Weekly Way

Party with a Purpose Part Deux!

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:27:00 +0000

Last year's Party with a Purpose was a huge success, and tomorrow's second annual party promises to be even bigger and better. This year, we expect to raise over $30,000 for the Infectious Disease Research Institute's efforts to fight tuberculosis through the development of a promising vaccine and the implementation of TB diagnostics in Haiti and beyond.

Our party sold out on Wednesday morning, and we are gearing up for an incredible night tomorrow at McCaw Hall.

As a party board member and the author of Ten Ways, I couldn’t have been more excited when this whole party came to life last year after Kristen Eddings at the Washington Global Health Alliance approached me about throwing the type of party I had outlined in my book. We follow the model of finding sponsors to pay for the cost of the party so that 100% of the ticket price goes toward our chosen global health cause.

Of course, you can throw a Party with a Purpose of any size, but thanks to founding sponsors like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Seattle Sounders, the donated talents of incredible artists like Publish the Quest and Nathalie Guillaume, and the hard work of the amazing board members and other volunteers, our global health party has almost doubled in size in its second year.

See you on Friday, where we can raise our glasses to all of our board members and sponsors for their ongoing support of the global health movers and shakers at home and abroad!

Composting at last!

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Sat, 21 May 2011 23:02:00 +0000

Well, we finally did it. After multiple attempts (failures) at implementing my own deck-composting system, two homeowner's association meetings, one presentation on the benefits and wonders of composting, and a little help from the city of Seattle (composting will be mandatory for multi-dwelling units in September), the homeowner's association agreed to order a compost/yard waste bin for the building.

Someone in my building still owns a typewriter!

I also agreed to be the composting steward for the building, the duties of which include educating the residents about the composting rules, fielding concerns, and pushing the cart to and fro from the curb every week. Yes, it's pretty glamorous stuff. To date, I've pulled 5 bags of trash out of the yard waste bin, and I've moved 3 pizza boxes from the trash to the compost. It's a good thing the compost and trash are conveniently located next to each other.

If you are interested in joining the waste reduction fun and getting a composting program going in your building or at your home, check out Seattle Public Utility's website - it has all of the info you need to get started even if you don't live in the emerald city.

BP beats out Bank of America in Worst Company Death Match

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:44:00 +0000

This week marks the anniversary of the BP disaster, and it's also the week that BP was voted the worst company in America in a Consumerist Poll. Such a dubious distinction is a grim reminder of the devastation caused last year in the Gulf and the fact that there is still plenty that needs to be done in the region.

Greenpeace could use some help sorting through the 30,000 pages of documents they've requested from governmental agencies. There is probably plenty of key information to unearth in the mound of paperwork, and Greenpeace doesn't have the people power to do it alone. Greenpeace has created a site where anyone can view and comment on documents, which will help Greenpeace sort through the virtual pile.

The Waterkeeper Alliance continues to support all of the Gulf Waterkeepers impacted by the BP oil disaster. Visit their Save Our Gulf site to see what you can do to support the cleanup and prevention efforts of the Waterkeepers.

Fair, Fashionable, and Fabulous

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:56:00 +0000

“What if fair trade meant fashion?” That’s the question Kyra Davis and Jasmine Aarons are hoping to answer with their new start-up Voz.

The 24 year-old social entrepreneurs have been friends since they were 13. Davis has a long resume of social change campaigns and start-ups, beginning during her days at Berkeley. “I wanted to learn how to change the world by actually making change, and I didn’t have time to wait for graduation,” she says. By the summer of 2010, she felt ready to start a “real” business.

After Stanford, Aarons went to Chile to work with the Chol Chol Foundation, which serves the indigenous communities of Southern Chile. While there, Jasmine worked with the Mapuche, and discovered the beautiful textiles the women of the community were producing. Over a bottle of wine last June, the friends realized they could collaborate with the Mapuche and do something transformative.

And change is needed. Despite the overall development in Chile, only one in one hundred Mapuche go to college, and most Mapuche don’t even complete a primary education. Because of this, indigenous rural women are often driven to work as maids in cities in order to make a living, disrupting their connection to their culture. For many Mapuche women, artisanal trades are the only solution to making a living in their communities. Textiles and crafts also have minimal impact because replenishable native plants and wool materials are used in the production processes.

So Davis and Aarons, came up with an innovative business model: a fair trade fashion line. Voz, whose motto is “Speak Change, Wear Beauty,” began with the idea that Mapuche weavers can preserve their textile tradition and create fashions that competes in an industry that values innovation and trends above all else. “We found that we could preserve the art and craft of the weavers and create designs that are very appealing to the modern consumer,” says Davis.

Of the 56 billion dollars currently spent each year on fashion, only a small percentage supports ethnic fair trade manufacturers. Davis and Aarons have woven together a team of talented twenty-somethings across the U.S. and Chile, who they think can tap into this open market by making design the priority. “It was clear that if we could compete in the fashion world, we could exact a much larger social change by employing more women with fair wages. The big idea is to make fair trade items that look good and that you would want to buy anyway,” says Davis.

The design and business team have been working on both coasts of the United States as well as in Chile to get the budding business off the ground. Voz’s success would benefit the indigenous community in several ways: empowering Mapuche women, protecting the local environment, and helping to preserve culture and traditions.

Several design workshops in 2009 and 2010 brought metropolitan and indigenous designers together to create the prototypes for Voz’s first clothing line. The designs were well received at several trade shows last year, and now Voz has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the production of their first clothing and accessory lines.

“We believe strongly that a more equitable world can also be a more beautiful world. Design can make the world a better place; it can be a vehicle to help drive social change,” says Davis. You can be a part of this better, more beautiful business model by pledging your support at Kickstarter, where the Voz campaign has already raised over a third of its $8,000 goal.

Going Green (and brown) on St. Patty's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:25:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I sat down with the other members of my condo's homeowners association and extolled the virtues of composting (huge reduction in overall waste and the production of climate change-causing gases in the landfill, and the natural conversion of compostable waste to nutrient-rich compost).

Composting will be mandatory this fall for multi-family dwellings in Seattle, but we are getting a head start on the process. If you live in Seattle, and want to encourage your apartment building to make the switch, check out the composting information pages at the Seattle Public Utilities website.

Even if you don't live in Seattle, the Seattle Public Utilities website has excellent resources for those interested in composting at home. There is also good information about what can and can't go in your yard waste bin and home composting system.

Happy St. Patty's Day, and take this opportunity to start a green initiative that will last all year!

How to Help in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:37:00 +0000

I have been transfixed and horrified about the news coming out of Japan. While it is still unknown what the full impact of the earthquake, tsunami, and ensuing nuclear disaster will be, there is plenty we can do to help with the relief efforts already underway. As I was searching for organizations to recommend, I came across this article on the Charity Navigator website. It lists highly-rated nonprofit organizations currently working in Japan, as well as suggestions for how to make sure your donation dollars are put to the best use.

Charity Navigator is an independent charity evaluator and an excellent resource for anyone interested in donating to a nonprofit organization. Here are some of the many organizations working in Japan that Charity Navigator recommends:

Architecture for Humanity

International Rescue Committee

Direct Relief International

Doctors Without Borders

A Little Patch of One's Own

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:34:00 +0000

Green screens full of snow and snowpocalypses aside, it's almost March and time to start planning for planting!

Whether you are a novice gardener in a small urban space, or you have plenty of acreage to work with, now is the time to start mapping out your seasonal plots of plenty.

Since I belong to the first group, I've been reading the book Fresh Food from Small Spaces by R.J. Ruppenthal and also looking longingly through my other fave in the genre, Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman. I've also signed up to get my little tiny plot of P-Patch land. However, in Seattle, like in many urban areas, there is a long wait for a plot.

While I'm waiting, there are several other organizations that will give me a chance to get my hands dirty. The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods recently sent out a flyer that included a list of these gardening resources and organizations I wanted to share with local Weekly Way readers:

Urban Garden Share (various cities) & Urban Land Army (Seattle only): These organizations match those with spare land with those who want to garden.

Seattle Tilth: (not on the list but a great gardening resource) Nonprofit organization with tons of events and classes on everything from beekeeping to master composting! Seattle Tilth also put on two plant sales in the spring that are a great place to get all of your starts.

Alleycat Acres: "Alleycat Acres is an urban farming collective that aims to reconnect people with food. To achieve this, we create community-run farms on under utilized urban spaces." You can visit their website for volunteer opportunities and more ways to get involved.

City Fruit: "City Fruit works neighborhood by neighborhood to help residential tree owners grow healthy fruit, to harvest and use what they can, and to share what they don’t need. City Fruit collaborates with others involved in local food production, climate protection, horticulture, food security and community-building to protect and optimize urban fruit trees."

Lower Impact (Wo)man?

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 03:15:00 +0000

Although I had known about the book for a while, I just watched No Impact Man for the first time. Like me, Colin Beavan is a bit/a lot of an idealist. He's also a self-proclaimed liberal, who decided to see if he and his family could spend a year creating no environmental impact. This experiment meant giving up everything, including toilet paper, refrigeration, electricity, and air and car travel.

When asked about why he decided to embark on this experiment, he said, "It's not about deprivation, and it's not about not taking care of yourself. It's about seeing if you can have a good life without wasting so much." He meets people along the way who have been living a low-impact lifestyle for years and are a bit cynical about his quest. Not surprisingly, he also meets those who would never be willing to give up the "necessities" he and his family do without for a year. No washing machine and laundry detergent? No, thank you!

No matter where you fall in assessing his motives (he did sell a lot of books, and the movie was screened at Sundance), the idea of finding ways to have a significantly lower impact on the environment is one worth exploring. It's something I think about every day, and it's one of the main reasons I moved to Seattle. I wanted to live somewhere with a year-round growing season, reliable public transportation, and easy accessibility to the oceans and the mountains. Granted, I live a very low impact lifestyle because I have chosen to do so, and doing without the fancy paper coffee cups, wardrobe for every season, and excess packaging doesn't really feel like a hardship because it isn't.

From purchases to electricity use to travel, try making a list of everything you can easily do without. I bet it will be longer than you think.

Virtual Love and Hugs on VDay

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:38:00 +0000

Vday is an international organization dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. The organization, which was founded by author and activist, Eve Ensler, just announced the opening of The City of Joy in the Congo, a much-needed community of hope for female Congolese survivors of gender violence. On this day of love, visit Vday's website and join the nonviolent movement that matters to us all.

Get a Deal and Do Something Good

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 23:38:00 +0000

Many of you might already be familiar with websites like Groupon and Living Social that send out a daily deal for everything from discounted bar grub to two-for-one music lessons in your city or town. But what if you could get a deal and contribute to a worthy, local cause at the same time?

Thanks to the Ideal Network, you can. It works the same way as Groupon or Living Social (you spend $15 or $20 bucks and get a voucher worth twice as much on the daily deal) with one notable exception; 20-25% of the money you spend goes toward a worthy cause in your area. So check it out, nab a deal, and do some good.

Seasonal Cooking and Harvesting Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 01:59:00 +0000

My new favorite blog, Harvesting Hope, also happens to be written by Ten Ways world changer, Anne DeMelle.

Anne is an amazing cook, and many of her posts center around her cooking ventures. Like me, she strives to eat healthy, seasonal food, and this recent meal got rave reviews. Last night, after checking my fridge for the requisite greens (these recipes called for spinach and escarole, but I substituted kale and baby bok choy), I gave these recipes a try. A lot of the ingredients from this recipe came from local sources, including the farro, bok choy, and kale that I picked up at the farmers market.

On Anne's advice, I added blue cheese to the farro, and the results were delicious. I plan on continuing to read her blog for more cooking and gardening tips. She's also in the process of becoming a master gardener, and she is going to guest blog on Weekly Way about some of those experiences too. Look for Anne's posts in the coming weeks, and check out her blog for more seasonal, delicious recipe ideas.

MLK Day of Service

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:08:00 +0000

Monday is the 25th anniversary of the holiday, and it is also a national day of service. Visit the MLK Day of Service website to find a volunteering project near you. Working on Monday or heading out of town for the long weekend? No worries; this website has resources to help you find a service project to participate in throughout the year.

What You Can Do to Prevent Another Oil Drilling Disaster

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:56:00 +0000

On Tuesday, the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling released its full report. Many recommendations were made with regard to restoration and safety in the Gulf. It is now up to the government to implement these recommendations.

The Gulf Restoration Network has started a petition to send to the White House and Congress, which encourages them to take action on these important findings. Please join me in asking our leaders to take steps to restore the Gulf and implement safety measures that will help to prevent a disaster like this from ever taking place again.

Gratitude.

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 07:09:00 +0000

With a new year of adventures to look forward to, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for all of the Ten Ways and Weekly Way readers, to all those who comment and share on the Ten Ways Facebook page, to all of my fellow Party with a Purpose planners, to all of the supportive students and teachers at the MFA program at Antioch University, to all of my incredible, adventurous friends, and to all of the inspiring students I've encountered while speaking at colleges and universities everywhere from Kansas to New York to California.

First Official High Five of 2011

Your energy, ideas, and results are constant reminders that all of our efforts to make the world a better place are making a difference. From eating locally to volunteering to supporting your favorite local or far-flung nonprofit, there are millions of ways for all of us to change the world.

Here's to using our energy, creativity, and compassion to find more innovative and effective ways to change the world in 2011.

Can Do, Part Two!

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 23:04:00 +0000

Some of my more loyal readers may know that this year marks both my two-year friendiversary and my two-year canniversary with my friend, Anne. She's one of my heroes when it comes to sustainable living, and our first friend date two summers ago was a marathon canning session that yielded inedible blackberry jam, very edible frozen blackberries, and somewhat edible canned tomatoes.

Early attempts to pickle using magic were unsuccessful

However, not ones to be easily deterred, we decided to embark on another canning adventure this year. After all, preserving food is one of the best ways to supply yourself with a diverse, local diet year-round. This time, we decided to learn from our mistakes and tried not to tackle more than we could handle. We headed to a local farm a few days before the canning date to pick green beans, cucumbers, and dill for our dilly beans and fridge pickles. In a clutch division of labor (and if successful, bounty) decision, we also invited a few friends over to help.

This time we were extra dill-igent in our measurements

Anne had gathered a few books since our last canning adventure, and she'd found recipes for "Fresh Pack Refrigerator Dill Pickles" in The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Constenbader and one for "Dilly Beans" in Putting Food By Putting Food By: Fifth Edition by Ruth Hertzberg, Janet Greene, and Beatrice Vaughan.

Beanpole cuts string bean... I love you Nick!

Armed with recipes and reinforcements, we chose a Sunday afternoon for our adventure. We sterilized jars, followed directions, and just a few short hours later, had several jars of dilly beans and pickles to take home. We had to wait a few weeks to eat our pickles (best breaded, fried, and dipped in buttermilk dressing) and our dilly beans (best straight from the jar or as garnish in a Bloody Mary), but both were totally edible! However, a word of warning...the pickles were only supposed to last a few weeks, and we all learned the hard way that this was true. Enjoy them when ready to eat!

This summer has also brought a bounty of FoodSavers to our lives (thanks mom-in-law!), making it easy to preserve fruit. My freezer is currently filled with raspberries, blueberries, cherries, rhubarbs, and peaches, all of which I'll be grateful for during the dark months of winter! I'm excited to break out my first batch batch of frozen fruit at Thanksgiving.

Who knows what follies next year's canning endeavors will hold, but I promise to keep you posted. Please post your favorite canning tips, disasters, and recipes for all of the Weekly Way readers to enjoy!

New assistants! New products! Modestly new results!

Want to Change the World? Vote.

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 00:52:00 +0000

Seriously.

This year's midterm election has been hard to ignore, which is a good thing since some major initiatives as well as several terrifying candidates have made their way onto the ballot.

So, you're voting, right?

Good.

Before making your way to the ballot box, do a little bit of research about the candidates and the initiative measures, amendments, or propositions whose fate resides in your hands.

In addition to state and county voting guides, nonprofit organizations like the Sierra Club also distribute regional voting guides. If you're lucky enough to have a local newspaper you trust, like The Stranger in Seattle, consult them too.

There are close races all over the country this year, and many will decide policy for years to come. On Tuesday, November 2nd, make sure you, your family, your real friends, your Facebook friends, and even your acquaintances VOTE. Please.

10.10.10 - Just the Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:01:00 +0000

This past Sunday, 7,347 work parties were organized in 188 countries. The goal of each event was to do something tangible about climate change in our communities. As I wrote last week, the events were organized by 350.org. The number and success of these events is clear evidence that there is concern all over the globe about climate change, and commitment to do something about it.

Obviously, these many events are just the beginning of a grassroots global movement, and you can join the effort by visiting the 350.org website for actions you can take in your local community and beyond to address climate change.

350.org Beach Cleanup on Lummi Island

It is also crucial that you vote for leaders who will enact legislation to combat climate change. Be sure to register and vote in the upcoming midterm election on November 2nd. You can check out the environmental voting records of your senators and representatives at the website for the League of Conservation Voters.

Join the Party on 10.10.10!

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 22:50:00 +0000

What are you doing this weekend? No matter where you are in the world, you have the opportunity to do something about climate change this Sunday.

350.org, an organization founded by Bill McKibben and some very inspiring twentysomethings, including Ten Ways world-changer May Boeve, have organized a global work party to encourage people to join or create an action that "will help deal with global warming in your city or community."

The event is a follow-up to last year's 350.org International Day of Climate Action, which was successful in raising awareness about the pressing need to address climate change with tangible actions from community members and political leaders.

A woman in Babylon, Iraq calls for action at one of the over 5200 Day of Action events.

Photo courtesy of 350.org.

As of this writing, 6846 events are registered in 188 countries. Global work parties range from trash cleanups to solar installations, and there are many ideas for organizing or joining a party on the 350.org website. I'll be at this event on Lummi Island. Join me or find an event near you.

Register or create your own event right now, and remember that the work party is just the beginning. Send pictures, let us know which events you attended, and tell us how you plan to keep the momentum going!

Back to School with Climate Counts

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:35:00 +0000

From backpacks to transportation to and from school, students spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars each fall getting ready to make the transition back to the classroom. One of the easiest ways for back-to-school consumers to make a difference is to make sure to spend those dollars on companies that are working to lower their overall environmental footprint.

Climate Counts offers consumers easy tools with its pocket assessment guide that scores companies based on reduction efforts and commitments. When you consider the billions of dollars that college students spend on everything from electronic equipment to food, it is easy to see how much influence back-to-school consumers can have now and throughout the school year.

Download the Climate Counts Pocket Guide at the Climate Counts website, and join the Back-2-Cool Campaign on Facebook to get started on your own campaign to become the coolest kid in school.

Educating Girls Matters

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 01:44:00 +0000

As a former middle school teacher, I am passionate about education. I'm always excited about initiatives that seek to improve the quality of education worldwide. A new resource to help do just that has been launched called Educating Girls Matters.

As chronicled in Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book, Half the Sky, education is one of the most effective ways to combat gender inequality around the world.

Speaking Matters LLC, which created this website, launched this initiative to "help potential donors find news and organizations that help educate girls/women." The website is also an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about organizations that may need volunteers locally or abroad. Educating Girls Matters is not only a public service, it addresses a growing need for more information about the challenges we need to be overcome in order for girls all over the world to receive a meaningful education.

The Real Garbage of New Jersey

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:07:00 +0000

Tom Szaky, founder of Terracycle, who was featured in Ten Ways to Change the World in Your Twenties, has continued to expand his business that runs on the motto that "There is no such thing as garbage."

Szaky and his team at Terracycle are featured in new episodes of their series "Garbage Moguls" this Saturday night on National Geographic. I know, it's Saturday night; TiVo it. The show follows the merry band of transformers as they conceive of and create products made from trash. Here is the schedule:

TUNE IN
Garbage Moguls
Saturday, August 21st
Catch the re-airing of the pilot at 7:00pm, followed by three new episodes!
8:00 - "Pet Project"
http://bit.ly/99pYEl
Pedigree has challenged the TerraCycle team to create an entire line of pet products made from dog food bags in just two weeks. From leashes and collars to doggie rain hats and octopus toys, the team crashes on developing, creating, testing and then pitching the goods.

9:00 - "Fishy Business"
http://bit.ly/atENqu
The TerraCycle team develops the “Garbage Garbage Can” — a garbage can made from chip wrappers that is less expensive and just as strong as commercial plastic cans — they pitch to Home Depot. Additionally, they design, create and use fishing lures made from old CDs, then test their product on the open seas.

10:00 - "All-Nighter"
http://bit.ly/awTQfY
Multitasking at its finest — the TerraCycle team renovates, designs, stocks and opens a storefront for business … in one night! Back at the office, there’s no rest for the weary, as Tom tasks his crew to create an entire line of products, including a suit jacket, made from Target plastic bags!

National Park Fee? Free!

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 04:08:00 +0000

This weekend, the price of admission is certainly right for a visit to any of the country's amazing national parks. Here is a list of participating National Parks by state. Find one and go.

At Olympic National Park - Not during the free weekend but definitely worth the $15 entrance fee.

Website 2.0 and Kindle Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:08:00 +0000

The book is now available in a Kindle edition, so those of you waiting for the paperless version should grab a copy now!

AND

The updated website is live! The website has all of the same resources as before, but the businesses and organizations section has been greatly expanded and is much easier to navigate. All of the organizations and businesses mentioned in Ten Ways are now listed on the website by category as well as many others. We will continue to update this database as we learn about and try out new organizations and businesses.

In addition, my speaking schedule is now listed along with links to our Facebook page and my Twitter feed. Our endeavors to make the world a better place are a constant work in progress, and we are now even easier to reach thanks to the new contact form. Please email with thoughts, suggestions, speaking inquiries, and anything else that's on your mind.

Well, Now What?

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:18:00 +0000

With the oil spill now capped (assuming everything holds), the assessment of the full extent of the devastating damage begins. Many environmental organizations were already active in the Gulf long before the oil spill, and their commitment to the region and to the cleanup efforts is unwavering.

Donations and volunteers will be needed for months and even years to come. The Waterkeeper Alliance has launched the Save Our Gulf Campaign, which follows the efforts of the Gulf Waterkeepers. Consider making a donation to their efforts or to the efforts of the many worthy organizations working in the Gulf that I wrote about in the previous post.

One of the most important actions we can all take is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels; check out My Gulf Action to find easy ways to do just that.

With all of the devastating reports and pictures rolling in it is easy to feel discouraged, but there are simple actions we can all take to hold those responsible accountable and to help with the cleanup.

How to Help in the Gulf

noreply@blogger.com (Libuse Binder) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:03:00 +0000

With all of the bad news about the BP oil disaster, it is difficult not to feel discouraged. The reports about how much oil and methane is spilling into the Gulf are daunting, and it is clear that we are faced with one of the biggest environmental disasters ever.

It is important for all of us to stay informed and to do what we can to ensure both accountability and adequate clean-up. Here are three things you can do to help:

First, consider donating money to organizations involved with the monitoring and cleanup efforts, and second, consider volunteering. People are needed to do everything from cleaning wildlife to monitoring the movement of oil. A coalition of organizations including The Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society has put together the Louisiana Gulf Response. Organizations like The Waterkeeper Alliance and Matter of Trust are also very active in responding to the oil spill and can use donations and/or volunteers to help with their efforts.

Third, stay informed and up-to-date and encourage accountability and ongoing cleanup efforts. Visit the websites above, as well as the Deepwater Horizon Response website, for more information. Post information on your Facebook page, tweet about the latest developments, and encourage your friends to take action as well.

In a crisis of this magnitude, even small steps are essential reminders that we all are able to make a positive difference.