To help Ballard businesses and the environment, Orna Locker from Sustainable Ballard has come up with a list of gift ideas that support our local shops and are kind to Mother Earth.

"You don't have to compromise your values to shop for gifts," she said.

Her favorite gift idea is to give an experience.

"Give experiences rather than things. People already have so many things cluttering their houses. When you give an experience, the recipient will store it in their memory," she said.

But if you insist on giving something material, Locker recommends shopping local.

"Local is better. Make sure the money stays in our local economy," she said.

If you prefer to stay away from the busy shops and buy online, remember that many local stores also have an online store. Stores like Secret Garden Books, Sonic Boom Records , Horseshoe, and Second Ascent allow you to shop from the convenience of your couch while still supporting the local economy.

Here are some of Locker's gift ideas:

• From Ballard’s BikeSport:

- Totally Tubular! Includes a Flat Fix Card, includes tube and labor, and a spare tube. $15 ($24 value)
- Get Out and RIDE! Gift Certificate for a Tune-Up, Casual BikeFit or Rent-a-Wrench. $50 ($75 value)

• From Equal Exchange Espresso - Fair Trade, Organic coffee, chocolate and more! Fair Trade ensures farmers get a fair pay, supports farming cooperatives, and rewards environmentally-safe farming methods.

- Custom build a gift basket with any of EEE’s eco-friendly & ethically-sourced merchandise and fairly traded goodies!
- Stuff an organic cotton t-shirt & tote bag in a handmade basket
- Fill a made-in-the-USA ceramic mug with Fair Trade dark chocolate minis!
- Add some local music from the Pancake Party Collective, like The Jesus Rehab’s “the highest highs and the lowest lows,” and rock the season!

• Book by Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition movement: "The Transition Companion: Making Your Community More Resilient in Uncertain Times"
What if the best responses to peak oil and climate change don’t come from government, but from you and me and the people around us?

The Transition Companion will be the new core text of the Transition movement. Incorporating stories and lessons learned from TI’s around the world, it offers a new pattern-based way to view Transition, and inspiration for raising the movement to the next level.

Get the book for 20% off the regular price. Sustainable Ballard got a case of these books from the publisher for a special low price so they are passing the discount on to you. Available early December.

• Give an experience, rather than a ‘thing’!... Save resources, and doesn't take up space!

- Gift certificate for a massage... Get great deals on massage at Massage Heights.
- Annual Membership to the Museum of Natural History and Culture
- Mmmm... Fresh bread. Give a Tall Grass Bakery Prepaid Bread Card ($20 for $25 credit) to be cashed for organic fresh loaves at the bakery on 24th Ave.
- Gift certificate to your recipient’s (or your) favorite Ballard restaurant.