Repurposed Parking Meters Collect Donations for Homeless

The city of Montreal has turned its retired mechanical parking meters (or Parco Dons)  in to piggy banks designed to collect loose change in order to help the city’s homeless population. The meters were first installed in the downtown borough of Ville-Marie in 2007, and since its inception, the program has raised $23,000 for the cause.

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Hilton Foundation to End Homelessness in L.A.

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation today announced $13 million in grants to fund key  a campaign to end homelessness in L.A. The grants includes:

• $9 million toward the creation of 2,500 new permanent supportive housing units;
  
  

• $3.6 million to identify and house 4,500 of the most vulnerable people on the streets;
• $330,000 for an innovative pilot program to ease the transition into housing; and
• $200,000 to engage faith leaders and communities in the campaign.

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Sharing Baby Food Saved My Sanity

This is a story of a woman who wanted to make healthy food for her baby, and also wanted to sleep. She formed a group of like minded parent who each made a big batch of one kind of food and shared it with the group. This idea works for baby food, soup, casseroles, you name it. If anyone in the Santa Rosa area wants to try this, I'm in.

How do you create and host a local babyfood exchange?

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Car Share Service - Rent Your Car for extra $$

GetAround is a basic idea -- most of our cars aren't in use during the day. We use them to drive to work, and then they just sit there until the work day is over. What if someone else could be using them when we don't need them? GetAround provides you with a keyless entry system for your car. You can then register it on their site so that someone who needs wheels nearby can find it, and rent it from you. It's sort of like a hybrid of Rentalic and ZipCar.

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Lone Ranger with Heavy Machinery

Tad Agoglia hasn't been to his Knoxville, Tenn., office in three years. That's because the 34-year-old and his four-man team constantly rush to disaster sites, where they open roads and provide other urgent services for emergency personnel.

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Suits for Success

Dress for Success promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.
 
Since 1997, Dress for Success has served more than 550,000 women around the world. Each year they reach more than 50,000 women in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Mexico, Poland and the West Indies.

 On her initial visit a woman receives a suit appropriate for the industry in which she is interviewing and, if available, accessories. After a woman finds a job she returns to Dress for Success for additional clothing that can be mixed and matched to make several outfits, providing her with the foundation for a professional wardrobe.

Another way in which Dress for Success supports women joining or returning to the workforce is through Steps to Success, an initiative that focuses on the crucial first 30 days of employment, during which newly-hired women face many potential challenges. 

Visit their website:
http://www.dressforsuccess.org/

Read Article in the BBC about this group:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8605221.stm

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Tired of watching women pick themselves apart in front of the mirror, 24-year-old blogger Caitlin Boyle scribbled a note on a Post-it — “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!” — and slapped it on the mirror of a public bathroom. With this one small act, a movement was born. Women of different ages, races, lifestyles and geographic locations began posting encouraging notes of their own. The messages are chronicled in Boyle’s new book, “Operation Beautiful: Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-it Note at a Time.”

This excerpt from “Operation Beautiful” highlights the damaging effects of “Fat Talk” and explains how to break free from it.

Watch another video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqOEP40Pmdg&feature=player_embedded#!

Read Entire Article:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38560934/ns/today-books/

Visit Operation Beautiful website:
http://operationbeautiful.com/

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Face to Faith Comes to Bay Area

Over 70 teachers from 25 public and private schools around the Bay Area joined Tony Blair, Founder and Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation US, at the launch of the Face to Faith program in San Francisco yesterday. They engaged in a live video-conference with Tony Blair and two Face to Faith schools; Brighton High School, a public school in Utah and Edmund Rice College in Melbourne, Australia.

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation US’ Face to Faith global schools program enables high school students to become true global citizens, dedicated to peace-building and harmonious co-existence. Face to Faith connects students aged 11-16 from different schools in 15 countries across the world via video-conferencing and a secure website. The program aims to break down stereotypes and broaden horizons by engaging students of different cultures, religions and beliefs in discussing global issues from different perspectives. In the United States, schools in Utah, California, New York, Washington and Georgia are already active members of the global program.

Read Full Article

Visit the Tony Blair Face to Faith Foundation
http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/pages/schools

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Prom Dress Recycling

Times are tough and, in many families, money is tight. But no matter what the state of the economy is, girls want a beautiful gown for the prom. There are programs throughout the country that allow folks to donate their used formal wear, jewelry, and shoes so that everyone can go to their prom.

Watch  antother video
http://cnettv.cnet.com/recycling-prom-dresses/9742-1_53-50023313.html

Website - donate my dress:
http://www.donatemydress.org/

Another Website:
http://princessproject.org/

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Khan Academy

One of the most amazing educational resources on the Internet. Over 1800 free online videos and thousands of practice problems all produced by one man -- Salman Khan: Teacher to the World

The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.

Sal has videos on YouTube covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, chemistry, biology and finance which have been recorded by Sal at his home.

The Academy also has an "exercises" section which allows you to solve problems online, find out if you answered correctly and get hints if needed. After you have correctly answered 10 problems you are prompted to move to the next level.

Sal received his MBA from Harvard Business School where he was president of the student body. He also holds a Masters in electrical engineering and computer science, a BS in electrical engineering and computer science, and a BS in mathematics from MIT where he was president of the the Class of 1998. While at MIT, Sal was the recipient of the Eloranta Fellowship which he used to develop web-based math software for children with ADHD.

Tell all the Math teachers you know about this resource.

Khan Academy website
http://www.khanacademy.org/

Khan Academy Exercises
http://www.khanacademy.org/exercisedashboard

Google Awards Khan Academy $2 million prize
http://edudemic.com/2010/09/google-awards-2-million-prize-to-khan-academy/

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The Sharing LifeStyle and How to Legally Define it

This good idea is a "twofer":
1. sharing instead of owning to make your $$ and energy go farther

2. supporting a type of law that helps facilitate cooperation instead of promote contention.

I strongly recommend you read the entire article instead of just reviewing my summary. This is  big one.

The author, Janelle Orsi calls this sharing law which would help people like Lynne:

• Lynne lives in an urban cohousing community and shares ownership of a car with two neighbors. Every day, she fluidly shares, borrows, and lends (rather than owns) many household goods, tools, electronics, and other items.

• She is a member of a cooperative grocery, through which she receives significant discounts in exchange for putting in a few monthly work hours. She grows vegetables on an empty lot and sometimes sells the veggies to neighbors.

• She has a successful rooftop landscaping business, which she launched using 20 microloans and investments from friends and family. She often barters, doing odd jobs in exchange for goods and services.

• She also owns a 5 percent share of a hot springs retreat center outside of town, which she acquired through sweat equity.

To learn more about this lifestyle and the legal challenges that will arise as more of un embrace this concept read the full article:
http://shareable.net/blog/birth-of-sharing-law

Janelle has also written a book on the subject, you could purchase it, or try and get it thru the paperback book exchange (an earlier post).
http://www.nolo.com/products/the-sharing-solution-SHAR.html

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Nationwide Paperback Swap

This website allows you to post books you are willing to give away. Once someone requests your book, you mail it to them (you pay shipping).

Then you receive a credit you can use to request a book for yourself. The book is shipped at no cost to you.

You can do this all from home, post your books, pick out new ones, and print the mailing labels from your home computer.

Great for college students on a budget or anyone who is a "bookie".

The have almost 5 million books at the site.

Watch video that explains the process:
http://www.paperbackswap.com/help/how_to_swap_books.php

Visit the Website:
http://www.paperbackswap.com/

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Recycled Pacemakers Save Lives

Two doctors from the University of Michigan  Cardiovascular Center took a look at the legality and practicality of collecting pacemakers, after a patient has died,  sterilizing them and reusing them. The  devices are used wth patients who live in a country where the price of a pacemaker is prohibitive.

Kim A. Eagle, MD, a cardiologist and a director of the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, explained that “establishing a validated pacemaker reutilization program could transform a currently wasted resource into an opportunity for a new life for many citizens in the world.”

Eagle notes that small humanitarian efforts have demonstrated that the risk of infection when using recycled pacemakers is the same—less than 2 percent—as implanting a new device. Patients also live as long and have as good a quality of life with a recycled pacemaker as patients who receive a new one.

Even though the cost of new pacemakers is as low as $800 in some foreign markets, this amount is “often more than the annual income of the average worker in underdeveloped nations,” noted Eagle. Cardiovascular disease continues to be an epidemic in these countries and others around the world.

Bill Daem has been doing this without the approval of the medical establishment since the mid 90s. During that time he has sent between 1,400 and 1,600 pacemakers overseas. Many of them were given to children. This new study may help Bill's organization Heart Too Heart expand it's efforts.


Read about the Michigan Study
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101019171900.htm

Bill Daem's recommendations for recycling pacemakers, hearing aides, eyeglasses, etc...
http://www.mywhatever.com/cifwriter/content/19/abcd1675.html

University of Michigan's Project site:
http://www.myheartyourheart.org

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The Sharing Exchange

A recycled Newspaper box has become a drop box where anyone can

1. take an object
2. leave an object
3. check back to see what is in there.

A simple idea with wonderful possibilites.

I wonder if I can put one in my front yard? I have been wanting to give away extra tomatoes - how fun to have a treasure box right outside your door.

Read more http://www.life-connected.com/2009/11/the-stranger-exchange/

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Time Banking

Time banking is a system where you  spend an hour doing something for somebody in your community. That hour goes into the Time Bank as a Time Dollar, then you have a Time dollar to spend on having someone doing something for you.

It's a simple idea, but it has powerful implications for folks who are trying to stretch their money, are unemployed or who have specific needs they can't afford to hire out.

If you want to save $$, have skills you are willing to share, and want to get a great deal, this is an idea for you.

How it works
http://www.timebanks.org/how-it-works.htm

Where do I start
http://www.timebanks.org/get-involved.htm

If you hear about a great idea, send me an email or post a comment at this site. Let's all get hooked on finding "ideas that work". lhemenway@santarosa.edu

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Recycled Sneakers Help Kids in Need

Greg Woodburn, a sophomore at the USC cleans used sneakers and shares them with underprivileged children in the United States and 20 other countries. I'm going to look in my closet right now, surely there is an old sneaker waiting for a new life.

Read his story online at the Reader's Digest
http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/recycled-sneakers-fit-for-sharing/article167335.html

Learn more about his non profit -  Woodburn's Share Our Soles (S.O.S.)
http://www.shareoursoles.org/

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Shower to the People

Frank and Louise Fargo from Everett, Washington have a mobile home they use to offer showers to  homeless folks who are in need. How cool is that? Its a simple comfort, provided by generous hard working people.

Read about the Fargos at
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100923/NEWS01/709239891/0/FRONTPAGE

How you can help

Donations of toiletries and new socks and underwear can be dropped off at Cascade View Presbyterian Church, 1030 E. Casino Road, Everett.

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