Participate in a Global Compact campaign

The Global Compact is a UN initiative that promotes corporate responsibility in terms of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. Its engagement opportunities page lists several ways you can take part, mainly involving encouraging your company to partner in a campaign. It's also possible to contribute to research, award nominations and more. So this should be of interest if you're interested in sustainable business practices and are in a position to get involved in the Global Compact's work.


Effort involved: having a conversation, at a minimum. But it's a small sacrifice in this case!



Image from: http://www.whosjack.org/googles-being-evil/

Sponsor a female survivor of war

Women for Women International lends support to women who have experienced armed conflict, whether that support takes the form of financial assistance, job training or something else. You can sponsor one of the organization's beneficiaries, even choosing the country if you like, at https://give.womenforwomen.org/sponsorship/index.htm?wfw=getinvolved. This involves USD 30 a month plus a one-time administrative fee. This is a worthwhile cause to support because...er...war generally isn't a singin', dancin' and laughin' matter.


Effort involved: your bank account is doing all the work on this one.


Image from: http://www.citylife.co.uk/news_and_reviews/news/11764_m_e_n__theatre_awards__the_judges__verdict

Mail cookies

Homemade cookies are almost always the tastiest. And people love receiving packages. Combine these two immutable truisms, and what do you get? Why, a hankering to bake the next time you've got 30 minutes and a few hundred calories going spare. It's generally better to ship hard (e.g. biscotti) or chewy (e.g. oatmeal cookies) cookies rather than creamy (e.g. cheesecake bars) or delicate (e.g. madeleines) ones. Packaged in an air-tight bag or container and wrapped in popped popcorn or bubble wrap, the cookies should be good for up to a week in transit. Here's one recipe (adapted from theppk.com) to get your cookie-baking juices and/or salivary glands going.


Chocolate Earl Grey Snickerdoodles


1) Preheat oven to F350/C175. Grease or line 2 baking sheets.
2) Mix 1/6 cup coarse sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and set aside.
3) Mix 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup and 3 tbsp milk well. Stir in 2 tsp vanilla extract.
4) Combine 1 2/3 cups flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp coarse salt and tea from 3 Earl Grey bags. Stir into wet mixture.
5) Roll dough into about 24 balls. Flatten slightly into sugar-cinnamon topping. Place on baking sheet sugar side up.
6) Bake for at least 10 minutes, until a bit spread and crackly on top.


Effort involved: if you use the (admittedly as yet untested) recipe above, you don't even have to dig out a cookbook.



Image from: http://www.thefinestwriter.com/blog/tag/odd-job/

Get off junk mail lists

http://reduce.org/ isn't a weight-loss site, but a website devoted to practical waste-reduction tips. The "Junk Mail" tab, for instance, offers a host of ways to lessen the flood of mail you'll never read. If you want to use the junk mail to make portraits, however (see below), that's a whole other story. If this site isn't enough for you, go wild at http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/blogs/catalog-choices-free-mailstop-mobile-app and

http://myzerowaste.com/2010/12/how-to-keep-550000-tonnes-of-junk-mail-out-of-landfill/.

Effort involved: well worth it considering the reduction of aggravation due to excess mail.

Image from: http://earthfirst.com/10-creative-responses-junk-mail-from-art-to-garden-mulch/

Let go of a grudge

If you're reasonably petty or vindictive - and if not, why not? - it's likely you're holding on to an ancient grievance against at least one person. Before it leads to a Neapolitan-style bloodbath or crippling bedside guilt, why not aim to let the resentment float away? Yes, it may very well be easier said than done. But it's perhaps not a bad thing to aim for. Dwell on the positive, come up with an excuse for why this vile person did that vile thing, or do whatever other airy-fairiness it takes to get the job done.


Effort involved: none of the physical kind. Like Kegels, you can do them while just sitting there.



Image from: http://www.happyplace.com/10430/the-most-enjoyably-cantankerous-notes-ever-posted-in-the-workplace/

Use Lent for WaterAid's Jars of Change project

For Lent, which starts tomorrow, WaterAid has started a little something called Jars of Change. Basically, you order publicity materials and/or use the resources on the website to designate jars, into which members of your group plop the money they've saved by giving something up for Lent. Sworn off cocktails? That's $10 in the jar for each juice you have instead. The donations you collect will then go to fund safe water supply in Rwanda. WaterAid is marketing this appeal toward churches, but really, any group of people can take part.


Effort involved: if you're going to be abstaining during Lent anyway, you may as well motivate yourself and do a little substantive good at the same time. Deprivation will never have felt so good (to non-masochists, anyway).

Image from: http://fitvillains.tumblr.com/post/11529680010/fact-hydrated-people-are-sexier-than-non-hydrated

Enter the World Spay Day Pet Photo Contest

This is basically what it says on the tin. Upload a photo of your (living or dead) pet, for a chance to win a photo studio session or have your photo featured. Even though this isn't a lifestyle-shattering prize, the photos will be used in publicity related to the pet-spaying campaign. Pretty easy for a simple upload. Sadly, however, pregnant animals are not eligible.

Effort involved: you don't even need to take a fresh photo, just have a rummage around your folders.

Image from: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9656029

Register for the Summit to End Prostate Cancer

ZERO, which is somehow the abbreviation of The Project to End Prostate Cancer, is keen to attract advocates to spread information about the disease as well as push for policy reform. One of its activities in this regard is an annual conference, which this year will be held September 11-13 in Washington, D.C. Details are at http://zerocancer.org/get-involved/summit/. The webpage doesn't mention anything about pens and T-shirts emblazoned with the words "The Project to End Prostate Cancer" being offered to participants, but obviously these are reason enough to attend.


Effort involved: this is obviously a bit more labor-intensive than writing to a congressman, but this could be a good way to sharpen your campaigning skills, learn more about prostate cancer, and contribute to men's health in general.



Image from: http://gammasquad.uproxx.com/2011/07/xkcd-battles-cancer-with-science-comics

Spread the Overseas Aid Mythbuster

The human rights organization Womankind has an Overseas Aid Mythbuster in the form of an FAQ page. The information is UK-centric but contains some useful arguments for supporting development assistance. Hopefully by sharing this list with foreign aid skeptics you'll spark some debate, provoke some thought, verb some other nouns, etc.


Effort involved: a cheeky email? 


Image from: http://nigel-sim.blogspot.com/2010/10/nigels-mythbuster-ep-2.html

Take action with a 10x10 partner

10x10 is a campaign promoting girls' education in developing countries, which some observers believe is the single most effective means of bolstering social and economic progress. You can be a part of this grandioseness by contributing to the work of one of the 10x10 partner organizations: Partners in Health, World Vision, etc. These organizations are committed to fighting obstacles to education that might not be obvious to those in wealthier countries, such as a lack of school toilets, no means of getting to school, and early marriage. You can take a look at http://10x10act.org/take-action/with-10x10-partners/.


Effort involved: opening your wallet, mainly, which is something many people excel at.


Image from: http://invaderkylie.deviantart.com/art/Wayside-school-77573716

Buy Fair Trade liquor

The eccentrically punctuated FAIR. is the first Fair Trade brand of spirits. It offers quinoa vodka, goji berry liqueur and coffee liqueur (but sadly no Skittles-flavored vodka). You can find out more or place an order at www.fairspirits.com. Bottoms up!


Effort involved: really? Well, ok then: buying and drinking.




Image from: http://loldrugs.com/category/tags/vodka

Bring library books to a homebound person

Some places already have mobile library programs that connect volunteers to people who would like to use library books but don't find it easy to travel there and back. Whether a formal program exists in your neighborhood or not, it should be easy to get involved. You could ask at your local library whether there's interest in such a thing or post a notice on a bulletin board saying that you're available to play book-deliverer in a certain area for a certain part of the week. You get a bit of exercise (or, er, your car or beast of burden does), an elderly or physically incapacitated person gets some books, and the library gets more use.


Effort involved: directly related to how far away the book recipients are from you.


Image from: http://ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=52904

Buy Sir Richard's condoms

Sir Richard's condoms are feel-good in more ways than one. They're discreetly packaged and niftily designed. You can subscribe to a condom delivery service or buy individual packs. And every condom purchase results in a condom donation to a developing country, with care taken to ensure that the donated items are culturally appropriate. This is one case where the age-old adage "The more penises, the better" really rings true.


Effort involved: buying and using. The effort involved in using the products is up to you.

Image from: http://omgoshentnews.blogspot.com/2010/11/top-10-weird-creative-restaurants.html

Bring food to protesters or volunteers

At some point you may come across people spending their spare time advocating for change or contributing to social good. One way to show your appreciation is to feed these folk. Whether you quickly slap together some sandwiches for a picket line or anonymously call in a pizza order to a school fundraiser, the gesture will be very appreciated.


Effort involved: if you order a delivery, very little.

Image from: http://www.japanprobe.com/2007/07/16/we-heart-korean-protesters/

Share a useful piece of information

Sound vague enough for you? Therein lies the ease and versatility of this assignment. Chances are you've got loads of productivity tips and time-saving tricks up your sleeve, which someone else would benefit from knowing as well. For instance: baking soda can be mixed with cornstarch to make a deodorant, chromeadblock.com is a free tool that prevents ads from appearing on the websites you visit, and crowdsurfing can be nipped in the bud with a single poster (see right). Customize this tip to the person you give it to for maximum impact.

Effort involved: a little racking of the brain, which never hurt anyone.

Make healthy treats for a dieting friend

To avoid irreversible offense/trauma/ill will, you should be absolutely sure before proceeding that this person is on a diet. And this information should be volunteered by the dieter, not asked by you. This is crucially important to maintaining friendly relations. There's a wealth of online resources to help you. A list of main dishes can be found here, for example. For sweets, this is a list of substitute ingredients for making baked goods more nutritious. 


Or if you break out into a cold sweat at the idea of using your oven, you could always pick up dried fruit or make single-serving snack packs. This is as easy as portioning chocolate, nuts, crackers, roasted chickpeas, jerky, etc. into reusable bags. The appreciation you'll get will outweigh the effort you put in.


Effort involved: as indicated above, disproportionately low considering the praise you'll receive.

Take part in an International Women's Day event

International Women's Day is March 9, giving you plenty of time to make your estrogen-centric preparations. The theme for this year is "Connecting girls, inspiring futures". Whether you want to teach, learn, advocate or just fill up your Friday, a list of events by country is available at http://www.internationalwomensday.com/events.asp. The website is rather cluttered and corporate-branded, but is still a useful resource.


Effort involved: it depends on what kind of event you want to participate in (or even host). Or just send a snarky ecard or email vaguely related to X-chromosomeyness.

Customize an opera experience for a loved one

If someone you know is an opera fan, there are several reasons you should immediately buy one of these "operagrams": 


1) The singer's name is Baroness Tamara von Stein zu Leitershofen, which ranks up there with Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in the roster of all-time great Germanic names. 


2) Distance is no object. If you're in London the singing can happen in person, but for everyone else the operagram can be delivered online or over the phone. 


3) The proceeds go to a children's NGO in Lesotho. 


4) It's a different kind of Valentine's Day gift, which also happens to be affordable. 


If you're convinced, mosey on over to www.operalapdiva.com/charity.


Effort involved: buying and customizing an intangible gift. How hard can that be?

Give unwanted items to charity

Whether you've got office supplies or black-and-white photography skills going spare, http://www.charitychoice.co.uk can connect you to charities that can make use of your donations or volunteering. The site only operates in the UK, but a similar effect can be achieved by contacting local charities to see what they could use.


Effort involved: getting rid of stuff, or getting to do stuff. You know, the usual.


Image from: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9656029

Try to drink more ethically

It's a major buzzkill to realize that your tipple of choice has been made with labor violations or other nasties. For less guilt with your booze, consider the following:


- investigating fairtrade wines and spirits
- trying out local brews
- checking out this list of vegan beers: http://www.barnivore.com/beer#
- buying wine that benefits NGOs: http://www.charitycase.org/index.cfm. 


Your conscience will thank you even if your liver doesn't.


Effort involved: doing a bit of research, then drinking the tasty, tasty results of that research.


Image from: http://www.thetraveltart.com/strange-travel-photo-animals-in-alcohol/

Save travel money by volunteering

I can't say it any better than the original article, so I'm just going to direct you to the original article: http://lifehacker.com/5877393/how-to-book-a-1700-vacation-for-700-by-volunteering. Any accusations of laziness on my part are not unreasonable.


Effort involved: it depends on the kind of volunteer tourism you do, but there most likely will be some physical exertion (the physical kind is less likely but still possible). But what you expend in sweat is compensated for by what you save in money, making this a good deal if you're time-rich but cash-poor.


Image from: http://now-here-this.timeout.com/2011/12/09/nick-waplington%e2%80%99s-holy-landscapes/

Buy "aftersocks" to help rebuild Canterbury, NZ

In the wake of the earthquakes that struck Canterbury in 2010 and 2011, the organization Rural Women New Zealand banded together to do what is only natural following a natural disaster: creating socks and sock monkeys with Richter scale designs. Proceeds from the purchases go straight to the mayoral fund of the city most affected by the quakes. The picture to the right shows MPs modeling the socks. You too can join this illustrious crew by wearing the socks you buy from http://www.aftersocks.co.nz/.


Effort involved: buying and then wearing or gifting. Modeling the socks in front of Parliament not necessary.


Image from: http://www.aftersocks.co.nz/gallery.html#images/gallery/logo_gallery.jpg

Take old linens/towels to an animal shelter

Apparently animal shelters and vets' offices find raggedy towels and linens really useful; see http://www.athriftymrs.com/2011/11/responsible-decluttering.html for this and other recycling tips. It's probable that you have some holey sheets, mats, etc. lying around defying you to throw them out, so this is a good opportunity to find them a new home.


Effort involved: calling up some shelters and taking your things down. Duh?

Image from: http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/1709-211569-tIxzyjpg-noscale.jpg

Play WeTopia

WeTopia sounds a bit cultish, to be honest. There's the name, of course, with its eccentric spelling and paradisiacal connotations. Also not helping are the animated images of bug-eyed, stoned-looking children and the premise of giving something called "Joy" to various organizations. However, said "Joy"-giving results in actual contributions to children's projects in Haiti and the US, so if you like online games it may be worth peeking behind the curtain at http://www.wetopia.com/.


Effort involved: spreading "Joy", apparently. 



Image from: http://freemusicarchive.org/curator/ISSUE_Project_Room/blog/Prince_Rama_UTOPIANO_PLACE_1301

Send a mosquito net

The Nothing But Nets campaign guarantees that 100% of a $10 donation will go toward purchasing and making available an insecticide-treated net in order to combat malaria. You can part with your money here. You can marvel there ----------------------->
That man probably isn't suffering from fatigue, jaundice, anemia, fever, retinal damage and convulsions. Your $10 can help extend that to another person as well!


Effort involved: surely you're used to this one-off donation business by now. 

Image from: http://www.googlyfoogly.com/pictures/Crazy-Slam-Dunk.html

Donate in celebration to RNIB

Whether you've got a wedding, anniversary, birthday, birth, graduation or apocalypse party coming up, you may wish to forgo the usual toasters, jewelry, slippers, strollers, books and blow-up dolls and instead accept donations to the Royal National Institute of Blind People. At http://www.rnib.org.uk/donate/giftlists/Pages/give_celebration.aspx you can find customizable fundraising pages and envelopes to ease this sacrifice.


Effort involved: the RNIB's tools make the donation process a bit easier. As for the actual celebration, you and your friends are probably on your own for that.