Stretching five dollars in this economy while doing a good deed at the same time, can be a real holiday stress reliever. So isn’t it great to know we can make the world a little better with our presents?

Given all the challenges we see on the news these days, all of us (especially when we have children), want to enjoy the holidays without overspending or having to worry too much.

Just like some of you, I’ve wrestled with these challenges for years, trying to stretch limited resources without appearing as worn down as I actually felt. It was good though, it made me focus on priorities and allocate the money I did have toward things that really mattered, and that wouldn’t end up in the dump (or recycling) within days of giving. But I still succumbed to buying unnecessary stuff for gifts when the holiday advertising put pressure on.

A few years ago, I finally decided to make my money really count, to stand up for what I believe in, and to give myself – and people I care about – the gift of hope:

• I believe in a world with clean air, drinkable water and natural food in our children’s future

• I believe in the possibility of reversing global warming

• I believe in fair trade wages for everyone who works

• I believe in the Goodness and Abundance of Life

I discovered that planting trees in the rainforest where I was born, was the easiest way I could find to back my beliefs with my money. So I started doing just that: planting trees in the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil, with the help of other caring people: Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith, Rickie Byars Beckwith, Marie Diamond, Katherine Woodward Thomas, Martin Dunkerton, and the Kids For Environmental and Social Action. Together, we were able to give 3,833 trees back to the rainforest last year, while supporting simple people who felt utterly invisible to the world.

Join us in giving trees to a rural community, while supporting affiliated organizations in the US at the same time. All this for just $5 a tree! Your gift will support the grassroots efforts of social entrepreneurs in the US and Brazil, as well as the NGOs and communities they serve. Our common goal is to reverse global warming, while supporting the people who have taken the initiative to sustainably harvest seeds, organically grow trees and supply organizations who teach subsistence farm families how to replant a rainforest.

When you buy $5 trees through Rainforest ECO, we buy native tree saplings at a fair trade price from our field partners, pay local labor to transport truckloads of trees to an NGO that oversees the planting and maintenance of these trees by farm families who are renewing their rainforest for the benefit of the entire planet.

GIVE A TREE – GET A GIFT

In JOY, you can be part of the new earth-centered, gifting economy!

Give a tree to the rainforest with us, and receive a gift of thanks you can use this season. iGiveTrees gives you beautiful holiday card images in December, and a whole year’s worth of uplifting and inspiring gifts to those who give trees every month. Visit iGiveTrees to be a part of this gift!