Giving Tuesday 2018 - Mesquite Hugger Faves

I started this post a week ago and planned all kinds of great stuff, but here it is Giving Tuesday, and I'm just putting it out there:

Local

In honor of Patience, Permaguard, Fred, Bitsy, Sasha, Nick, and (of course) Condo, please consider a donation to A Place for Us Greyhounds - local greyhound adoption group.

A Place for Us Greyhounds

 

My favorite thing to come out of the Florida Mid-Term elections was that people of Florida overwhelmingly voted to end greyhound racing in that state. As the tracks shut down, there will be a large number of hounds up for adoption. They are amazing creatures, and each one I've known has stolen my heart. If you have any inclination to get a pet/new family member, please consider one of these loving and quirky beasts.

 

Open Door Lubbock (Formerly The Carpenter's Church)

 

If you're local and you have a heart for helping the homeless rise out of homelessness, this group is accomplishing amazing things here in Lubbock.

Photos from the recent South Plains Wildlife Rehab Center Open House

 

My favorite place in Lubbock is the SPWRC. When they have an open house, I absolutely geek out and can't wait to see what they're up to and who they are rehabbing back to a life in the wild. This place rocks!

Sondra's Song - Lubbock

 

At the risk of sounding like a crotchety old dude, one place our society really sucks is in preparing young people to face the reality of being adults. And that problem is multiplied a hundredfold for kids who've grown up in the foster system. Sondra's Song is dedicated to helping foster kids as they "age out" get thrust out into the world. 

Not-So-Local

 



World Bicycle Relief

 

If you're like me and believe that a bicycle can be a powerful tool for change, then check WBR out. The difference they are able to make with something so simple is astounding.

 

Other faves:

 

Greenpeace, The Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, 350.org, the National Bike League, People for Bikes, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

 

Please find someone in the world who is working to make the world a better place, and support them!

Giving Tuesday 2017

It's overwhelming this year.

It always is, but the ravages of climate-change and rise in human volatility have made things seem especially dire. It's pretty easy to stay overwhelmed in our own little bubbles. I'm thankful for days like Giving Tuesday to pull us out of ourselves.

I rode the bike to work this morning - something I haven't done nearly enough lately. I was pedaling along thinking of where I could make a contribution this year. For some reason, the bicycle came to mind. So many virtues in just shutting up and pedaling (Thanks, Bob!). I thought of my two favorite American bicycle organizations, People for Bikes and the League of American Bicyclists. Both would be good places for a donation to make our country a better and safer place to bike. It's funny, we are such a wealthy country and there are bikes everywhere, but very few are actually ridden. We have the means but not the motivation.

So the brain wandered off to organizations that seek out those with the motivation but no means. And that led me to World Bicycle Relief.

World Bicycle Relief

 

It's true! (Find it here.)

 

 Then I rode past one of our local parks. The Canadian Geese are starting to arrive. I also saw four cowbirds and a snowy egret. The next choice was easy:

The South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

 

I love the SPWRC and its mission. (By the way, you can check the place out this Saturday at their Holiday Open House.) Here is what they do:

 

 

Okay, those are my picks for this year's Giving Tuesday. What are yours?

 

May we all find and support ways to make life better for others!

Giving Tuesday Meets Carbon Reduction - Expand your reach!

Black Friday. Small Business Saturday.

Thank God It's Sunday.

Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday.

The Story of Stuff. (Annie and Free Range, you are always in  my head.)

I lay in bed a few mornings ago with all of this stuff swirling in my head. I had to get up. I was getting nervous.

How do we make the world a better place? It's going to take a lot more than just parking our gas-powered cars and changing our light bulbs. (But those are a start.)

For me, everything goes back to slowing and stopping climate change. Yes, there are lots of other incredibly important causes to support; however, as it gets harder to live and breathe, all of those other problems get worse. As we see species quickly disappearing and cultures being wiped out, the term Pro Life takes on a much bigger meaning.

How do you slow climate change? You limit carbon release. (Yes, we've always had carbon release, but we humans have become experts at it and our ingenuity and creativity in that department is killing us all.) And we, the Americans, are doing more than our fair share of the damage. Look around you, do you see people near you working to limit carbon release? Do you see people near you working actively to increase carbon release? Answer the same questions about your immediate family.

Around me, most people want cheaper gas, a bigger car, a larger house, and more stuff.

Since today is Giving Tuesday, I thought I'd throw out a few of my favorite organizations that are working hard to slow climate change:

Citizen's Climate Lobby

Watch the Intro Video

I support the CCL because I am a cynic and the CCL offers me a different type of hope. The CCL is a multi-partisan approach to helping us reduce our carbon while supporting the economy and offering (financial) hope to all citizens. Their approach is not one that expects altruism to save our environment. They are offering a sensible approach that is based on a carbon tax and dividend (while making life better for all).

The Sierra Club

Watch the Intro Video on this page

The Sierra Club has been around more than 120 years. The original vision of the SC was to protect wild and natural places. Here in the 21st century that vision has not changed. but it has expanded to protecting the entire planet and all life on it - including us humans. The part of their mission that truly draws me in is their drive to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels. As times get more desperate, the Sierra Club keeps stepping up their game. (You can find the Texas chapter here.)

GreenPeace

Pardon me on this one, but all my life I've known Greenpeace to be a bunch of non-violent badasses who go after whaling ships in little rubber boats. That's how they got started back in 1971 and they haven't backed down yet, but they've definitely broadened their scope.

Learn more here

350.ORG

Check out the 350.ORG intro video here

(Yes, I had to throw in the bicycle screenshot)

Okay, so those are the biggies for me when it comes to saving the planet, but they are definitely not the only ones. So, if these don't fit your approach, do a little research and find those that do. Let this be one way your voice can be heard.

May your actions match your beliefs!

Bonus: 3 More Organizations near and dear to me:

The Haven - a Local, Non-Profit, NO-Kill animal shelter

People for Bikes

League of American Bicyclists

Lubbock Mini-Post: Giving Tuesday 2014

As I mentioned in a post last week, tomorrow (December 2) is Giving Tuesday. Just in case you find yourself with a large (or small) pile of money to give or you have time and/or skills to devote to others, here are a few local organizations for your consideration:

 

Carpenter's Church

 

 

Link Ministries

The Hope Lodge - American Cancer Society

 

South Plains Wildlife Rehab Center

 

The Haven Animal Care Shelter

 

May you be blessed with neighbors who choose to give.

In case your holiday calendar is missing a few things...

Black Friday

Buy Nothing Day

 

Small Business Saturday

 

Cyber Monday

 

Giving Tuesday

May your calendar reflect your beliefs.