Three Meaningful and Unique Father’s Day Gifts

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Fathers are notoriously hard to shop for. They usually don’t need more ties or another coffee mug, and after a few years, even the latest gadget feels, well…uninspired. So what can you buy for dad that will touch his heart? Is there a personal gift that says thanks and shows him he’s taught you what’s important in life?

Check out our Top 3 most thoughtful Father’s Day Gifts that give back. . . and give Dad a gift that changes the world!

ONEHOPE Wines

Does your dad love wine? We recently discovered ONEHOPE Wine and fell in love. ONEHOPE has a partnership with Robert Mondavi and donates half of their profits to charity. To date, they’ve donated over $1 million to their partner charities for a variety of causes, which range from autism to animals. Send your dad a bottle directly from ONEHOPE, or sign him up for their wine club. Too close to Father’s Day to have it shipped? You can also find ONEHOPE in stores like Whole Foods and Raley’s.

(RED) Campaign Apple iPods

Go (RED)! In case you haven’t heard about the campaign: (RED) was started in 2005 by Bono (of U2) to help end the AIDS epidemic in Africa. There are many (RED) products, which donate a portion of their proceeds to AIDS charities working in Africa. Since it takes only 40 cents a day to keep someone living with HIV in Africa alive, one purchase can make a big difference. Check out their online assortment for men, or visit retail stores like Apple and Bed Bath and Beyond.

Father's Day Charity Gift Guide

Or skip the retail hassle all together, and give directly to his favorite cause. JustGive has many gift options that make charitable giving (and receiving!) a joy. Our new Charity Gift Guide has 12 tangible and “manly” gifts of charity, so it’s easy to find one that fits your Dad. For example:

Another great option (besides donating in his name) is a personalized charity gift card—upload a special photo of the two of you and have it delivered to his email inbox. (You can even schedule it to arrive on Father’s Day!) You choose the amount, he chooses the charity to support.

Dads may be hard to buy for, but that doesn’t mean you need to settle for a boring gift. These are our three favorite inspired ideas. For more, see our Great Charitable Products guide on Pinterest. (And don’t forget to follow us!)

—Sara Olsher, Marketing Manager

Change the World: Educate and Empower Girls

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Change the World: Educate and Empower Girls

As the mother to a little girl, I find myself deeply concerned by the amount of pink in the girls’ toy aisle. I don’t like the message about “ideal” body type Barbie sends my daughter and her friends. And I’m disturbed that in the United States, there’s still a gender gap in earnings, with women making approximately 19% less than their male counterparts. None of these issues should be taken lightly—we have a lot of work to do.

In the United States, though, we should consider ourselves lucky that our problems of inequality are about equal pay for equal work. We are privileged that our worries focus on things like “all of these female dolls are blonde.” That’s not to say these issues aren’t important; but they pale in comparison to the obstacles girls face in developing countries, where their reality is bleak:

Poverty

  • Women and girls make up half the world’s population, yet represent 70% of the world’s poor.
  • Girls are three times more likely to be malnourished than boys.
  • Women make up 70% of the world’s working hours and earn only 10% of the world’s income—half of what men earn.

LEARN MORE: Read Is Empowering Women the answer to ending poverty?
Statistics Source: Girl Rising, Because I am a Girl

Child Marriage

  • Over the next decade, 142 million girls are expected to marry before they turn 18.
  • Child marriage is most common between the ages of 12 and16, but can occur in girls as young as 3-4 years old.

LEARN MORE: Watch The Bride Price: Consequences of Child Marriage Worldwide
Statistics Source: The Bride Price

Education

  • 67 million children worldwide don’t go to school. Over half are girls.
  • 60% of children interviewed in India agreed that if resources are scarce, it’s better to educate a boy than a girl.
  • $92 billion is the estimated economic loss for countries that do not educate girls to the same level as boys.

LEARN MORE: Watch Girl Rising Documentary
Statistics Source: Because I am a Girl

We can view these statistics with personal empathy—by picturing the faces of the girls who want, more than anything, to learn. Our hearts can ache for child brides. Thinking about girls growing up in these conditions is enough to compel most of us to take action.

But we can also view this issue from the perspective of logic and practicality. If our vision for the world is that of peace, human rights, and affluence, we should start by educating girls.

Research shows that educating girls can have an enormous impact not only on individuals, but also for local communities and the global economy:

  • One extra year of school boosts a girl’s future wages by 10-20%.
  • If 10% more girls are educated, a country’s GDP increases by as much as 3%.
  • Knowledge and skills learned at school are passed onto her parents and the community.
  • Education drastically reduces child marriage. On average, a girl with 7 years of education will marry 4 years later and have 2.2 fewer children.
  • A girl who completes basic education is three times less likely to contract HIV.

Statistics Source: Girl Rising, Because I am a Girl

From these statistics, it’s easy to see the value of educating girls. But when you think of how many women and girls live in developing countries, figuring out how to help might feel a little overwhelming.

How to Help

Making a difference is easier than you think. Charities are working all around the globe, making huge strides. Here are just a few small ways you can help them change the world:

  1. $20: Give a laptop to a child in Lesotho, Africa through Laptops to Lesotho
  2. $30: Buy a school uniform through 10×10 Fund
  3. $50: Pay school fees for one girl, for one year through 10×10 Fund
  4. $50: Provide an African student with a uniform and mosquito net through Maranyundo

Or donate more if you can:

Women around the world face enormous barriers, simply for being born female. Help remove their obstacles, and give girls in other countries equal access to education. It doesn’t take a lot to make a huge difference.

—Sara Olsher, Marketing Manager

Moore Oklahoma Tornado: Help them recover

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On May 20, a massive tornado destroyed parts of Oklahoma City and Moore, Oklahoma, killing 24 people—including seven children. With your help, organizations like the Red Cross and Food Bank of Oklahoma provided immediate disaster relief to people affected.

As relief efforts continue, the recovery process begins. After a week, victims of the tornado are coming to grips with the loss of their homes, along with all their personal belongings. The twister caused up to $5 billion in insured damage, and 1,200 homes were completely destroyed.

While it could be easy to let this disaster fade in our minds as media coverage wanes, rebuilding will take quite awhile. This tornado flattened entire blocks of homes, two schools and a hospital. Imagine losing everything you own in a few short minutes—that’s exactly the reality many people face.

Help the children, families and the community of Moore, Oklahoma rebuild ”normal” life, and donate now to charities working for their recovery. As more information becomes available, we’ll continue to update this list:

  • Adopt a Classroom - helping teachers and students at Plaza Towers and Briarwood Elementary Schools rebuild their classrooms.
  • AmeriCares – assessing and addressing long term health needs.
  • Architecture for Humanity – working with local and regional construction professionals to support the rebuilding.
  • Habitat for Humanity - seeking help with long-term rebuilding efforts and aid for families who need safe, affordable places to live.
  • Matthew: 25 Ministries – continuing to support the families and people of Moore as long as it’s needed.
  • Operation Blessing International – working with The Home Depot to dispatch a construction unit, mobile command center, trucks with tools and supplies, and a team of construction foremen to Moore.
  • Operation USA – making small grants (as funds allow) to community-based organizations as they rebuild.
  • Samaritan’s Purse – focusing on cleaning and repairing damaged homes.
  • Save the Children – providing recovery support for children and families.
  • Team Rubicon – assisting with home repair and rebuilding.

Give for Tornado Victims Now

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A violent, massive tornado struck the Oklahoma City suburbs with vengeance Monday, May 20. In what is described as one of the most destructive tornadoes in recent history, the tornado, nearly 2 miles wide with wind speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, left extensive damage and lives that are forever changed in its wake.

As details continue to emerge in the tornado’s aftermath, President Obama has declared it a major disaster and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.

Homes, schools and businesses were leveled in Moore, a community of about 55,000 people. The tornado was on the ground for about 40 minutes, leaving behind a debris field 20 miles long and several miles wide. Two elementary schools, Plaza Towers Elementary and Briarwood Elementary, were directly hit and destroyed.

Close to 200 people are being treated for their injuries, including 70 children. Families have been ripped apart and their homes no longer exist. Across the country, hearts are heavy with the loss of so many young lives.

Open your heart and give now—with a one-time donation or a monthly recurring gift—to organizations providing emergency aid. Your donation will help residents receive the shelter, food, relief supplies and emotional support they need today:

The World’s Best Mother’s Day Gifts

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Great Gift Ideas for Mother's Day

image source: Flickr

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and if you’re like me, you haven’t gotten a gift for your mom yet. If you’re waiting to find just the right gift, look no further – we’ve got six great ideas you’ll love.

First, something we’re very excited about: our new Mother’s Day Charity Gift Guide.

Filled with 12 tangible gifts of all sizes, our Charity Gift Guide has great options for your mom: feed an abandoned puppy or kitten ($20), help survivors of sex trafficking ($50), and more. Check out the Charity Gift Guide for more charitable ideas that are sure to touch your mom’s heart—and make a difference in the world (like she’s done in yours).

Help young girls become strong women

If something from the Charity Gift Guide doesn’t fit well for your mom, here are five more suggestions that surely will. Check out these other thoughtful Mother’s Day gifts:

A small gift and a big gesture

The best gifts for Mom show you care – so get her a small gift, and make it part of a bigger way your express your appreciation. To inspire you, here’s are five of the Best Mother’s Day Gifts:

5. Offer a helping hand

Has your mom been asking you to help her with the computer, paint the house, or organize the garage? If so, Mother’s Day is a great occasion to actually do it. Making her life easier is a great gift. If your mom isn’t the type to ask for help, think of things in her life that are giving her grief. Can you remove the spyware on her PC? Teach her how to Skype? Send the family photos to be digitized? There’s a whole world of ways to make Mom’s life a little brighter.

image source

4. DIY a special book of memories

My friend Mary recently put together a book of photos and memories for her mother. What a great idea! Two thoughtful options: A book capturing her life (photos of childhood to current day) or a book of your history together (your birth to today). You don’t have to be crafty to make something special – use Blurb.com to easily create a custom photo book (just allow a couple of weeks to receive it from Blurb). Then sit down and go through it with her on Mother’s Day. She’ll love the trip down memory lane.

3. A spa day and nice family dinner

For a mom that doesn’t have time to herself very often, give the gift of a massage or a facial. While she’s out getting pampered, get in the kitchen and cook her a delicious  meal (and I mean cook – the effort you put into it means a lot more than a dinner out, even if you’re no gourmet chef!). Have a beautiful table set to enjoy it with her when she returns.

2. Show your support for what she cares about

What causes are close to your mom’s heart? If she loves animals, make a donation to an organization she cares about and take her to play with the pups at your local humane society. Is she passionate about the environment? Why not create a charity “gift basket” of four charities that work for her cause, and organize a beach cleanup of her favorite spot? What Mom doesn’t love seeing evidence that you’ve actually been listening when she’s lectured you about what truly matters? ;)

image source

1. Quality time

For people like Anneka (a friend of ours on Facebook), the best gift for Mom is time – her mom always asks to go on a hike with her kids. Making memories and having a close relationship – isn’t that what most mothers want most? Make a date to spend time with your mother doing something she loves this Mother’s Day – organize a hike, take her out for lunch, or go to a movie she’s been wanting to see.

Unfortunately, my mom lives in another state (just for now, though, right Mom?), but this Mother’s Day she’ll be receiving something extra special to show just how much her daughter and her granddaughter both love her and appreciate all she’s done for us–especially in the past few months.

What are you giving your mom this year? What’s the most thoughtful gift you’ve ever given or received? Share it in the comments below, or post it on our Facebook page!

– Sara Olsher, Marketing Manager

Talk early, talk often: Teach your children to avoid sexual assault

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As a woman, it’s hard to grow up without exposure to sexual violence of some kind. While I was lucky to get out of my early childhood unscathed, I experienced sexual harassment from several peers beginning in middle school, and was involved in a verbally abusive relationship in high school, which led to choosing a verbally abusive marriage.

Even as I was making poor decisions in partners, my inner voice wondered, “Why am I doing this?” Pushing aside our inner voice is, I believe, one of the key reasons why I and so many other women find ourselves in the less-than-ideal situations that lead to sexual assault.

Sexual Assault is an umbrella term, which includes child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, unwanted sexual contact (touching or grabbing), unwelcome exposure of another’s body (exhibitionism), domestic violence, and rape. This month is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The ultimate goal: raise our children with the core values that help them avoid sexual assault.

Encourage healthy sexuality at a young age

An awareness of what is wrong starts with an understanding about what’s right. And this, parents, is up to you. Sexuality needs to be discussed many, many times: think of it more as a series of moments where you can educate your kids, not one Big Talk. If you’re wondering how to educate your kids about sexuality, check out this great healthy sexuality PDF from National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).

It’s important to keep these conversations age appropriate, addressing different topics at each age. NSVRC offers another helpful PDF with an excellent chart to help parents understand what’s “normal” for sexual development at various ages, and which conversations to have.

A few months ago, we talked about how to protect our children from sexual abuse. You may want to revisit that post for tips about prevention.

Talking to your kids about sexuality is only part of the issue, though. My father was an OB/GYN and my mother a nurse, so I grew up knowing “the birds and the bees.” Yet, I still didn’t make good decisions.

Teach your children that they own their own bodies

At my daughter’s second birthday party, a friend tried to force her daughter to hug mine. My little girl is very shy, didn’t know this girl very well, and didn’t want to. My response? “You don’t have to hug anyone you don’t want to.” It is very important to me that my daughter knows that she owns her body and makes all decisions concerning it. This means she doesn’t have to hug or kiss anyone she doesn’t want to, even if I’m worried the other person might be offended.

While well-intentioned parents have a tendency to force their kids to hug or kiss their friends or grandparents, this practice can send an unintended, detrimental message to kids: Push aside your own feelings to make someone else happy. This leads to children getting sexually abused, teen girls submitting to sexual behavior so ‘he’ll like me’ and kids enduring bullying because everyone is ‘having fun.’

If your children are huggers, teach them to ask others for permission to hug (“May I hug you?”). If you would like for them to hug Grandma, you can say: “I would like you to hug Grandma, but I won’t make you do it.” Teach them to respond with a hug, or a “no, thank you.” And mean what you say—don’t let any child feel disappointment or resentment from you. Explain your reasoning to family members, and remind them it’s not personal. Every child goes through stages where they don’t want to offer affection.

This is hardest for me as a parent, actually—I constantly want to kiss my daughter’s adorable little face, and at two, she often responds with a firm, “NO MOMMY!” Not wanting to squelch her currently strong inner voice, I usually respond with, “that’s okay, honey, it’s your body.”

Read more on this topic at CNN: I Don’t Own My Child’s Body

Understand and talk to your kids about teen relationship violence

After years of bullying during middle school, I was desperate for acceptance. When my family and I moved to another state during my junior year in high school, I became involved with a verbally abusive boyfriend. Though the relationship lasted only four months, the damage lasted much longer—and led me to a verbally abusive marriage. While it is embarrassing for me to admit I didn’t value myself, I know that I’m not alone. By talking about it, I hope to help more young girls understand the long-term repercussions of their choices.

Talking with your children about healthy relationships is extremely important—second only to modeling good relationships. If you are not in a healthy relationship, your children are more likely to choose unhealthy relationships for themselves.

So how do you teach your kids about healthy relationships? Point out loving interactions, examples of good communication, and healthy boundaries when you see them, both in the media and in life. And point out examples of unhealthy interactions when you see them, as well.

Sit down and talk to your kids, long before they start dating. Not sure what to say? Love is Respect’s guide to Healthy Relationships is a good place to start the conversation.

If you suspect that your child is already in an unhealthy relationship, check out Love is Respect’s “Help Your Child.” This can be a very tricky situation to navigate, so if you need help, definitely get it — from a hotline, a counselor, or a domestic violence counselor.

Domestic violence and teen relationship violence can be difficult to understand if you haven’t been through it yourself. I encourage you to look at the warning signs of abuse, and the Power and Control Wheel.

Donate Now

Concerned and involved parents are key: what we teach our children truly can prevent sexual assaults. In addition, the wonderful charities mentioned in this post provide a wealth of information. Please donate now to help spread the word, fund research, and provide resources to parents, kids, and affected adults.

National Sexual Violence Resource Center is the voice behind Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and offers a wealth of information for preventing sexual violence. Brought to you by Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR).
Donate Now

 

KidPower teaches positive, practical personal safety skills to protect people of all ages and abilities from bullying, molestation, abduction, and other violence.
Donate Now

 

Love is Respect is a great resource to for engaging, educating and empowering young adults about how to prevent and end abusive relationships. Brought to you by Break the Cycle.
Donate Now

—Sara Olsher, Marketing Manager

Youth Violence: School Shootings and Beyond

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Nearly fourteen years ago, I was sitting in my senior classroom when the principle came over the loudspeaker and told every teacher to turn on the TV. A mass shooting was in progress at a high school in Colorado. My classmates and I watched the news coverage in horror, most of us in tears.

This was the Columbine High School Massacre, which remains the deadliest shooting on a high school campus in United States history.

The shootings were terrifying, in part because they weren’t entirely surprising. You may remember Kip Kinkel, the student in Oregon who killed his parents and then shot his classmates. That happened the year before, in Springfield, an hour from my school.

When we think about teen violence, these horrific school shootings (especially the most recent one at Sandy Hook Elementary) are what come to mind. But youth violence is about more than school shootings. When you include fights, gang violence and suicide under the umbrella term of “youth violence,” the statistics are frightening. Believe it or not, violence is the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

Statistics like these leave us asking questions: “Why is this happening?” and “How can we stop it?” These are hard questions. And there’s no greater reflex than the instinct to protect our children—which makes us feel desperate to find the answers right now.

How to Prevent Youth Violence

Because of the many factors that contribute to violent attitudes and behaviors, there is not one approach or one group that can effectively stop the violence. According to the Center for Disease Control, there are a few proven strategies that help:

  • Get involved in parent- and family-based programs. In these programs, parents receive training on child development and learn skills for talking with their kids about solving problems in nonviolent ways. (Find free educational courses online at Veto Violence, or search online for “parenting courses” in your community.)
  • Teaching non-violent communication. Teach children how to handle tough social situations, and how to resolve problems without using violence.
  • Take advantages of mentoring programs. Mentoring programs pair a young person with an adult who serves as a positive role model and helps guide behavior.
  • Support environmental changes. Changes to the physical and social environment can address some base causes of violence. Youth violence is a particular concern for low-income, minority communities, where poverty, family instability, and unemployment provide a fertile context for gangs and illicit drug markets. Addressing these issues is key.

Programs That Help Young People

There are many great nonprofit organizations working on a grassroots level to help educate parents, teachers and kids about youth violence. Check out these six charities, each of which take a different approach:

National Campaign to Stop Youth Violence helps individual students make a lasting commitment to take responsibility for ending violence in their lives, homes and communities.
Donate Now

Afterschool Alliance provides afterschool programs for children across the country. Afterschool programs are critical for kids who have working parents, helping keep them out of trouble and learn important skills.
Donate Now

STRYVE (Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere), a program run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has a threefold mission: 1) increase awareness about youth violence, 2) promote prevention approaches based on the best available evidence, and 3) provide guidance to communities on how to prevent youth violence.
Donate Now

Big Brothers, Big Sisters improves children’s lives by pairing kids aged 6 to 18 (“Littles”) with adult mentors (“Bigs”). The results? Higher aspirations, greater confidence, better relationships, avoidance of risky behaviors, and educational success.
Donate Now

Second Growth counsels adolescents and young adults on drug, alcohol, and recovery issues, and violence prevention. They provide Student Assistance Programs to middle and high schools, and train others to replicate their programs.
Donate Now

Alternatives to Violence USA is an association of community- and prison- based groups offering workshops in personal growth and creative conflict management. They empower people to lead nonviolent lives through affirmation, respect for all, community building, cooperation, and trust.
Donate Now

The best news is that Youth Violence is now top-of-mind, and we’re having real, constructive conversations to solve the underlying issues.

Let’s hope that Sandy Hook is the last of these tragic massacres. Donate now and get involved to help stop youth violence.

—Sara Olsher, Marketing Manager

Volunteering Makes the World Go Round: How to Help

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Working at JustGive, I am exposed to hundreds of people who donate money to worthy causes, and to the nonprofits working for those causes. On a daily basis, this really renews my faith in humanity, and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. People are amazing!

We offer our services to so many incredible charities, and learning about the great work they do is inspiring. Many of them rely completely on volunteer hours, and have few or no paid employees.

Did you know that more than one of every four Americans volunteers? Combined, we volunteer 7.85 billion hours per year. If you’re looking for a way to add meaning to your life or make a difference in the world around you, volunteering is a great choice.

Where To Begin

First, research the causes that are most important to you. Look for a group that works with issues about which you feel strongly. When you feel passionate about a cause, working for free doesn’t feel like work at all.

Consider the skills you have to offer, or skills you’d like to develop. Many positions require a volunteer who has experience with certain equipment, such as computers, or who possesses certain skills, such as an ability in athletics or communications. However, volunteering is a great chance to develop abilities in areas you might not have tried before. Seek out a volunteer opportunity where you’ll learn something new.

Before you start, make sure the volunteer hours you want to give fit into your hectic life, so you don’t frustrate your family, exhaust yourself, shortchange the organization you’re trying to help or neglect your job. It’s better to start out slowly than to commit yourself to a schedule you can’t fulfill.

Volunteer Locally

The most common places you may think about volunteering,  are soup kitchens or animal shelters. Those are great places. In fact, we have a whole list of ways you can help your local community on our website. But donating your time to the first place that crosses your mind isn’t the only way to give back—in fact, there are a lot of places that might need a helping hand specifically because no one thinks to volunteer there. For example, consider:

  • day care centers
  • Neighborhood Watch
  • public schools and colleges
  • halfway houses
  • community theaters
  • drug rehabilitation centers
  • fraternal organizations and civic clubs
  • retirement centers and homes for the elderly
  • Meals on Wheels
  • animal shelters and sanctuaries
  • church or community-sponsored soup kitchens or food pantries
  • museums, art galleries, and monuments
  • community choirs, bands and orchestras
  • prisons
  • neighborhood parks
  • youth organizations, sports teams, and after-school programs
  • shelters for battered women and children
  • historical restorations, battlefields and national parks


You can also easily find volunteer opportunities on the Internet. Sites like VolunteerMatch allow you to search for nonprofit organizations in your area that are looking for people with specific skills. If you’re a member of AARP, sign up for to receive their Create The Good newsletter and check their site for volunteering ideas and information. And if you missed it, check out our blog post, 20 Great Ways to Give Locally.

Give Your Digital Skills

We now live in a digital age, where an organization’s website is often the first impression it makes. A good website can go a long way! Many charities don’t have the resources to dedicate to creating a social media presence, either, which is vital for connecting with potential supporters.

If you are good with computers, you can help a lot by donating web design skills, graphic design, illustration (infographics anyone?!), SEO, social media, or copywriting services. For more information about volunteering your digital services, check out this post from Six Revisions. And find charities that need your services through websites like Grassroots or Taproot.

As an illustrator, I donated my services to design invitations for an animal rescue’s fundraisers. It was fun, I met a lot of amazing people, and I helped a lot of wonderful animals. I highly recommend it!

To the millions of you who volunteer and give, thank you. You inspire me, and you help change the world.

Where do you volunteer? We’d love to hear your advice and experiences—comment below, or join the conversation on Facebook!

—Sara Olsher, Marketing Manager

Our Oceans are in Crisis: An Introduction to Key Problems

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Out-of-sight, out-of-mind: it’s human nature. Unless we see a problem right in front of us, it’s hard to keep it in our thoughts.

When we think of problems with the ocean, we usually think of trash seen accumulating on the beach. But the ocean is a big place, covering 70% of the Earth’s surface, and the issues facing it are far more serious and widespread than the debris we see along our coastlines.

We Depend on the Oceans

How do the oceans impact YOU? Even if you live in Middle America, far away from the coastline, you depend on the ocean:

  • The oceans produce at least 50% of all oxygen on the planet.
  • The ocean acts as a “global thermostat,” taking in heat from the sun and keeping our planet’s temperature in relative balance.
  • Seafood is a major source of food around the globe.
  • Ocean-related industry is important for the global economy, providing revenue through fishing, seafood distribution, tourism, recreation and transportation.
  • Biomedical products derived from marine plant and animal sources provide important health benefits.

Unfortunately, our oceans are in crisis, and the problems are so far-reaching and complicated that it was difficult for me to write about this succinctly. The environment is a passion of mine, and my goal with this post is to generally introduce a few major problems facing the ocean, and point you to some nonprofits working to solve them.

Plastic Pollution

The problem of ocean pollution extends much further than what you see on our beaches.

Approximately 90% of ocean waste is plastic, which never decomposes – it just breaks down into smaller and smaller particles, which enter the food chain when they are ingested by sea life. Over 100,000 marine mammals and one million seabirds die each year from ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic.

Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times. This year we will add 14 billion pounds of trash to the ocean.

The good news is it’s really easy to make small changes that make a big impact. If you make one change in your life, please decrease your dependence on single-use plastics. The lid on your Starbucks cup or the plastic grocery bag you used for 15 minutes will never decompose. It will most likely end up in the ocean.

You may think you are doing enough simply by recycling your plastics—but unfortunately, plastic recycling is misleading. That “recycle” symbol on your coffee lid only identifies the type of plastic used and doesn’t indicate that something is recyclable. In fact, coffee lids and straws are usually not recyclable. The best thing you can do for our environment is to reuse: get a reusable coffee mug and water bottle, and carry reusable bags everywhere you go.

Learn more >> Watch the Bag It Documentary (streaming on Netflix!)
Read more >> The Price We Pay for Convenience | My Plastic Free Life
Make a difference >> Reduce your use of plastic
Make a difference >> Donate to Plastic Pollution Coalition
Donate Now

Other Types of Pollution

In addition to plastic pollution, the ocean is affected by air pollution, oil contamination, and human waste.

Over the last 250 years (since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution), oceans have absorbed 530 billion tons of carbon dioxide, generating a 30 percent increase in ocean acidity. A more acidic ocean could wipe out species, disrupt the food chain, and impact fishing, tourism and anything else that relies on the ocean.

Learn more about carbon dioxide >> Natural Resources Defense Council
Learn the effects of oil pollution >> Oceana
Learn about mercury in seafood >> Video – from Source to Seafood
Why you should choose not to cruise >> Cruise ship pollution
Make a difference >> Donate to Oceana
Donate Now

Overfishing & Sharks

“Apex” predators, such as sharks, are extremely sensitive to overfishing: They have few natural predators, are slow to mature, and have very few young. When an animal at the top of the food chain disappears, the rest of the ecosystem often spirals out of control. With declining large shark populations, smaller sharks, skates, and rays increase in numbers and their prey then plummets—eventually causing a collapse of the oceanic ecosystem.

In addition to the overfishing of predators, the seafood trade has led to the decimation of countless fish species. In order to meet the global demand for seafood, the industry is catching fish faster than they can reproduce.

Learn more about sharks >> Why Shark Conservation
Learn more about overfishing >> Greenpeace
Make a Difference >> Donate to Shark Safe (one of COARE’s projects)
Donate Now

Global Warming and Climate Change

Since the rise of the Industrial age, carbon dioxide emissions have increased drastically, resulting in a steady increase of the Earth’s temperature.

With rising temperatures, glaciers have started to melt, causing sea levels to rise; scientists estimate a rise of 4 to 36 inches in the next 100 years. Consider the impact: Worldwide, approximately 100 million people live within 36 inches (three feet) of sea level.

Global Warming also has a devastating effect on wildlife. Polar bears are completely dependent on ice—which they use for hunting and resting—for survival. They are now considered a threatened species, since they have to swim much further distances to find stable ice, and their main source of food (the ringed seal) is disappearing.

Learn More >> Watch the Chasing Ice documentary
Learn More >> How Global Warming Works
Learn more >> Rising sea levels
Make a Difference >> Donate to Polar Bears International
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Unfortunately, I’ve only covered a small portion of the problems facing the ocean.  We know less about our oceans than we do about outer space! Consequently, we likely underestimate its value and don’t fully understand the implications of the damage we are doing.

For more information, watch the Death of the Oceans documentary (the full film is online).

Did you learn something new, or have something to add? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below, or join the conversation on Facebook!

—Sara Olsher, Marketing Manager

How to Create a More Meaningful Life

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How to Create a More Meaningful Life

Happy New Year, readers! I hope you have each had a wonderful start to the New Year, and are feeling as optimistic as I am about 2013. This January feels like a new beginning for me, and a chance to use all of the life skills I’ve been building recently.

While many people create New Year’s Resolutions at the beginning of every year and vow to achieve specific goals, I think it’s more valuable to simply make a commitment to do better.

Over the past few months, I’ve dedicated myself to creating a more meaningful life as if it were another full-time job. And because many of us feel inspired by the fresh start that every January seems to offer us, I decided to share some of the new skills I’ve fostered. Perhaps you will be inspired, as I have been!

San Francisco Bay

Pause and appreciate

Our culture makes it easy to speed through life at 90 miles per hour, not connect with other humans, and turn off our minds (and spirits) in front of technology. We mindlessly scroll through Facebook feeds, walk around staring at our phones, and curse the quiet time that is provided by our commutes. And most of us—judging from the amount of road rage I see every day—aren’t particularly happy.

One of the best ways to bring abundance and happiness into your life is to show appreciation for the world around you, and for what your life has brought you. This goes beyond saying, “I am thankful for my home and family.” It means truly taking the time to enjoy the beauty in the people you love, the food that you eat, and your surroundings. Every day, I take the time to pause and truly enjoy a delicious cup of coffee or an especially good cookie. I tell my friends that I love them. I marvel in the beauty that is the San Francisco Bay.

Choose people over things

How often do you find yourself standing in a public place, but staring at your phone? I frequently see people dining together, but both parties are buried in their phones. I used to be like that. It is a difficult change to make, but putting my iPhone away and actually engaging with the people around me—both strangers and friends—has made a world of difference in my life. I made a commitment to put down my technology when I’m in the presence of other people, and engage in life. I am now connecting with my friends in person, not on Facebook. And when I’m with my friends, I am truly present and resist the opportunity to text someone who isn’t there.

Phone Stack Game

Find more purpose

Pursuing your passion doesn’t mean you need to quit your job and start a nonprofit (but kudos to you if you can!). For me, feeling as though I’m making a difference has started small, by finding people who are working for things I care passionately about and helping them.

Volunteering filled my heart, but I wanted to do more; the next obvious step for me was donating. Before I took my job at JustGive, I would have considered myself too cash-strapped to make a worthy donation. One thing I’ve learned, though, is that every bit makes a difference. And when I learned about monthly recurring donations, I realized that I could easily fit charity into my budget.

A small budget isn’t a problem for everyone, thankfully, and monthly giving has other benefits. For example, it’s easy: you can set up a recurring donation and forget about it. Knowing that you’re making a bigger difference in the causes you care about most feels amazing, and it’s nice to know that you don’t have to remember to make a contribution. Plus, nonprofits prefer monthly recurring donations: it’s money they can count on.

Here are a few great ways that a monthly contribution can make a difference in our world:

This is a great time of year to create positive new habits that will make you feel good about yourself, your family and your life. I hope that you’ve found these tips helpful, and I wish you a wonderful and happy 2013!

Do you have tips for making life more meaningful? Share them in the comments below, or join the conversation on Facebook!

—Sara Olsher, Marketing Manager