For $40 We Can Make a Difference, I Did, Won’t You?

 

Deforestation, respiratory disease, poverty.

Three words we shouldn’t have to know.

Nearly half of the people in the world cook over open fire, which leads to: Deforestation, Respiratory Disease, and Poverty (http://www.theparadigmproject.org/why-stoves)

For $40 you can buy a Rocket Stove for a family. One Rocket Stove equals:

  • $280 of income saved
  • 1,300 hours of time saved
  • 33 trees saved
  • 60% reduction in smoke which stops 7.5mt CO2e from reaching the environment

 

What’s a Rocket Stove?

Used for cooking purposes in many third-world coutnries, the rocket stove achieves efficient combustion, ensuring a good draft into the fire, controlled use of fuel, complete combustion of materials, and efficient use of the resulting heat.

 

Why a Rocket Stove?

Cleaner burning, more efficient, simply better stoves reduce wood consumption and toxic smoke. This leads to a better life, a brighter future and social, environment and economic change.

More than 3 billion people in the world still cook over an open fire, leading to respiratory diseases, the deforestation epidemic and compromised safety and overall well-being. Over 2 million women and children die each year due to respiratory problems caused by cooking over an open fire. These respiratory illnesses are the #1 killer of children under the age of 5, more than Malaria or AIDS. (from Paradigm Project press release).

 

Read more about the Rocket Stove here: http://www.theparadigmproject.org/the-stove or check out this video:

Episode 3: Meet the Makers from The Paradigm Project on Vimeo.

Follow Greg and Austin around the world on out mission to 5 million stoves. In this episode you’ll meet the makers of the locally produced “JikoPoa”, which means the “cool” or the “right stove” and see the value that local production can add to reaching 5 million stoves.

The goal of the Paradigm Project is to deliver 5 million stoves by 2020, already 28,973 stoves have been delivered. It’s easy to help. Donate today!

Pick a campaign and donate any amount: http://www.theparadigmproject.org/donate

If $40 is too much, how about just one latte, or $5. We can all skip one trip to Starbucks can’t we?

Click image to see this full-size

Toys for Tots and My Coke Rewards Points

Ok folks, here’s a simple one. Toys for Tots is feeling the pinch during these rough economic times. They’ve had a decline in gift donations this holiday season but we can change that.

The Coca-Cola Company announced an exciting national online gift drive to benefit Toys for Tots and your readers can help – without feeling an impact on their personal budget. Anyone can contribute by simply donating their My Coke Rewards points at www.mcr.com/holiday. Coca-Cola aims to raise five million points, which would enable Toys for Tots to put thousands of gifts in the hands of underprivileged kids. In addition, Coca-Cola is donating $120,000 to Toys for Tots, which will be divided among eight cities across America.

A detailed release can be found at http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/nr_20101208_toys_for_tots.html, including more information on the Toys for Tots partnership and the My Coke Rewards program, as well as the many other Coca-Cola holiday activities planned such as special events, product giveaways, festive holiday packaging and new TV commercials featuring the music of Train.

Let’s give a hand and donate our My Coke Rewards points to this worthy charity. We can all be a part of putting thousands of gifts into the hands of underprivileged kids. What better way to celebrate this holiday season than to help others?

Give A Hand for the Ronald McDonald House Charities

Join McDonald’s and “Give A Hand”

Submit a photo of your hand with a written phrase that shows your support for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) for a chance to win $500 for you and a $500 donation for your local RMHC House or Chapter.

Every day for 11 days a winner will be selected. All winners will be posted on @McDonalds

You can also purchase a paper “Give A Hand” for $1 at participating U.S. McDonald’s restaurants. All proceeds will be donated to RMHC. Here’s my entry!

Coca-Cola and the Boys & Girls Club

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Coco-Cola, through a special partnership with Facebook, is giving us a way to contribute to the Boys & Girls Clubs and a chance to get a sneak peak at one of their upcoming Super Bowl spots. If you’re like me, not only do I love the Super Bowl commercials but I love Coca-Cola commercials.

In order to participate you need to visit the Live Positively tab on the Coca-Cola Facebook fan page. From here you can share a virtual gift with your friends. By sharing a virtual gift, Coca-Cola will do the following:

Coca-Cola makes a one-dollar donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Gift recipients receive a special Coca-Cola bottle image, which is displayed on their Facebook page and newsfeed, reminding them and others they can also share virtual gifts.

Gift-givers receive a 20-second sneak preview of one of two new Coca-Cola ads that will debut during the Super Bowl broadcast on February 7, 2010.

Once game day arrives, gifters receive both ads in their entirety before their TV debut later that evening.

Coca-Cola will match every dollar contributed to the Boys & Girls Clubs (up to a total contribution by Coca-Cola of $150,000) and donate two My Coke Rewards points for every one point donated between now and February 15th.

This is a great program for a great cause. You can find out all the details at the Live Positively site and you can view a success story featuring Academy Award winner Denzel Washington on YouTube here.

2009 America’s Giving Challenge

agc-logo

The Case Foundation, Causes, and PARADE magazine launched the 2009 America’s Giving Challenge on October 7th and has already surpassed 10,000 donations and raised $250,000. Imagine that, in just one week they’ve achieved this!

Let’s get involved with this great program!

Details on the 2009 America’s Giving Challenge:

America’s Giving Challenge participants will compete for 30 days to bring in the highest number of donations for their nonprofit cause through the Causes application on Facebook. Causes that net the most donations will receive a total of $170,000 in prize money in addition to what individuals give during the Challenge. Based on the number of donations to their cause, participants can compete for daily and overall awards (ranging from $500 to $50,000) from now until November 6th at 3 p.m. EST. This year’s Giving Challenge builds on last year’s effort that saw $1.8 million raised for nonprofits.

Challenge participants can get involved in one of two ways:

1. Champion a cause – Individuals can become “cause champions,” individuals who are passionate about a specific cause and will compete to obtain the most donations for their cause through the Causes application on Facebook.

2. Promote, donate or join a cause – All individuals are encouraged to take part in America’s Giving Challenge by joining, promoting and donating to the causes they care about. Facebook membership is not required to donate to a Giving Challenge cause.

To register to compete in the Giving Challenge, view details, and donate to a cause, visit www.americasgivingchallenge.com. Additionally, the Case Foundation is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/casefoundation, and you can follow news on America’s Giving Challenge with hashtag #AGC. (You can also check out a video of Matt Damon supporting America’s Giving Challenge here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y32CyumTI8!)