- December 18, 2014 - Space for Life : Ambassadors
In creating the Base Camp of the 1000 Days for the Planet mission, Space for Life launched a movement for biodiversity. The ambassadors, people who decided to make public the action that they’re taking for the planet, are so inspiring that we wanted to share their story with you. Who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired and become an ambassador yourself!
As the holiday frenzy takes over and commercial streets liven up even more, here are a few gift ideas taken from some of our ambassadors’ activities to help celebrate Christmas in a way that that goes against the grain of our seasonal shopping sprees.
Made with love
Anaïs produces her own dandelion wine. Stéphanie makes cushions out of her used clothing. Mégan, Frédérique and Albertine cobble together birdhouses from recycled material. Why not take advantage of the quiet time a snowy day brings to liberate your creative spirit? Little handcrafted presents are often thoughtful, frequently fun, and always concocted with love. It’s the perfect opportunity to get together with family or friends around a casserole, watching the fleur de sel caramel turn golden brown or the blood-orange marmalade bubble and gurgle… Not to mention that these activities are a lot more Zen than a visit to the shopping center.
A little something you don’t have to unwrap
An excursion to a favorite restaurant, theater tickets, a complete change of scene like a few days’ worth of snowshoeing: there are many gift possibilities you don’t find in window displays. Just come up with an activity that will put a smile on the face of the person you want to be having a good time with.
And there’s no need to shell out lots of cash! An activity in the great outdoors can be just what it takes to make people happy. Anne’s a good example: she’s an ambassador who decided to offer her children special nature outings, and she’s been doing it since they were all very small. A mere object has more chance of becoming less interesting after a time, but the memory of a good time can stay with us forever… Who knows? The sort of activity you pick can become a tradition that carries on year after year.
For the more technically minded, it might be just the thing to take advantage of the holidays and listen to some new music or read a good book that’s been delivered electronically (no packing or shipping).
Giving of your time
Time remains the most precious gift one can give, because it’s often just that, and not material things, that we’re short of.
Some of our ambassadors – Maïthé or Négar, for example – can be relied on for free offerings too. Maïthé doesn’t think twice about helping people repair their bikes free of charge, while Négar sorts through her clothes and toys in order to offer what she no longer uses to people who need them more. And incidentally, there’s no shortage of people and organizations in need, so the holiday season can be a good time to create or carry on with a volunteering initiative.
Among all the actions mentioned here, time is the common denominator: time to have a good idea, the time you save not wandering around the aisles of stores, and the precious time spent in the company of our nearest and dearest. Happy holidays!
