Blogs

Living lighter with Aveda

Trystan L. Bass — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:56:12 PDT

Beauty products company Aveda is celebrating Earth Day during the month of April, which its done for the past decade. This year's campaign supports organic farming and clean water.

Known for using sustainable ingredients and renewable energy, now the company is selling a limited-edition candle with organic lavender. All proceeds will go the Global Greengrants Fund to protect clean water around the planet.

If you're going into an Aveda store, make sure to bring your old bottle caps -- the plastic ones from soda bottles, laundry detergent, cleansers, shampoo, etc. Most of these aren't recycled by standard recycling systems, so they're tossed into the garbage.

Aveda and Shape magazine have teamed up to get those caps back. Through May 10, 2008, Aveda stores will collect hard plastic bottle caps. The company will use them to make caps for a 30th-anniversary shampoo coming out in September.

You can even get a free sample of Aveda's hair or body-care products when you bring in 25 or more caps. If there's no Aveda store nearby, you can also mail the caps in. Read all the details on Shape.com.

Watch a tree grow on Google Earth

Hank Green — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:43:11 PDT

You can't say there's anything wrong with paying someone to plant a tree in some corner of the Earth. But it's not exactly the most rewarding thing.

The buyer assumes the tree is out there, but it's quickly forgotten and impossible to actually imagine. But the World Wildlife Fund is hoping to chance that with a little help from Google Earth.

Your $5.50 donation will buy a tree, its lifelong care and feeding, scientific study of the forest that it becomes a part of, and the exact coordinates of where that tree is on our big beautiful planet. Linking that data with Google Earth shows the precise location of the tree on the island of Borneo, as well as the tree's hundreds of neighbors.

Unfortunately, the map resolution needs to be increased significantly before you can see your very own tree, but even now the context is nice.

You can buy trees that will be planted in Indonesia today at MyBabyTree.org. PayPal integration makes the whole thing a breeze.

I planted two of them myself and received the following message in my inbox:

Your baby tree will be planted in the next few days. Once that is done, we will mail you the exact location, and you will be able to see your tree on Google Earth.

Via Google Earth Blog and the WWF

Charity check

Molly McCall — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:10:12 PST

It's the end of the year and the last shot for getting charitable donations to all your favorite environmental groups on this year's tax record. But is that 501(c)(3) really saving the spotted owl or is it wasting money on bureaucracy?

If you want to donate but you're uncertain of how an organization manages its finances or programs, you may be interested in what GuideStar has to show you. Dedicated to creating a "more transparent and accountable nonprofit community," GuideStar collects and shares data on more than 1.5 million philanthropic organizations.

After the free registration process, you can access a nonprofit's basic profile and peruse facsimiles of the latest 990 forms that it has filed with the IRS. (For a fee, GuideStar also offers select and premium accounts that feature more in-depth analysis and background.)

Whether you want to learn more about your local NPR station, examine the records of the humane society down the street, or investigate the World Wildlife Fund, GuideStar will illuminate the way.

Harvest season

Molly McCall — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:30:35 PST

One of every four people in a soup kitchen line is a child. Four million low-income families in the United States sought relief at food banks last year, and over 30% of U.S. households faced situations that forced them to choose between food and medicine.

America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest network of food banks and food-rescue organizations, gathers these facts and others on its site. The group moves groceries and nutritious fare from donors, such as farmers or restaurants, to soup kitchens, homeless centers, and after-school programs.

Along the way, it highlights the perils of the hunger that lurks in our cities, our farmlands, and the seemingly affluent spreads of our suburbs. But it needs help. Millions in this country lack something nutritious to eat, and the task of feeding them is a daunting one.

Take a little time during the holidays to give to a local food bank. And look for volunteer opportunities at a Second Harvest group in your neighborhood. You'll get a warm, satisfied feeling.

Find the original review for this siteâand other features on the Web's coolest offeringsâon Yahoo! Picks.

For those of modest needs

Molly McCall — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:28:43 PST

Most of us know the stress of getting a bill paid during lean times, meeting the minimum payment for a medical procedure, or adjusting to a sudden increase in rent. And most of us get through those rough patches. But not all of us.

Since 2002, Modest Needs has sought to help "otherwise ... self-sufficient individuals and families" who have strayed into financial straits. Perhaps a spouse has fallen sick and the property taxes loom. Perhaps a sister can no longer care for her child and the little one needs dental work.

In acts they call "preventive giving," Modest Needs makes small payments available to people who detail their situations and are verified by the group. Read the moving testimonials from recipients of these micro-gifts.

And then check out the applications for help. Because so many of these pleas for assistance could come from any of us.

As this year closes out, what better time to help someone else get a fresh start? You can make a tax-deductible donation and invest in a person's future. Or create a gift certificate so a friend can choose to help a person of modest needs.

Find the original review for this siteâand other features on the Web's coolest offeringsâon Yahoo! Picks.

Unchained rhapsody

Jill Robinson — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:53:17 PST

Adorable puppy-dog eyes don't go well with cold, metal chains. Dogs Deserve Better works to educate people against chaining and penning our best friends, and encourages dog owners to train, socialize, exercise, and integrate pets into the family.

Now marking its third year, the organization has representatives across the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Volunteers help with community awareness, provide information on canine welfare, fence yards for dogs, advocate for legal changes, and even foster rescued dogs until they're adopted.

For those who can't volunteer, supporting Dogs Deserve Better through membership and donations can help them create more sweet success stories.

You can also sponsor a formerly chained dog for the holidays. The dog will get food and veterinary care, and your gift recipient will get a personalized letter and a picture of the dog.

Find the original review for this siteâand other features on the Web's coolest offeringsâon Yahoo! Picks.

Join the elephant foster care system

Molly McCall — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:22:52 PST

The Mogor River caught one baby elephant and swept him nearly half a mile downstream. Before that, rangers found a four-month-old who had lost her mother in a panic stampede.

Both youngsters soon joined the family of orphaned elephant calves and their dedicated troupe of keepers at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Since 1978, this remarkable organization has nurtured infant elephants and black rhinos who find themselves motherless in Tsavo National Park, Kenya's largest park and ground zero for its poaching and snaring wars.

Notable as the first group to keep newborn African elephant orphans alive, this conservation powerhouse has saved more than 65 (and counting) endangered waifs.

Online, browse the photo gallery, read the animals' profiles, and try not to fall head over heels with what this place is doing.

Then, consider fostering an orphaned baby elephant for Christmas. You can gift this as a gift or do it as a family project.

The Wildlife trust does the fostering process by email to save costs, and this actually makes it a great last-minute gift since there's no shipping involved. Your gift recipient will learn about the fostered elephant's progress each month, and the animal is ensured the intensive care it needs.

Find the original review for this siteâand other features on the Web's coolest offeringsâon Yahoo! Picks.

Give a wild animal or a native tree

Kastle Waserman — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:52:15 PST

Put a snow leopard under the Christmas tree this year-- figuratively speaking, of course. Through symbolic adoption programs, two wildlife protection organizations let you give some of the world's endangered species as a holiday gift.

The National Wildlife Federation offers symbolic adoptions for $30 to $75. Each gift includes a stuffed animal and extras such as a blanket or backpack.

The World Wildlife Fund has symbolic adoptions for $25 to $250 with packages that range from a certificate to a stuffed animal with a map and a gift box. Donations over $75 also receive an ornament featuring the WWF panda logo.

Both will deliver in time for Christmas if you order by December 17. Your donations go to support the organizations' conservation efforts for imperiled animals. These are sweet gifts for animal lovers who will know their plush toys have made a tiny, furry step to help protect polar bears, gray wolves, humpback whales, and more.

For a real tree-hugger, why not give a tree as a gift? TreePeople offers tree dedications for $25 to $100. A dedication includes a personalized card or certificate indicating a tree will be planted in a person's honor. Orders ship within 4 to 5 business days. The money goes to the Gift of Life program for tree planting in the Los Angeles area.

While dedicated trees are not marked with a name plaque, the public is invited to participate in tree planting events. The next Tree Dedication Ceremony takes place on December 30 in Malibu, California, so if you're local, you can watch how your gift makes the world a little greener!

Art for sustainability's sake

Laeleya Saludez — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:21:40 PST

Ever tried to a turn a cement bag and glue into ornaments, gingerbread houses, or even jewelry? Good luck. But for an artisan like Etzer Lindor, it's a skill that he managed to hone amidst the grinding poverty of his native Haiti. For starving artist Etzer and other uniquely talented artisans wanting to make a living, there is hope.

Dedicated to helping craftspeople in developing nations, Aid to Artisans provides assistance in countries from Afghanistan to Peru and around the world.

Aside from the monetary and marketing avenues it offers, Aid to Artisans conducts programs for those who need to sharpen their skills.

How can you help? You can simply give, or own a piece of art yourself. Hand-crafted, sustainable arts and ornaments make meaningful holiday gifts too.

Find the original review for this siteâand other features on the Web's coolest offeringsâon Yahoo! Picks.