Planet-Safe Gifts : From cookies to books to batteries, eco-presents are all around for the holidays.
Holiday gifts are a nifty way to get an eco-message across. In that spirit, I’ve gone through the 1991 Earthwatch columns in search of eco-gift suggestions.
On Main Street in Ventura near California Street, Harvest Farm cookies sells its wares by the case--an assortment of 24 for $15. These big cookies taste so good you’ll never believe they are made without ingredients that will harm you or cost the planet a lot of resources to produce. I’m still reeling, by they way, from the discovery that it takes 500 gallons of water to produce one egg in this state. Despite the fact that these cookies are non-everything and organic, they can still deliver taste-wise, with evocative names such as Swiss mint chip, brownie supreme, chips and more chips (carob of course), lemon almond, etc. The full line is carried by Mrs. Gooch’s in Thousand Oaks and Kaiser’s on Mills Road in Ventura. But you can also get them at the bakery itself, which is tucked behind the Lunch Basket Restaurant at 574 E. Main St. Sort of an ecological speak-easy situation. Knock twice and say I sent you, or call 643-6000.
Last year, I was evidently not the only parent who gave his children a paperback book titled “Fifty Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth.” Because now there’s a new book from EarthWorks, “Kid Heroes of the Environment.” It chronicles the daring deeds of kids as young as 8 who have initiated projects in their schools and communities that are going to lengthen the life of the planet. Available at B. Dalton, Waldenbooks or Crown bookstores at $4.98.
Two Ventura County businesses have introduced goods I want to recommend as thoughtful holiday gift ideas. If you have a friend or family member who is handy around the house--with hammers and saws or sewing machines--you might be able to do something healthy for them and the planet as well. I’m talking about getting them some nontoxic, organically produced materials for the home workbench or sewing room.
A Newbury Park firm, Pace Chem Industries, manufactures and sells a line of sealers, finishes and paints for people who are careful about the chemicals and the fumes around which they work and live. Some paint stores locally have some finishes with reduced toxic and allergy-provoking ingredients. But Pace Chem, while principally engaged in manufacturing for a nationwide market, will sell pints and larger amounts at its factory. Call first: 499-2991. I know it’s odd to think of an $8 pint of polyurethane substitute as a gift. But I wish I had had a friend introduce me to it before I fumed myself into a bout of laryngitis last month.
The other unusual gift is organically grown cotton. Homespun Fabrics and Draperies on McGrath Street in Ventura is primarily a supplier of nonallergenic, organically grown and therefore nontoxic pure cotton yard-goods. But they’ll do up everything from napkins to bedspreads to drapes, custom made. This sort of stuff is another way to beat the sick building syndrome I wrote about last spring. Check out Homespun’s selection of how-to books about making natural cotton gifts or your own cotton draperies. For information, call 642-8111.
And for those readers whose home is of the mobile persuasion, or who may have an RV parked in their driveway, here’s an eco-tip for you. This item is for anyone who has ever hopped into an RV to take a little vacation and--ugh--found that the battery was dead. All the modern conveniences we take along to Yosemite--fridges, color TVs etc.--have a nasty tendency to drain the electric power of your RV even if it’s just sitting in the back yard. An Oxnard manufacturer has just brought out a nifty item, about the size of a bread box, which is a solar-powered RV battery maintainer. The “Kit 5” unit uses photovoltaic cells and mounts on the RV roof (or boat deck) to keep your 250-amp batteries up to strength without having to suck electric power out of your house. It is a renewable, nonpolluting way to produce energy. Call the manufacturer, Solarmode, at 486-1185 and ask for the holiday special--something a bit over $100. Pricey, but worth it if the family outing is to be secured.
A final note. This paper editorialized recently that California school kids should get hip to solar-generated electricity. “Japanese 10-year-olds bring model cars and solar batteries to class and try to build solar-powered toys as a means of thinking creatively.” Mommies and daddies, take note. You’ll be setting an example and promoting U.S. competitiveness if you visit any hardware store and get some sort of solar-powered item--even if it’s only a $30 auto battery charge maintainer--and use it. Or at least get your kids a plug-in battery recharger for their electronic games. The children are watching at holiday time.
