Groundbreaking research detailing the many economic, environmental, and societal benefits of donating products was released today by Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) and Good360, the nation’s nonprofit leader in product giving. Since 1983, Good360 has provided companies that see the strategic value of product giving with the resources to efficiently and effectively donate inventory to nonprofits across the globe serving every cause imaginable. With a record number of Americans living in poverty today, product donations allow people to use their savings to pay for food, health care, prescription drugs, utilities and other vital needs.

The study provides the first detailed examination of the return on investment from donating merchandise as opposed to liquidating or destroying it. As many retailers and other companies approach their fiscal year-ends on January 31, the research provides new information to help them make good decisions about their excess and slow-moving inventory. In addition to providing an economic justification for retailers, manufacturers and distributors to donate excess merchandise, the report gives managers a framework for analyzing the costs, benefits, risks, and opportunities of implementing a product giving program.

“We hope that the report will inspire more companies to consider product donation as a viable alternative to liquidation or disposal,” said Cindy Hallberlin, President & CEO of Good360. “For many, there is an untapped strategic opportunity to use product giving to advance the business and have substantial social impact on the communities and causes about which they care deeply. Rarely is there such a win-win between business and social good.”

For those interested in hearing more about this new research, IU and Good360 will host a webinar today! at 2 p.m. to present key findings and answer questions. Space is limited.

Please register here.

***Join the tweet chat which also begins today at 2 p.m.

Just follow the hashtag #Good360 and #IU.

To download the research study, visit Good360 now!

Below is an expecerpt from his blog:

“In March of 2004 I began to notice the first signs of what I learned later to be Parkinson’s disease (PD). After a second-opinion visit to a neurologist at the Center of Excellence in San Francisco, I was officially diagnosed I had PD.

At 47 years old, married 15 years with 2 daughters 13 and 10 I was devastated, but what could I really do.  My attitude and conviction from that day forward to beat the disease and live a normal life became my internal battle cry.  I was not going to let this thing alter what I wanted to do with my life.

Starting this blog is my first step to getting more involved with others that have PD.  I do realize that what works for me may not work for others, but if I can help a few maybe I can have an impact.

Until there is a cure, I vow to fight every day and win the war against Parkinson’s.  In the words of Jim Valvano, “Don’t Give Up, Don’t Ever Give Up.””

Did you know that having compassion and helping people is actually good for your well-being? It relieves stress and improves psychological wellness. And come on, if the Dalai Lama believes it! Barbara Graham put together 7 strategies to use for you to be a more compassionate person. It does well for others, as well as yourself: A win-win. Here’s her first tip:

Start with yourself. We’ve all heard it. Love yourself. Be your own best friend. Or in Gandhi’s words, Be the change you want to see in the world. There’s real wisdom behind the familiar phrases. After all, how can we show compassion to others if we dump on ourselves? The key here is awareness. When I catch myself flinging invective at myself — You look fat! You’re stupid! Your hair resembles a fright wig! — I’m horrified. At these moments I try to imagine what I’d say to a friend who expressed such harsh, self-judgmental thoughts — and tell it to myself.

Check out the other 6 tips here; it’s worth the read.

Isn’t it funny how people will wash their hands when they arrive at a restaurant, but then pick up a menu that has been touched by possibly hundreds of people beforehand?

That’s right, restaurant menus is is one of the worst ways folks can pick up germs. It’s true that germs are all around us, but there are certain particular places that leave people more susceptible to catching colds and viruses. So why not better protect yourself? AARP has put together 8 useful ways to avoid germs and exposing yourself to particularly germ-tastic atmospheres. As you can guess, restaurant menus is one biggie to avoid.

The second? Lemon wedges. Yes, really! Check out the rest to find out how.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Our nation will need smart and fair strategies to solve its long-term fiscal challenges. Unfortunately, Robert Samuelson’s latest attack on Social Security (“Why Social Security is welfare,” March 7) smacks more of a personal obsession than an attempt to explain the many factors causing our budget problems, and the many potential ways to address them. More troubling, it reflects a continuing lack of regard for the real circumstances of most older Americans in a world of rising prices and declining retirement security.

Social Security is not welfare, despite Samuelson’s attempt to concoct a new definition in support of his crusade. Social Security provides guaranteed, modest lifetime protection based on contributions for workers and their dependents, when wage income disappears due to retirement or personal tragedy.

For 75 years, the American public and leaders of both major parties have embraced Social Security as a moral contract. The trust fund symbolizes that contract. While the program needs to be strengthened for the long term, the good news is that there are many ways to do this. Polls show the public can support important steps to keep Social Security strong, including slightly higher payroll taxes. Further, any benefit changes can be phased in gradually, to protect older Americans and give younger people time to plan. A balanced approach with modest changes can keep Social Security financially stable for many decades.

Rising costs in the overall health care system are the major driver of projected deficits, not Social Security, a critical point that Samuelson omits. His call for shared sacrifice would be stronger if he pointed to tax preferences that benefit the truly well-off, instead of the one program that can be counted on to help middle class families – with an average benefit of only $14,000 per year.

Older Americans care deeply about the fiscal legacy they leave their children and grandchildren. A strong Social Security program should be central to that legacy.

John Rother
AARP Executive Vice President

Click here to view the embedded video.

50 is a big birthday no matter how you look at it, but here at AARP it’s especially important because it means you are officially eligible to become a MEMBER!  What is a better way to bring in the big 5-0 for Charlie the Tuna than to present him with his very first AARP card?!  On Friday the 11^th in Times Square, NYC a whole slew of birthday activities were held in his honor.  AARP spokeswoman Luci De Haan presented the super-sized card to Charlie in celebration of 50 years of ‘good taste.”

Here’s to 50 more Charlie!

Aerobic exercise keeps the aging brain — as well as the aging body — in fighting form. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Illinois, Rice University and Ohio State showed that a program of aerobic exercise, over the course of a year, can increase the size of the hippocampus — a part of the brain key to memory and spatial navigation — in adults ages 55 to 80.

The hippocampus is known to shrink in late adulthood, leading to memory impairment.

Check out the rest about how the research team used 120 older folks to conduct their study, and the pretty awesome findings they discovered. If there’s one lesson to take from this, it’s that exercise later in life is still critical in maintaining physical — and mental — health.