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This Friday, June 5, is World Environment Day. To that end, the company that makes the Mini Cooper cars is asking people not to drive on this day. If we could walk, bike, take public transportation, or just stay home, it would greatly lessen the carbon dioxide burden on this planet for at least one day. I know that for some of us that is not possible. You might live too far to walk or bike to work; or if you are like me, there is no public transportation that is accessible to and from my home. But, if we could each think of one thing we could do to help and honor our planet on that day, it would make a big difference. We can each think of something, big or small that we could do to help. For one day, we could all breathe easier. c "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." - E. B. White Tags: environment
Current Mood:  okay
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I stumbled across the January 2009 issue of Family Circle magazine the other day and they had some interesting ideas for our planet and its inhabitants online. One site they mentioned was iGive.com. This is a virtual shopping site giving you access to numerous retailers and a percentage of your purchase price is donated to the charity of your choice. The donated percentage is funded by the advertising, so you don’t pay a penny more than you would anywhere else. Do you like eBay? Would you like to help make the world a better place while satisfying your bidding urge? Check out BiddingforGood.com. This site has auctions for innumerable items that have been put up for auction by organizations to raise money. Like eBay, sometimes you can get some cool stuff and a pretty nice bargain. Another site listed in the Family Circle article is DonorsChoose.org. This is a site that enables caring people to donate whatever amount they can afford, as little as $1 with educators at needy schools all throughout our country, including schools that educate the children of our deployed troops. I went on this site to check it out. It is cleverly set up, and gives you a real look at some of the problems that some of our schools face. One of the schools was in such dire straights that they were going to have 4 students sharing the same set of supplies. When I was in school we didn’t have much, but I at least had my own pencil. Plus, get this; this site is endorsed by Stephen Colbert! He is one of my favorite guys! I have a lot of favorite causes; and education is right up there. Education is our investment in the future. Are you clearing out the clutter? Do you have any binoculars or bird books lying about your house that are not being used? You might want to consider donating them to the Birder’s Exchange. The Birder’s Exchange takes your used equipment and books and donates it to researchers, educators and conservationists who are in dire need. These people use this equipment to study habitat and to educate people in the proper care of the environment, especially as it impacts our feathered friends. They are in need of the following items: binoculars, especially any that are rubber armored or waterproof, digital cameras, spotting scopes, tripods, field guides to Neotropical birds, field guides to North American birds, ornithology texts, laptop computers & backpacks. This organization focuses on birding issues in the Latin America and Caribbean region; an area rich in environmental diversity but at great risk for deforestation and ecological onslaught. Anything you send is tax-deductible to the extent permissible by law. The Birders Exchange will acknowledge any donations of money or equipment by letter. You can send your donations to: ABA/Birders’ Exchange 4945 No. 30th St., Ste 200 Colorado Springs, CO 80919 Step by step, we are getting there. Have a great weekend. C “What the heart gives away is never gone. It is kept in the hearts of others.” -Robin St. John Tags: children, environment, giving resources, shopping with a purpose
Current Mood: okay
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Do you know that when you are shopping you can actually be doing good in your community? Target gives 5% of their income to support education, the arts, social services and volunteerism. That amounts to a total of more than $3 million a week going to help our communities. Another fast and easy way is to use the National Wildlife Federation MasterCard. Every purchase you make helps to fund programs to protect our wildlife and their habitat. If you like to surf the net and particularly use Facebook, you can help. All you have to do is vote for Feeding America on Facebook. Target has started a program to donate a maximum of $3 million, depending on the votes received. The more votes Feeding America receives, the more money they get. You can vote one time per day, every day.
I read about another program that helps people save money on groceries by pooling their resources and working to help each other. This program is called SHARE. SHARE stands for the Self-Help and Resource Exchange. It is a national network of non-profit organizations dedicated to providing affordable nourishment, encouraging volunteerism, and working with community organizations. SHARE is a non-profit organization that offers a nutritious food package ($28 – 30 value) for $14.00 or 14.50. In order to qualify for this, all you have to do is be willing to give two hours of volunteer time in your community. SHARE is able to give their members food for less because they pool everyone’s contribution and buy the food in bulk. There is no restriction or qualifications necessary to be a part of this. To sign up for a package, you simply contact the SHARE location nearest you. I checked online, and only a few of the SHARE organizations are listed. However, according to the information I received, if there is a SHARE organization in your area, it should be listed in the phone book. If you want to contact World SHARE, you can reach them at 6950 Friars Road, San Diego CA 92108; or (619) 686-5818. It sounds like a really beneficial opportunity all around; you get groceries at reduced prices, you help your community, and you and your neighbors get to know each other. Yep, sounds good.
At church last weekend, our priest told us a rather thought-provoking story about a man who was deeply depressed and troubled. He felt so lost and miserable that he decided to commit suicide. He started walking toward a bridge, intending to throw himself off and end it all. After he went short distance, he began to have doubts. He told himself that if he encountered just one person who showed him love he would forget about suicide and make a commitment to start his life over. No one knows what happened to that man. The question is: if he had encountered you, what would have happened? Never doubt that you can make a difference. What you do matters more than you know. “That best portion of a good man’s life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.” -William Wordsworth Tags: feed the hungry, love one another, shopping with a purpose
Current Mood:  hopeful
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I've read many books and articles about environmental awareness and living in harmony with our precious, fragile planet, but "True Green" by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin is absolutely one of the books I have ever come across. "True Green" is a compilation of 100 ways you can reduce your negative impact on the environment. It's attractively laid out and organized into commonsense categories such as home, garden, work, shopping, travel and community. After reading this book, I have been impressed with how truly precious clean water and air really are. We treasure such things as "precious' minerals and gems, but, they are not even in the same league. Clean air, water and unpolluted land are life-giving treasures. Sometimes in our fast-paced lives, we feel that it is too difficult and time-consuming to live in an environmentally-friendly manner. This is a good reminder to slow down, reduce, reuse and recycle. I've cut back on my water and electricity usage. If my bills go down, fine, if not, I at least can feel good about my interaction with our fragile planet. My daughter and I are going to begin shopping at our local farmers' markets, we expect to have better quality food, have food that doesn't need trucked in, and we hope to help out our local farmers, instead of the huge, impersonal conglomerates. This book is published by the National Geographic Society. You can learn more at www.betruegreen, or www.nationalgeographic.com/books.
Thanks for caring. c "Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds." -George Elliot Tags: environment
Current Mood: happy
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Can you believe that some babies in this countries are born into situations so poor and needy that their families can't afford to get them a baby blanket? I honestly never thought of that. But, luckily, Save the Children and Toys"R"Us are aware of it. I really urge you to go onto Save the Children's website and check out their Bundled in Hope link. It will give you terrific information about what we can do to help. A number of celebrity moms have designed really cool baby blankets for this cause. All cash donated at Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores nationwide, online at Toysrus.com/BundledinHope, and through the company's baby registry fundraising program, along with 100 percent of the winning bids from the auction of blankets designed by celebrity moms, will be directed to Save the Children as part of the Bundled in Hope campaign. Save the Children will use funds to purchase baby blankets to provide blankets for babies in need for children in the most impoverished parts of the United States — such as Appalachia, the Southeast, the Mississippi River Delta, the Gulf Coast, the Southwest and California's Central Valley — and provide ongoing support in these regions through a comprehensive early childhood development program. The program kicked off in conjunction with Mother's Day and continues through July 11. Through the Bundled in Hope campaign, you can give comfort and compassion to babies in their moms. May is Food Drive for Animals Month! If you can, swing by your local animal shelter and drop off a bag or can or two. It's helpful if you can call and find out what kind they use, as sometimes switching diets can cause digestive problems in pets. Or, most shelters can ALWAYS use paper towels or clean rags. If we can't give these little guys all homes, we can help out with their care.
Well, I've gotta go. I'm sorry that this has been kind of short and sweet. It has been a good, but exhausting day.
Take care, c “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. St. Francis of Assisi Tags: animal shelter helps, children, love one another
Current Mood:  exhausted
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<a href="http://www.greatamericanbakesale.org/?utm_source=banners"><img src="http :/
I sure hope that I got this banner loaded right. I'm a little technologically challenged. I know that I have mentioned Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale, but they are asking all bloggers to talk about it again. Now that school is out, many kids are dangerously at risk for increased hunger. They will not have access to breakfast or lunch, and dinner will be a dicey proposition. When our kids were in religious education, we would make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to take to the soup kitchen. The woman in charge was so thrilled, she hugged the delivery person! Apparently the kids who had to get their meals there were absolutely THRILLED to have these "special treats"! Because of funding cuts, the soup kitchens can only serve one meal a day. Can you imagine living on one meal a day? I know that it wouldn't hurt me, but I sure wouldn't like it.
Are you planning on having a yard sale this Spring/Summer? How about selling coffee and donuts on the side, and having those proceeds go to Share Our Strength? You could get rid of your clutter and help your neighbor, all at the same time. Here is the information that Share Our Strength gave me: Today, more than 12 million children in the United States do not know when their next meal will come. Unfortunately, this number continues to rise as these difficult economic times are leaving more and more people jobless, without homes, and unable to provide food for their families.
What can you do?
1. Sign-up to host a bake sale: http://www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/vgabs
2. Buy the virtual Great American Bake Sale eBook:
http://StolenMomentsCooking.com/virtual-gabs
3. Post a ChipIn widget or banner on your blog:
http://www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/bloggers
Make a difference in a childÂ’s life by signing up and purchasing a virtual cookbook today! 100% of the proceeds from this eBook will benefit Share Our StrengthÂ’s Great American Bake Sale, which is a national effort that encourages Americans to host bake sales in their communities to help end childhood hunger. Funds raised support summer and after-school feeding programs in your community that thousands of kids depend on.
Once you have purchased your virtual Great American Bake Sale cookbook, double your impact and use the recipes to host your own Great American Bake Sale! Hosting a Bake Sale is a fun and easy way to make a big impact!
To register your Bake Sale or for more information, please visit
http://GreatAmericanBakeSale.
---------
I've got some other ideas to help combat hunger. I will enter them on another post. Take care, c "The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live." -Joan Borysenko Tags: feed the hungry
Current Mood: optimistic
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This Saturday, May 9, 2009, is the annual "Stamp Out Hunger" campaign sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers. We all know that demand for our food banks is at an all-time high, and this is a time that we can all help make a difference. This is a scary time of year for kids, because with schools letting out for the summer, the kids who would be getting breakfast or lunch through the school meals program will get nothing. If every person set just one can or box of food out by their mailbox this Saturday, it would make a big dent in our hunger problem in our country. Together, we can do it.
Do you like biscotti's? Have you ever had them? They are a wonderful twice-baked Italian cookie. The Italians like to dunk theirs in their coffee or liqueur, but I like to eat them all ways. If you buy the specially marked packages of biscotti from Nonni's Biscotti and enter the UPC code on their website, Nonni's will make a donation to fight breast cancer. Who would have thought a good deed could be so yummy?
Also, Tide is still going strong with their Loads of Hope program. The Loads of Hope program goes into areas that have been affected by disasters and gives people the opportunity to have clean, fresh clothes. This goes a long way toward helping them feel empowered. If you purchase Tide laundry detergent with the yellow caps, 10 cents of the purchase price goes toward this program. There was a coupon in last Sunday's paper for Tide. Hey, and we all have to do laundry anyway. This way you get to wash your clothes and help wash someone else's.
Well, as usual I'm short on time but long on ideas. I hope to stop back soon.
Peace to you and yours.
cyn
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." - 13th Dalai Lama Tags: feed the hungry, shopping with a purpose
Current Mood:  crazy
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A lovely thing happened at lunch today. I was walking in downtown Harrisburg and decided to get a sausage sandwich from one of our corner hotdog vendors. (Yea, I know, not the most low-cal thing in the world, but it did taste mighty good!) This particular vendor, like so many other food and magazine vendors had a little container out for tips, but unlike the other tips containers I have seen so far, his sported a sign that all tips are donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. I was totally blown away by this man's generosity. I don't know what kind of money there is to be made selling hotdogs on a street corner, but you know that this man has no paid vacation, no paid sick leave, no retirement plan or no medical benefits. It would be very understandable that he might want to use whatever tip money he received to provide himself some of the things that I would think are pretty necessary benefits; but instead he gives it all away. I made some comment about how marvelous I thought that he did that, and he proudly told me that his customers donated enough money last year to purchase an incubator for the hospital! That is profound. An incubator has the potential to save many little lives. Who would think that one hotdog vendor could have such a profound impact on the world? My niece Lynda told me that the TV show, Survivor, is working with Heifer International this season to help provide sustainable agricultural practices to the people of Brazil. If you purchase one of their limited edition tee shirts, they will make a donation to Heifer. Here are the specifics: Here is the link to purchase the tee-shirt: http://cbs.seenon.com/detail.php?p=86258&v=cbs-survivor Survivor Tocantin's Charity T-Shirt
For every tee purchased the CBS Store will donate $5.00 to help fund the Heifer International Ecological Consciousness Project in Brazil. This special project helps agroecological production of healthy foods, as well as develops ways for cooperation and organization of small farmers in settlements in agrarian reform areas of Brazil.
Heifer International is dedicated to transforming lives by ending hunger and caring for the Earth. Heifer accomplishes its work through gifts of livestock and training in sustainable agriculture practices. For more information visit heifer.org.
Price: $24.95 $19.99
On sale, too. That's pretty good.
One other idea I wanted to pass along before I go. There's a Hallmark store here in the building where I work. When I buy my greeting cards, they inevitably give you the Hallmark Gold Crown sticker. I've yet to use them. I got the bright idea to save them and to send them to an inner city school for the teachers to use as reward stickers. I hope they like them.
gotta go.
c
"Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, But great actions speak to all mankind."
-Emily P. Bissell Tags: environment, shopping with a purpose
Current Mood:  creative
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I noticed on an Arm & Hammer Essentials ad a note referring to the Great American Cleanup, you help with every purchase. The message stated that you could learn how your purchase could help Keep America Beautiful at armandhammeressentials.com. So I logged on. I didn't exactly see how my purchase of Arm & Hammer essentials would specifically help this cause, but I did learn that Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup is currently taking place in our country. It began on March 1 and will run through May 31 of this year. An estimated 3 million volunteers and attendees are expected to be involved this year. In 2008 6.7 million hours of volunteer time were donated to clean more than 17,000 communities. 30,000 events were help throughout all 50 states. In addition to the parent organization, Keep America Beautiful, the corporate sponsors include: Pepsi, Wrigley, Honda, Troy-Bilt, Waste Management, Arm & Hammer, University of Phoenix, Glad, Dow, Scott's Miracle Gro, Solo, and the Colgate-Palmolive Company. So, I guess what Arm & Hammer was trying to say was that if you buy their product, they can donate funds and time to this drive. Not to knock any of the sponsors here, but if you reduce your use of disposable products, particularly products that are petroleum-based, like plastic, that helps, too. I've been reading about reducing our negative impact on the environment, and after I use up all the cleaners, etc. that I have in the house, I am going to make my own environmentally-friendly cleaners. I don't have the recipes handy right now, but I will include them in a future entry. They are super- cheap and easy to make. I am going to use what I have first, because I don't see any point in dumping that stuff down the drain. But, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Why do we use super toxic chemicals in the first place? If we are using stuff that could potentially kill our infants and toddlers, why are we exposing ourselves to it? And what about the by-products of the production of this stuff? It makes me want to laugh at myself. I have been spending big bucks to potentially poison myself and my earth. Oh well, like Oprah Winfrey says, "When you know better, you do better." Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? HA! So, anyhow, now that I have climbed back off my soapbox, here's the deal. If you would like to learn about the Great American Cleanup, you can reach it at: http://www.kab.org or through Arm & Hammer's site: www.armandhammeressentials.com. Here's to a better tomorrow - for all of us. Fondly, c "The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose." - Richard Leider Tags: environment
Current Mood:  restless
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