Desk Do-Gooder

A lot of my time is spent stuck at my desk. Which leaves little time for charity work. So, every week I look for ways that I can help make the world a better place. From behind my desk. I believe that even the little things you do can help make a big difference. I hope to inspire other 9-5ers out there to do some good as well.

[hannah-rosengren]

Plant These To Help Save Bees: 21 Bee-Friendly Plants. Learn more here!

Hannah Rosengren 2013

11/25 update: wow, tumblr!! thanks for the love!! I’ve gotten tons of questions about getting prints of this illustration and am happy to announce that 8x10s are now available on my Etsy in both English & Spanish!! <3

1/7 update: just listed on Etsy, 16x20” posters of this illustration, HERE.

[deskdogooder]

Green Gift Wrapping

 I was wrapping my Christmas presents the other day and I noticed the paper I was wrapping with said it was recyclable. This made me wonder if all wrapping paper is recyclable. Sadly, I discovered most of it is not. Most wrapping paper is too thin and is made with dyes and laminates that make it difficult to recycle. I also found out that the US throws away 4 million tons of wrapping paper and shopping bags every year. Maybe we need to rethink how we wrap our presents. Here are a few eco-friendly ways to wrap your holiday gifts this year. 

[deskdogooder]

Today is Giving Tuesday, which kicks off the season of giving back. While you're out shopping for your friends and family, don’t forget about those in need. Giving Tuesday is a great reminder. So great, that last year there was an online donation spike of 53%. But you don't just have to give money. There are many other things that you can give. Here are some ideas.

Give your time.

Today is a great day to sign-up to volunteer. You can help at a food bank, serve at a soup kitchen or brighten someone’s holiday at a retirement community.

Give your support.

Show your support of Giving Tuesday by taking a pic, tagging it #unselfie #givingtuesday and uploading it to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Give a toy.

You can buy a toy for a child in need. Find your closest Toys for Tots bin here.

Give some money.

You can always donate directly to your favorite charity. But if you don’t have a favorite charity here is a great resource for finding a reputable one.

[deskdogooder]

How to help Typhoon Haiyan survivors

The stories coming out of the Philippines are unimaginable. Rushing water and wind tearing children away from their parents' arms. A death toll that may reach 10,000. A city of 200,000 in which no buildings appear to have survived intact.

[deskdogooder]

Upcycle Your Pumpkin

I was walking around my neighborhood last night admiring all the festive jack-o-lanterns. Then I wondered what everyone was going to do with them after Halloween. I think I just threw mine out last year and that made me kinda sad. So today I looked up all the things you can do with your carved pumpkins and created this list. I hope it inspires you to give your old pumpkins a new purpose after Halloween is over.

 Plant Your Pumpkin

Take your carved pumpkin and use it as a pot. Get a plant, put it in your pumpkin, add some soil, dig a hole and plant the whole thing. The pumpkin will compost and provide fertilizer for your flowers.

 Feed Some Furry Friends

Deer and birds love pumpkin. Who knew! All you have to do is break your pumpkin into pieces and leave them in a place that deer or birds frequent. But make sure your pumpkin is still fresh. Moldy pumkins are bad for animals too.

 Create a Centerpiece

Get out some of your shorter vases and add some fresh cut flowers. Then set the vases in the pumpkins. This will create a beautiful centerpiece that’s perfect for fall.

 Pumpkin Compost

The easiest way to recycle your pumpkin is to bury it in your yard. You can either cut it up or smash it—smashing is more fun! Then bury it in your garden to enrich your soil.

 Make a Bird Feeder

Take your old carved pumpkin and cut it in half. Then poke holes and insert twigs for bird perches. Grab two pieces of twine and tie them together at the base of the pumpkin shell to create a hanging basket. Then fill it with birdseed. Oh and hang it up of course.

 Create More Pumpkins

Pumpkins are easy to grow. Just set aside some seeds from your carved pumpkin and use those to grow some more. Soak the seeds in water the night before you plant them. Then find a sunny spot because they’ll need 6 hours of sunlight a day. Then plant them 1 inch deep about 8 inches apart. In about 4 months you should have some new pumpkins popping up.

[deskdogooder]

To Do Good Is My Religion

I stumbled upon this the other day. Thought I would share.

[deskdogooder]

Start Where You Are

Every morning I log on to my computer and immediately check to see what’s going on in the world. Lately, the news just makes me sad. I read about the mass amount of dolphins dying along the East Coast or about the bees that are mysteriously dying all over the country. I want to do something about it, but it’s overwhelming. So, I made this list of a few things that I can do every day to help have Mother Nature's back. So even if I can’t do something big right away, I can keep doing my part little by little. 

Recycle Everything. Use your bin. If you don’t have one, take your recyclables to Target. They have bins for your old MP3s, cell phones, ink cartridges, plastic bags, glass, bottles and aluminum.

Buy Recycled. Look for the recycle symbol on the products that you buy. Many times there is a recycled option for sale.

Conserve Water. Water is precious, try not to waste it. Turn the faucet off, when brushing your teeth or shaving, take shorter showers and install water saving sink nozzles like the one below.

Drive Less. Try walking or biking to the local park or restaurant instead of hopping in the car. Or start a carpooling club at work.

Reusable Grocery Bag. My city has banned stores from giving out bags. So, I now keep all my reusable bags in my car. But I like that it has forced my whole city to think about this issue.

Turn Off the Lights. My dad used to follow us kids around turning off the lights. I totally get it now. It’s a great habit to get into and it helps you save money on your electricity bill. I kind of want to put these signs around my house. 

[thegreenveganchick]

A guide to getting rid of junk in an environmentally friendly way.

[deskdogooder]

Live Green

There are a lot of small things you can do today to make your house more environmentally friendly. I have created a check-list of 29 easy changes you can make to any house. Just print it out and maybe do something every week. Pretty soon you’ll be living in one of those green houses people talk about.

[deskdogooder]

Eco-Fun Summer Activities

Summer is a great time to get out and see nature in all it's glory. Here are a few eco-friendly things you can do this summer. Enjoy!

[deskdogooder]

Declare Your Independence

Fourth of July is a great time to reflect on how lucky we are to live in this county. It’s a time to celebrate this great land and to think about how we can make it even better. That’s why this 4th of July I am going to find at least one thing that I can eliminate from my life that will make the USA a better place.  Right now, I am declaring my independence from paper cups. This means I am actually going to have to wash my coffee cup every day, but it’s for a good cause. What will you declare your independence from this 4th of July? Here are some ideas.

[deskdogooder]

What Good Shall I Do This Day?

Benjamin Franklin was not only one of the founding fathers of the United States but he was also an inventor, musician, activist and scientist. He conducted many experiments in electricity and actually invented the lightening rod along with bifocals (to name a few). He was truly the original “over-achiever.” Every day he would ask himself, “What good shall I do this day?” And at the end of every day he asked himself, “What good have I done today?” I love these two questions. I think they are such a great, simple reminder of what’s important. I have created two printable 5x7 pieces that you can print out and frame. I am going to hang mine by my back door as a nice reminder on my way out into the world each day. Enjoy!

[deskdogooder]

Earth Day

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Earth Day. 

Of course, don't forget to celebrate for the rest of the year too.

[deskdogooder]

Inspiration

Happy Sunday! Here are a bunch of quotes about doing good that I love. I wanted to put them all in one place so they are easy for me to find. I thought I would share them here in the hopes that they might be inspiring to someone else as well.

[deskdogooder]

What is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour was conceived by World Wildlife Fund and their ad agency Leo Burnett in 2007. WWF wanted a way to raise awareness for climate change and remind people how desperately we need everyone to take action. They came up with Earth Hour—one symbolic hour to remind people of climate change. Every year more and more people participate by going dark including The Empire State Building, Big Ben, Sydney Opera House, The Eiffel Tower and The Parthenon to name a few. Here’s how you can participate:

 Turn off your lights, TVs and computers for 1 hour

 This Saturday—March 23

 8:30 – 9:30 PM (your local time)

 Use that hour to think of ways you can help the Earth

[laodamaren-blog]

[deskdogooder]

This about sums it up.

[deskdogooder]

29 Ways To Green Your House Today

There are a lot of small things you can do today to make your house more environmentally friendly. I have created a check-list of 29 easy changes you can make to any house. Just print it out and maybe do something every week. Pretty soon you'll be living in one of those green houses people talk about.