Each Earth Day it feels like New Years in that I commonly commit to a top 5 or 10 list of habits I'm going to change until the next Earth day when I decide to step up my efforts (or remind myself of my previous commitments). Some of the common to dos and some don't dos are:

- Drive less/bike more
- Buy locally made products and produce or grow my own food
- Cut down on purchases with lots of packaging or just plain cut down on purchases
- Buy items made in the USA to reduce fuel usage caused from shipping product from one local to another
- Bring plates, silverware and cups to work so I don't use styrofoam or paper
- Invest or donate to Green companies & invest in carbon sequestration (offsetting) programs
- Buying recycled goods like designer clothing from a local Salvation Army/thrift shop
- Buy refurbished electronics to reduce mining demands and unethical mining practices

I always like to stay optimistic and think the masses will change behaviors for the better. I don't like to think, "What's the use? Nobody else is changing so what difference will I make?" Evidence is all around that society is adopting greener practices. For example, President Obama announced a plan to build high speed trains in the US. Finally we're coming up to (light rail) speed with Europe. I'm sure Delta and other airlines are pleased with this announcement and I'm thinking that's one reason why I'm going to have to spend $50 for a 2nd checked bag and have to spend $7 for a pillow!

Creating new green collar jobs is a great answer to the world's job loss epidemic and green practices are truly saving consumers and comanies money. Point in case, the government is cutting spending by hosting video conferences to cut down on travel expenses. However, other sectors will lose jobs. With these ethical choices consumers make, it's good to think…what is the best solution? For instance, if I buy certified ethical & green product, I could be cutting jobs for people in developing countries Then again, cotton farmers in Burkina Faso may not make a fair living unless it's managed by a fair trade program since the US gives subsidies to cotton farmers here, even though their prices are not as competitive.

Now, I feel warm, fuzzy and even cool by buying refurbished cell phones because I'm not creating a demand for the mineral Coltan, a mineral mined in the Congo which is causing wars, rape, decimation of forest and Gorilla killings in the Congo. Think of Coltan as the new blood diamond. I was at a Medicorps fundraiser in February where Ben Affleck discussed this issue.

If tales of violence spurred by demand for minerals don't pull your heart strings, maybe your purse strings will help you decide as buying refurbished product is also cheaper. This is exemplified quite well on eBay's Deal of the Day where you can get great product, refurbished and for a great price. Another place to look is mobile_karma for pre-owned cell phones and right now, partial proceeds going to Keep America Beautiful.

My solution? I think there's a middle ground that can be met where big companies have ethical practices and provide jobs in developing countries but we the consumers need to be aware of where product comes from and the conditions in that country, need to speak out to companies if their practices are not ethical and purchase from companies that do have great practices. This doesn't have to be a chore; saving the planet can be fun by sending flowers to friends through facebook apps.

Also, celebs like Leanardo DiCaprio. are involved so that means I should be, right?

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Last night, hundreds of millions of people around the world took a simple action – they went dark to shine a light on the climate crisis. Earth Hour, first observed by a grassroots group of individuals in Sydney, Australia in 2007, asks people to turn out the lights for one hour from 8:30 to 9:30, local time.

The event now enjoys the support – and the muscle and reach – of the World Wildlife Fund. The results are impressive: this year, Earth Hour was observed on all seven continents, and in more than 3900 cities in 88 countries. China participated for the first time, turning out the lights at the iconic Olympic stadium, the Bird’s Nest. The Golden Gate Bridge went dark. The Sphinx in Egypt lacked illumination for an hour. Big Ben darkened its face.

There are naysayers out there who suggest that Earth Hour doesn’t have a meaningful impact on our energy consumption, even for the hour when all the lights go out. Worse, they suggest that individuals may feel as though they’ve met their good environmental deed quota by switching off the lights for an hour, and feel as though they’re off the hook until the next Earth Hour rolls around.

It’s true that if we only think about climate change one hour a year, we’ll be in trouble. But Earth Hour is a powerful show of collective impact and demonstrates the magnitude of the difference we can make when we all take a small action together. Better yet, Earth Hour shows people how easy it can be to take the small steps necessary for us to begin to mitigate the negative legacy that we are threatening to leave for generations to come. It’s not about what you do during Earth Hour – it’s how you use what you learned during the other 8759 hours of the year.

The same rule applies for other parts of your life. There are things you can start to do this April, with Earth Day around the corner, that you can take with you throughout the year. That’s why eBay partnered with Hearst Magazines for 30 Days of Green to launch its Green Team Initiative, which helps consumers understand how to make smarter, greener shopping choices. Learn more by visiting http://www.ebay.com/greenteam.

Did you celebrate Earth Hour? Are you planning to do anything differently moving forward? Let us know.

Ever get sick of being asked for money? Don't feel bad - even the most generous people in the world do. (how do I know this...um, no particular evidence, but I just believe it to be true.)

So, now's your chance to give away someone else's money. The
Washington Area Women's Foundation is asking YOU to vote for one of ten great organizations in Washington DC - the "peoples' choice" will receive a grant of $5,000 from the Foundation.

Check it out..Offer good only through Monday!

Nine celebrity and social media teams are smacking down to raise the most money for their chosen charities via social media sites and blogs. Help spread the word by copying your favorite celebrity’s fundraising widget to your MySpace page or personal Web site and by encouraging friends to donate. On March 26, we'll announce the winner and make an additional donation to the winning celebrity’s charity of choice. Participating teams are:

Alec Baldwin - Benefiting The Actors Fund
http://www.charitysmackdown.com/team_...

Brea Grant - Benefiting Girls Rock Camp Austin
http://www.charitysmackdown.com/team_...

Corbin Bleu - Benefiting Stand Up To Cancer
http://www.charitysmackdown.com/team_...
(currently in the lead as of publishing this post)

Elevenmoms - Benefiting Share Our Strength
http://www.charitysmackdown.com/team_...

Ernie Johnson - Benefiting Samaritan’s Feet
http://www.charitysmackdown.com/team_...

Hayden Panettiere - Benefiting The Whaleman Foundation
http://www.charitysmackdown.com/team_...

Kyle Petty - Benefiting Victory Junction
http://www.charitysmackdown.com/team_...

Linkin Park - Benefiting Music For Relief
http://www.charitysmackdown.com/team_...

Pete Cashmore - Benefiting Leukemia and Lymphoma Society http://www.charitysmackdown.com/team_...

Check out the Smackdown and help your favority charity - or celebrity.

A lot of people are losing their jobs these days. I was laid off last year from a job that I had just relocated for. It seemed like the perfect time to volunteer my services, expand my skills and network with other people in my field.

I was excited to find Taproot, an organization that utilizes the skills that you've spent your career developing and applies them to non-profits who desperately need but cannot afford your expertise. They've developed a system to keep the project on track and encourage you work for a cause that appeals to you while giving you an opportunity to expand your skill set.

Through this experience, I was able to push myself to deliver a product everyone was excited about. Never in the corporate world have I encountered such pure dedication to a project. Every time we met as a team, we were impassioned and energetic about what we could do for our client. It showed in the results and in the way we won them over, from skepticism to praise.

Around the same time, I volunteered to help out an education nonprofit. I wrote and produced a brochure and a press release. They were great experiences that gave me confidence in tackling something totally new and in being able to commit myself and deliver. This company, as it turns out, is now considering me for a leadership position in part because of the work I did for Taproot.

If you've been laid off, your hours cut back or your freelance work has dwindled, I can tell you that working and developing my skills was infinitely more valuable in my job search than sending out resumes (and certainly more rewarding.) Taproot operates in seven cities and needs professionals in project management, marketing, creative services, human resources, information technology and strategy management.

Imagine getting a songwriting lesson from an actual pro—and not just any pro, but Duncan Sheik, who’s not only scored hits as a singer, but won a Tony Award for composing the score for the hit Broadway musical, Spring Awakening. You could very well find yourself on the Billboard charts someday!

Duncan recently released Whisper House, his first solo album since 2006’s critically acclaimed White Limousine. If concerts are more up your alley, here’s your chance to see Duncan live and even get to meet him backstage!


All of these great experiences will benefit Amnesty International, a cause that’s very close to Duncan’s heart.

This Thursday, February 12th, a gathering of Twittercommunities will happen in over 175 cities. The reason? CLEAN WATER! In what can only be described as the biggest viral volunteer social good effort EVER, thousands of people will meet up to raise money for charity:water. A nonprofit who focuses on bringing clean and drinkable water to developing nations.

Water? It's something we probably don't even think about, and totally take for granted. I go through "half cans" of water everyday at work. But did you know that everyday, 4,500 children will die from water related diseases? Sad, isn't it?

There are many ways you can get involved, and you can get that info HERE!

Also, we're happy to learn that the folks behind Twestival have collected donated items and experiences to list on eBay Giving Works. These are items from some of the coolest social media peeps out there (yes, you probably follow them on Twitter). Including iJustine, Julia Roy (my personal fav, heart twitters..) and Pete Cashmore of Mashable.

So get involved and bid by clicking here

P.S
I know I won't have the $$ to successfully bid on Julia's auction, but at least let me be the high bidder for an hour :)








charity: water promo featuring "Time Bomb" by Beck from charity: water on Vimeo.

Obviously, every child across America should learn to read; however, due to numerous hurdles it is not something every child is able to do. Books can be quite expensive and are sometimes hard to come by personally and/or for the school districts within which many children attend school. The majority of programs reaching low-income populations have few, if any, age-appropriate books for the children they serve.

This is where FirstBook comes into the picture. By providing new books to children in preschools and after-school programs, mentoring and tutoring programs, shelters and day care centers and beyond, First Book provides resources to empower teachers and administrators.

Recently employees from eBay (my employer) and PayPal had the chance to donate their time at Rodriguez Elementary School in Austin, TX. They read to a bilingual group of children and presented 500 brand new books to the school's library. This was the first of three First Book reading parties being held nationwide by eBay, each with the goal of delivering new books to schools in need. You can read much more about it on Bookmark, the FirstBook Blog.

I remember the magic of my first book, at least the first book I can recall being
read to me. It was “Oh What a Wonderful Day” by Gyo Fujikawa and now that I have a daughter, I have begun reading it to her at bedtime in hopes that she will love it just as much.

What was the first book you remember reading and/or what is your favorite children's book?

Do something and do it now!
JD

Have plans this Valentines Day? I just heard about a special presentation of The Vagina Monologues that USC is presenting on Valentines Day to benefit A Window Between Worlds (AWBW). This will be USC’s sixth annual performance of the Vagina Monologues. The show will take place in the Bovard Auditorium on campus, and seats 1,200 people. Tickets are going fast and 100% of the proceeds benefit AWBW. There are multiple performance packages, many that include dinner and transportation!


This year Eve Ensler and Dr. Denis Mukwege will be special guest speakers at the performance! Eve Ensler is a world-renowned playwright, activist, and performer best know for her play The Vagina Monologues. Dr. Denis Mukwege is 2008’s United Nations Human Rights Winner. He is a prominent voice against sexual assault, and is considered a world expert gynecologist in the internal repair of gang rape.


You may remember AWBW from one of my previous posts. I hope many of you are as touched as I am after reading about the healing power of art. AWBW is a nonprofit that aims to use art to help end domestic violence, and has already helped over 40,000 women and children have who have been victims of domestic violence. AWBW, based out of Venice Beach, CA, offers the Windows Program that can be implemented into any shelter regardless of location.


For many of us Valentines Day entails eating frozen cookie dough while watching Sleepless In Seattle after burning pictures of ex lovers. This Valentines Day should be different. Ladies (and Gentlemen), why not go see a special presentation of a play that has been translated into 45 languages and performed in 119 countries? Not only will you see an awesome presentation of this amazing play, you’ll be contributing to something truly worthwhile by helping A Window Between Worlds spread their healing.