Lush, at the Providence Place mall, offers homemade, natural personal care products that are eco-conscious and use minimal packaging.

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

Celebrating Christmas does not obligate one to spend a lot of money on flashy gifts, some Rhode Islanders say, and the benefits can be very rewarding.

Tired of seeing a stream of unnecessary presents parade in and out, Providence photographer David Grenier decided to abandon traditional gift buying a few years ago. Instead, he donates to his favorite charity, Habitat for Humanity, to help people in need and conserve resources.

It isn’t that Grenier is a joyless curmudgeon. He just disliked the compulsory gift exchanging.

“I think I enjoy Christmas a lot more now than I did a few years ago,” Grenier said. “I love the decorations and the music and getting together with my family. Now that I’ve eliminated a major source of holiday stress (shopping) and guilt (wastefulness) while doing something positive (giving money to Habitat) that makes me feel good.”

Rhode Islander Bill Patenaude wrote passionately about Christmas, consumption and the environment in a recent column for the Rhode Island Catholic. “Restraining our purchases (and instead of giving of ourselves in time, donations to charity and prayer) would go a long way in saving not just our planet’s ecological balance, but also our very souls.”

If the health of the planet is on your mind this holiday season, here are some ways to have a greener holiday.

Reduce waste.

The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, the non-profit business that runs the Central Landfill in Johnston, sees a 31-percent increase in trash the week after Christmas. A lot of it consists of wrapping paper and other recyclables, says recycling manager Sarah Kite. She urges Rhode Islanders to put gifts in reusable gift bags or baskets, and recycle wrapping paper, cards, tags and that pile of holiday catalogs.

Buy items that conserve resources.

Fluorescent light bulbs, reusable water bottles and cloth shopping bags are gifts under $10 that help reduce the impact on the planet and are available at most chain and grocery stores.

REI in Cranston is a good source for green gifts for the outdoor enthusiast. It offers many clothing and equipment items made from recycled rubber and polyester. It also carries a wide selection of reusable plastic and stainless steel water bottles, which replace petroleum-based disposable plastic bottles.

Target.com carries several products with the environment in mind, from pre-owned iPods and televisions to a small wind turbine and generator set for $599.99. Other items include battery-less LED flashlights and radios, vases made out of recycled newspaper and solar-powered outdoor accent lights.

If you are shopping for a friend who could use some pampering, Lush in Providence Place has many planet-friendly personal care products. The UK-based store sells an assortment of novel goods from shampoo bars to henna hair dye, made with minimal chemicals and preservatives. Most of their products are sold without any packaging — naked, as Lush calls it — to reduce their waste. The packaging they do use is earth-friendly, from biodegradable plastic bags to packing peanuts derived from corn starch and wrapping materials made from 100 percent recycled paper.

All Lush products are vegetarian (73 percent are vegan as well) and animal testing free.

Buy local.

From artisan jewelry to clever household items, the RISD Works store has locally-created gifts at reasonable prices. All the work has a connection to the Rhode Island School of Design, with most created by alumni.

Giving educational gifts can help raise awareness about the environment.

“If you learn about something, you will love it and if you love it, you will protect it,” says Dale Grogan, owner of The World Store in Wickford. The store sells science kits and a wide assortment of educational books. Also in the shop: bird and bat houses, including the quirky “bat-chelor” pad, where male bats have a little more room to relax.

You can support your community by giving tickets to a local concert, theater performance or museum membership.

Give something you can’t buy.

The Resource Recovery Corporation lists several ways to give without opening your wallet.

Offer a useful service such as babysitting, building a Web site, repair work or household tasks. Although service-based gifts have been a staple for cash-strapped kids for years, giving someone your time is an endearing way to show a loved one they are appreciated, the company said.

Donate to people in need.

With Rhode Island’s deficit topping $450 million and heating oil nearing $3.30 a gallon, many non-profit organizations are seeing more people coming in for assistance.

Linda Watkins, associate director of Amos House in Providence, said the social service agency for the poor and homeless has seen a four-fold increase in requests for daily bus passes and other services.

“The state of the economy and the impact of foreclosures have harmed many people,” Watkins said “We end up having to turn some people away.”

Volunteers always come through during Christmastime, Watkins said, but donations are needed to provide services to the needy during a year people have been hit hard by the sagging economy.

For more information, holiday conservation and green gifts ideas, visit www.rircc.org, www.sierraclub.org, www.treehugger.com and www.environmentaldefense.org. For environmentally-friendly shopping sites, visit www.ecomall.com, www.taraluna.com or www.reusablebags.com.