Father's Day

Celebrate Green with Corey's Father's Day ideas

For Father's Day 1981, my little brother, Chip, constructed a poster-sized collage from old pictures that were not good enough to save in albums but were too precious to be thrown away. The gift was not only imaginative, it was expertly crafted, depicting dozens of images of my dad – camping, coaching, eating, getting married, singing, laughing – all giving the viewer the indisputable notion that my dad was the greatest guy on Earth, which of course, he was. I remember my father beaming with joy when he saw what my brother made for him and (to be honest) I felt a little jealous that my gift – a mini potted saguaro cactus with sunglasses and a sign that read, "cool dad" was, well, not as cool.

Chip and I had plenty to be competitive about (see how cute he is in this picture shaving our dad?), so the points Chip earned that Father's Day were soon forgotten until one day in 2005, when that photo collage reappeared while helping my parents unpack from a recent move. Okay, not a problem, I thought, my cool cactus must be around here somewhere…

Had I not since become a parent myself, I might have taken my MIA cactus as a sign that my dad did indeed love Chip more than me. But since I knew this couldn't possibly be true (my dad did always call me his "favorite daughter" – although come to think of it, I'm his only daughter), I deduced that the photo collage was saved all these years because it was special. Thoughtful. Meaningful. Okay, much cooler than a cactus.

The moral of this story?

If you think Dad's dream Father's Day gifts include golf outings, barbeque gear and flat screen TVs, you might be right, but what might be even more cherished (and surprise, surprise less impactful on the planet) are gifts that show Dad just how much he is loved.

Gifts that don't cost a dime (or the Earth) but will mean the world to Dad:

• Art sculptures inspired by Dad, made only from items in nature.
• Write and recite a humorous (or not) ode to dad
• Breakfast in bed using only foods that are Dad's favorite color.
• Take Dad on a Geocaching or Letterboxing hike or camping trip. Or plan your own, smaller scale treasure hunt for little gifts, or even memories, "Dad-gratitudes" or similar on slips of paper.
• Bake an organic, cake sized cookie, made by you (and/ or your kids) and use homemade frosting to write a pro-Dad message.
• Get an autograph from one of Dad's favorite athletes, authors, artists, politicians, etc.
• What does dad need? Lawn mowed, garage organized, gutters cleaned?
• Write down 10 great day-trips on slips of recycled paper, place in a bowl and have dad choose. Have your bags and a lunch pre-packed.
• Photo video of the kids at different locations, holding signs that tell one reason why they love their dad.