5 Ways to Donate to Charity at No Cost to You

Giving to charity is my current focus now that How to Make a Difference has chosen our charity, SALVEASERRA, for the next twelve months.

Its not always easy to fit charitable donations into your budget. So here are a few ways to give to charity at no cost to you . . . YAY!

1. Click to donate
Join Care2 and click to donate to charity every day. You can help everything from abandoned Pets, to Breast Cancer research to stopping Global Warming. So what are you waiting for . . . get clicking!!

2. Recycle your Mobile Phone
Make money for you and for your favourite charity by selling your old mobile phone to EnviroCharities for recycling. Good for your wallet, your chosen non-profit AND the environment.

3. Search the Web
Yep, its as easy as loading one of these search engines as your default and then every search you make generates money for charity. Easy!





4. Improve your Vocabulary
Have a bit of fun, get smarter AND feed the hungry!!



5. Chat with your Friends
Use Microsoft Live or your hotmail account and generate money for the charity of your choice.

Fun Nature Activities for You and Your Children

Ideas to help you get outside with the kids.

Our children stand to inherit a world of environmental challenges. It is of real concern that they are spending less and less time playing outside and exploring the natural world and more and more in front of the TV or computer screen.

There are lots of fun ways to get out in the natural world and teach your children some basic environmental literacy. Doing so offers a good opportunity to get involved in your child’s learning and to have fun as a family in the great outdoors - even if you only make it as far as your own backyard! Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Read more . . .

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• Is it time to let children play outdoors once more?

Independence Day Campaign celebrates freedom from debt

From June 20th and continuing through July 4th, BeatingDebt.org (BDO) will commence its “Independence Day Campaign.” As a new non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, BDO is launching a campaign to raise awareness of the growing negative effects of personal debt, encourage individuals to commit to beating debt and then celebrate their independence from debt, and also to raise capital to help launch BDO’s new interactive website for educational purposes.

Click here to find out more.

5 Ways to Save the Rainforest

Often described as the Earth’s lungs, tropical rainforests take in vast quantities of carbon dioxide and through the process of photosynthesis, convert it into clean, breathable air. In fact, the tropical rainforests are the single greatest terrestrial source of air that we breathe. And yet we are destroying them at an alarming rate . . .

Here's some statistics from http://www.savetherainforest.org/ :
"If present rates of destruction continue, half our remaining rainforests will be gone by the year 2025, and by 2060 there will be no rainforests remaining.
Every second . . we lose an area the size of two football fields!
Every minute . . we lose an area 29 times the size of the Pentagon!
Every hour . . . we lose an area 684 times larger than the New Orleans Superdome!
Every day . . . we lose an area larger than all five boroughs of New York City!
Every week . . . we lose an area twice the size of Rhode Island!
Every month . . .we lose an area the size of Belize!
Every year . . . we lose an area more than twice the size of Florida!
At the very least, "with the destruction of the tropical rainforests, over half the plant and animal species on earth, as well as numerous indigenous cultures will disappear forever."


So now is most definately the time to act! And every little bit helps . . . So check out the list below and find out what you can do to make a difference and help stop Rainforest Destruction.

1. Know where your food comes from
Buy locally grown food and locally produced goods whenever possible - this way you can be sure where they have come from and what effect they have on the environment. Look out for coffee and bananas that are sustainably grown.

Click here to find out more about supporting your local economy.

2. Ask questions - don't buy things made at the expense of the rainforests
When buying timber and timber products check where they are sourced from and are they grown sustainably. The same goes for paper products, food stuffs . . . !

Read more about how Palm Oil production is contributing to deforestation here.

3. Eat less red meat
Rainforest is often cut down to farm cattle for beef. Eating less red meat will help cut demand and protect the rainforest!

4. Teach your children to care for the environment
Take them hiking, camping, hunting, fishing and generally spending time in the great outdoors. Get involved in local roadside or beach clean ups. Read with them about the rainforests and find them together on a map. Plant a garden together. There are tons of ways you can have fun together with your kids while teaching them to care for and work with nature.

5. Support SALVEASERRA
Support our favourite charity. Click here to find out all about them at Global Giving. Donate if you are able or simply spread the word about the good works they do.

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• The destruction of the rainforest
• Prince Charles wants countries to pay 'utility bill' for rainforest
• Do You Use Dove?

Website Round Up - Friendship

This weeks Website Round Up is a great selection of sites to give you the skills and inspiration to make a real difference in the lives of your friends:

Active Listening - Hear what people are really saying
Kahlil Gibran - On Friendship
Building Friendships
Maintaining Friendship is crucial

Enjoy!! And don't forget to look up our How to Make a Difference charity, SALVEASERRA. Donate if you can or spread the word about the great work they do!

How to Avoid Gossip in the Workplace

A negative work environment is a less productive work environment. Gossip in the workplace can create an uncomfortable atmosphere for not only the person the gossip is about, but for everyone in the workplace. Gossip can often become likened to the old childhood game of “Telephone”, where one person starts the spread of information, and by the time it reaches the last person, it has evolved and changed into something entirely different. Some bits of gossip may have truth to it, while other bits of information carried on the gossip relay may be false. Either way, gossip is a hurtful means of communication and should be avoided at all cost. Read on to learn more.

And the winner is . . .

Congratulations to Vasanta - winner of the Miessence Skincare Travel Pack. That will be on its way to you as soon as I hear from you :-)

SALVEASERRA was the clear winner of the Charity Poll and will be the Charity that we support and promote here at How to Make a Difference. I'm really excited about helping SALVEASERRA continue to Make a Difference!!

To find out more about SALVEASERRA click here.

5 Ways to Be a Better Friend

Great friendships are one of the true pleasures in life (chocolate is another!!). They can take some hard work through the tough times, but knowing you have someone on your side through thick and thin, who is there to laugh when you laugh and cry when you cry - well, it doesn't get much better than that.

So if you want to make a difference in the world, start with the people you love and strive to be the best friend you can be. Here's a checklist to help you see how you are doing and help you become a great friend:

1. Listen

There is nothing more special than a friend who truly listens. Someone who pays attention, and just lets you say whatever it is you need to say without offering their opinion, passing judgement or giving advice. Its not an easy thing to do, but truly listening is one of the most wonderful gifts you can offer your loved ones.

2. Accept your friends warts and all

Choose to love your friends no matter what. Not one of us are perfect. We all have our off days, our frustrating habits. Accept this in your friends and don't judge. Love the good with the not so, its what makes your friends who they are.

3. Be honest

Always tell your friends the truth. Sometimes it might seem kinder, or easier to lie. But your friends count on you to be honest and trustworthy. Yes, sometimes it can feel like there is a fine line between being honest and being unkind. But you owe it to your friends to find a way to sensitively tell the truth.

4. Be loyal

Don't gossip - about your friends or anyone else. Speak up for your friends. Be there for them through thick and thin.

5. Be generous

Be generous with your time, be generous with your love. Don't begrudge your friends their good fortune. Be sure to share the best of yourself as well as the worst. Be there for the good times and for the bad times.

Vote and Win

Don't forget to vote in our Charity Poll. And if you leave a comment with some way of contacting you you will go into the draw to win a gorgeous Miessence Skincare Travel Pack.

Voting closes June 13th so click here to vote NOW!!

Website Round Up - Reduce Reuse Recycle Rethink Refuse

Here are some GREAT sites to inspire you to send less rubbish to the landfill:

• Creative Ways to Reuse rather than Dispose
• Rubbish Free Year
• The Story of Stuff
• Reduce Your Rubbish
• My Recycled Bags
• Etsy - Katwise: Ecclectic *Original* recycled

How to Crochet a Classic String Bag

Need reusable shopping bags? Want something thats funky, colourful and that you can make yourself? Try this Classic String Bag - its super easy using only chain stich and slip stich!

Materials
2 50g ball of crochet cotton size 10
2.00mm hook

Size
30 x 35cm (12 x 14in)

Tension
10 loops should be close to 10cm (14in)

Notes
1. When making a tube the work is not turned and there is no real beginning or end after row 1.
2. If you leave a length of cotton approximately 50cm (20in) long before making the slip knot, this length of yarn can then be used to sew up the base of the bag without joining in a new piece of cotton
3. After working 10 to 20 loops of the second row or spiral, put a safety pin in the loop on your hook, to stop it unravelling, and connect the chain into a circle. This will make it easier to know where to insert your hook when you come to the end of what is technically round 2.
4. You can be economical with your thread by working the handles first

Handles
Make 6 lengths of chain each 46cm (18in) long.

Bag
Work 244 ch.
Row 1: 1ss in 8th chain from hook, *5ch, miss 3ch, 1ss in next ch, rep from * to end of chain (60 lps)
Row 2: 5ch, 1ss in next chsp (this is the space of the first lp made in row one and changes rows into rounds). *5ch, 1ss in next chsp, rep from * in a continuous spiral until approx 35cm (14in) in length has been completed, or until the thread runs out. Fasten off

To complete
Sew the bottom of the bag by flattening the tube and joining the two halves together.
When the bag is flat there should be 30 loops on each side of the bag. Securely attach one end of a handle chain into the 5th, one into the 7th, and one into the 9th loop.
Plait these three lengths of chain 6cm (2 1/2in) from the bag until 6cm of the chain is left.
Securely join the three ends into the loops, missing 12 loops free in the centre.
Attach the remaining 3 lengths of chain to the other side of the bag the same way.
Place a little sewing stitch at the end of the plait to hold the strands together and prevent unravelling.

You may like to slide some clear plastic tubing over the handles to make it more comfortable to carry!!

**This bag is easily adapted using double knitting cotton and a 4.00mm hook. Begin with 120ch, whcih will give you 30 loops at the end of Row 1. When attaching the lengths of chain for handles place one chain in loop 2, one in 3 and one in 4, leaving 7 loops free in the centre of each side.

This pattern is taken from 'How to Crochet' by Pauline Turner

5 Ways to Reduce your Rubbish

Image via Wikipedia Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Its all very well as a trash minimisation mantra, but it doesn't seem to be making much of a dent in the amount of garbage we send to the landfills each year.

I think its time to add another few "re's" to the list . . .

RETHINK - rethink your consumption habits so you don't generate so much rubbish
REPAIR - get broken things fixed rather than throwing them out and buying new
REFUSE - refuse to use or buy things that generate rubbish or can't be recycled

Here's a list to help you get started reducing your contribution to the landfill:

1. Buy in Bulk
Cut down on the packaging materials by buying in bulk. Try shopping at stores where you can take your own bottles and containers to refill. Often you'll get a better deal for buying in bulk too.

2. Say NO to plastic shopping bags
Take your own reusable bags with you when you go shopping and politely refuse shopping bags!

3. Compost
Don't send organic waste to the landfill. Instead set up a compost bin for your garden. Don't have room for a compost bin? Set up a worm farm instead. Don't have a garden? Give your compost away to someone who does in exchange for a share of their veges, sell your fantastic liquid fertiliser from the worm farm, offer your super worm dirt to any takers on Freecycle . . .

4. Get Creative
Cut old sheets into strips and crochet them into floor rugs. Make sock puppets for the kids. Make fire bricks using your old newspapers. Make new clothes out of old clothes. Revitalise your old fabourite jeans with funky patches. Make beautiful mosaics using old crockery.

5. Don't choose Disposable
Look for alternatives to disposable items like nappies, sanitary napkins and razors. Buy well made products that will last rather than cheap throw away goods. It may cost more up front, but in the long run it will save you money and its better for the environment.

How to Choose an Ethical Investment

Socially Responsible Investing is all about investing your hard earned money so that it earns a positive social and financial return.

There is a dizzying array of investment options out there so it goes without saying that investing with your values can take a bit of research. The good thing is that these days there are more and more ethical options to choose from when it comes to managed funds and more Investment Advisers are clued up on the idea of ethical investing.

All the same, it pays to do your own research and preparation. After all, you want to be investing with your values not with someone elses!!

Firstly you need to decide on the type of companies whose activities you consider unethical. As a general guidline this would be:

• companies whose operations cause disease or death
• companies that make their profits by destroying or damaging the environment
• companies that treat honest people with disregard and disrespect

Once you've ruled out companies that fit those criteria, you need to decide on activities you do want to support with your investment. When doing this you should focus on the company's products and/or services. Any company can give a percentage of its profits to a worthy cause, that doesn't make it ethical!

If caring for the Environment is of real significance to you, than perhaps you would want to look for companies that make a sincere effort to keep their environmental impact to a minimum, Or it may be more important to you that the business you invest in treats it employees with respect by paying fair wages or being family friendly.

As well as simply screening for companies that fit your values, you might also like to consider Shareholder Activism as a means of effecting change. As an investor in a business you are also an owner of the business. So why not try and effect change from within. For example, if you find a business that makes a worthwhile product but has a lousy environmental record, you could get together with other shareholders and lobby for change.

In this age of Global Capitalism, corporations have a huge influence on our quality of life and increasingly have more power than Governments to make real change. So it really does make sense to think hard about where you invest your money if you wish to make a positive difference to the world

Ethical Money Makes The World Go Round

Whatever your resources, socially responsible investment (SRI) can help you fulfil your dreams, and make the world a better place. SRI means you can channel your money away from industries that contribute to the destruction of the environment, companies employing sweatshop and child labour, business involved in animal experimentation and...read more