What comes to your mind when you think of "a gift for a special person?" A ring, a tie, a scarf, gloves, hand-made sweets, a card or a bunch of flowers? Whatever the gift, as long as it is given with love, it will make both the recipient and the giver happy. But what if the amount of happiness it brings could be multiplied? Valentine's Day, White Day and the season for celebrating graduations and new starts in life are all drawing near. This year, why not double or triple the amount of happiness with green gift ideas that can bring joy to not only the givers and receivers of gifts, but also to the planet?

The name "ecologift" itself should bring to mind a green gift. Indeed, being even friendlier than the name suggests, it is now attracting attention as a new form of gift giving, as environmental problems such as global warming are becoming progressively worse. The concept of ecologift is that saplings are planted in the mountains in the name of the person receiving the gift, who actually receives a planting certificate with their name and the date of the special occasion on it. Part of the purchase price is allocated to the management of the planting activities, in which both givers and receivers of the gift can participate. At present, such activities are conducted on Mt. Iwaki in the Shirakami Mountains, which is a world heritage site, in cooperation with the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan.

The custom of giving tree plantings to celebrate special occasions is not very common in Japan. The president of the company that distributes ecologift, who is from the United States, wanted to spread this custom in Japan, a country that traditionally treasures the custom of exchanging gifts and is becoming more aware of environmental issues, through the introduction of ecologift. Ms. Inoue of Rainbow Japan Inc., the distributor of ecologift, says that more people are using ecologift services to celebrate a wedding anniversary or a birth these days with messages such as "growth" or "future," which can be most appropriately conveyed by planting saplings. Some people give an ecologift to celebrate the birthdays of their children or grandchildren, with wishes to leave a bright tomorrow for future generations.

The aspect in which an ecologift differs significantly from ordinary gifts is that giving a gift does not end an occasion, but is rather the start of a story from that moment. For example, if given in congratulations on a birth, a sapling will be planted for the new baby and the planting certificate with the baby's name will be sent to the happy family. The sapling will grow along with the baby and will become part of a beautiful forest, protecting the planet on which we live. When that baby grows into an adult, it may also cause him or her to reflect upon issues surrounding the destruction of the environment such as deforestation, realizing that the tree planted in their name forms part of a forest. Thus, an ecologift leads to the future from the moment you open the gift box, just like a small seed taking root and growing into a huge tree.

Currently, ecologift is available for purchase only on the Internet. In addition to the basic option of sending a framed planting certificate together with a message card to the person that you wish to receive the gift, there is also an ecologift flower set, which allows you to choose from a selection of bouquets, flower baskets or bonsai trees to be sent with the certificate. When planting more than three saplings, there is a premium ecologift, for which a certificate on luxurious crystal will be delivered. Increasingly more people are choosing ecologift for business gifts, because of its potential contribution to society. There is a delightful story from one company that received an ecologift, where employee awareness about the environment has changed since the planting certificate was hung in the office.

Ms. Inoue of Rainbow Japan Inc. says, "I would like to make sapling planting part of Japanese gift-giving culture." As she adds, "If giving a gift of a sapling planting for celebrations or anniversaries becomes just as common as sending flowers, more people will end up participating in environmental activities in a more sustainable manner," which will help ecologift to play an important role in "happy" eco-action and attract more attention in future.

As the season for sending gifts is drawing near, sow the seeds of happiness more than usual with a gift laced with a hint of ecological heart.