Charities
Charity Water Birthdays – Donation Gifts
Charity Water has come up with a concept I love, donations for your birthday! A pretty simple concept, but Charity Water allows you to create your own custom birthday donation page with goals to share with friends called the Birthday Donation Project. Wonderful!
What is this Charity Water you may be asking? Their mission is to bring clean water to the world, particularly developing countries where they need it the most. This can mean anything from drilling wells to water treatment.
90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are in children under five years old.
-World Health Organization
The Two Wheeled Drive – Project Bike Trip – May 2012
| What: | Project Bike Trip’s Two Wheeled Drive |
| Where: | Everywhere! Sign up here |
| When: | Starting May 1st through the 31st, 2012 |
| Why: | To raise money and awareness (+$12,000 in prizes!) |
The Two Wheeled Drive is a drive to get more people commuting by bicycle more often by challenging folks to choose two wheels over four while raising awareness and funds for youth bicycle education.
It’s essentially kind of like a walk-a-thon, but way better because it’s a commute-a-thon that lasts the whole month of May to recognize and support Bike Month and to raise money to get more kids happy and healthy by riding bikes. › Continue reading
African Rainforest Conservancy Benefit – 2012 Artists for Africa
I am very excited to be covering the African Rainforest Conservancy’s 21st annual Artists for Africa Benefit in a few weeks for The Chic Ecologist. Honoring Kris and Doug Tompkins and in support of the conservation of Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests, this year’s benefit will also feature the naming of a newly discovered frog.
This frog, discovered in the Nguru South and Nguu North Mountains of the Eastern Arc rainforest of Tanzania, changes color from a milky white during the daytime to yellow with brown spots during the nighttime.
| What: | African Rainforest Conservancy Benefit – Artists for Africa |
| Where: | Prince George Ballroom – 15 East 27th St, New York |
| When: | Wednesday, April 11th – Cocktails begin @ 6 p.m. |
| Cost: | Cocktails $125, Dinner $500 – event tickets available here |
Additional event highlights will include silent and live art auctions showcasing the works of over forty celebrated artists—including William Abranowicz, Chris Dei, Gerald Forster, Chris Jordan, Carlo Mari, Arthur Meyerson, Jonnie Miles, Joseph Peter, Mirella Ricciardi, and Spencer Tunick—many of whom have graciously supported ARC over the years and will also be in attendance. Providing the ambiance for the evening is a choral performance by the New York City Master Chorale.
Raising over $1 million over the past two decades, this annual event supports ARC’s mission of promoting the conservation of Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests by empowering local communities to become the guardians of their forests. Event proceeds will provide core support for ARC’s grassroot conservation and community development programs in 146 villages throughout the mountain ranges and coastal forests of East Africa—among the oldest and most biodiverse in the world. › Continue reading
Microfinance Loans and Microcredit – Kiva
I am still a big proponent of investing in and own several mutual funds and stocks in green technologies and companies, but I often wonder “will that actually affect the biggest change?”
Most investments now days have been marred by scandals. The stock market was hit with internet bubble stocks, declining bank stocks, failing financial institutions, bankruptcies, real estate, you name it, it has suffered somehow. Almost makes you want to go back to your local savings account. Rather than leaving your money to wallow under inflation in a piggy bank or mattress, try investing in people.
Microfinance has been around for some time, however, companies like Kiva are making it even easier to select people and causes close to your heart (or investing strategy) while providing more security from default than with individual investing. Each loan is carefully selected by field partners and volunteers, but it remains a very personal feel. You get to essentially meet (via a personal profile) the individual you are loaning your money to and understand their pursuit and the needs of the community. › Continue reading
Green Gift Monday – Responsible Gifting
Green Gift Monday is an alternative (or improvement) to Cyber Monday, November 28th, the biggest online shopping day of the year.
Promoted on by The Nature Conservancy, this awareness date represents conservation as opposed to consumption. Instead of buying more stuff, dontate to your favorite community organization, volunteer, or commit to conservation by cutting energy costs in your own life. DIY projects are a great way to cut energy waste, replacing inefficient appliances or learning creative solutions from others can really make a difference. › Continue reading
Elephant Nature Park – Thailand
When one speaks of Thailand, often images of elephants are conjured up. Images of elephants are everywhere, from temples and shrines to logos and even the name of their beer (Chang, which means Elephant in Thai). The Thai people seem to have a deep reverence for these magnificent creatures, however, there is a darker almost contradictory side to this appearance.
Almost all of the domesticated elephants (those used for work and human contact) have been subjected to a ‘breaking of the spirit’ in a device called the Phajaan.
Squeezed into a cage only large enough to contain the baby elephant, they are chained into place, beat with sticks of bamboo and poked with sharp devices with hooks and nails. For 6 days or even longer, these elephants as young as 4 are subjected to this brutality without food, water or shelter. This is usually the time they are permanently separated from their mother and family, to begin their life of servitude.
Elephants have largely played a working role in Thailand. Used as war machines by Alexander the Great, they have been used as working animals for logging and farming for generations. With Thailand’s dwindling forests, and now a ban on logging, these elephants are finding themselves out of work and in trouble. Many elephant owners and mahouts (elephant keepers or drivers) have adapted to the tourist industry by using their elephants for jungle treks and walks. Others have used brutal torture techniques to train their elephants to perform tricks or paint. Often in cities around Thailand, you will see elephants begging in the streets for their mahouts, which generate a great deal of income for the owner at a great expense to the elephant.
With all of this brutality and pain, there is a ray of light. The Elephant Nature Park along with its founder, Sangduen Chailert, known as ‘Lek’, have created a sanctuary for these retired and abused elephants and is educating people around the world about the plight of these Asian Elephants. › Continue reading
Peace Keeper Cause-Metics
If you’re like me, you love when you can contribute to a great cause just by buying things you would normally. That being said, I cannot stand buying things simply because they donate 10% of a way overpriced item to charity. I’d much rather donate that 10% myself, and buy something I actually want for a decent price. I donate regularly to my favorite causes and finding products that support good causes is just a bonus in my opinion.
Peace Keeper Cause-metics, while a still a young company isn’t shying away from donating despite the rough economic times. They’re embracing it. They continue to donate a portion of their sales, even when they are not profitable. That, I think is the mark of a great company. Putting the cause before the cash.
While Peace Keeper is committed to supporting women in harmful situations around the world, they’re not skimping on quality. Most of their formulas are mineral-based, without parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, acetone, toluene, mineral oil, synthetic fd&c colors, artificial fragrances, artificial preservatives, and they don’t test on animals. Yeah, get out your list of no-no ingredients (or check the skin care ingredients to avoid list), and that about covers all my concerns.
Trees, Habitat Restoration and Arbor Day
Arbor day brings mixed feelings for me, which may sound strange because who doesn’t like trees? Having worked some time as a restoration ecologist, I may be privy to the dark secrets of habitat restoration or ‘enhancement’, that many well-meaning charities and non-profits may be unaware of: Nature heals itself! Be sure you look into where your trees are being planted this Arbor Day, here is what to look for:
Restoration of Existing Habitat – BAD
I have seen many groups attempting to restore National Parks, and wildlands after natural disasters such as fires, landslides and the like, which just makes me cringe. If the area is within a protected habitat and has just been devastated by a natural disaster, the best thing you can do is leave it alone. A restoration attempt in these areas will only introduce non-native and invasive species (usually carried in by the restoration crews in their shoes, clothes, automobiles and equipment). It can further disturb and disrupt the natural environment, causing more damage and long-term affects.
Restoration of Human-Impacted Habitat – GOOD
What is in need of restoration, are the habitats degraded by human activity such as farming, grazing and building. These areas have usually been so disturbed, damaged, or inundated with invasive species that it is unable to recover on its own. Fallow fields, urban lots, intensive agriculture and pastures are all good examples. Restoration is a difficult task and requires › Continue reading
