Chris Baskind dot com

Piggy bank with earth overlayAs environmental publishers, we know that part of good stewardship is sharing information, but even the most intelligent among us can not make change without doing something.

So this site and Lighter Footstep, along with The Good Human, Twilight Earth, Grass Stain Guru, My Green Side, The Smart Mama, A Little Greener Every Day, Fake Plastic Fish Allie’s Answers, and Natural Papa have teamed up to carry our message with one strong and united voice.

The message is that there are great organizations out there which are suffering in this economic downturn through decreased donations … and they need our help! So we have decided to give you, our readers, a voice and a choice. We have decided to take on a very simple fundraising mission, and we are asking you to donate just $1.00.

 A single dollar — that’s all.

 Who cannot afford a buck even in these times? We know you can spare a dollar to help out our fellow humans!

 But how do we all decide which charities to give 100% of all monies raised to? We’re going to put it to a vote and let you make that choice. The participating websites have picked five charities for all donors to vote for, and we are asking you to choose which two of them will receive the all monies donated.

 Our purpose in doing this is three-fold:

  • It gives YOU a voice. As loyal readers and stewards of our environment, we want to offer you the opportunity to make a difference without breaking the bank.
  • It gives the two charities with the most votes some much appreciated funds to continue their mission
  • It allows all of us an opportunity to connect as a community of like-minded people working for the common good of ourselves, our families and our planet.

If the community of folks who care about our planet cannot come together to rise up to a challenge, who will? That is why we are asking you for a $1 donation. While $1 may seem insignificant all by itself, by pooling our resources together we really can make a difference in these tough economic times. $1 is less than the price of a candy bar and can usually be found under the seat cushions of your couch. Won’t you help 2 of these charities with your $1 donation? (Now, if you want to give more, please feel free. We won’t stop you! And by all means, send this to everyone you know so we can raise even more!)



Over at Lighter Footstep, you’ll find a poll and a Paypal donation link asking you to choose from the five suggested charities. We ask that you please donate a dollar to the donation pool if you are going to vote, and know that even if your absolute favorite does not finish first or second, all the money donated will be going to worthwhile causes. If everyone we know who reads our sites, our Twitter feeds, our Facebook sites, etc. donates just $1, imagine the impact we can have as a group. And please, spread the word!

Please take a moment to vote for your favorite and to donate just a single dollar to these charities. Times are tough, but our collective might can really help them out. The results will be tallied two weeks from today, and we will write another article detailing the amounts and the two charities who garnered the most votes and will be receiving the money collected. It’s only $1, so please donate!

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Iranian demonstratorsIt’s difficult for those of us in the United States to fully understand what’s going on in Iran. Just over a year ago, we had a major presidential candidate singing “bomb Iran” to the delight of his chuckling partisans, as if the death of Iranian civilians would actually make things better in the Middle East.

There has been almost three decades of bad blood between the U.S. and Iran. During this time, our respective governments have used each other as convenient boogie men, leading up to our current (and very dangerous) confrontation over Iran’s nuclear aspirations. Though almost half a million Iranians now live in the United States, our people don’t know each other very well.

Which makes the events of the past week all that much more surprising to Americans. We’ve been shocked and humbled at the sight of hundreds of thousands of young, disciplined, courageous Iranians marching through the streets of Tehran in protest of an obviously farcical election. Despite widespread press censorship, we’ve heard their voices and recognized our own faces in theirs.

While the present demonstrations are limited in their scope — the presidential elections were, after all, a contest of relatve conservatives — something is changing in Iran, and it’s being changed by the Iranians themselves. That’s a hopeful sign for the future, as is this campaign video. It was produced on behalf of Mehdi Karroubi, founder of the reformist Etemad-e Melli Party. He nearly defeated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2005 election, and has attended this week’s opposition rallies alongside Mir-Hossein Moussavi.

Good luck, Iranians: It’s your fight and your nation. But it’s our joint future.

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Ecolinks for Friday, 29 May

29 May 2009
Ecolinks monitor with sunflower

The Chevy Volt seems secure as GM heads for bankruptcy; Greenopia ranks the least environmentally offensive airlines; and earn an eco degree by changing the world.

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10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media

12 May 2009
Max Gladwell

From Max Gladwell: Citizen journalism, open government, status updates, community building, information sharing, crowdsourcing, and the election of a President.

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The Seven Stones of Simpler Living

21 March 2009
A stack of river stones

Learning to live a simpler, greener life isn’t about the latest eco-friendly product. It’s about finding the important things — and setting them in balance.

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A Quick Reboot to the Backside

15 March 2009
Control-Alt-Delete keys

Here in the Florida Panhandle, it’s already spring — time to do a little cleaning and rearranging. This site is getting a makeover, and here are the details.

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