TODAY'S TURN: Win for a good cause

THE ISSUE:
Auctions are about winning. Silent auctions, online auctions, live auctions - that moment between bid and gavel can make your heart race and your palms sweat. You get something cool and unique, and if you do well, you get it at a solid price. What if you could make it even more fun by supporting a cause you believe in?

THE GOOD TURN:
Now, auctions are about winning for a good cause. Next time you're about to hit eBay, visit BiddingForGood.com first. You'll see auctions for stuff you can't find anywhere else. Every item sold raises money for a different non-profit, from community causes and arts organizations to local grade schools. It's like being at a non-profit benefit, but you won't have to dress up in a tux and pay $1,000 to reserve a table.

Just a quick scan showed me this stuff:
Behind the scenes tour of the Today show to support a New York City nursery school.
A portable air compressor to support a symphony in Montana.
Be a Zookeeper for a Day at the Cincinnati Zoo to support pediatric brain tumor research.
Green Bay Packer tickets to support Junior Achievement in Iowa.
Dinner and a movie package to support American Red Cross in Virginia.

Click here to do this Good Turn:
See more auction items at BiddingForGood.com.

TODAY'S TURN: Turn Strangers Into Neighbors

THE ISSUE:
People with just two hands, a thin wallet and arms tired from being pulled in several directions (like myself) can feel helpless in the face of enormous issues. That's why this site exists.

And there's probably no bigger issue than the tens of millions living in makeshift slum communities around the world. That's pretty intimidating for one person to take on.

THE GOOD TURN:
Thankfully, I know someone who's doing just that. His book, Dispossessed: Life in Our World's Urban Slums, is an eye-opening read.

This blog thrives on the idea that small actions and everyday decisions add up to something special. We can do what we can control. But urban slum communities are a bit more to wrap your (tired) arms around than buying fair trade shoes. What can you possibly do?

You can start by simply learning about the people and their reality. This book will introduce you.

The author does a thoughtful job of bringing a human face to displaced "squatter" communities in Manila, Nairobi, Mexico City, Bangkok, and Cairo. He seeks neither pity nor sainthood for the people he profiles. Simply understanding. As you read about their everyday lives and the issues they face, you'll learn that people in these communities are no more noble, shiftless, generous or cruel than anyone else. They're simply people like ourselves doing the best they can with what they have to make a better life for their families.

After reading this book, the world will seem a little smaller and its people a little closer. Seems like a good start.

(You might notice that the author's name - Mark Kramer - is very close to mine. It's because he's my brother. And I coudn't be prouder of the little nose-picker. He's one of the world's truly good guys.)

Click here to do this Good Turn:
Download and read Chapter 2 of Dispossessed (pdf).
Read more about the book.
Order the book today.

TODAY'S TURN: Avoid the Bag Battle

THE ISSUE:
Paper or plastic? Sort of like asking whether you'd like your eyes glued shut or your tongue stapled. Or asking which of your children you love more. There's no right answer. I found an excellent media show on MSNBC.com that shows just how hard this choice can be. I thought it was a simple choice - would you rather have toxic landfills or wipe out some more trees? Apparently, not even that simple. The video brings up some tough facts from several sources:

Plastic...
...kills thousands of marine animals each year.
...uses 12 million barrels of oil to fill U.S. grocery bag needs.
...won't degrade until every one of us is dead, at the very least.

Paper...
...takes 40% more energy to make.
...requires 5x as many trucks to ship.
...is made by one of the top 10 most polluting industries.

THE GOOD TURN:
Both paper and plastic are improving. Makers of oxo-biodegradable plastic bags claim that their bags can degrade in as litte as a few months. And most paper bags are already made with at least 35% recycled stuff. So all you have to do is shop at stores that carry oxo-bio and recycled bags, right? We could end up doing all our shopping at Hemp.com.

How about something more realistic. Until a clear winner emerges, how about trying a reusable bag? Some are sturdy, some are arty, some are exceedingly convenient. But they have one thing in common: it's a choice you won't EVER feel guilty about.

Click here to do this Good Turn:
Trader Joe's bags are popular on ebay.
The nylon ChicoBag collapses into its own pouch.
Basura Art Bags are handmade for fair trade wages in Honduras.
Reusablebags.com has a list of reusable shopping items.

TODAY'S TURN: Turn over a new grape leaf

THE ISSUE:
Choosing a wine is tough enough already. Flavor, color, finish, aroma, palate, viscosity, clarity, intensity, character, dryness, acidity, body, fruit, temperature, vintage, age -- is it fair to throw Fair Trade into the mix? But in many developing countries, grape farmers and workers are dependant on low incomes that often don't cover labor and production costs. I think how it's made could at least be as important as how well it swirls.

THE GOOD TURN:
Choosing an ethically-produced wine that meets your taste may not be as hard as you think. Some tremendous brands have come in from South Africa, Chile and Argentina in particular. When you buy a Fair Trade wine, you can be sure the growers were paid a living wage and that it was produced in way that Mother Nature can live with. South African fair trade wineries even have to be at least 25% owned by the workers.

Can I tell you which ones to choose? Are you kidding me? I can't even be trusted to drink red wine with steak. I'm the last person to make vino recommendations. But I can show you where to find the good stuff:

Click here to do this Good Turn:
Etica Fair Trade Wines
Order a mixed case of Fair Trade wines
Melania and Taborga Chilean Wines
Top 10 Fair Trade Wines (in UK)
Fair Trade Wine Award Winners

Kiva loan update: first payment already

Not too long ago, I joined 43 other people from around the world to loan $1,350 to Zaituni Mudoobi and her group for her catering/restaurant business in Kireka, Uganda. We did it through Kiva.org, an online company that arranges microloans for thousands of businesses in developing countries.

We just got our first loan payment: $113 right on time! If all goes well at this rate, the loan could be paid off in a year. And then I can turn the money into another business microloan.

It's like recycling money!

You can recycle THAT?

Recycling's easy, right? You chuck newspapers, cardboard and plastic bottles in those green recycle bins and take it out to the curb once a week. What else can you do?

Turns out, PLENTY. You can recycle more than you think -- if you know how. Everything from VHS tapes and computers to wire hangers and those little packing peanuts. This article explains how to recycle anything.

My favorites:
-- Dead smoke detectors can be sent back to the manufacturer.
-- Old eyeglasses can be refurbished and sent to developing countries.
-- Radio Shack and Home Depot will be happy to take your rechargeable batteries.

The winner:
You know those old CDs you got laying around? Hell, seems like half the stuff we listen to is recycled crap anyway. Just send them to ACT Recycling and a team of disabled employees will recycle and sell 'em under the GreenDisk label. Send your used media to: Alternative Community Training, 2200 Burlington, Columbia, MO 65202, (800) 359-4607.

Read about how to recycle more stuff here.

Feel free to recycle this post too. Just send it along and it'll be good as new.

TODAY'S TURN: Buy with meaning

THE ISSUE:
When you buy a vase at an import store conglomerate, do you really feel connected to the fingers that actually touched the clay? When you pick up a fabulous bamboo chest at the mall department store, do you put much thought into the brains behind the beauty? Chances are, probably not.

That's not a dig, just human nature. It's natural for us to put more value into items that we feel connected to. That's why homemade trinkets mean more than store bought lavishness. It's why that crude little drum you bought on vacaton from a native Jamaican means more than finding a more polished version in the states. That personal connection holds huge amounts of value. Faceless products hold less value and we end up feeling detached from the very things we surround ourselves with.

THE GOOD TURN:
It's one of my new favorite stores. 10,000 Villages works with over 100 artisan groups in 30 countries around the globe to bring you handcrafted products directly from the artisans themselves. The company builds relationships with thousands of individual artisans and passes those relationships on to you. Distributors, shippers, wholesalers, retailers - none of them get in the way. It's just you and the person who made it. The artisan gets a fair price for their work and you get to learn more about who made that lovely sculpture that will soon be resting on your mantle.

10,000 Villages has 160 stores around the U.S. and a decent web site for browsing and buying. Toys, jewelry, wall hangings, even musical instruments, These are truly unique gifts - a deeper meaning comes free with each purchase.

Click here to do this Good Turn.