A gift that keeps on giving

You love your mother…earth, so don’t smother her in gift wrap this holiday season.

Rather than gifting items that are eventually destined to a home in the landfill, give a charitable donation to help preserve the natural beauty, open spaces, parks and pathways that we love.

Rather than gifting items that are eventually destined to a home in the landfill, give a charitable donation to help preserve the natural beauty, open spaces, parks and pathways that we love.

“A lot of people are trying to simplify their lives and simplify the holidays,” says Sarah Quattrochi, outreach and education director for the Tennessee River Gorge Trust. “We all have ‘things’ and a lot of the things we have are things that are going to break down over time. Helping an organization or someone in need is more fulfilling to them than trying to find the perfect thing to give someone.”

Endowment gifts can be given in lieu of a physical gift for birthdays or holidays, as well as in memory of someone. Choose an organization for the gift that means something special to the person you are honoring, such as a gift to the Chattanooga Chapter of the Southeast Off-Road Bicycle Organization (SORBA) on behalf of a friend who loves trail riding or a gift to the Trust for Public Land for those who are concerned about land conservation.