And yet….and yet….

Imagine if Bill Gates used the power of Microsoft to push for an end to conflict minerals (which, like conflict diamonds, are often mined using slave labor and used to funnel “legitimate” dollars to armed  militias terrorizing local people in Eastern Congo), insisting that only “conflict-free” minerals be used in computers and other electronics featuring Microsoft Office.

Imagine if Warren Buffet insisted that every company in which he is a shareholder provided a decent paid family leave and established benchmarks for increased diversity among upper management.

Imagine if Oprah Winfrey decided that only companies who certified their supply chains as free of child labor would appear on her television show or the new OWN Network.

Imagine if…the world’s billionaires became active philanthropists. Not the kind who give money away–for me that earns you the title of “donor” but not necessarily “philanthropist.” Rather, the kind who use all of their assets–their power as consumers, investors, public figures and role models–to really bring about social change on a mass scale. The combined impact of increased social responsibility from the companies they could influence would dwarf the power of their charitable dollars funneled through nonprofits.

…Manufacturing companies seeking computer parts would be motivated to find other sources of minerals and effectively close off a critical funding stream and thereby cripple the armed militias of the Congo.

…Tens of thousands of women struggling to balance work and family would enjoy improved health for themselves and their babies, and their companies would save the time and expense of replacing them.

…Companies with fair supply chains would be the ones to receive the benefits of “The Oprah Effect” and others would be incentivized to clean up their labor practices if they wanted to join in. Millions of children around the world could be affected, reducing child trafficking and forced labor as these practices become increasingly unacceptable to American consumers, led by the millions who are loyal fans of Ms. Winfrey.

Don’t get me wrong, we need the nonprofit sector and the many important charities doing great work all over the world. I’m not suggesting people shouldn’t give money to charity. But for the world’s billionaires, believe it or not, money is not their greatest asset. It’s influence. That influence in part comes from their billions, and so giving away their money should not be a substitute for using their influence to bring about positive social change. (And as Phil Cubeta points out, “good” people giving away their billions leaves the “selfish, controlling, manipulative SOBs” to built dynasties and eventually rule the world.)

So let’s applaud the Gates’s, Mr. Buffett and the others who have already pledged their wealth to charitable causes. But let’s also applaud the growing class of social entrepreneurs who start or work for businesses that don’t make them billionaires but do provide sustainable livelihoods, environmentally friendly products and social justice along with financial returns.

Sharon,

Every kid wants a Dad who’s there. Not every kid has one.

Every kid wants a Dad who can support his family. Not every kid has one.

Every kid wants a Dad who can come through in emergencies.

Not every kid has one.

And on one day of the year, that’s painfully clear for the families on SmallCanBeBig.

Honor Dads the world over with a small donation to help them out.

This donation will do what Dads do. Bring a family back from the brink of hopelessness.

Happy Father’s Day.

Cheers,

The Team at SmallCanBeBig.org

Photo from Organic Life

You may have heard about the Slow Food movement, a counter to our Fast Food culture. If you’re like me, you’ve been wanting to adopt eating habits that are more consistent with your values and good intentions but haven’t quite been able to give up the “everyday low prices” on Chilean grapes offered by big box grocery stores even in the dead of winter.

The Chicago Green Festival has inspired me to finally take some action. Here are six things you can do, too, and some resources to get started. I’ve put them generally in order from easiest to most time-consuming.

1. Find your local farmer’s market. My local farmer’s market seems to have more and more tupperware and knock-off handbags, but there are still plenty of farmers coming in from the surrounding area and bringing their freshest produce, along with vendors offering fresh pastries, artisan cheese and organic meats.  Click here to find a local farmer’s market near you (search by zip code). I don’t go to the farmer’s market looking for cheap deals, but if concern over your budget has been keeping you away, here are a few hints to save a bit: 1) try going near the end of the market when the farmer’s would rather sell for a little less than lug their produce back home; 2) make the farmer an offer and see what they’ll do for you. Today I had $14 left after picking up some peppers, asparagus and blueberries. The strawberries were going for $4.50 a container at a number of stands. I told the guy who usually offers bulk deals that I had $14 left, what could he give me for that amount? He gave me four containers, essentially buy three get one free. My darling husband turned most of the strawberries into seven jars of freezer jam that we’ll gobble up over the next month.
2. Pick your own produce. One way small farmers supplement their income is by hosting “pick your own” consumers, who often enjoy a hayride out to the field, the enjoyment of finding the perfect apple/strawberry/blueberry/apple/pumpkin, petting the farm animals and a lunch that usually involves hot dogs as well as farm-made treats like apple cider or muffins and pies. Click here to search for a Pick Your Own farm near you. Last year for Father’s Day I found a farm with Pick Your Own strawberries (can you see a pattern here?) and we filled up two huge baskets. The fruit is usually sold by weight, and you’re paying for the experience as well as the produce, but if you’ll eat it, can it, freeze it or share it, it’s still a good deal and a good time. Plus, your kids will get a kick out of seeing the farm and it’s a whole day of family entertainment.
3. Buy a season’s worth of produce from a local farmer. This concept is called “Community Supported Agriculture,” or CSA. The idea is that you find a farm nearby (click here for a great explanation of the concept and to search for a CSA near you) and sign up as a shareholder at the beginning of the season. Then each week your farmer will bring a box of whatever is ready to be picked. Usually the farm has a few local drop off sites.  I searched for a farm according to where they dropped off, and found one called Sweet Earth Organic Farm. I’m really looking forward to our first boxes in the next few weeks. The downside to this approach is that you pay for the whole season up front (in our case, $485). If you’re not comfortable with such a huge chunk of change, there are places like Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks that deliver weekly in the Chicago area, for more like $25 or $40 at a time with no season-long commitment.
4. Grow your own food. Since it’s mid-June, you can still plant some seeds directly in the ground, but you can also buy seedlings now from your local nursery. We actually started seeds growing in containers in our basement a few weeks ago and they are ready to plant in the ground. I like to think of this as our version of a Victory Garden for the current recession. This is our first year as gardeners, so we’ll see how it goes. But I’m told that kids enjoy watering and weeding “their” garden and are more likely to want to eat stuff they helped to grow.
5. Start a composting system (to feed that garden). So this is where most of my family thinks I have gone too far, but the truth is I get such a kick out of this that I’m showing it off to everyone. At the recent Chicago Green Festival, we bought an indoor composting system powered by worms. Yes, real live worms live in my kitchen, nestled down in a bed of newspaper scraps, cardboard, egg shells, coconut fibers and paper towels. Every few days my kids and I feed them a few hands full of kitchen scraps, including apple cores, the bits of broccoli I trimmed off and the tops of those thousands of strawberries we bought at the farmer’s market. Inside my clean, odorless bin, the worms are turning it into compost that will feed our garden in a few months. You can build these things yourself, or you can buy it like I did from Urban Worm Girl. She provides the whole set up and a great set of instructions.
6. Become an advocate at your kids’ school for serving healthy, local food.  This is the big commitment, I think. Most schools are just doing what’s easy, and what’s affordable, and what’s been arranged for them by the district or some other supervising force. But there are more companies working to make school lunches easy, affordable and healthy, while supporting their local farmers and the local environment. You may have heard of national leader Revolution Foods. Or here in Chicago there is Organic Life, which recently had a nice article in Crain’s Business about their efforts to improve the lunches in Chicago Public Schools, and Gourmet Gorilla. As soon as school is out (since I know the administrators are currently a bit pre-occupied with end of year craziness) I’m going to reach out to the head of the pre-school program and begin a conversation about switching from the current provider, whose menu includes some form of pizza every other day, to a local, organic food vendor. Gourmet Gorilla tells me they can do pre-school lunches for $3 (same price as now) and older kids for $4 or $4.50. I am pretty confident that other parents like me will be willing to pay a little more to help their kids eat healthier every day. And when the parents start pushing, schools respond.

I expect that eating local, fresh foods is more expensive in some cases (organic definitely costs more) and cheaper in others (buying what’s in season is cheaper and so is cooking instead of eating out). But even if my monthly grocery budget went from $600 to $700, I consider this $100/month an important part of using my consumer power to help bring about the world I want to see–one with a thriving local economy, healthier kids and a healthier me, less pesticides and other pollutants in the air and water, and more of a connection to where my food comes from. And I suspect that the message I’m sending to food companies with my choices each month will have a bigger impact on changing the world than a $100 donation to a charity working on the same issues.

We took our kids down to Navy Pier for the Green Festival last year, complete with a Metra train ride and then a bus ride (which I think was the most exciting part to my 3 and 5-year old kids). They made their own bath scrubbers out of a bar of soap and some wool, got to play in the dirt and taste some fun organic foods.

As a result of our visit last year, we’ve been using toxin-free, “green” cleaners we purchased at the festival to be gentler on our environment and ourselves, eating more organic and what I like to call “real” food, and this year we’ve even started growing our own vegetables so that we can have fresh, healthy food this summer.

If you’re interested in being more “green” but aren’t sure what that means, take a few hours this weekend to stroll around Navy Pier to soak up some practical ideas for living out your good intentions:

“Celebrating what’s working in our communities, the Chicago Green Festival®, a joint project of Global Exchange and Green America, showcases more than 350 diverse local and national green businesses. More than 150 renowned speakers appear for insightful panel discussions and presentations.

You’ll also enjoy great how-to workshops, a Fair Trade pavilion, a Green Home pavilion, an Organic Food and Gardening pavilion, a Community Action and Green Careers pavilion, a Sweet Spot Café, a Green Kid’s activities and delicious organic beer, wine and cuisine.”

Free Admission

From T-Mobile: “In exchange for recycling a mobile phone at the festival, you’ll get free festival admission and can enter for a chance to win tickets to Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival on July 26. The first 250 people recycling a phone will also receive a free organic festival T-shirt.”

Free admission also available for:

• Volunteers - learn how to volunteer!
• Bike riders with valet ticket – courtesy of Clif Bar’s 2 Mile Challenge
• Students with ID
• Youth ages 18 and under
• City of Chicago Employees
• Green America & Global Exchange members

$5 Discount on admission

• Seniors 62 and over
• Public transit riders with transfer or pass
• Union members with valid ID

Programming Highlights

Some of the programs I would most like to see include:

• Saturday at 11am in the Community Actions Pavilion: Victoria Kreha & Melissa Ryzy present “Shopping Your Values“
• Saturday at 3pm in the Fair Trade Pavilion: Cindy Pardo, The Fair Trader presents “Fair Trade Retail: Doing Well by Doing Good“
• Saturday at 4pm in the Green Homes Pavilion: Stephanie Davies presents “Worms Ate My Garbage… And Keep Eating! Urban Worm Girls Guide to Indoor Composting Methods“
• Sunday at noon in Rm 317: “Green Parenting 101” with Cecelia M. Ungari
• Sunday at 1pm on the Main Stage: “Finding Your Career in the Green Economy” with Dr. Kevin Danaher
• Sunday at 3pm in Rm 318: “My Journey to Sustainability” with Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun
• Sunday at 4pm in Rm 318: “Dining Green Everyday” with Michael Oshman

Download the full brochure and get all the details here. And if you aren’t fortunate enough to live in Chicago, you can catch the Green Festival in Seattle in June, Washington DC in October and San Francisco in November.

Major League Baseball® and PEOPLE® magazine invite you to nominate individuals who have gone above and beyond to serve their community.

Maybe they mentored disadvantaged children, cared for abandoned pets or started a community garden. You tell us! You can even nominate yourself.

A total of 30 everyday All-Stars (one representing each MLB team) will be honored at the 2010 MLB® All-Star Game® in Anaheim on July 13 and one will be featured in PEOPLE magazine.

To participate, visit the website and enter information about your nominee (16 years or older) and tell us what makes him/her an everyday All-Star.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: MAY 14 I VOTE FOR THE FINALISTS: MAY 30-JUNE 20

Take a few minutes to fill out the simple nomination form and help that amazing individual you know get some well-deserved recognition.

Picking a Cause

If your mother already has a favorite charity, I suggest you skip the stuff, buy or make her a nice card and put a check made out to her favorite charity inside. Write a brief but sincere note telling her how she has influenced your values and shaped the person you are today. Ta-da! Guaranteed tears and appreciation, and no wasted packaging so it’s eco-friendly, too.

If your mom has always been the giving type but you don’t associate a particular charity with her, you might want to select one that particularly resonates with mothers, or serves mothers. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Women for Women International: “Since 1993, Women for Women International has helped thousands of female survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts rebuild their lives and regain their sense of self. Through our one-year programs, women are given the tools they need to get back on their feet and contribute to their community.”
2. Partners in Health: This is one of the international aid organizations for which I have the most respect, in whom I have the greatest trust. They were founded by Paul Farmer, who spent years in Haiti working with the poorest of the poor. They’ve since expanded to other countries (I visited a hospital under construction in Rwanda) but have been a vital partner in the recovery efforts after the Haitian earthquake in January.
3. Epic Change. The founder of Epic Change, Stacey Monk, is a tireless advocate on behalf of Mama Lucy, a woman in Tanzania who describes herself as a “former poultry farmer turned school founder & Mama to over 400 kids.” This Mother’s Day, Epic Change has developed a great web site and campaign called “To Mama With Love.” There, you can donate to support Mama Lucy while creating a “heartspace” for your own mother. Then send her an e-card telling her about the gift and sharing your heartspace.

Picking a Gift

First, let me say this: Don’t be fooled by marketing hype (is there a colored ribbon yet for Mother’s Day?). Personally, I have come to avoid products that say “a percentage of every purchase will be donated to XYZ charity.” Why? Because no one knows how much is donated, what other fine print is included or what controls exist to make sure the donation is really made.  Just like with many of these online contests for charity, I believe many of these companies are engaged in a cynical ploy to buy your affection by association with a cause you care about. If the rest of the company and the product itself have nothing to do with the cause, move on.

Instead, look for companies that have woven their social values into the fabric of their operations. Ones that employ women, pay them a fair wage, provide decent benefits, promote them internally and have women in leadership positions, etc.  It would be better if the companies aren’t merely offering a one-time promotion, but demonstrate consistent commitment to the cause.

Ah, but how to find such companies? Here are a few resources:

1. Dressed to Give. Check out this blog series from Stephanie Hackman at the Case Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to help people integrate giving into their daily lives. Her posts feature ideas for t-shirts, nail polish, boutique fashion and more, identifying great options if you just have to have something to wrap up to go with that card.
2. Green America: For the scoop on environmentally- and human-friendly products in a range of categories, you can trust the folks at Green America who have screened thousands of companies to find those you can feel good about–not just those with good marketing. “The National Green Pages™ is a directory listing nearly 3,000 businesses that have made firm commitments to sustainable, socially just principles, including the support of sweatshop-free labor, organic farms, fair trade, and cruelty-free products.” As one example, check out their listings of 139 companies offering products in Body/Personal Care. For a broader range of ideas, check out their Gift Guide.
3. “B Corporations.” Again, it can be hard for individuals to really know what a company is up to. That’s why we need outside certification of corporate social responsibility, such as that obtained by B Corporations. ”B Corporations are a new type of corporation which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. You can search for a B Corporation by key word, like “gifts” or just browse through the list.  A few likely candidates for Mother’s Day include: UncommonGoods, an online and catalog retailer of creatively designed, high quality products; NUMI Organic Tea, a specialty tea company known for their full leaf teas, herbal teasans and line of Flowering Tea; eConsciousmarket.com, an online retailer that sells thousands of the finest ecologically (eCo “friendlier”) and socially responsible products available and donate up to 10% of every purchase to the exceptional Non-Profit organizations listed on their website.

One final thought: Why limit your socially responsible purchases to those associated with Mother’s Day? Couldn’t a much greater percentage of your personal shopping also be done through socially responsible companies? For easy resources for your everyday purchases, check out GoodGuide (especially their iphone app) and alonovo.com.

And as they say, what gets measured is what gets done. And what we demonstrate that we value as a society is what children in that society aspire to be.

How many kids dream of growing up to be superstar athletes, receiving the praise and glory of adoring crowds (including their parents) when they score the game-winning points? Undoubtedly a lot more than dream of leading a major effort to reform their neighborhood schools, to improve people’s access to quality health care or to reinvigorate the practice of organic backyard gardening.

Baby Steps

But in the last few years, America has started to introduce new heroes and prominently recognize new kinds of leadership–kinds that actually contribute to our society.

• There’s the Slate 60 that recognizes the country’s biggest philanthropists
• On the grassroots level there’s the Serve America Act that attempts to re-invigorate the idea and practice of community service.
• The Public Service Loan Forgiveness provisions allow someone working full-time in the public sector (including government, health care or at a 501(c)(3) organization) to have their federal student loan balance wiped out after 120 payments, half the time required for those in the private sector.
• I’ve noticed my Chicago Tribune has started a sort of “volunteer of the week” feature. It’s true that one story recognizing someone who gives back (in one narrowly defined way) is not close to an entire sports section every day, but it’s a start.

These are just a few examples. The more we celebrate service to society (in all it’s forms), the more we demonstrate to young people that this is what we value. This is what’s important. This is where you find meaning and fulfillment in life.

The All-America High School Service Team

I’m happy to see that Parade magazine, well-known for its “All America High School Teams” recognizing young athletes, for the first time ever is putting together a new team “to recognize outstanding high school students who have made significant contributions to their communities.” For all the details, and to nominate a leader you know, visit Parade.com/service. Nominations are due April 15th.

Let’s Pick Up the Pace

We need more high-profile celebrations of young people who benefit society. Local papers could adopt their own version of an “All-Region Service Team” and school districts could have a community service Hall of Fame to complement the one they have for athletes. Reality shows could celebrate a different young person or established community leader every week.

I’ve never been one to think social change work has to be thankless and financially difficult to be meaningful. Human beings crave acceptance, which often manifests in the form of recognition and reward. Instead of fighting it and thereby limiting our recruitment pool to the self-sacrificing types, why not offer the thanks and recognition that we, as a society, should properly offer to those working for our common benefit?

Here’s the announcement I received from Chicago Public Radio:

Next month is the 2010 Global Activism Expo and it’s shaping up to be the largest public gathering on the Chicago Public Radio calendar.  With over 100 activist groups, four onsite volunteer opportunities for the public to “get involved,” eight restaurants selling food, Goose Island Beer, workshops all day long, this thing has expanded like one of those spongey kid’s toys!  On top of all the fun, it is notable that there isn’t another gathering of globally responsible groups like the GAX on the entire Face of the Earth.

We need app. 30 volunteers and everyone coming needs to participate in our Orientation Party (pizza, beer, soda, comprehensive instructions for the Main Event, and tie dye with Jerome McDonnell)

Saturday, April 17, 2010
10:00 AM to 7:00PM
UiC FORUM, 725 W. Roosevelt Road

Hosted by Worldview’s Jerome McDonnell, Chicago Public Radio Presents… is thrilled to again present this remarkable celebration – complete with food, music and over 100 Chicago-area Global Activists, all featured guests of Worldview’s Global Activism Series. On the air for seven years now, the Series continues to be inspirational, and bringing everyone together for this Expo has quickly become an annual event.

This year, in order to properly prepare for the estimated 5,000 people we expect to attend, we’ve arranged for a special GAX Volunteer Orientation Party. In order to volunteer for this intensive event you will need to be available for both the event AND the party.  We will assign duties, eat pizza, drink free beer, and make special tie-dyed volunteer tee-shirts with Jerome at Navy Pier on Tuesday, April 6 from 6:00PM to 9:00PM.

We need thirty (!!) volunteers to staff this huge event – duties will include general ushering, box office, assisting with workshops, and controlling the mayhem of this amazing all-day experience.

If available and interested, email me at donhall@chicagopublicradio.org with GAX in the Subject Line.

According to the Hands On Network,

The innovative nature of this program exponentially increased organizations’ capacity to both invite and excite people about volunteerism. Many volunteers served for the first time, beginning what we hope will be a life-long service journey. We look forward to organizations carrying on the momentum of this program, reconnecting with volunteers, and accomplishing even more in your communities this year.

My first instinct (as I tweeted a few days ago) was that this effort to bribe people into volunteering by rewarding them with a day at a Disney theme park seemed inherently wrong-headed. Shouldn’t people volunteer because it’s about helping others, not helping themselves? Doesn’t providing an explicit, promised reward for good behavior miss the point, and turn volunteering into a selfish act instead of an act of altruism? It just seems off to me.

But I seem to be the only one with this reaction. Joanne Fritz at about.com applauds Disney’s efforts, which they are saying recruited 1 million volunteers. Fundraising expert Ted Hart used his radio show to point out my skepticism but said he didn’t agree.

So I’m really curious–what do you think? Am I being too hard on Disney? Does a campaign like this provide the little push toward volunteering that people need, and do you think it will be “a life-long service journey”?

• I almost wrote a check to Partners in Health after the earthquake in Haiti.
• I almost offered to volunteer in my son’s classroom.
• I almost told someone who casually used the “r-word” to get a clue.
• I almost called my senators to let them know how I feel about the health care bill.
• I almost wrote a blog post about the Carson’s sale event to benefit Goodwill (Donate to Goodwill, get 20% off).

Our character isn’t comprised of the things we almost did–it’s the accumulation of the things we actually did. Good intentions and charitable impulses aren’t enough. So, while all of the above are sad reminders of the things I didn’t do this week, I’m happy to say I followed through on a few charitable impulses, too.

• I volunteered at the Cara Program to help unemployed workers develop their interviewing skills.
• I served as Cookie Mom for my daughter’s Girl Scout troop.
• I became a “High Fidelity” member of my favorite public radio station in the country, (you can pledge, too, at WBEZ).
• I helped my kids round up their pennies and dollars (and mine, too) for the Central Asia Institute’s Pennies for Peace campaign at their school.
• I started posting to my philanthropy blog again after three months of almost posting.

I feel great about those efforts. I always feel good when I follow through on something. And the legacy I hope to pass to my kids is that of a parent who speaks and acts with compassion and consideration, not one who really meant to but never got around to it.

So the next time a charitable impulse makes itself known in some part of your busy brain–act on it.

Thanks to Rosetta Thurman for pointing out the “Don’t Almost Give – Give” campaign sponsored by the Ad Council, which inspired this post.