Make a Blanket Brunch

Today I had the pleasure of joining in on an event hosted by my friend, Mary, who is the proprietress of Cherub’s Blankets and makes super soft, organic baby blankets. As part of her company’s efforts to support the community Mary hosted a blanket making event to benefit Project Linus and the Hitchcock Center for Women.

Here’s a few photos to show the progress and a couple of the successful results.
You can also visit Cherub’s Blankets find out more about Mary’s philosophies and sustainable efforts.

50% donations to Unicef for Haiti Relief Efforts

For a limited time I am going to donate 50% of the sales price (not just profit) of any item sold in my sales section to Unicef Haiti Relief Efforts

You can visit unicef too and directly donate as well.

Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

Does anyone actually keep all their New Year resolutions? I would be most duly impressed to find someone who successfully does, unless that person resolves to do something like eat a piece of chocolate cake each day.

Here’s a few simple resolutions you can make this year that are relatively simple and can do some wonderful things to help the earth:

1. Recycle your ink cartridges. This sounds so simple yet not even 5% of ink cartridges are recycled. Some places will even give you money or discounts for turning in cartridges to be recycled.
2. Add vinegar and baking soda to your cleaning regimen. These two substances cost very little, are not nearly as damaging as some of the harsh chemicals in other cleaners and are surprisingly incredibly effective.
3. Go through your closets and other belongings and pull out anything you haven’t worn or used in a few months and put it in a box. Mark the box with the date. If you haven’t needed anything in the box in two months, donate it to charity.
4. Eat less processed food. No, it’s not a diet. Just make a point to try to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, and naturally raised meats. You find out you feel a lot healthier without the excess chemicals in your diet.
5. Bring your own bags when you go shopping. If you forget them frequently just always have a couple thrown in the trunk of your car.
6. Volunteer for at least one day. Just ONE day at least. You can do it! Pick any organization you think would be worthwhile from helping the homeless, to a building project, or spending time with kids. Imagine what would happen if everyone in the country volunteered to help out for just one day. Hey, depending on the organization you could even get a free day at Disney.

If you make any resolution this year, just resolve to do something positive and to actually do it! You don’t have to resolve to do something too difficult or too major, any little bit can help.
Happy New Year!
Happy Year of the Tiger!

Meaningful Holiday Giving

As the holidays are fast approaching I’d like to take the opportunity to I’d like to give you ideas on how to find gifts that will be meaningful to both the recipient, but also meaningful in a much larger sense.

When purchasing gifts this year consider three different possibilities other than just chain stores.

1. Shop Local
2. Shop Handmade.
3. Shop Charity

Using these three criteria you should be able to find the perfect gift for just about anyone one your list that will also give back to more than just the recipient.

Here’s a few things to consider:

Shopping Locally
In a nutshell, when you shop locally your hard earned dollars stay in your own community. The taxes you pay on items go back into your community, and often a larger percentage of the cost of the item stays in your community as well, as the seller usually spends their profits on local goods. Not only that, expensive transportation costs and environmental impacts are lessened as well. If you want to read more check out an article I wrote last year about shopping locally as well.

Shopping Handmade
When you shop handmade you are purchasing items made with care and concern. Often you will find that sellers of handmade goods give extra attention to detail, offer excellent customer service and package their items with care. When you buy handmade you are helping people support artistic lifestyles, helping them to support their families. Buying handmade helps small businesses grow, which in turn are also very beneficial for the economy. If your community is short on independent storefronts visit Etsy Shop Local to connect with home based artisans near you.

Shop Charity
There are also many gifts you can give that help improve the lives of people around the world in need. Some charities offer programs where you can donate in a gift recipients name. Others have store programs where portions of their proceeds from the sales of gift items goes to help the needy. One of my favorites is World Vision. World vision has a catalog in which you can purchase things like cows or chickens, donate to small business loans, or give a water well to someone in need in the name of your gift recipient. Visit http://www.worldvisiongifts.org to find out more. I am also a huge fan of unicef, which is one of the places I love to buy my Christmas cards each year, as the money goes to help children around the world.