Earth, Spirit, and Action Ideas for Christmas Gifts.

"If you are looking for some 'environmentally friendly' Christmas gifts this season, we have come up with a couple of ideas.  You could consider gift donations to organizations involved in environmental or climate change advocacy.  A list of some of these organizations is available on this website.  We have also gathered a list of books on the environment and climate change that we would commend as great Christmas gifts.  That list follows:              

"The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis",  Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac,  Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2020.  The authors coach us on the many things we can do, personal and political, to build a sustainable future. 

"Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change", Jim Antal, Rowman & Littlefield, New York, 2018.
 Bishop Desmond Tutu says, "Antal's book will inspire courage and conviction people of faith need to provide leadership necessary to realize God's dream of a just world in which humanity is reconciled to all of creation" .   

"Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet",  Bill McKibbon, Times Books/Henry Holt, 2010,2011.  McKibbon argues that we have altered our planet irrevocably and now have to figure out how to live with the new realities.

"Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?",  Bill McKibbon, Holt, Henry & Company, Inc. 2020.

"Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis", Elin Kelsey, Greystone Books, 2020.  Kelsey believes we should take inspiration and hope from the many measures governments at all levels and grass roots movements all around the world are involved in to combat climate change, and join the effort.   

"For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care", Steven Bouma-Prediger, Baker Academic/Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MI, 2001,2010.  Bouma-Prediger's book is as strong on science as faith, and provides strong biblical support for God's love for all creation, for "creation care", and for hope.         

"The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature",  David Suzuki and Amanda McConnell, Greystone Books, Vancouver/Toronto, 1997.   An old chestnut by a noted Canadian environmentalist and grandfather of the movement. 

"RED: Passion and patience in the Desert," Terry Tempest Williams, Random House, Vintage Books, 2002.  Described as 'poetic and daring' and it is!

"Unearthing Justice: How to Protect your Community from the Mining industry," Joan Kuyek, Between the Lines, Toronto, 2019. Strong activist element - but also enlightening about mining in Canada.

"Vesper Flights," Helen MacDonald, Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Canada, 2020.  Short reflective essays - nature writing - always a subtle or not so subtle message.

"Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants," Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, 2013.  Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on "a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise" (Elizabeth Gilbert).