Green Living

Even in lean times, giving makes for abundance all around. Gurus from money maven Suze Orman to life coach Martha Beck agree that giving to others not only helps the recipient but also helps the giver live more expansively. So if you’re opting for holiday gifts of donations in lieu of or in addition to giving stuff this holiday or want to start your new year in the spirit of bestowing, here’s a list of worthy causes to consider in our city and around the globe.

…

THE CITY

TreePeople: Our oldest and largest tree-planting org needs help to heal our local cities through the amazing power of trees.

826LA: Bridging the county with a hub in Echo Park and one in Santa Monica, 826 offers L.A.’s kids a free place to get their writing groove on with essays and stories and everything in between.

GOOD: By signing up for L.A.-based GOOD (for yourself or someone else), you give 100% of your subscription fee to a nonprofit http://www.good.is/#/about/choose_good of your choice (good deed + good reading material).

L.A. Regional Food Bank: Food banks are suffering from the rise in market costs, so donations of food or cash now are sorely needed to bring nourishment to hungry Angelenos.

THE GLOBE

Kiva: At Kiva you pick a person in the developing world who needs capital to start a business. Give them a microloan and kickstart them toward empowerment and self-sufficiency.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: If you’ve seen Sharkwater or Animal Planet’s Whale Wars , then you know the amazing work Captain Paul Watson and his crew of modern-day, do-gooding pirates do protecting underwater creatures from illegal fishing—get on board.

Heifer International: Through its well-known gift catalogue, choose some bunnies or beehives or goats for deserving folks who will benefit from the their meat or honey or milk. Truly, it’s a gift that keeps giving as the animal you gift can take care of immediate hunger while providing a sustainable business into the future.

..

…

If you’re donating in someone’s honor or as a gift, you can also email your giftee the Good Card. With it, the recipient can choose his/her charity of choice from the Network for Good.

Tags: best organizations, environmental groups, holiday donations, holiday giving, nonprofits