Pretty cool organization (it looks like) that helps out people in developing countries by helping collect money and then thru “partners” in those countries manages the loans for repayment. The dollar amounts are not necessarily large - these are microloans. However, what may seem like a small amount of money to you and me, might make all the difference to someone in another country.
In May 2006, during a work-related trip to New Orleans, I helped build a house thru Habitat for Humanity. It was an amazing experience and I’m looking forward to the chance to do it again in the future. These are the finished products; photos taken by my colleague.
View the larger photos at Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinchin5/sets/72157602812426900/
Everybody’s got them… cell phones, cordless home phones, PDAs, rechargeable tools, portable vaccums, etc. They all have one thing in common… rechargeable batteries. Did you know that these batteries can be easily recycled? Check out this ZDNet video, then visit the website for the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC).
Tons of major retailers have collection boxes… and it doesn’t cost you a thing! Find a recycling drop off point near you.
Put in just an ounce of effort, and help preserve the environment. Plus, it just feels good to do the right thing!!
I think this is a pretty good marketing idea… For $399, you can buy a laptop from the One Laptop Per Child program - actually you’re buying 2 laptops. One will be donated, and one will be sent to you. Although the laptop actually costs $150, you can’t purchase them here in the US. I’m always looking for worthwhile causes to invest/donate to… Here’s one more to consider.
Actually, I’m thinking this might be a great laptop for my kids to surf the web on… and heck, they run Linux inside.
OLPC Program Details - you can even sign up for an email reminder when they go on sale…
I didn’t know Kari Mason, but I work at the same company she did. I found out about her from the internal notice of her death in our “company email newsletter” - she died earlier this week of breast cancer. It pointed me to her website, a place for sharing memories for her kids’ sake, a place to donate, and a link to a local magazine article about her struggle. While not a “happy” story, it is very touching…
Remember the community sponsored ad for Firefox in the WSJ a few years ago…
This group is trying to get Linux to be a community sponsorship for an Indy 500 car this year. I’m not sure why the Linux community doesn’t do this kinda thing every year? If every Linux user contributed only a $1 or $2 every year, that would add up to a TON of money and publicity!
What if every student had a laptop? In the US, schools don’t see that as an option - b/c it’s too expensive. But in the developing world (where there’s actually LESS MONEY), they are trying something out that will provide millions of students with access to computers and the internet… even where basic necessities such as electricity are scarce or unreliable. Enter, the One Laptop Per Child initiative.
A group of technologists have been working on a project to put together rugged hardware, hand crank powered, internet enabled laptops together for about $150 each (if I recall correctly). They run a customized version of Linux (Fedora). The benefits of this low cost approach are obvious.
I think this is AWESOME!
Makes one wonder why we can’t consume these types of laptops for children across the USA…
I’ve got many things that I like. Fewer things that I love. Even fewer that I found that I’m truly passionate about.
In my experience, passion for something you believe in provides an internal “fuel” that can help you achieve goals. Whether they’re work related or some other facet of life, I’ve found that fact to be true.
My family sets aside a small amount of money each month that we intend to use to donate at some point in the year. I’ve decided that to make the money “count” we need to find things that we’re passionate and not merely worthwhile — there are far too many worthwhile causes. I mention this because last year we had difficulty finding more than one cause we wanted to donate to. Last year we made a nice donation to Teardrops to Rainbows, which helps support the families of children with cancer… We could find no other that inspired us and made us feel like our modest contribution would really make a difference.
At last, I have found another… Helping to End Global Warming.
I’ll probably create a new personal blog just for that topic, but here’s a link and a brief story. I had heard of An Inconvenient Truth - a documentary starring Al Gore and his efforts to educate others about the problem of global warming. I recently purchased the DVD (another long story) and watched it. — I admit it, I was sold. I had always been a believer that global warming was real, and that it was a problem, but this simple movie helped to give me an understanding of how major an issue this really is. I was skeptical that it was merely a piece of propaganda from a tree-hugger, but all I can say is that it truly spoke to me as an individual.
Global warming is a serious problem with serious consequences.
Global warming is a problem we can all help solve.
All I’m saying is that I’ll be doing my part - and I hope you will at least consider doing your part too.
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