Do I Smell Burnt Toast?

As I was making my way on my merry run along a busy road I realized I was inhaling more than the usual mix of air and car exhausted—smoke. My canine sense of smell hasn’t failed me; I was right. Smoke from dozens of wildfires currently spreading throughout central Washington is making its way over to my western Washington hometown and reeking havoc on the air quality. Firefighters are doing what they can to stop the fires from spreading but so far the fires are only 15-20% contained. Many families have been asked to evacuate their homes. The air quality has reached such dangerous levels that it has become a great health concern. Smoke from wildfires contains dangerous substances such as ash and carbon monoxide. The smoke can also irritate the respiratory system and is a big concern for people with preexisting medical conditions such as asthma.

This is not the only instance of wildfires this summer. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, from June through August there have been 22,232 wildfires, burning 7,724,955 acres. This is the most on record in 13 years.

Though we don’t have control over lightning strikes igniting these fires, there are some things you can do to prevent starting man-made wildfires:

1. Place, build, and put out your campfire safely. Here are smokey bear’s tips for campfire safety . If you’re going to burn a campfire, never leave it unattended.
2. Don’t throw your cigarette butt out the window. Make sure you put it out on something that is nonflammable.
3. Make sure your smoke detectors are up and running.
4. Surround your home with green vegetation and avoid enclosing your home with a wooden fence.
5. Don’t park your car on dry grass.
6. Store flammable materials properly.
7. Avoid burning a fire in windy conditions.
8. Machines can ignite sparks. Check your lawnmower on a regular basis and make sure no metal is dragging from your car.
9. The usual home safety protocols: turning off the stove and the oven when done using.
10. If you’re going to have a backyard campfire, keep a bucket of water and fire extinguisher at hand.

Following these tips means saving lives, homes, the air we breathe–oh and don’t forget trees:)

Sources:

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/wildfire-safety-tips/

http://www.smokeybear.com

http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/prevent-man-made-wildfires.htm

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500823_162-2132341.html

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/fire/2012/8

 

Fall Fashion For Social Good

The clothes on your back can make more than one statement this year. Express yourself and show support for a cause.

But buying TOMS shoes isn’t the only way you can show your global, philanthropic side; even top designers like Kate Spade are selling high-end fashion products that allow you to help others miles away.

It’s certainly a new kind of philanthropy. Many companies have found themselves a niche, giving people the opportunity to continue being the consumers that they are, but give back to the world at the same time.

I think this is genius. Not everyone will make time to volunteer in the community, but everyone buys and will always buy. Those companies that are selling green and eco-friendly products are doing something excellent. They have recognized that we can’t stop people from buying things that they need and we can’t stop providing people with those products. So in order to help our environment, we must change our products to ones that make less impact.

Social good companies have also recognized that people want to help the world. Many people feel they have a responsibility to save our planet and to help others, and by making products for social good, people can fulfill this desire in a convenient way.

If you are one of these people, look out for these products as your put together your fall wardrobe:

Urban Outfitters Renewal Dresses are made from vintage materials. 

Women in Northern Uganda make these fashion forward knit hats by Krochet Kids, creating employment and empowerment. “Buy a hat. Change a life.”

Banana bark and fabric bangles by Lydali. This company sells handcrafted goods from women all over the world.

Roma rain boots are eco-friendly, made from 100 percent natural latex rubber. When you purchase a pair, you give a pair to a child in need.

Suno sneakers are ethically made in Kenya from recycled materials and 15 percent of the proceeds go to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organization working to protect endangered species.

Get the trending preppy schoolboy look with this faux-leather satchel by Melie Bianco.

 Get your fair trade fashion on with products by Indigenous. These organic wrist warmers are handcrafted by artisans in Peru.

Give With Your Heart, Donate With Your Brain

Suppose you are a victim of a natural disaster and you are in need of shelter. Now suppose people around the world are sending you food that is rotting, flip-flops, and Dr. Seuss books to help.

Donating; it’s done with the best intentions, but is it always helpful? Only if you do it right. People are generous no doubt, but the problem is that they donate what they have and not what people need. In fact, some donations can cause more harm than good.

If you want to help those suffering from natural disasters, the best thing you can do is stop and consider the following. The rule of thumb: if you are going to help, provide help that is effective. Did you know that inappropriate donations can add to the already existing chaos and actually prolong the time it takes for people to receive aid? Inappropriate donations can pile up in ports, making it difficult for needed items to get through and transported to disaster victims. And more often than not, there is no available space to house these donations.

The bottom line: it’s better to donate money than goods. By donating money to disaster relief organizations, these organizations can purchase and store goods near disaster locations. This type of aid is speedier and cheaper because goods won’t need to be shipped from far away (which is a slow, costly process). In turn, the saved money can be used toward what disaster victims really need.

Don’t let this blog post scare you away from donating! Just make sure you do your research before you donate.

So before you send your old sneakers overseas, call up a disaster relief organization like the Red Cross and ask them how you can help. They are the experts on meeting disaster victims’ immediate emergency needs and will help you make the most of your philanthropy.

Sources:

http://blogs.redcross.org.uk/emergencies/2010/01/help-not-hinder-haiti/

http://goodintents.org/core-posts/donating-goods-overseas

 

Making a Difference: You Are Somebody

Have you ever sat down and wondered, ‘why am I going to school?’ Education is certainly the gateway to getting a job, making a living, and avoiding poverty. But it doesn’t end there. Education is also the key to making the world a better place.

The path that I have taken in my education and the goals I have set have all been geared towards, well, me. How can I earn the most money? How can I make my education worthwhile? I suppose I never considered that I can find a way to both support myself and use my education for doing good. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to gain an education, an opportunity not everyone has. If those who earn an education do not work towards solving social problems, who will?

I believe donors are investing in universities for a reason. They don’t want to create a mass army of individuals with brains filled with the knowledge of textbooks; they are hoping to produce innovative individuals who will contribute to society and make a difference in the world. They want to produce leaders, those who will take initiative in solving some of the world’s toughest problems.

Microsoft’s Imagine Cup certainly embodies this concept. What is the Imagine Cup? It’s a student technology competition that is inspiring students to use their knowledge and creativity to help solve some of the toughest problems in today’s world.

I think this is a great event; it communicates something important; it tells students that their education is a powerful tool that they can use to help make an impact. It’s what they do with their knowledge from school that is important.

The 2012 winners of the Imagine Cup are truly an inspiration. FlashFood is a software design that uses social media to help reduce food waste in America. By using text notifications, they are helping restaurants, grocers, and other food-service venders donate leftover food to community centers. But it doesn’t end there; they are also helping community organizations alert people who need the food. It’s all about the network, the communication. This group of entrepreneurs have recognized that too many people go to bed hungry at night and too much food is going to waste.

If we could get students to band together, identify a need in the world, and use their innovative minds and years of acquired knowledge to tackle those problems, think of how much our world could change.

We need more events like Imagine Cup and we need to inspire students to make use of their education to help the world.

Because if it’s not you, who will?

Great Apps That Help You Help The World

We’ve all come across many articles and blog posts on tips for going green, what you can do to save the coral reefs, how to reduce carbon emissions, and we get mail from charities asking for donations (yes some of these were mine haha).

Many want to make use of the helpful information provided by these articles and posts. They want to plant a vegetable garden and they want to volunteer, but helping the world takes time. What if we could make doing good more…convenient? Sounds superficial but hey doing good is better than doing no good at all right? I present to you smartphones and iPads. Today there are tons of apps in the App Store that support different causes and can help you make a difference in the world. Who knew that people would someday be able to donate to their favorite charity at the click of a button or that an app would tell you instantly in the grocery store what “sustainably harvested” fish to grab for dinner. Poor great gramps; if I told him that this is all currently possible he’d look at me with a bewildered expression (after all he did ride a pony to school). We certainly have come a long way in technology.

Philanthropy meets technology with these great apps:

1. CharityMiles: Now you have another reason to get out and exercise! This app tracks the number of miles you travel by biking, walking, or running. For every mile you walk or run you earn 25 cents to donate to a given charity. Bikers can earn 10 cents for every mile. Sweat for a cause!
2. Instant Wild: Help The Zoological Society of London monitor biodiversity. The society has camera traps set up and they want you to help by watching and identifying animals captured by the cameras. An animal is deemed correctly identified once a number of people agree on it. This app is great because you can enjoy looking at wildlife and help preserve the species you see.
3. CauseWorld: An iPhone app that lets you collect karma points that turn into cash donations for various causes. All you have to do it open up the app, see the eligible local businesses, enter a store and check in to redeem your karma points.
4. Do Some Good: The idea behind this app: a little help goes a long way in helping nonprofit and charitable organizations. Use your phone to perform actions like taking pictures for a charity, taking surveys, spreading ideas, and using your own skills to make a difference in the world. You can even receive music rewards for all your hard work.
5. Seafood Watch: This guide helps you choose sustainable seafood while you are out grocery shopping or eating out at restaurants.
6. First Aid by American Red Cross: Learn first aid with this great app. You can even test your knowledge by quizzing yourself after the lessons. The app also includes step-by-step directions for what to do in a variety of emergencies.
7. TripSketch Green Book: Travel green with the help of this app. Find eco-friendly hotels, restaurants, and tourism attractions. This app even recommends activities/events/attractions that help you do some good for the places you visit.
8. Eco Hero: Help the Sierra Club reduce America’s oil consumption addiction by making pledges. You can pledge to use your car less my walking or biking to places or by pledging to get your groceries from a local farmer’s market.

Do you know of any apps out there that help people help the world?

How to Help Your Community

Let’s face it, life gets to busy and so hectic that we often put volunteering/helping our communities on the back burner. Are you wanting to help your community but haven’t found an ideal way to squeeze it in? Word on the street is it’s best to start off small, and remember; even the little things make a difference. So if your feeling like volunteering at a soup kitchen every week is just something you can’t fit in right now, check out these ideal ways to help your community. 

1. Pickup trash if you see it. If you don’t do it who will?
2. Bake an extra batch of cookies? Bribe—I mean bring, some over to a neighbor, strike up a conversation and get to know them.
3. Donate to collection bins. Sometimes you see these outside/inside grocery stores, the library, and even at schools. Many are looking for clothing, shoes, canned food, and toys.
4. Get a team together of people at work to run/walk a local 5k for a cause. This increases donations and is a fun way for you and your coworkers to bond outside of work.
5. Help an elderly neighbor take care of their yard. Cut the amount of carbon emission in half by mowing it yourself rather than having a paid landscaping crew come out. This saves money and saves the environment. You can also help them get their groceries. Making a trip to the grocery store? Call up your neighbor and see if they need anything.
6. Have a neighbor who can’t walk their dog? Take that pup out, he’ll love you forever (the pup that is haha).
7. If you are in school, start a club that picks up trash and plants flowers on the school grounds. Volunteering is so much more fun with a group of people.
8. Give blood. They want your blood!
9. Adopt a pet from the animal shelter. No room for a pet? Animal shelters are always looking for volunteers to help take care of the animals.
10. If you’re looking to volunteer, check out volunteermatch.com. This site helps you find local volunteering opportunities in areas that interest you and match your motives and personality. Some positions are just one day only, which is a nice option is you are just wanting to volunteer from time to time.
11. Coach a sports team for youth.
12. Get people together. Plan a neighborhood cookout, kickball game, or outdoor movie night. Hear there is a meteor shower this weekend? Get everyone to come out with blankets to enjoy nature’s wonders. Getting to know the people you live with makes your community feel like a community.
13. Want to start something on your own? Find something you enjoy doing/interests you and think of ways that it can help other people.

Do you have any ideas on ways to help the community?

Street Art Is The Underdog of Philanthropy

Street art is the underdog of philanthropy. I just love street art because it does good in so many ways. Street art can make you laugh, smile, cry, or stimulate your mind with its powerful messages.

Mural by Eduardo Kobra

Some artists create their work to renovate an abandon structure in their community, bringing light and color to a dark corner. I can imagine what their thoughts are, ‘Who will make this look good? Someone’s got to do it’; so they take a paintbrush into their own hands. I think it’s a rather thoughtful thing to help create a more colorful, happy atmosphere in one’s community, to share one’s creativity with the world, and to inspire others with that creativity.

Then there are some artists who communicate important messages to the public. They leave the passerby perplexed and deep-rooted in thought. How is this philanthropic you ask? In the midst of our busy lives we can often lose sight of our responsibilities to help others and save our planet. Street art can bring important social issues to the forefront of our attention. But this is different from a billboard telling you to “live above the influence.” Street art is different; it’s more human, and someone had the care and took the time to express something they felt was important for people to know.

Banksy street art

Philanthropy is also about making people happy. You can’t tell me you didn’t smile when you saw the photo below.

Street art by Ernest Zacharevic

Imagine walking down the street on your way to work and seeing this artwork; a smile comes across your face, it might even explode into a laugh. Better yet you can sit at the dinner table that evening, telling your family how you made a fool of yourself grinning like a goof in public.

What does street art mean to you?

 

Sources for photos: http://www.streetartutopia.com

 

 

 

 

And Though She Haveth Ovaries, She Is Fierce

“I hadn’t intended to make a feminist statement. I was running against the distance not the men and I was measuring myself with my own potential.” –Roberta Gibb, marathon runner

On August 8, 2012 Sarah Attar became the first woman from Saudi Arabia to compete in track and field at the Olympics. Her performance reminds us all that women were not always allowed to participate in running events, and many women still do not have the freedom to do so today.

Grete Waitz

It was only about 40 years ago when women were banned from competing in marathons internationally. That’s right, no Olympic marathon for women—men only. Women were forbidden to participate in the Boston Marathon until 1972. Back then women were discriminated against and ridiculed for running. In the 1960 Olympics in Rome, the longest distance women were allowed to race was 800 meters (wow a whole two laps).  They did not think women could physically run farther, believing it was just too exhausting and debilitating for their bodies.

Women like Roberta Gibb, the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon, did not let rules stop her. In 1966 she crashed the marathon by hiding behind a bush at the start and jumping into the race. She passed 290 men in that race. Katherine Switzer who had entered the Boston Marathon in 1967 under her initials, was assaulted during the race by an event director who tied to push her out of the race. In the same race, Roberta Gibb was pushed off the course just moments before she crossed the finish line.

It was the bold and courageous actions of women like Roberta Gibb and Katherine Switzer that brought women’s running into the public eye and ignited a movement toward equality for women in racing. They disproved a belief that society held for years: that women could not outrun males. But the beautiful thing is that they did not put in hours of hard work and run as many miles as they did in the pursuit of outdoing men. No, every mile was for them because they loved running and they wanted to see how far they could take their bodies.

By shattering records and earning Olympic medals, other women like Sara Berman, Nina Kuscik, Grete Waitz, and Joan Bernoit have changed women’s running. It is their accomplishments that have changed the rules, allowing women to be included in distance races, to run farther, to run in their own categories and age groups just like men, and to enjoy the freedom, power, and confidence running can give a woman.

The advancement of women’s inclusion and participation in athletics teaches us one thing. The fight for equality for men and women cannot be done without a little rebellion. If we want change, we need fearless women who not only dream big but also chase after them with guts and determination.

Sources:

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/attar-makes-olympic-track-debut-saudi-women-16955453#.UCaU1UL3AzU

Click to access 2-23.pdf

http://www.runlikeagirlfilm.com/history.php

http://www.marathonguide.com/history/olympicmarathons/chapter25.cfm

http://jezebel.com/5161046/running-with-cervixes-women-overcome-hurdles

http://running.competitor.com/2011/04/features/losing-a-legend-remembering-grete-waitz_25632

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=11726&PageNum=1

The Lorax Project: On a Mission To Protect The Environment

“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

In case you didn’t know…this is the Lorax and he speaks for the trees. Thanks to Dr. Seuss’s book The Lorax and the release of its movie, kids are getting a taste of the effect humans have on the environment. When I reached for the DVD at the store I noticed a tag that said “Join the Lorax project.” Curious, I decided to see what this project was all about.

I definitely recommend this movie for you and your children; it is a great way to introduce young children to philanthropy. After seeing the movie I encourage you and your kids to explore the The Lorax project website. This is a nice piece of work if I must say; the site is laid out neatly, is easy to follow, and is very kid-friendly, complete with Dr. Seuss creatures and rhymes on every page.

What’s great about this site is that is connects what happens in The Lorax movie with what is currently happening in the real world. This is excellent, and in my opinion, greatly needed. Because The Lorax movie is set in a make-believe world, some children may have a hard time understanding how the lessons learned in the movie can be applied to our world.

The point of the website, just like the movie, is to teach kids from a young age the importance of protecting the environment and what they can do to help our world. It explains how just like in the movie, trees in forests around the world are being chopped down to make and sell goods. It also explains that as a result of deforestation and the depletion of forest resources, many endangered species’ homes are being threatened, bringing them closer to extinction.

From the site I learned about a handful of amazing forests that are in need of help and the resources that are currently being depleted for consumerism. I also enjoyed learning about animals like orangutans, red pandas, and golden lion tamarins, which sadly, are being threatened by deforestation.

What I like about this site is that it doesn’t bombard readers with the negatives but rather informs and educates readers and offers resources and ways for people to help the world. I think this is great because many people do want to help save our environment but don’t know what changes they can make in their daily lives to do so.

 

What do you think about The Lorax movie and  The Lorax project’s philanthropic approach?

Olympic Runner Dreams of More Than Just Gold Medals

With the Olympics in full swing, I’d love to recap an inspiring story of an Olympic runner from Uganda who has helped others even when he had so little. The article, Born to Run Back, was featured in Runner’s World Magazine; I encourage you to read the whole thing, but in the mean time, here is a summary of Achon’s life and philanthropy.

At age 12 Julius Achon was one of many children during Uganda’s civil war to be kidnapped from his home and recruited as a child solider. He was one of very few who were able to escape. Inspired by the success Uganda’s famous Olympic 400 meter runner, John Akii-Bua, Achon started running—without shoes mind you. He had a talent for running, and qualified to the district championships. Having no car and no money for transportation, he ran 42 miles to the championships in Lira. He competed the day after he arrived and won the 800, 1500, and 3000 meter races.

With the help of a recruiter from an elite high school who witnessed Achon’s wins at the championship, Achon kick started his running career and education. Later recruited by George Mason University, he competed in the U.S., earned an NCAA title, and ran for Uganda in the Olympics.

Though having much athletic success, Achon still found it difficult to make ends meet financially. After finishing college, he would send money back home to Uganda to help support his family, even when he himself had no place to live. While visiting his village, he encountered 11 orphans seeking shelter under a bus. With the permission of his father and a commitment to send money, Achon brought the orphans into his family’s home.

Over the years Achon’s salary was barely enough to send home money to feed the orphans and to support him. But even with his own financial struggles, he still yearned to improve conditions back home. With his help, he was able to improve the home for the orphans, paying $300 to equip the home with light and $500 for water supply. Achon eventually started his own nonprofit called the Achon Uganda Children’s Fund, and has even started to build a medical clinic in his village.

There is so much more to the story but you’ll have to check it out yourself! Achon’s philanthropy is very inspiring; it takes a very selfless person to continually help others when one has so little to begin with.

Did Achon’s story move you? I would love to hear your thoughts.