Demand ethical investments

One of the difficulties of trying to be a responsible person is that a lot of harm is done in your name indirectly. Investments are one example: the money you've innocently saved or plugged into a retirement fund could be contributing to rainforest destruction, pollution, oppressive regimes and other not-so-nice things. Friends of the Earth has a useful guide for making sure that your money isn't being used in an exploitative or damaging way: http://www.foe.co.uk/news/ethical_investment_index.html. There are suggestions for various people, whether you're a shareholder, pension holder or newbie to investing.


Effort involved: it depends on how dramatically you want to shape your investments. You could simply write a letter to the manager of your fund, or you could hire a financial advisor specializing in ethical investing to draw up a list of possibilities.  

Sign up to a do-gooder social networking site

The website World Wide We doesn't even exist yet, making this action extremely low-commitment. But the idea of connecting people interested in social justice is a promising one. If you sign up to the prospective website at www.wwe.org (yes, I know, it's odd to basically be agreeing to the idea of something), you may just be the first kid on your block to be part of something tech-y. And how often do you get to say that?


Effort involved: a sign-up to something theoretical. Easy peasy.





Image from: http://jezzbean.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/funny-clouds/flogo-2/

Push for aid transparency

Foreign aid is a contentious topic, with ever-swirling debates about how to maximize its efficacy. To fully understand and thus improve aid it's necessary to gain as much information as possible about the process. That's why Publish What You Fund has started the Make Aid Transparent campaign (www.makeaidtransparent.org), which calls on governments to make it clear exactly how their foreign assistance funds are being spent. For example, spending on abstinence education programs in sub-Saharan Africa is much less effective than, well, plenty of other things. We have to know where we stand before we call for those 'plenty of other things' to take precedence.


Effort involved: signing a petition. Or spreading the message, as the website has handily provided a 'campaigning and advocacy toolkit'.

Use a 2 for 1 offer to give the other item away

These buy-one-get-one-free offers are everywhere: on books, groceries, car parts, what have you. If you spot one of these and don't really need two, why not give one of the items away? It costs you nothing.


Effort involved: no more than usual. 

Share your breakfast

http://www.shareyourbreakfast.com/Default.aspx#help is absurdly simple. All you have to do is write down what you had for breakfast, or upload a photo of your breakfast, and Kellogg will donate a school breakfast to a kid who needs it. The logic of these corporate initiatives is a bit strange, but when helping to reduce hunger is this easy it's hard to find fault.


Effort involved: literally several clicks plus a single typed word (or more, depending on how gluttonous you were this morning). 



Image from: http://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2011/04/fox-typewriters-on-road-to-wellville.html

Help someone get online

As part of its initiative to have people donate the hour of their time they gain when the British clocks get switched this weekend, the BBC is encouraging the computer-savvy to help others get connected. It's even created a useful guide for doing so: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/connect/volunteers_handbook.pdf. This is maximum bang for your helpfulness buck, as helping someone get comfortable with the Internet has countless rewards. This is as long as your great-grandmother doesn't suddenly attempt to friend you on Facebook, of course.


Effort involved: an hour's worth, give or take.



Image from: http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w268/4everSunny/Snoopy/?action=view&current=SnoopyComputer.jpg

Donate items needed by a public school

http://www.donorschoose.org/ is a fantastic site that matches teachers - who post specific classroom needs - with potential donors. The items requested could be just about anything: books, electronics, globes, games, art supplies, your time, and much more. There's a decent chance that you'll happen to have some of these things on hand. And even though this website is US-based, donors in all countries can get in on the act. If you've got extra office supplies or snack foods lying around, it's easy to contact a local school to see if they could be put to use there. Since no contact with kids is required, this is a good way of benefiting children even if you're one of those mildly sociopathic people who despises anyone under the age of 18.


Effort involved: not much - you take stock of what you have and connect with a nearby school. The website makes it even easier.

Personalize a cocktail mix for a friend

There are infinite things you can do with alcohol. I don't mean in the drinking it/snorting it/inhaling it sort of way, but in terms of the kinds of mixtures you can concoct. This makes alcoholic drinks ripe for customization. So an easy yet highly enjoyable gift for a friend is a cocktail designed with his/her preferences in mind. This could mean a dusting of chili powder for someone who likes spice or a combination of rum and lychee liqueur for your Jamaican-Chinese best pal. Attaching a recipe card to the bottle is a must so that the drink can be replicated by your friend.


Effort involved: ten minutes of messing about in the kitchen, ideally with ingredients you already have on hand.

Switch energy suppliers

Ensuring that the energy that feeds your home or workplace is as close to renewable as possible is easy, thanks to the abundance of green energy suppliers. In the US, a list of green power providers by state is provided at http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/. In the UK, http://green.energyhelpline.com/energy will compare energy providers in terms of pricing, CO2 emissions and energy mix. In addition to reducing environmental damage, you may save money (or at least not spend any more money than you already are). Given the difficulty of quantifying and pro-actively reducing other forms of damage (psychological, emotional, etc.), this is pretty nifty.

Effort involved: just a bit of paperwork hassle, then you're home free.


Image from http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Springfield_Nuclear_Power_Plant

Listen to someone

Whether it's to a homeless crank raving on a street corner or your nagging father, take a moment to stop and pay attention. You may learn something, and the person doing the talking will likely be glad to get a hearing. Plus it may make that person more likely to really listen to you in the future.


Effort involved: just a bit of attention.

Learn or teach CPR

Knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, for the acronym-averse, is very useful. Apparently CPR can be done on animals as well as humans, extending the possibility that you'll actually use it someday. (And even if you never put your CPR skills to use in saving a life, you could always use the techniques on the dance floor.) As CPR only works about half the time when bystanders perform it, it's important to learn the correct procedure. So it's suggested that you take a minute to search for a list of CPR training centers in your area and get the process rolling. Or if you already know CPR, arrange to pass these skills (or the contact details of the place where you trained) on to an interested acquaintance.


Effort involved: a course should take less than 5 hours, and it's recommended that you have periodic refresher sessions. But these classes can be fun - really!

Share or post to the "We Are The 99%" site

Regardless of what you think about the campaign's tactics or reasoning, http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/ is unexpectedly moving. Add a post, share a link, whatever you want.


Effort involved: reading and/or writing.

Exchange skills

Through classifieds, noticeboards, online listings and word-of-mouth, you can come across people looking to buy or sell services. If you’re broke, skilled and in need of such services, this could be a good opportunity to swap know-how. Your piano lessons for someone’s German instruction, your carpentry skills for someone’s IT experience, your weightlifting teaching for someone’s…you get the idea.

Effort involved: about the same as what you get back, and at no cost.


Image from flavorwire.com

Ask for evidence

Sense about Science just launched a campaign called "Ask for evidence", in which the public is encouraged to investigate the misleading, unsupported or even downright fraudulent claims found in advertising and articles. It's simple to get involved as the website (http://www.senseaboutscience.org/pages/a4e.html) offers scientific advice, suggestions for contacting companies, and stories from others. Calling for proof is a great way of ensuring the information the public receive is as honest and transparent as possible, whether you're investigating negative calorie miracle foods or the curious lack of sources in a report on how yoga can cure cancer (or even something that sounds plausible).

Effort involved: writing an email. Provided you get a response, it's a low-effort way of satisfying your curiosity, not to mention holding a claim-maker accountable.


Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alchemist's_Laboratory,_Heinrich_Khunrath,_Amphitheatrum_sapientiae_aeternae,_1595_c.jpg

Allow scientists to use your computing power

The software delightfully named BOINC (http://boinc.berkeley.edu/) allows scientists from around the world to use your computing power to run their research projects. That might sound faintly creepy, except that these researchers are working on projects like malaria control and climate change forecasting. You can choose from a list of projects (e.g. 'Factorization of large integers' might be right up your alley) and the software won't affect the running of your own programs. This may be the easiest way to contribute to scientific knowledge ever.


Effort involved: just a download. With 'volunteer computing' you're signing up your computer to volunteer, not actually getting dirty yourself.

Double up on lunch for a colleague

As anyone who's suddenly moved in with a partner knows, cooking for two is more efficient and price-effective than cooking for one. With that in mind, the next time you're preparing your lunch, why not make another portion for a coworker/fellow student/customer/whatever? If you want to avoid the appearance of workplace favoritism, you could always leave the extra lunch in the kitchen with a note saying 'Eat me [insert non-threatening emoticon here]'.


Effort involved: since you already have the ingredients lying out, it's getting double the impact for less than double the effort. Score. 

Image from http://www.whatthefood.dishist.com/?cat=1

Join one of Plan's social networks

If it were a band, 'Plan' might be an okay name. As the title of an international development NGO...eh... Whatever your thoughts about its name, Plan has been active in promoting children's rights in developing countries for a long time, and is one of the most respected organizations in this field. It's currently running campaigns to end school violence against children, register all children at birth and reduce the discrimination and poverty faced by the world's poorest girls. 


It's easy to keep up-to-date with Plan by joining one of their Flickr, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter networks. This in turn will allow you to spread the organization's message, take action related to its campaigns, donate to its appeals, etc.


Effort involved: ridiculously little. This is like a pre-action - a springboard toward further action.

Buy an ethical sex toy

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Cut one questionable item out of your diet

This is something everyone can do, whether your choice this time has to do with environmental, health, financial, animal welfare, human welfare or other reasons. There's no shortage of things to choose from:

Foie gras?

Kobe beef?
Veal?

Any seafood cooked alive?

Palm oil sourced from the rainforest?

Eggs from caged chickens?

Out-of-season tomatoes?
Excessively and unnecessarily wrapped bananas?

Foods with insultingly dumb packaging?

Effort involved: just a bit of research, tops. I’m not suggesting that you completely overhaul your diet, just remove one thing, making this act very easy to remember. It's like Lent, but for life. 


Image from http://www.hindustantimes.com/Now-a-special-Chick-Beer-for-the-ladies/Article1-743531.aspx.

Complain about excessive packaging

Lest you think this blog is all about good vibes and positive energy, here's a chance to go into angry denunciation mode. Packaging has gotten out of hand and companies need to hear about it, loudly and often. Supermarkets and food manufacturers are great places to start. Contact details are often listed in stores or on food packages, so it's very easy to find out where you should be directing your eco-rage.


Effort involved: a few minutes to write an email. This is a good chance to work out some of your simmering anger toward a certain company for whatever slights it's committed against you (e.g. stopped stocking your favorite cookies).


Image from http://5magazine.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/legal-case-against-excessive-packaging/

Send a support message to a non-homophobic church

Since the Madison Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wisconsin, US just ordained an openly gay minister, it's sure to be receiving floods of hate mail. Help balance this out by sending a message commending the church's action. Its email address is info@covenantmadison.org.   

Effort involved: a few emailed lines, that's all. But if you say something super witty, your words may, like the ones to the left, end up on a 'funny church signs' website. That would be a great thing to boast about.

Image from: http://obscureinternet.com/funny-church-signs-1/

Volunteer at a World Heritage site

UNESCO's World Heritage list is made up of the most historically, culturally and environmentally significant sites around the world. Basically, if you're traveling to a country that you know nothing about, visiting the World Heritage sites is a guarantee of an interesting time. Given the importance of these sites, help with research and conservation efforts is always needed. Most placements are at least two weeks long and will require you to pay some of the costs. But these experiences will still be cheaper than conventional vacations, AND you can put them on your resume, depending on their relevance to your career, AND you'll be getting special access to the world's most fascinating places. The available volunteer opportunities are listed at http://whc.unesco.org/en/71/. To mention just a few of these unbelievably cool-sounding opportunities:


- restoring ruins in Zimbabwe
- excavating dinosaur fossils in Argentina
- diving in the Great Barrier Reef to find materials that help in AIDS research


Effort involved: maybe a little more than a two-week sunbathing vacation, but you did see the 'unbelievably cool-sounding' part above, right?

Ask your boss to let employees work from home

This may not apply if you're self-employed, work freelance, or have a non-desk job, but for  plenty of people, transport, energy and other costs could be easily reduced by allowing employees to work from home one or two days a week. And this doesn't even include considerations of worker well-being and productivity (take note, employers). Really, constant human contact in the workplace is overrated in this era of Skype.

Effort involved: all you have to do is raise the issue. You can prepare a detailed analysis of the environmental and economic savings if you're feeling industrious, or if you're at your desk and bored.  

Contact a company to say thank you, not complain

Most of us are accustomed to only contacting a customer service line when we’re in the foulest of moods, because a product or service isn’t working. This can make a customer service representative’s job a thankless one; dealing with disgruntled people all day, every day, is only lucrative for psychiatrists catering to the wealthy. So let’s all search our black hearts for a company that’s praiseworthy and contact said company just to say thanks. Ben & Jerry’s? Adobe? Best Buy? Your favorite muffin company for making such delicious muffin tops?

Effort involved: low. A one-paragraph email and you're done!

Read a banned book

London libraries are running a banned books project to spread awareness of literary censorship. A selected list of books that have been banned in various countries due to profanity, sex, age-inappropriateness, political views, drug use, religious heterodoxy, yadda yadda, is available at http://www.banned-books.org.uk/all. The list makes it clear that book banning isn't just a historical relic, but very much an ongoing issue. Whether you read, share, buy and/or discuss one of these books, you'll be respecting the authors' right to have their ideas aired.


Effort involved: not much, silly. Reading one of the graphic novels or children's books on the list might only take an hour. Sharing one is even easier.

Pressure PayPal re: homophobic groups' accounts

The campaign to keep PayPal from being used as a source of fundraising by viciously homophobic organizations has had success so far, with several accounts closed. You can sign the petition at http://www.allout.org/en/actions/paypal or contact PayPal directly here. The more  messages PayPal is bombarded with, the more likely it is to drop anti-LGBT business. And the harder it is for hate groups to fund their work, the better.

Effort involved: it's up to you. Pass the petition around to as many people as you like, send as many messages as you want.

Image from http://www.uneditednews.org/Other-News/you-will-pay-pal.

Calculate your slavery footprint

Based on a survey about your lifestyle, http://slaveryfootprint.org/survey/ will tell you how many forced laborers are likely to have produced the items you use - and with incongruously snazzy graphics, no less. The survey has taken a horribly depressing topic and attempted to turn it into a rallying cry for change; as the website says:


It's a supply chain that currently enslaves more people than at any other time in human history...We'd like to help you understand your influence on slavery. Not so you can feel bad. Not so you can stop buying stuff...so you will ask the brands you like to find out where their supplies are coming from.  

Helpfully, at the end of the survey a list of contact details is provided so that you can press companies on their labor practices.


Effort involved: taking the survey only takes a few minutes. That's a few minutes more than most people spend thinking about their indirect exploitation of laborers. But as indicated above, this isn't just an exercise in futile hand-wringing.

Implement a Love Food Hate Waste tip

Whether your goal is to save money, lose weight, free up space in your kitchen or reduce waste, Love Food Hate Waste is full of easy bite-size suggestions for doing so. Unless you're on the slightly extreme diet known as total and utter starvation, there's no way you won't find one that applies to you.


Effort involved: not much. This is a baby-step model of lifestyle change.

Volunteer your skills online

www.sparked.com is based on a brilliantly straightforward idea: connect charities looking for help on specific projects with volunteers who possess the skills needed. The website calls this microvolunteering, and the beauty of it is that you can help a charity on the other side of the world while in your pajamas. 


The site connects you to charities in your areas of interest, such as education or youth, using your skills, such as design or research. (And given the unrelated example to the right, there's a gaping need for good graphic designers.) The volunteering projects can be as simple as answering a question posed by a charity, such as 'What would be an interesting newsletter topic for us?' This could also be a good resume boost if you find a project that matches up well with your skills and interests.


Effort involved: only a minute to sign up, then as much or as little as you want to expend.


Image from http://www.bearotic.com/category/media/film/page/2/.

Become a member of ACWW

The Associated Country Women of the World is a charity with UN consultative status that promotes rural women's projects in developing countries. These projects involve expanding access to water and sanitation, assisting with agricultural training and livelihoods, and more. Pretty unobjectionable stuff, no? This is a chance to support an organization that's small in terms of staffing and name recognition but large in terms of scope. Membership forms can be found at http://www.acww.org.uk/membership-forms.html. If it's inconvenient to mail in the form, you can always use your favorite free internet calling site to phone the London office or donate at http://www.justgiving.com/acww/.

Effort involved: really not much. And you don't even have to be a woman (or the country type) to belong to a rural women's organization!


Image from http://mamanadada.customdynamic.net/Events/overview.html.

Donate a tweet a day to a charity

This process takes place almost without you. With http://justcoz.org/, all you have to do is make your Twitter account available for the charity of your choice to spread messages, campaign steps, etc. to your network. Not on Twitter, you say? Create an account under a pseudonym, e-befriend random people and organizations, and watch your virtual charity life spiral beyond your control!


Effort involved: a signup, that's all. 


Image from http://uploads.neatorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/tweety.jpg