GENERATIVITY
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It took a long time to decide on a name for this new section. In keeping with the Editorial about Feeding the Soul and how we may be experiencing a strong loss of soul at this stage of the game, finding meaning in life becomes all that more important and almost urgent. The word generativity means many things, all with a common root. It denotes a concern for establishing and guiding the next generation, making a difference, the sense of contribution, of helping others, of giving back, and taking care of. The word was actually coined in 1950 by psychoanalyst Erik Erikson. This new section will take the place of our Rachel's section, which has run for years and years. I'm sure many of you really enjoyed it, so you can still find it here - www.rachel.org. We encourage you to keep in touch with the political and environmental concerns expressed on that site. It is hard-hitting and extremely timely. But I thought we might want to go to the next level of involvement with our world. Rather than just reading about other people's opinions and what they do as far as contribution and giving back, perhaps we may want to do some of that ourselves, eh? This new section will contain quarterly listings of interesting data and websites about giving back, going green, and helping each other and the planet in many ways. If you have a favorite site that you'd like to share with our readers (this will also appear on our website), please email us the link to thedooropener@comcast.net. We'd love to feature it. Some of the following are our all-time favorites, of course, but there may be some goodies here that you may not be aware of. These sites include fair trade, green sites, environmental sites, supportive sites, inspiring and uplifting sites, philanthropic sites and so much more! This list will be cummulative, so what you see below is a compilation of quite a few of our lists. Enjoy and make a difference! www.dosomething.org - This is a very cool site dedicated to helping teens find good things to do as contribution to their planet. They can pull up a menu with the following options: What cause? Who with? Where? How long? By making these selections and hitting the Search button, a new page comes up listing all of the possibilities for good, hardy philanthropy! What fun! www.theuniformproject.com - Boy, this site is right up my daughter's alley! The Uniform Project™ started in 2009 when a young woman realized she was drowning in the doldrums of an advertising career. To counter the uninspired demands of the corporate world, she came up with an unusual creative challenge; to wear the same dress for an entire year - but, and this is where the real challenge came in, she'd have to make it look unique every single day and do so without buying anything new. The challenge was also designed to be an online fundraiser, raising money to send underprivileged kids to school. Thus, in May 2009, with fashion as her medium, and education her cause, U.P founder Sheena Matheiken launched the Uniform Project, pledging to wear one little black dress for 365 days as an exercise in sustainability and a fundraiser to support the Akanksha Foundation - a non-profit organization providing education to children living in Indian slums. And for the next year, Sheena reinvented her uniform solely using accessories that were either vintage, handmade, reused, or donated. By the end of the yearlong challenge, the U.P site received over 2 million hits and raised over $100,000 in donations for the Akanksha Foundation and Sheena was named one of Elle Magazine's Women of the Year for 2009. The U.P now has an international following of supporters, a few of whom have joined Sheena to form the Uniform Project company. The U.P is now in its second year, expanding its first year model as a global platform converging philanthropy, fashion, sustainability and social commerce into an ongoing mission. www.earth911.com - This is a beautiful sleek site featuring loads and loads of information on green news and lifestyle, recycling, and sustainable business solutions. This site is put together very well and is actually restful and easy to use, with hundreds of tips and historical data around greening and sustainability - you really need to see this one! www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com - Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas. Cell Phones for Soldiers collects approximately 50,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country. The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone - enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad. "Americans will replace an estimated 130 million cell phones this year," says Mike Newman, vice president of ReCellular, "with the majority of phones either discarded or stuffed in a drawer. Most people don't realize that the small sacrifice of donating their unwanted phones can have a tremendous benefit for a worthy cause like Cell Phones for Soldiers." Go onto this site to find out how you can donate YOUR old cell phone! www.improveverywhere.com - You will not be able to get off this site! (In fact, I was supposed to be writing this column and got sucked right in!!) Have you heard of the No Pants on the Subway prank? This site contains prank after prank after prank. Groups of folks go out into crowds and create scenes. You will enjoy many videos like No Pants on the Subway, Black Tie Beach, Where's Rob? It's a collection of studies in human behavior - you'll love it! www.doonenicething.com - This site states on its home page: Are Mondays tough? Sure. Feel better by doing at least one nice thing for someone to start the new week right. Do one nice thing every Monday. Or any day that ends in y. Make it a habit every week. Join us, and become a Nice-o-holic. We'll tell you how, and who else is doing nice things. We want to hear your nice ideas too. Sign up for our emails. That's good news in your inbox once a month, free of course! And we'll send you a gift. Helping feels good. You could get hooked. A uniter, not a divider, we embrace everyone. Do One Nice Thing is a No Politics Zone. Working together, it's amazing what we can achieve. If you don't have any imagination, there are oodles of suggestions on this site in all areas! www.footprintnetwork.org - The Global Footprint Network promotes a sustainable economy by advancing the Ecological Footprint, a tool that makes sustainability measurable. Together with its partners, the network coordinates research, develops methodological standards, and provides decision makers with robust resource accounts to help the human economy operate within the Earth's ecological limits. www.zsl.org - Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity whose key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. ZSL runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in over forty countries worldwide. www.ctgreenscene.com - This is a wonderful blog spot about Green Connecticut. It's filled with blog articles about everything green in our state - opportunities, new ventures, upcoming movies, health information, organic recommendations, genetic engineering info, and so much more! If you are a green individual, this is the site for you! www.global-mindshift.org - With the motto of "To change the world, change your mind," this is a beautiful site dedicated to the formation of a global community. Watch the intro video. If 5% of a community's population adopts an idea, it's embedded. If 20% adopt it, it's unstoppable. Their Mission Statement: To help make the emergence of a global community unstoppable. The site contains global communications and interesting things called memes (videos). A meme is a unit of cultural information that can be transferred from one individual to another. Like genes for the body, memes help cultures evolve. View them. Share them. Submit your own. Any one you choose, you'll be helping to build global community. www.nwf.org - The National Wildlife Federation is America's largest conservation organization. They work with more than 4 million members, partners, and supporters in communities across the country to protect and restore wildlife habitat, confront global warming, and connect with nature. Theirs is a massively huge website dedicated to protection of the animals and education for the public. You can find timely information on the oil spill, as well as info on how to turn your garden into a Certified Wildlife Habitat. And the photographs on their site are simply spectacular. www.gethuman.com - While this is not a site to help the planet per se, it sure helps the frustration level of its human inhabitants. This site provides a list of about 2,000 companies and the accompanying phone number where you can reach an actual human being to speak to. There are also ratings on the satisfaction level. (Note: I also read in Reader's Digest recently that if you want to speak to a human but are stuck in an automated menu, press all the buttons on your phone or speak gibberish as replies to their automated questions. A human will show up on the line shortly!) www.happiness-project.com - Based on the New York Times #1 bestselling book of the same name by Gretchen Rubin, a lawyer turned writer, this is a delightful site that is loaded with suggestions, quotes, and video snippets on how to be happier. The volume of information and inspiration on this site is impressive - there's absolutely something here for everyone. It's not a pie-in-the-sky, Pollyanna type site. It's very grounded, practical, and logical - and totally uplifting. Check it out and spend some time exploring. www.muttville.com - A former Commissioner of Animal Control and Welfare in San Francisco, Sherri Franklin saw that so many elderly dogs were euthanized due to their age - no one wants an old dog. She founded Muttville in 2007. It specializes in the placement of senior dogs, who have loads and loads of love left to share. Their mission is to rescue wonderful, older, loving dogs from shelters and euthanasia and find them homes with people who love seniors as much as they do. Sherri started Muttville because "every dog deserves a happy ending!" They have begun a Seniors for Seniors program which matches senior dogs with senior humans. You really need to go to this site and watch their video. There's a scene of Sherri in her home with all her elderly dogs - many graying and dressed in warm sweaters. Absolutely heart-warming! www.commonkindness.com - This is an interesting site where you can print coupons and buy things - and Common Kindness will donate a portion of the proceeds to the charity of your choice. First, you sign in and select your charities. Then you "clip" printable grocery coupons. The companies pay advertising fees to Common Kindness - 20% to 60% of funds received with the charities you select - at no cost to you! www.freekibble.com and www.freekibblekat.com - These are quiz sites - there is a daily question and you guess the answer from a multiple choice list. Whether you're right or wrong, 10 pieces of kibble are donated to various locations. Astonishingly, 385,173,670 pieces of kibble have been donated since April 1, 2008. Sign up for an email reminder - it's fun and helpful! Their motto is "Every dog deserves a decent dinner." www.freerice.com - You may know about this one - it's been around for a while. Another quiz oriented donation site, you are asked to choose the meaning of a vocabulary word from the multiple choice list. For every correct answer you get, 10 grains of rice are donated. You can go on and on until you get tired ... If you get an answer wrong, it will retest you so you can donate as much rice as you are able to. Expand your vocabulary (there are some doozies here) while feeding the hungry! It's crazy - you'll get hooked! www.caringbridge.org - CaringBridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free websites that connect family and friends during a serious health event, care, and recovery. Their mission is to bring together a global community of care powered by the love of family and friends in an easy, accessible and private way. A CaringBridge website is personal, private and available 24/7. It helps ease the burden of keeping family and friends informed. The websites are easy to create and use. Authors add health updates and photos to share their story while visitors leave messages of love and support in the guestbook. Each day, over half-a-million people connect through CaringBridge. More than 1 billion visits have been made to personal CaringBridge websites. The CaringBridge community includes authors, visitors and/or donors in all 50 states and more than 215 countries/territories around the world. www.worldvision.org - World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. They serve close to 100 million people in nearly 100 countries around the world. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Motivated by faith in Jesus Christ, they serve alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of God's unconditional love for all people. Wherever they work, their prayer is that their efforts will be used by God to heal and strengthen people's relationships with Him and with one another. They do this by demonstrating God's unconditional love for all people through service to the poor - which includes providing for daily needs, working to build peace and promote justice, and partnering with churches and individuals to encourage spiritual transformation. World Vision is a global organization with offices in approximately 100 countries. These interdependent national offices are bound together by a Covenant of Partnership, a biblically based agreement that enables them to work together in a unified and complementary way as they walk alongside those they serve. www.terracycle.net - Here is a company destined for the big time. You send them your trash, and they make products out of it. In fact, in April of 2010, they did a huge 60-product program at Walmart. These 60 products were displayed for sale right next to the products/garbage they were made from. For example, a backpack made from old Oreo packages was displayed for sale next to the real Oreo cookies. Cool! So far, the company has nearly 10 million folks participating, has collected 1.2 billion waste units, and has made 178 different products from waste. Their products are trendy and innovative - check them out! www.savethefrogs.com - Kerry Kriger is one of the most dedicated "animal saviors" we have seen. It is for that reason that I want to point this site out again. This site is really neat! The use of color and photographs is terrific. How to help the frogs: drive slower on wet nights, don't use pesticides, build a frog pond, don't purchase wild caught amphibians as pets, don't eat frog legs, and eat locally grown organic food! Frogs are way too cool to lose! www.41pounds.org - Get junk mail? Don't want junk mail? It is estimated that the average American receives 41 pounds of unsolicited, unwanted junk mail per year. Connect up with this website and they will work on your behalf to contact dozens of companies to stop your junk mail! Their service is for five years. Consider: Time - No credit card offers to shred or unwanted catalogs. Trees - Keep 100+ million trees in forests, cooling the planet. Water - Protect 28 billion gallons of clean water. Climate - Junk mail produces more C02 than 9 million cars. Planet - They donate 1/3 of your fee to your favorite charity when you sign up. Check them out on Facebook, too! www.nccan.hih.gov - The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, training CAM researchers, and disseminating authoritative information to the public and professionals. For additional information, call NCCAM's Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCAM Web site at nccam.nih.gov. NCCAM is 1 of 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health, the Federal focal point for medical research in the United States. Follow their research, get their free newsletter, and review their statistics on the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. www.transitionus.org - Transition US is a nonprofit organization that provides inspiration, encouragement, support, networking, and training for Transition Initiatives across the United States. They work in close partnership with the Transition Network, a UK based organization that supports the international Transition Movement as a whole. The Transition Movement is a vibrant, grassroots movement that seeks to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change, and the economic crisis. It represents one of the most promising ways of engaging people in strengthening their communities against the effects of these challenges, resulting in a life that is more abundant, fulfilling, equitable and socially connected. They believe that they can make the transition to a more sustainable world. www.whitehouse.gov - Looking for ways to stay connected to our administration and the White House on a daily basis? Want to boggle your mind with pages and pages of information about the various branches of our government, committees, summits, etc.? Check out this website for videos, announcements, photos, messages, and on and on. This site contains absolutely everything on all things White House and Obama Administration. As you know, President Obama is very user-friendly and extremely connected to the public and communication. You can be sure that he has a personal hand in keeping this site chock full of information that the American public wants to know. www.foresightnews.com - This is a pretty serious site. ForesightNews USA has over two decades of experience providing comprehensive news and events information to the world's most demanding media, government, and business organizations. ForesightNews USA covers the issues that matter. The service's coverage is constantly evolving, reflecting the stories set to dominate the future news agenda. ForesightNews USA is the essential future news and events forward planning service. Its foci are as follows: editorial forward planning, PR and communications campaign planning, business and competitor intelligence, staying ahead of the news agenda, and anticipating and influencing public opinion. www.grist.org - This is a source The Door Opener has been connected with for many years. Grist presents snippets of current news with a touch of sarcasm and real-life reaction. There are no topics off limits for Grist. They work heavily with stories in the arenas of politics, climate change, recycling, energy, healthy living, and so much more. They are well worth a look and an e-subscription. HELP FOR HAITI - Haiti will be needing assistance for quite a while. The State of CT Crisis Reponse Teams have compiled a list of reputable relief organizations. They are as follows: www.redcross.org - American Red Cross www.americares.org - AmeriCares www.savethechildren.org - Save The Children www.PanAmericanRelief.org - Pan American Relief www.pih.org - Partners in Health www.doctorswtihoutborders.org - Doctors Without Borders www.oxfam.org - OxFam International www.mercycorps.org - Mercy Corps http://www.drsforamerica.org/insurance stories/ - This is a very timely website and extremely interesting. Each state in our country is featured and those sections present compilations of stories and comments submitted by doctors on the frontlines in each state. You can hear directly from the doctors about their opinions on the health care reform movement in our country. www.savethemanatee.org is one of those "save the ___" sites focused on one animal. There are so many, sadly, and this is one of our favorites. You will note our Save the Manatee ads in The Door Opener from time to time. Horrifying statistics will move you to take action to help save these gentle giants of the waters. Please visit for more information and to make a difference. This is a 501c3 membership-based organization. www.savethefrogs.com is another 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in May 2008. Save the Frogs is comprised of an international team of scientists, educators, policymakers and naturalists dedicated to protecting the world's amphibian species through environmental education, scientific research, legal defense and the acquisition of critical habitat. Please see more information on this organization in our Holistic Gaia section of this issue of The Door Opener for startling statistics. www.dogster.com - This is site that is Facebook for dogs! It features everything dog, including dog blogs, dog of the day, dog of the month, educational info, adoption info, news stories, contests, and dog profiles with photos and videos. As of the writing of this column, there were over 500,000 dogs on this site. Give it a look-see! The quantity of information on this site is truly incredible. www.kiva.org - This is a truly uplifting site that links financial lenders with low income entrepreneurs throughout the world, particularly women. Nearly $2 million have been loaned to date. Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe. www.buildanest.com - Nest is a nonprofit organization that empowers female artists and artisans around the world. Using a unique combination of interest-free microfinance loans, mentoring from established designers, as well as a market in which to sell their crafts, Nest helps its loan recipients create successful small businesses. Nest instills pride of ownership, preserves ancient artistic traditions and successfully moves women from poverty to self-sufficiency. www.symphonyofscience.com - The Symphony of Science is a musical project headed by John Boswell designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form. Here you can watch music videos, download songs, read lyrics, and find links relating to the messages conveyed by the music. The project owes its existence in large measure to the wonderful work of Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steve Soter, of Druyan-Sagan Associates, and their production of the classic PBS Series Cosmos, as well as all the other featured figures and visuals. Continuation of the music and videos relies upon generous support from fans and followers. You can make a donation if you wish to contribute support to the project. www.national911memorial.org - A well thought out site depicting the breath-taking proposal for the 911 Memorial grounds. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc. began formal operations in the spring of 2005 and worked with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation on the design and construction management plan. In the summer of 2006, the organization assumed responsibility for overseeing the design and working with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), the construction manager on the project. The National September 11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center will bear solemn witness to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993. The Museum will honor the nearly 3,000 victims of these attacks and all those who risked their lives to save others. It will further recognize the thousands who survived and all who demonstrated extraordinary compassion in the aftermath. Demonstrating the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and its impact on communities at the local, national, and international levels, the Museum will attest to the triumph of human dignity over human depravity and affirm an unwavering commitment to the fundamental value of human life. Read here about the Memorial, Library, and ways to donate to the cause. www.plasticbagrecycling.org - This is a website about all things plastic bag, which is one of the most recent recyclables. You can find all kinds of information about plastic bag recycling including what material is readily recyclable as well as a list of retailers that offer plastic bag recycling recovery. You can find specific information such as plastic film types, recyclers, how to calculate the economics of recovery, and recycling signage. Retailers can help through education, providing recycling bins in convenient locations, and listing in their directory. www.projectsmile.org - Project Smile is federally tax exempt non-profit organization which donates stuffed animals, coloring books/crayons, small toys and children's reading books to police and fire departments for police officers, fire fighters and paramedics to give to children involved in traumatic situations. Project Smile has recently launched the Operation Elder Care program which provides stuffed animals to elderly people who are making the difficult and frequently traumatic transition to life in a nursing home. Established in November 2003, Project Smile was founded by Catherine Pisacane. www.ourmilitary.mil - This is the official site for our U.S. Department of Defense Community Relations and is truly amazing. You can read about our country's heroes, submit your own story, and find ways to support the troops. Read about how to send the troops a message, read messages back from the troops, and hear shoutouts from the troops in a section called Faces of Freedom. Faces of Freedom is an amazing section which personalizes the soldiers and lets them speak to their families and us via well produced videos. www.preventchildabuse.org - Since 1972, Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) has led the way in building awareness, providing education and inspiring hope to everyone involved in the effort to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children. Working with chapters, they provide leadership to promote and implement prevention efforts at both the national and local levels. With the help of our state chapters and concerned individuals, they're valuing children, strengthening families and engaging communities nationwide. www.smartpower.org - SmartPower was created by forward-thinking, private foundations and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, who believe that renewable energy solutions require the same consumer marketing approaches as traditional brands. Consequently, SmartPower has become the nation's award winning, non-profit marketing organization on clean energy and energy efficiency. On their website, Smart Power states, "We uncover consumer barriers that the American people face when considering a clean energy or energy efficiency purchase. We use innovative research approaches that help us pinpoint the most effective messages to our customers. We build partnerships with stakeholders, utility companies, state agencies and clean energy funds to develop ground level approaches that connect interested consumers and prospective customers with our message. We provide marketing tool kits for local use that deliver the clean energy message in a compelling, breakthrough way. We spread the renewable energy message through the latest traditional and new media approaches to help build a strong voluntary market. Simply put . . . Our mission is to help build the clean energy marketplace by helping the American public become smarter about their energy use." www.petfinder.com - As the holidays approach, many well-intended people will be purchasing various kinds of animals to serve as pets. However, many of these people do not consider all of the variables to pet ownership. PetFinder may be the largest and most comprehensive pet locator and educational resource on the internet. Its primary functions are to help its readers learn everything they need to know prior to adopting a pet, both pros and cons. It lets the reader search for all kinds of animals that can legally serve as pets in the U.S. - dogs, cats, amphibians, reptiles, barnyard, bird, small and furry, horses, etc. You can find adoption groups from all around the country and well beyond into Canada and some of the islands. You can also post pet classified ads in the event that the well intended "gift" sadly does not work out. www.gettingpurpose.org - Getting Purpose, Inc. is a non-profit organization that helps individuals and companies reconnect to their purpose, reclaim their power, and ignite their passion. Through the leadership and guiding wisdom of Larry Ford, they dedicate themselves to reawakening the conviction that we are here for a reason by providing practical, real-world education and examples to help guide individuals and organizations into an empowered life of purpose. Sign up to receive weekly words of wisdom sent to your email account. www.motivationinaminute.com - This site features current motivational movies and books for personal development and as business resources. The organization has a deep passion for the personal and professional development industry. They focus on people who are ready to make their life or business better. It's helping a person just like that that gets them "fired up." They have two goals: (1) inspire, uplift and motivate; and (2) hold up a light and show you that,"Yes. You CAN live your dreams. There are people who will support you and here are resources to help you reach your goals. For us, one of the worst things in life is unfulfilled potential. We want to help save the world from unfulfilled potential and unfulfilled dreams... starting with you!" www.shopnwf.org - Adopt an animal for someone as a holiday gift! The National Wildlife Federation offers two adoption options. You can adopt an animal or a wild animal baby. Surprise a loved one with a symbolic gift of a gibbon, vampire bat, giraffe, koala, lynx, bison, and so many others! www.greenamericatoday.org - This very responsible site is dedicated to education and support of harnessing economic power, the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace, to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Formerly called Co-Op America, Green America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982. www.sierraclub.org - Founded in 1892, the Sierra Club is one of the most loved organizations in the country. With over 1.3 million members, the Sierra Club works to help sustain a safe and healthy community in which to live, use smart energy solutions to combat global warming, and create an enduring legacy for America's wild places. Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. www.nature.org - The Nature Conservancy was founded in 1951 and is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people with over 1 million members to date. Since 1951, they have protected more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide. They operate over 100 marine conservations projects and work in all 50 states. Consider a holiday gift of the adoption of an acre in Australia or in the Rocky Mountains. www.grinningplanet.com - a very funny site that advertises itself as "Saving the Planet One Joke at a Time." Features not only jokes and cartoons, but quotes such as: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Dr. Seuss, from The Lorax. www.treehugger.com - a high quality consumer site that has bountiful education from numerous sources about green living, products, building, automobiles, etc. www.rescueink.org - a phenomenal national site dedicated to preventing abuse to animals in a very unique way. These guys say of themselves, "You take a look at us, and maybe your first reaction is to cross to the other side of the street. Just remember to look both ways before you do. We're not a gang, vigilantes or a social organization, but we do have that certain "in your face" style when it comes to animal abusers." A group of animal-loving bikers, they travel around the country to hunt down abusers and get justice for the defenseless animals. It's worth taking a look at this awesome site and considering getting involved in some way. www.ncreview.com - New Consciousness Review. This is a tremendous site for books "that expand minds and lift spirits." This site contains countless book suggestions and reviews in the areas of spirituality, holistic health, metaphysics, religion, astrology, paranormal, UFOs, healing arts, food and nutrition, art and literature. Dangerous site - you'll find soooooo many that you need to have in your library! www.dawn-dish.com/en_us/savingwildlife - Did you know that Dawn dishwashing detergent has been used to wash animals covered in oil from oil spills for over 30 years? When you buy a bottle of Dawn and activate your donation online, one dollar will be donated towards the International Bird Rescue Research Center and the Marine Mammal Center. Please consider switching to Dawn and helping the oil-spill victims. www.artfortheanimals.org - This is an outrageous site for people who love artwork featuring animals. You can select the category of animal you'd like to see and pick from numerous beautiful pieces of artwork. This site also features strong education on each animal. This program combines wildlife donations and original folk art into extraordinary holiday gifts. There are also a variety of donation packages to choose from, each representing a threatened or endangered species or habitat. www.inspiremetoday.com/globalhugtour - The Global Hug Tour! Follow them as they travel around the world - two people in a small prop plane, stopping in 100+ locations on a tour to gather inspiration, deliver 100,000+ hugs, and share more than $1 million with important causes. Just one hug will feed 3 homeless people in Chicago. Two hugs will help educate a child in Cambodia. 100 hugs will pay for heart surgery to save the life of a child in India. www.earthlings.com - If you can handle it, watch this trailer. This is noted to be one of the most violent films of all time. Why? Because it's all real. It states there are three powerful forces on this planet - nature, humans, and animals. These three need to live in balance. This film was created in support of our ethical treatment of animals. By showing the horrors of real-life treatment of poor animals of all kinds, it is this movie and site's hope that people are moved to activism and step up to help. This is an international venture and very firmly (understatement) decrees that things need to change! www.worldwildlife.org - The World Wildlife Fund Network, of which the U.S. World Wildlife Federation is a part, is involved in environmental conservation and has a very simply stated mission: To protect the future of nature. The organization, founded in 1961, is 45 years old and began in Europe. It is an international organization and, interestingly, began on September 11. There are currently 30 independent network member countries from all over the globe. Since 1985, the WWF Network has invested over $1.165 billion in more than 11,000 projects in 130 countries. www.defenders.org - Defenders of Wildlife is a US nonprofit membership organization founded in 1947. It is one of our country's leaders in science-based, results-oriented wildlife conservation. They work closely and strongly in support of the Endangered Species Act and work towards the preservation of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. www.conservationfund.org - This is our country's top rated environmental nonprofit organization. Founded in 1985, the Conservation Fund has helped to protect more than 6 million acres of land, thereby sustaining wild havens, working lands, and vibrant communities. The Fund is committed to advancing America's land and water legacy by focusing on conservation for future generations. www.arborday.org - This is the organization we here at The Door Opener contribute to. For every one-year subscription, we purchase a tree - two-year subscription, two trees. There is a tremendous amount of information about trees, planting, care, purchase of, donations for, etc. The site states that in 2008, its members planted 8.5 million trees. Its mission is stated as follows: We inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. You receive 10 free baby trees when you join. www.planetgreen.com - This site is supported by the Discovery Channel companies and is a fabulous resource for all things green. There are articles on fashion and beauty, food and health, home and garden, tech and transport, travel and outdoors, and work. There are a lot of DIY and recycling projects. There is also a great Treehugger page with environmental news briefs. www.wherevertheneed.org - Wherever The Need (WTN) is a non-profit organization focused heavily on Africa and India. Their website states the following: "WTN focuses on a holistic approach in the use and provision of eco-sanitation, water and the development of sustainable livelihoods. In its simplest form, WTN provides sanitation and clean drinking water to human beings, and where possible extends the supply of water to livestock, crops and trees. In tandem with the provision of sanitation and water, WTN has responded to the building of houses and community centers in areas stricken by disaster. All projects are approached in the most environmentally sensitive manner possible to further the Trustee's aim to safeguard the planet." www.carbonfootprintcom - Our carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce. There is an online calculator on this site to find your own personal footprint. Solid national and international organizations have contributed to the calculation formulas. www.sustainlane.com - Very friendly site that has interesting categories for going green, human and pet health, eco-friendly products, green cities and jobs, health and wellness, blogs, and so much more. This site describes itself as a people-powered sustainability guide. www.dailyom.com - This site is produced by Spirituality and Health magazine. If you love spirituality, metaphysics, and the like, just visit this site. I need say no more ... You'll get hooked! www.wearewhatwedo.org - This is a very fun-loving and big-hearted site with a motto of: Small actions x Lots of people = Big change. There are 130 things listed on this site in the area of actions. You can track your actions and then get a tally when you're done. The tracker captures all of your "daily bits of goodness" and gives you proof of how doing your part really does help. The things could be from declining a plastic bag at the grocery store to paying a compliment. www.igive.com - Over 700 stores participate in this online retail and donation site. Just find the store you want to make a purchase from, choose your charity, and a portion of your purchase funds will be sent to the charity. Some of the retailer participants are Barnes and Noble, QVC, eBay, Staples, and Best Buy. There are 655 causes to choose from in Connecticut, and if you don't see your cause listed, you can add it in! www.i-to-i.com - Founded in 1996, this is the original volunteer travel company. Would you like to do some volunteer work in Asia, Latin America, or Africa? When you do volunteer travel, you will engage in a life-changing travel adventure with deep immersion into the culture while making a difference. In 2008, 24 countries around the world received 5,000 volunteer travelers. www.rainforestsite.org - By clicking on this link, you can also access the following: Hunger, Breast Cancer, Literacy, Child Health, and Animal Rescue. From this one site, you can Click once a day on each of the other sites for a donation. A Click donation on the rainforest site, for example, protects 11.4 square feet of rainforest. A Click donation on the breast cancer site helps women receive free mammograms. And it's all free! |