Goodwill To Man

Newcastle Herald

Saturday December 20, 2008

FRANCES THOMPSON.

Sick of the Christmas spending spree?

Why not spread a little love and care

around this festive season, suggests

FRANCES THOMPSON.

If you are still wondering what to buy

this Christmas for the person who has

everything, why not consider a goat? Or

perhaps a koala? Or a pile of organic manure?

A yearning for a more meaningful Christmas

is spawning an increasing range of goodwill

gifts that send goods and services where they

are really needed.

The voices of switched-on charities are

cutting through the usual retail marketing

assault advertising consumer goods and toys.

Here is a selection of goodwill gifts that

bring real meaning to the concept of Christmas

giving.

ADOPT A KOALA

The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has animals

in care and releases hundreds back into the

wild every year. People can choose from a

number of koalas whose photos are on the

hospital website.

Volunteer Jeff Best says for between $40 and

$50 people receive a certifi cate of adoption

with a photo, the name of the koala and a

short story about its life.

William Krystal (pictured) was a vulnerable

joey on a road when he was spotted by a man

on his way home who took him to the hospital.

Best says the adoption service is one way of

preserving koalas for future generations of

Australians.

Koalas are a threatened species whose

habitat is continually decimated by

urbanisation, resulting in an increase in

disease, attacks by dogs and being hit by motor

vehicles, Best says.

Adoptions are tax deductable. Go to

www.koalahospital.org.au

for more information.

OXFAM UNWRAPPED

Oxfams Unwrapped Christmas gift range helps

fi ght poverty around the world.

Oxfams give-a-goat has been very popular

this year. People can also buy three ducks

for $20.

Oxfam spokeswoman Leigh Stewart says

ducks are an environmentally friendly form of

pest control, because they eat insects and snails

and help farmers protect their fi elds.

Stewart says a chicken costs $14 and they

are one of the most popular gifts in

the Unwrapped range because

they also help young people

in remote areas earn a

living.

Oxfam also sells

organic manure and its

most expensive gift is

a water sanitation kit

for $6500.

The charity makes

it easy for groups,

such as colleagues at

work, to establish fundraising

projects to buy more

substantial gifts for people

in poor countries. People can

actually gift a school, Stewart

says.

Go to www.oxfamunwrapped.

com.au, call 1800 034 034 for a

catalogue or visit an Oxfam shop, such as the

one at Westfi eld Kotara.

GIVING TREES

People can donate gifts at giving trees around

Newcastle. Some ideas include toiletries,

cosmetics, bags or gift vouchers for teenage

girls and footballs and other sports equipment

for boys.

Some organisations ask that the gifts remain

unwrapped. Giving trees are at various

locations around the city including: The

Herald, in Bolton Street; 1233 ABC, 24 Wood

Street; the John Hunter Hospital; Charlestown

>> 17 >>

Square and Stockland Green Hills shopping

centres; The Vintage Golf Club, Rothbury; and

at the Samaritans offi ce, 32 Brunker Road,

Adamstown.

FAIR GO FOR FAIR TRADE

Tribes and Nations operates

on fair trade principles

and brings together

artisans of the

developing world

with customers

in places like

Newcastle.

The organisation

has handcrafted

goods at prices that

return a living wage to

the producer in an effort

to avoid exploitation.

There are luxurious silks

from Cambodia and Indonesia, pure

cotton fabrics from India and Sri Lanka, handmade

jewellery from South Africa and fair

trade tea, coffee and chocolate.

Fair trade organic Christmas hampers are also

available.

Go to www.tribesandnations.com.au.

GREENPEACE VIRTUAL GIFTS

Through Greenpeace, you can buy things

like a sponsorship for a deckhand on a

campaign ship for a day or valuable legal

advice for an activist in India.

Greenpeace fund-raising manager Chris

Washington-Sare says people can pay for gifts

that will help stop climate change, halt logging

in an ancient forest or save yellowfi n tuna.

Washington-Sare says the organisation

is trying to add humour to campaigns

that usually deal with serious subjects and

problems.

For instance you can buy clean-coal soap,

he says.

The gift helps raise money for Greenpeaces

climate-change campaigns and suggests there

is no such thing as clean coal.

Virtual gift recipients receive an electronic

greeting card. Prices start at $10 and are tax

deductible.

Go to the Greenpeace Giving online gift shop

at www.greenpeacegiving.org.au.

WORLD VISIONS SMILES

The aid organisations gift catalogue includes

immunisations, farm animals, vegetable seed

packs and emergency packs for families hit by

natural disasters.

For full details of what Australians can buy

to help people in need visit

www.worldvision.com.au.

RED CROSS GIFTS

Gifts include transport for someone who

has diffi culty attending a vital medical

appointment, for $10, or a daily phone call for

a month to check on a person living alone, $30.

Help for families separated by disaster or

confl ict costs $100 and a tent to shelter families

whose homes are affected by disaster is $200.

Go to www.redcross.org.au/warmfuzzy.

WILDERNESS DONATIONS

The Wilderness Society sells recycled

wrapping paper and encourages

people to contribute to its

campaigns, including

stopping the construction

of the Tillegra Dam on the

Williams River.

Twenty dollars or

more can help protect

endangered species,

$50 and up Australias

threatened wilderness

areas and a gift of $100

can help to protect the

country from climate

change through

revegetation

projects.

Go to

www.wildshop.com.au.

CARBON CREDITS

Buying someone a carbon credit gives twice

the benefi t of a regular gift, says Climate

Change Group Australian director Rupert

Posner.

Not only does it give the gift of reducing

greenhouse gas emissions but it also replaces

what is often an unnecessary gift that in

its own right is likely to have resulted in

greenhouse gas emissions in its creation,

Posner says.

The important thing is to ensure that the

credit you buy is accredited so you can ensure

it will deliver the greenhouse gas emissions

savings it promises.

Choose one created in a developing country,

which often also provides real benefi ts to a

community less well off than your own.

Posner suggests the internationally

recognised Voluntary Carbon Standard and the

Gold Standard.

Carbon credits vary in price from $28.60 for

a one-tonne credit to $80 for one to offset a

small car.

Go to www.climatefriendly.com.au/gift.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home