Give to Mother Earth this holiday season
Your Turn
Guest Column • Michele S. Byers

As the holidays approach, many shoppers look for the elusive perfect gift. Children's presents are easy — there's never a shortage of new toys, games and electronics — but adults can be a challenge. How about giving a gift to Mother Earth instead?

Replace frenzied, last-minute shopping with helping charitable causes you believe in. Just like the retail sector of our nation's economy, many not-for-profits rely heavily on year-end generosity to continue their missions. Food banks and social services organizations are well deserving of all the help they can get this year. But conservation organizations and other "green" groups that work hard to protect open space, wildlife and clean water and air also need support.

Donations to groups that help Mother Earth are perfect, one-size-fits-all gifts for people who already have too much "stuff," and want to make a difference in the world. So if you are seeking to make a meaningful gift this holiday season — one that will benefit nature and, by extension, your fellow global citizens— what's the best way to do it?

Like Sally in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Mother Earth could really use some green, as in the non-leafy variety! Cash donations to conservation nonprofits are most easily translated into results, whether the group's mission is saving open space, protecting endangered species, fighting global warming, preserving water resources or all of the above. If you are making a gift because a group's mission resonates with you, cash will make the biggest splash.

Given the state of the economy, however, cash may be in short supply. The good news is that every bit helps; no donation is too small. Here's what else you can do to help Mother Earth:

Volunteer your time to a conservation group. The possibilities are endless, from picking up litter to planting trees, from helping with office work to lending a hand at fundraisers.

Consider in-kind gifts to your favorite green group. Many conservation groups, especially those that own land and maintain public access to hiking trails and waterways, welcome donations of pickup trucks, lawn mowers, tools, laptop computers, digital cameras and GPS units in good condition.

Many organizations offer gift catalogues of clothing and other items adorned with their logo; a percentage of revenues go to the nonprofit. Buying presents for your family and friends this way provides a double gift!

Donate land. If you own open space or farmland that may be a candidate for preservation, you can give no better gift to your fellow New Jerseyans than to donate it to a nonprofit land preservation group or trust.

If you want to retain ownership of the land, consider donating a conservation easement to preclude development. Donating

easements, or selling them below market value, may also provide tax benefits.

If you donate developed property, a nonprofit may be able to parlay the donation into cash to preserve critical natural lands elsewhere.

Here at New Jersey Conservation Foundation, one happy couple asked their friends to make donations to us instead of buying wedding gifts — now that's commitment! It's a concept you can customize to fit your events and favorite charities. For example, you could scour the planet for $10 gifts for your co-workers; or you could pool your would-be present funds, save the stress, make a group donation to a nonprofit, and bask in the warmth of having done something to make the world a better place.

Michele S. Byers is the executive director New Jersey Conservation Foundation Far Hills