Tag: charity

Your Family Can Help Change The World While On Vacation

OK, we realize you’re going to want to take a vacation for more than 15 minutes (even with that pesky recession on!). But making the decision to take the family on a trip that involves helping others or respecting the environment instead of lounging at the beach can be made relatively quickly. There are a number of Eco tours and activist travel or work exchange programs that might even cost you less than that trip to Disneyworld and leave you or your family feeling more fulfilled upon your return home.

ResponsibleTravel.com – Listing thousands of options for a more sustainable vacation respecting the environments and local inhabitants, Responsible Travel is searchable by budget level, region, country, and even type of holiday and activities you’d like to do. Travelers are encouraged to review the tours they take, so you can also see others’ feedback on the trips you might be interested in.

Ecotour Directory – This site currently lists 95 different eco holiday and responsible travel options, searchable by continent.

TrekAmerica – TrekAmerica hosts tour programs focusing on appreciating and respecting the natural environment throughout North America. You get the opportunity to experience some unique environments while simultaneously having a positive impact on the land.

Volunteer Vacations – Instead of taking ad nauseum “I was here” photos in front of tourist traps on your next vacation, you could use your next trip to volunteer abroad. This site offers a number of 1-4 week vacation options from helping at children’s clinics to preserving wilderness trails to teaching math to kids in developing countries.

Global Volunteers – A clearinghouse of volunteer international service programs, Global Volunteers typically requires you front your own travel costs. They do however offer assistance qualifying for discounts or fundraising the cost of your service program fee.

Do you have other great world-changing ideas that don’t necessarily require an enormous time commitment? Let us know in the comments!

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Changing the World One Small Action at a Time

(Family Crossings) – You can change the world. That’s what the people behind the movement “We Are What We Do” believe. People like you taking small actions that add up to big change.

It started with the question, “What would you ask one million people to do to change the world?” Thousands of ideas from around the world came in. The ideas weren’t sweeping policy changes – they were small and unexpected everyday actions that anyone can do:

  • Keep a promise.
  • Read a story to a child.
  • Learn something new.
  • Run an errand for an elderly neighbor or single parent.

Fifty of the best suggestions were published in the book “Change the World for Ten Bucks” (Chronicle Books 2009). This little book has had a big impact, selling over 1,000,000 copies in the U.K., Canada, Germany, Spain, New Zealand and Australia, and now this will be the first time it’s available in the U.S.

“Because it’s not just politicians and business leaders who change the world,” says the book’s editor Eugenie Harvey. “Each of us, through the hundreds of tiny actions we take every day, shapes the world we live in.” In other words, small actions x lots of people = big change. “This project carries a much-needed message of hope for people everywhere,” says Harvey. “Love yourself, cherish life, protect our future.”

It’s not simply about being green, Harvey says. “We are about bringing the kinds of lasting change which will positively affect our environment, our local, national and international communities and ourselves.” For example, the book includes a postcard to send to someone who inspires you (Action 35), two pages stuck together as a reminder not to throw gum in the street (Action 24), tear-out tabs to make introductions to the neighbors (Action 45), and dozens of other creative prompts for positive change.

Connecting Online

In addition to taking the actions in the book, people can visit ChangeTheWorldForTenBucks.com to inspire and track their progress. On the site you can:

  • Submit your own ideas for change.
  • Update your Connect with Facebook with an application that lets you view all 50 actions from the book and update your newsfeed with the ones you complete.
  • Buy another copy of the book to give to a friend (Action 47).

The site also provides a unique way to connect people to finding volunteer work in their communities, via VolunteerMatch.org. Enter your zip code, select an area of interest – everything from animals and arts to justice and seniors – and you’ll get a list of local organizations that will welcome your time and efforts.

To find out more about how you really can change the world, visit ChangeTheWorldForTenBucks.com.

Action 02 – Spend time with someone of a different generation.

Action 43 – Be resourceful.

Action 30 – Bake something for a friend

Next time you need to buy a friend a present, don’t. Make them one instead.

Gingerbread Men

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Cream together butter and sugar.
  3. Beat in the egg and syrup.
  4. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix.
  5. Chill the dough before rolling onto a lightly floured board, to a 1/8 inch thickness.
  6. Cut into shapes, using a gingerbread cutter.
  7. Bake on a lightly greased tray for 8 to 10 minutes.
  8. Give away immediately. 
From “Change the World for Ten Bucks,” Chronicle Books 2009

“We must be the change we want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi