develop student loan programmes that allow the recipients to finish their studies and get their degrees.  If your loved one is someone who truly appreciates the value of their education, or has gone back to University to advance their career, or gets a bit misty eyed remembering back to their Uni days, why not give them a Vittana Gift certificate!
  
  
• On their website, Microfundo state that their "mission is to connect people through music & ensure that musicians earn a living from their art."  They have applied the microfinancing model to the independent music industry - and the result is a great way to support some fabulous artists from around the world.  So, if you need a great gift for a music lover who has it all, buy a them a membership at Microfundo.  As a member they will get exclusive access to hundreds of FREE live album downloads as they are produced - a ton of great new music, discounts and first access to ticket sales for live events, direct participation in creating the healthiest, most vibrant and prolific music scene you can imagine, and the satisfaction of helping artists from around the world earn a sustainable living from their art.
  
  
• Do you know someone that appreciates practical gifts, but really doesn't need anything more themselves? Heifer International, Oxfam, and Cool Earth offer meaningful gifts of real items that people living in poverty need to change their lives for the better.
• Need a present for a treehugger?  What better than a tree! 
  Mokugift supports the UNEP's Billion Trees Campaign - you can give a tree for only $1 and choose where in the world it will be planted.  The Nature Conservancy will plant a tree in their name in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil when you buy a gift tree from their  Plant a Billion campaign - trees are only $1 and you can choose how many you plant.  Or, you could gift them a tree (or two) in the Amazon with the 12 Trees of Christmas campaign at Cool Earth for only £1 each!
  
  
• Not sure where their passion lies?  Send them a gift certificate from Ammado or GlobalGiving.  They can choose from a wide array of projects from all over the world.
  

Image via Wikipedia

January Fundraising for SALVEASERRA

Thanks to all who donated to help SALVEASERRA continue their work in the Atlantic Forest.

In total we raised $10 - which wasn't as much as I was aiming for, but will be a great help to them all the same.

One of the great spin offs from the campaign was that over the month of January donations to SALVEASERRA through their GlobalGiving project increased significantly. In the last week of January their Trees and Education Project was one of the top five most popular projects at GlobalGiving and they received over $500 of donations.

The winner of the WE ADD UP 'Plant Trees' Tee was Kimberly C. If you would like to purchase one for yourself click on this link and 10% of your purchase price will be donated to SALVEASERRA.

You can help raise funds for SALVEASERRA at no cost to you by downloading the How to Make a Difference toolbar. Its powered by Conduit and works on both Firefox and Internet Explorer. Every download raises money for SALVEASERRA!

There's Only 7% of the Atlantic Forest Left. Help Save It.

This January YOU can help save the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. All it takes is $2 - and a few minutes of your time to spread the word.

Please Digg, Stumble and Twitter this post to help us get the word out for the Atlantic Forest. Your efforts will make a difference!




Why Save the Atlantic Forest?Image via Wikipedia

In 1500, when the Portuguese arrived in Brazil, the Atlantic Forest stretched the entire 2,000 mile length of Brazil's eastern seaboard,covering an area twice the size of Texas. It was once the world's richest biological reserve; it has more plant and tree diversity in 2.5acres than the entire eastern seaboard of the United States.

Today, a huge 93% of the Atlantic Forest has been destroyed, largely in the last 50 years.

The Atlantic Forest and Amazon Rainforest really are the 'Lungs of the World'. Even with 93% of the Atlantic Forest destroyed the Atlantic and Amazon Rainforests produce 20% of the world's oxygen!

Scientists estimate 50-60 percent of plant and animal species found in the Atlantic Forest are only found in that region alone. Its an amazing treasure trove of biological diversity.

Who are SALVEASERRA?

SALVEASERRA are an NGO in Brazil working to restore degraded areas of the Atlantic Forest by promoting sustainable land use and agro-reforestation techniques through their 'Trees & Education Project' with GlobalGiving.

Since 1995 they have planted over 80,000 trees in the Atlantic Forest. They maintain a seed bank of local forest species to ensure that reforestation respects the original genetic profile of the forest.

SALVEASERRA also take groups of school children through the forest to help build awareness of its importance.

In addition to this they offer training courses tailored to the needs of local rural communities, farmers and others interested inorganic,ecologically sound farming and agro-forestry practices. In 2007250 students took part in these courses.

They also work directly to alleviate poverty in the area by training local communities on how to use forest resources to make handicrafts to help provide employment and increase local incomes.And they run a course teaching eco-friendly ways to produce organic food at home to supplement family diets and increase income from surplus production.They also prepare and donate vegetable gardens to local communities.

Donate $2 and WIN

Everyone who donates $2 or more to SALVEASERRA before the 31st of January 2009 goes into the draw to win a fantastic We Add Up Organic Cotton 'Plant Trees' Tee.

WE ADD UP is an organic t-shirt campaign that counts you in the fight to stop climate change. Each tee is custom hand-printed with a unique number. YOUR number represents your position in the worldwide count of people doing something to do their part. No two shirts are alike. When you purchase a WE ADD UP tee and join the count, you help our number grow. Our goal is to show that small changes do make a big difference and WE ADD UP.

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• Brazilians Try to Restore Atlantic Rainforest
• My 2008/09 Giving Project
• SALVEASERRA November Update
• Birdwatching in the Atlantic Forest