Green gift ideas from TerraPass

Adam Stein | November 21, 2006

TerraPass makes a great gift Well, it’s not so much “ideas,” as an idea: give your friends, lovers, friends’ lovers, colleagues, family, and family’s colleagues a TerraPass this holiday season. Driving, flying, home energy use, dorm energy use — we’ve got you covered.

December is a fun time for us earthlings, but no so fun for the earth. Holiday travel accounts for an astonishing 10% of all miles Americans travel annually. The heaviest day of the year is the Sunday following Thanksgiving, followed by the day after Christmas.

And then, of course, there are all of the items bought. Last year, Americans shelled out about $460 billion on goods during the holidays.

But the point of this post is not to hector you about the holidays. The point of this post is to remind you that there is a gift you can give that actually lightens your impact on the planet. A gift that lasts an entire year. A gift you can personalize to your recipient. A gift that is sure to thrill the hearts of your environmentally-conscious loved ones. A gift that doesn’t require fighting your way through crowds at the mall.

If you let your gaze drift upward for a second, you’ll notice the orange “Gifts” tab that’s appeared on our site. We’re putting in place a number of measures to make your holiday shopping as easy as possible:

Holiday cards! If you include a gift message with your TerraPass purchase, we’ll print it on an heirloom-quality holiday card, suitable for mantle adornment or framing.
Gift certificates! If you don’t know exactly which TerraPass to get, send a gift certificate instead. Gift certificates are delivered electronically, so they’re perfect for last minute shoppers.
Rush shipping! As the holidays draw closer, we’ll make rush shipping options available so that your presents are sure to arrive on time.

TerraPass has gifts for every lifestyle and budget. Road TerraPasses for drivers; Flight TerraPasses for travelers; Home TerraPasses for…people who live indoors; and Dorm TerraPasses for students. Get yours now.

< Previous: Energy Tip #20: Lint be gone Next: Giving thanks >

Comments

1. By Ryan Mickle on November 23, 2006 11:05 AM

Adam, I wish that you all had actually provided greener/smarter options for gifts during the holidays, one option of which being a Terra Pass.

I understand that you want to pitch your products, but if you want to create a voice of authority about sustainable living strategies, my suggestion would be to talk about your products when they're relevant. The holidays are a time of extreme consumerism and I am sure that we could come up with some great ways to get through them and express our deeply caring feelings for our families and friends, without filling shopping carts with crap that will get used for a few years and then end up in landfills, right? And to be totally honest, I think that a TerraPass is a better straight purchase than a gift--it feels better to buy one than it does to receive as a gift. Yet there are more sustainable options for gifts that might let a gift receiver's interest in sustainable living strategies grow, which then drives interest in products like those of TerraPass.

All my best to TerraPass, readers, and your families,
Ryan

Reply
2. By Adam Stein on November 23, 2006 12:17 PM

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for your thoughts. We will be highlighting some other green gift guides over the coming weeks. But if the sight of us shilling for TerraPass is too much, you might want to avert your gaze until the new year. Somewhat to our surprise last year, TerraPass proved to be a very popular holiday gift, and we would be irresponsible not to remind people of the option.

Happy Thanksgiving! I've got to go roast the chestnuts now (yes, we literally roast chestnuts over an open fire in my house).

- Adam

Reply