Tuesday Tip: 8 Meaningful Gift Ideas for Progressive People

Gift giving changes with the times. And in these times, when just about every choice we make—where we shop, what we eat, how we travel—feels more meaningful, because we’re more aware of the impact it has, we choose gifts that are meaningful as well. Gifts that make a positive impact.

At least that’s what we’re doing here at CREDO this holiday season. If you’re doing the same, we’re glad to hear it—and we have ideas for you. We asked members of our staff what meaningful gifts they’re giving this year and they had some great suggestions.

Here are eight meaningful holiday gift ideas

ACLU Store

Political wear is fashionable now, from the runways to the streets. If you’d like to give clothing that makes a progressive statement, check out the ACLU Store, which features dozens of choices, from the Resist Tee to the very cool Camo Trans Pride Socks in pink and blue. There are also useful accessories, like the Don’t Rain on My Freedom Umbrella and the I Read Banned Books Tote. https://shop.aclu.org/

Elephant Pants

Elephant numbers have dropped by 62% in the past 10 years and these magnificent animals could be virtually extinct by the end of next decade. Elephants are intelligent, emotional animals and they’re being slaughtered to make ivory collectibles and medicines for Asian markets. Elephant Pants is helping. The group donates a percentage of every sale to organizations—global and local—working to ensure a sustainable future for elephants. The elephant-themed clothing from Elephant Pants includes harem pants, yoga pants, kimonos, and caps, with options for women and men. All clothing is made in a Fair Trade Certified shop in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which follows strict standards to protect the health and safety of workers and their local environment. https://www.theelephantpants.com/

Heifer International

Give a gift, lift a family out of poverty. How? Send a cow. Donate $500 to Heifer International in the name of a friend or loved one and Heifer will send a cow to a family in need in the developing world. That cow will then change the family’s life—because it’s not just a cow, it’s a livelihood. It provides milk, which can be sold to make income for medicine, clothing, education and more. You can also give a goat ($120) or a water buffalo ($250). Or an alpaca, sheep, even honeybees. Heifer has a long list of practical, life-changing animal gifts. Heifer will let your recipient know about your gift in a number of ways: a custom email, Facebook message, text, letter or card. https://www.heifer.org/

LifeStraw

A lot of us are concerned about the quality of our water, especially as the Trump administration guts regulations enacted to protect our water. LifeStraw filtration and purification products help keep your water clean. Its filters remove 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa, while its purifiers remove 99.9999% of bacteria, 99.999% of viruses and 99.99% of protozoa. Of course, many people have it worse than we do in the U.S.: 2.1 billion around the world now lack safe drinking water at home. LifeStraw helps them as well. Every product you purchase provides a child in need with safe water for an entire school year. https://www.lifestraw.com/

New York Public Library Shop

Reading is fundamental for brain health. Research shows that books improve your brain in a number of ways and you can reinforce the importance of reading among your family and friends with a gift from the NYPL Shop. There are thousands of items for fans of the printed word, from classic and contemporary books to jewelry, mugs, magnets and desk accessories. All proceeds benefit the New York Public Library. https://shop.nypl.org/

Pela Case

Our oceans are drowning in plastic. By the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the seas than fish. Pela is among the many companies leading the fight against plastic pollution. It makes phone cases from a plant-based material called Flaxstic that is tough and child-safe (no BPA, lead, cadmium or phthalates). Pela cases come in many cool colors and designs, and there are models to fit almost all popular smartphones. Packaging is also plastic-free. There are now more phones on the planet than people, which means that non-plastic alternatives for phone accessories can make a real difference in the fight to stop plastic pollution. https://pelacase.com/

Trees for the Future

Trees for the Future is a nonprofit that helps communities plant trees to restore life to degraded lands while bettering their own livelihood. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, Trees for the Future helps families plant fruit and nut trees, hardwoods and food crops that transform overused and exhausted lands into forest gardens. These gardens provide families with sustainable food sources, firewood, and products to sell at market—and a 400% increase in their annual income in only four years. Each holiday season, Trees for the Future publishes a gift catalog of items from partner companies that plant multiple trees with each sale. Items include everything from wood-frame sunglasses to homewares to exotic and unique jewelry. http://trees.org/giftsforgood/

This Giving Tuesday, CREDO Mobile and CREDO Energy are partnering with Trees for the Future. For every new line of phone service and every new CREDO Energy household, we’ll donate to the planting of one hundred trees. For every call inquiring about our plans or energy program on Giving Tuesday, we’ll plant ten trees. And we’ll do this every Tuesday through the end of the year!

CREDO Mobile

Here’s one last idea: give the gift of CREDO. Purchase CREDO Mobile service for yourself, your friends, and your family. Whenever you use your CREDO Mobile phone, you’ll be supporting the causes you care about—like women’s rights, climate justice, and social justice because CREDO Mobile funds the work of CREDO Action and donates every month to progressive organizations at no extra cost to our subscribers. Our Black Friday sale is going on now.