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We don't follow hype of going or being "green". Instead, we've looked into the future and see the world being transformed by millions of everyday activists who are rooted in love.
Here, we bring this future of activism into the present, to press us toward creating daily lifestyles of practical, tangible, relational and compassionate action. Because real change is found in the simple, everyday action of people just like you.
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School
charity: water
September is coming and you can throw a Charity Water Party and raise money to build a well!
There are a billion people living without clean water. charity: water uses 100% of the money raised to build water projects. So far they’ve helped over a million people get clean water. Watch the Trailer.
Making a loan on Kiva is so simple that you may not realize how much work goes on behind the scenes.
Kiva works with microfinance institutions on five continents to provide loans to people without access to traditional banking systems. One hundred percent of your loan is sent to these microfinance institutions, which we call Field Partners, who administer the loans in the field.
Kiva relies on a world wide network of over 450 volunteers who work with our Field Partners, edit and translate borrower stories, and ensure the smooth operation of countless other Kiva programs.
Learn more about how it works.
For a less environmentally destructive way than air-conditioning to stay comfortable in the heat, choose a portable or ceiling fan. Fans use 90% less energy than central air, and make rooms feel seven to ten degrees cooler because of the process of evaporation.
Sure, central air feels great, and, yes, it can help save the lives of the elderly or frail, who are sensitive to high heat. But it is also extremely energy intensive, and still typically relies on ozone-damaging fluorocarbons. Central air-conditioning is also prohibitively expensive for many who live in old structures or who are on tight budgets.
The best choice is an Energy Star-rated fan. Those ceiling fan/light combination units that receive the federal designation are about 50 percent more efficient than conventional models and will save you $15 to $20 per year on your utility bills. See a list of thirty companies that offer them here.
Most modern ceiling fans can also be run in reverse when it’s cold, pushing warm air down from high spaces. Learn more here.
Don’t forget to turn your fans off when you aren’t using them.
Bill Clinton wrote a short piece about what he thinks is the “best way to jump start job creation”. His answer? Painting roofs white.
“Look at the tar roofs covering millions of American buildings. They absorb huge amounts of heat when it’s hot. And they require more air conditioning to cool the rooms. […] Every black roof in New York should be white; every roof in Chicago should be white; every roof in Little Rock should be white. Every flat tar-surface roof anywhere! In most of these places you could recover the cost of the paint and the labor in a week. It’s the quickest, cheapest thing you can do.”
Considering that there’s something like 20% unemployment in the construction sector and that even non-skilled people can learned to do this, it would certainly make sense and pay for itself with energy savings. Via The Atlantic. See also: Global CO2 Emissions Reach All Time High in 2010 After Recession Dip
