President-elect Barack Obama is asking every person in the United States to help transform Martin Luther King Day, January 19th, into a national day of community service. Obama is encouraging everyone to act locally to improve your own neighborhood and make an ongoing commitment to help those in need.
There are few places in the world that have not been touched in some way by the faltering global economy. A tragic side effect of this phenomenon is the increase in abandoned pets and the resulting stress it continues to place on the shelters trying to care for them.
As someone who lives in a home filled with animals it’s hard to imagine any circumstance in which I would give them up: their care is my top priority. Perhaps if circumstances became so dire that I could not afford to feed them or provide them with adequate medical care, I could see how one might have to come to such a heartbreaking decision.
We all need a little encouragement from time to time. Sometimes we may turn to friends and family to give us that tender care and loving boost, yet truly the best person to turn to is yourself. Here are some strategies I’m working on that boost joy and self confidence:
Too often, volunteering abroad seems to come with a big price tag. If you’ve looked into international volunteering programs, you’ve probably noticed that most of them expect you to pay through the nose just to volunteer your free time and effort. These programs have their merits. However, if you’re living or traveling abroad and willing to go out on a limb, you can find great international volunteer opportunities without the cost.
New estimates place the death toll in Burma–also called Myanmar by the leaders of its strict military regime–at 100,000. In the initial wake of the cyclone, the brutal Burmese government made attempts to interfere with international aid agencies. In recent days, as reported on CNN, the Burmese government has changed its policies, saying “We are ready to speed up and strengthen our relief effort. We will accept aid from any corner.”
Here, you will find six organizations accepting charitable donations for relief work in Burma as well as five organizations possibly accepting volunteers for relief efforts.
There are a plethora of Earth Day events happening in the Bay Area over the next two weekends. Check out this comprehensive listing for a celebration near you!
Marine Science Institute Earth Day Celebration: Saturday, April 19, 2008
The Marine Science Institute invites one and all to come celebrate the Earth, San Francisco Bay and all things marine science. The day is jam packed with activities for the entire family, including four 2-hour discovery voyages on San Francisco Bay aboard our 90 ft. research vessel the Robert G. Brownlee, a lunch-time performance by the Banana Slug String Band, shark feedings, interpretive tables, fish and shark touch tanks, juggling and vaudeville presentation, ocean crafts, canoe demonstrations, environmental info faire, plankton shows, traditional Pacific Islander dancing, and much, much more.
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit our website at www.sfbaymsi.org, or contact Aaron Tinker at (650) 364-2760 x16 or by email aaron@sfbaymsi.org. Entrance is FREE, but there is a cost for the boat trips. Pre-registration via website for the Discovery Voyages is strongly recommended.
What’s it like helping to clean up after the single worst ecological disaster in a nation’s history? Ecoworldly went to the Taean Peninsula–the site of South Korea’s recent oil spill–to lend a hand and find out.
There is, perhaps, the sense in the West that Asian countries are less concerned about the environment. Ten years ago, this may have been true. However, ask one of the tens of thousands of Korean volunteers who have come to help clean up the massive 10-million liter (2.6m gallon) oil spill off the West Coast of their country, and you’ll hear another story.
Jun Ho Kim, a university student and volunteer at the oil cleanup, says, “All of the Korean people think about the environment. People used to think that development was best; they only thought about development. Their consciousness has changed. Their concept about the world has changed.
If you live near San Francisco or plan to visit the city, you need to know about the Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF). Why? Because on any typical Saturday, joining a free FUF excursion is the most rewarding fun you will find anywhere in the city.
FUF plants trees in San Francisco, and you can plant with them. To date, they’ve planted over 40,000 trees and counting. They’re also the only NGO of their kind in the city. That means no FUF, no trees. Generally, FUF teams meet every other Saturday to plant. Get on FUF’s mailing list to find tree planting locations and times.
You can just show up to one of the plantings with no reservation. There, you’ll meet other volunteers of all ages, some experienced arborists along with many first-time volunteers. These folks are always fun, always friendly, and share an interest in the keeping the environment healthy and beautiful. Come for the chance to plant some trees, stay for the fun potluck lunch that usually follows a planting!
It’s a fast-paced world, and we all have a lot of commitments. Work, family, friends…everything takes it out of us. So just how do we fit saving the planet into our busy schedules?
I see this answer as two-fold. First, there are things that we can do as individuals related to our little piece of the world: the choices we make in our daily lives around everything from transportation to laundry detergent add up
[...]
Rabbit CareEditor's note: We're pleased to welcome Gavin Hudson to our blogging team. Gavin lives in Seattle, and has worked for the Jane Goodall Institute, particularly its "Roots and Shoots" program. He'll be covering activism topics for us, particularly those that you can implement in your quest to "green the good life."
Do you dream of working with animals? Find out how you can volunteer at your local zoo or
[...]
As you may remember from my previous post, Grid Alternatives is a Bay Area non-profit that teaches volunteers how to install solar panels while helping low income residents cut costs on installing a new solar system for their home.
This weekend I took the plunge and found myself standing on top of a roof, where I discovered there are many steps involved in a solar installation, only the last of which involves [...]
Subscribe to our RSS feed or newsletter
Some Rights Reserved • Green Options Media • San Francisco, California • Legal
