The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Excited for the holiday season? For The Nature Conservancy, the holidays mean taking time to celebrate the lands and waters that you helped us conserve this year. And we get to thank you for your support!

Thanks to you, our 2011 highlights include reintroducing bay scallops, building 24 acres of oyster reef, and harvesting millions of eelgrass seeds to replant on the Eastern Shore; recording a remarkable 70 percent increase in endangered red-cockaded woodpecker chicks leaving the nest at Piney Grove Preserve; and releasing 3,500 hatchery-raised Cumberland combshell and oyster mussels into the Clinch River. With your help, we resolve to accomplish even more in 2012.

Of course, the holiday season also means reuniting family and friends and sharing traditions. Below you’ll find our suggestions for “greening” your long-standing rituals and starting some new traditions for a more sustainable celebration.

Green Your Traditions

• Did the food on your holiday dinner table travel farther than your guests? Focus on local and in-season foods and you’ll connect with nature as well as your family and friends.
• Growth in farmers markets over the past year topped 17%, with 170+ locations available in Virginia. Find one near you.
• Take a hike! Power off the electronics (for a few hours, at least) and take a hike with family and friends. Bring a camera to capture your experience — and share your photos on our local Facebook page.

Green Your Giving

• The average American will spend more than $700 this year on gifts. Save some green this year with thoughtful, creative gifts. Make that special someone a card or photo album, or give an experience such as a cooking class, or trip to one of Virginia's beautiful state or national parks.
• The U.S. produces more than 5 million extra tons of trash between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Skip the fancy wrappings that end up in landfills and give the gift of nature instead. A Nature Conservancy gift membership is a great way to help protect the lands and waters we all need to survive. Your donations stay local: Give $50, for example, and you could plant 250 baby oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
• Share your ideas and join us in celebrating Green Gift Monday. New ideas will be added throughout the season to encourage responsible, meaningful holiday gifts.

Green Your New Year’s Resolutions

• Join Team Nature here in Virginia, our group of D.C.-region runners looking to share tips and practices for going green. Look for our super-cool green t-shirts at area races.
• Follow our Passport to Nature series — and go explore our area’s wonderful natural areas for yourself!