Dreading More "Stuff" This Christmas?

With the holiday season just around the corner, we're sure to be bombarded with ads for gifts that end up in the attic — or a landfill. Instead of giving material things this year, consider charitable options. The Sierra Club's own Sponsor a Wild Place offering is a good one, if we do say so ourselves.

Or, buy a Causes gift card. Causes is a three-year old company co-founded by Sean Parker of Napster and Facebook fame. It's already got 119 million users who've raised upward of $27 million for nonprofits. And it's bringing charity gift cards to more than 800 Safeway and Vons stores throughout California. Buy a card for someone, and your recipient can then go online to pick a cause close to their heart — one option is to funnel the gift money to the Sierra Club. 

--Ronny Smith