I no longer feel like a lone voice, screaming in the darkness.

When You Work at a Nonprofit

There's no point in placing any one gif in this blog post -- they are ALL relevant. *cries*

There have been a few essays and articles posted in the last few months about the second coming of Bay Area tech that are, both separately and together, very interesting indeed.

First, in both timeline and foundation:

Rebecca Solnit's excellent essay on the burgeoning San Francisco dot com environment, for London Review of Books

All this is changing the character of what was once a great city of refuge for dissidents, queers, pacifists and experimentalists. Like so many cities that flourished in the post-industrial era, it has become increasingly unaffordable over the past quarter-century, but still has a host of writers, artists, activists, environmentalists, eccentrics and others who don’t work sixty-hour weeks for corporations– though we may be a relic population. Boomtowns also drive out people who perform essential services for relatively modest salaries, the teachers, firefighters, mechanics and carpenters, along with people who might have time for civic engagement. I look in wonder at the store clerks and dishwashers, wondering how they hang on or how long their commute is. Sometimes the tech workers on their buses seem like bees who belong to a great hive, but the hive isn’t civil society or a city; it’s a corporation.

Onward, to the intersection of this phenomenon with philanthropy and community:

The Bacon Wrapped Economy

More young people have more money in a more concentrated place than perhaps ever before. Old money is being replaced by new, but it's a new kind of new, one that has different values, different habits, and different interests than the previous generation. The very rich have always, to a greater or lesser degree, been guilty of excess, but what's changed is that the Bay Area's new wealth doesn't necessarily have the perspective, the experience, or the commitments of the group it's replacing.

And that brings with it a whole host of disparate side effects: The arts economy, already unstable, has been forced to contend with the twin challenges of changing tastes and new funding models. Entire industries that didn't exist ten years ago are either thriving on venture capital, or thriving on companies that are thriving on it. It is now possible to find a $6 bottle of Miller High Life, a $48 plate of fried chicken, or a $20 BLT in parts of the city that used to be known for their dive bars and taco stands. If, after all, money has always been a means of effecting the world we want to bring about, when a region is flooded with uncommonly rich and uncommonly young people, that world begins to look very different. And we're all living in it, whether we like it or not.

AKA, coffin nail number nine in my nonprofit career. I definitely saw this happening when I left my last nonprofit job -- the money is there, but the focus, priorities, and commitment of the donors are way less grounded in reality. I get that in the best of worlds this can also possibly make some nonprofits be a bit more accountable, and can possibly make the arts more dynamic, but what I'm actually seeing are the unsustainable side effects: fickle, less committed support in exchange for moving mountains, and shallow donors unaware of the issues that are important to vulnerable communities made up of folks who are definitely not bringing in a $2000+/week paycheck.

And lastly:

Oakland Ranks Number 11 on List of Best Cities for Tech Start-Ups

Here it comes.

Okay, so as much as I find start-up culture and tech drones and $25 cocktails somewhat sad, I continue to be torn by this type of stuff. On one hand, Oakland needs the tax base and has benefitted in many ways (still more so peripherally) from tech. And cities are living organisms -- always changing, growing, adjusting -- with the consequential growing pains, so why not? But is this stuff going to fix public schools? Save our community libraries? Lower crime rates? Or just get us more people in $100 hoodies gushing about how edgy Oakland is at their $40 brunch served by an ex-Oaklander who now commutes from El Sobrante? I fear we'll get folks who don't value or even SEE anyone else but folks like themselves.

But sooner or later, everyone has to live in the world they've created: "...now I can make a billion dollars building a cool photo app or targeting ads to people more effectively. And that is a problem: More and more people in tech are making huge amounts of money, and people aren't curing cancer because it's not an attractive thing to do."

We can dream, and this is the world we made?

It's holiday shopping season! This year, like every year, I like to recommend giving easy holiday gifts that can possibly make a bigger impact.

I've advocated buying local and making community-based gifts in the past, but I must admit that in the age of the big box, it always felt a little futile. But with the entrance of Occupy Wall Street, this idea finally seems to be taking off big time. Occupy's large media presence has brought the idea of being a conscious consumer to the mainstream, and with that, the crucial building blocks needed to get started.

So in lieu of my regular ol' holiday giving recommendations for nonprofits and gifts of conscience, I want to recommend this great article that was forwarded to me by my friend Bicycle Irish:

Occupy the Holidays: Ten Ways to Make Your Gift-Giving More Meaningful

Gift giving is an honored tradition that gives you the opportunity to share joy with those you care most deeply for. But now more than ever, we need to make sure our purchases are meaningful. Being a conscious consumer is imperative during this Holiday season. This doesn’t mean forsaking your seasonal celebrations, including gift exchanges. But it does mean taking some time to reconsider out habits.

These are really easy but highly effective ways to incorporate conscious consumerism into your holiday -- and perhaps, daily -- life.


















Okay, but you're not getting away that easily! I also want to share a great piece I read about the transformative and healing power of being generous with one's spirit.

Knitting Behind Bars

Each week the men eagerly await the women's arrival, then promptly get to work. “It takes you away a little,” Horton says. “You have to watch what you’re doing, otherwise your stitches will become loose or tight or you’ll skip stitches. It almost makes you feel like you don't have to be anything. You’re all sitting there knitting. You can just be yourself.”

[Richy] Horton was released from prison last December and now works in construction. He believes his involvement with KBB helped him get out of jail and onto parole, showing the parole interviewers his small but positive effort to help the outside community. He continues to keep in touch with the women of KBB and is currently knitting a beaded scarf. “They’re not normal people,” Horton says of Zwerling, Rovelstad, and Heirs. “They’re almost like saints.”


















"It almost makes you feel like you don't have to be anything." This is a program that works.

To donate to Knitting Behind Bars, contact Lynn Zwerling at lynnzwerling@verizon.net.

So much has happened in the last 10 days, and there's really not much to say that hasn't already been said.
















The damage from the 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11 to the Tohoku region of Japan was devastating. Each day, as the casualty count rises, my heart breaks.

My 70 year old Japanese expatriate mother says that the Japanese people's greatest strength is their perseverance -- that, and their sense of community. We also both agree it could have been far, far worse. I take some comfort in those truisms.

I am also very glad the Japanese government has been so receptive to international, government-based aid this time around. And the urge to help has been strong internationally among everyday folks too, which makes me feel like we've come so far since WWII. However, I do caution people to be very selective in how they choose to help a country like Japan. The human toll has been high, and so sad, and I know I'm not alone in feeling powerless and wanting to do something, anything, to ease the emotional and physical pain of survivors. But Japan is wealthy, industrialized, intergovernmentally connected, and has infrastructure. Unless you have specific skills that can be put to use, it may be better to send any financial support at this time, in solidarity, to a country still struggling with their earthquake repercussions, like Haiti.

On a personal note, everyone close to my heart is safe, and for that I am grateful. My cousin said that they will live through anything! :)

Nihon, ganbatte ne?

Happy International Women's Day! Ultimately, this should be an everyday event, but it is great to have a day to really focus on the achievements and contributions of women and remind folks of the continuing fight for women's empowerment around the globe.

I am grateful that I grew up with parents who told me I could achieve anything I wanted in life; even more fundamental is that I was given a solid foundation to thrive by being born in a top notch medical facility after a pregnancy during which my mother had excellent medical care.

There have been countless studies that conclude that women's health and education are primary indicators of the health of a community. This fact, juxtaposed with the sobering and painful reality of so many women all over the world, was one of the reasons I was attracted to working in women's health after I finished college.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 1500 women die everyday from mostly avoidable childbirth related complications. Medical complications in childbirth, such as obstetric hemorrhage (massive bleeding from childbirth), obstructive labor (labor where the mother is unable to deliver the baby), eclampsia (life threatening seizures related to high blood pressure), and sepsis (widespread infection) are emergencies we in the industrialized world understand as serious, but take for granted as unlikely to result in maternal death. This is not the case in many developing nations.

This is why I want to take a moment on International Women's Day to stump for a fantastic nonprofit founded by a female MD in the Bay Area that offers critical services benefiting women in some of the most vulnerable areas of the world.

WE CARE Solar is an organization that provides photovoltaic systems to medical facilities around the globe, ensuring their ability to provide reliable medical care, especially in times of crisis. Having the electrical power to provide health care workers with consistent lighting, mobile communication, and blood bank refrigeration is critical to reducing both infant and maternal mortality rates, and this organization is being utilized by WHO as the model for providing this vital resource.



In honor of the incredible women in your life, I urge you to make a donation to WE CARE, or to another nonprofit working toward women's health, education, or empowerment -- and ultimately, a better world.

It's that time of year again -- the holiday gift-giving season is upon us!

This year, as I do every year, I encourage folks to support their local economies and buy their gifts from local, independent retailers as often as they can. Even better -- buy items from your local retailers that are made in the USA and/or are compliant with fair trade guidelines (North Americans can look up companies and suppliers at the Fair Trade Federation).

Okay, I know, I know: this type of shopping isn't always realistic -- even for folks who trumpet it all the time -- especially with time constraints and while still in the midst of a bummer recession. But I think attempting to adhere to these guidelines is really important.

So with the realities of the holidays in mind, I always like to list a few great (and inexpensive) places online where your hard-earned dollars can get you a beautiful, quality gift, a clean conscience, and the knowledge that you are actively participating in philanthropy that is helping to build a better world.

My picks this year:

1) Rwanda Baskets

The vision of the Rwanda Basket Company is to empower the impoverished women of Rwanda to rise above their subsistence level existence by providing them with the training, tools and support needed to sell their baskets in the West.

The United Nations estimates that women make up 70 percent of those living in absolute poverty. Many of these women are cut off -- geographically, financially, or sociopolitically -- from fair and sustainable ways of making a living. Business ventures like Rwanda Baskets help bridge that gap.

Also, these baskets are stunning!

2) TOMS Shoes

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about.

I've admired this company for a long time. Their original slip-on shoe is IMO really cute, but admittedly isn't everyone's cup of tea; recently, they've expanded their shoe line to include sporty looking lace-up models and the like, as well as a full vegan line for the hippies. :)

Watch this video and see if you can keep from buying at least a couple of pairs.



3) Peacekeeper Cause-metics

Peacekeeper Cause-Metics is the first cosmetics line to give all of its after-tax, distributable profits to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues. PeaceKeeper builds a bridge between extraordinary women in the land-of-plenty with extraordinary women who, by chance of birth, don’t have our resources or opportunities.

'nuff said? Well, not really.

Y'all know that women's issues are of particular importance to me. Y'all also know that makeup is a huge expenditure -- both financially and toxicity-wise -- for most women of means. Peacekeeper is dedicated to helping poverty-stricken women all over the globe, and they are funding it with the sales of non-toxic makeup. Righteous! They are part of a business model called "all benefit" (a term, for lack of sufficient linkalicious-ness, that is better explained by the "Paul Newman business model") that gives all of their profits after company costs to charity. Go get some!

4) Better World Books

Better World Books collects and sells books online to fund literacy initiatives worldwide. With more than six million new and used titles in stock, we’re a self-sustaining, triple-bottom-line company that creates social, economic and environmental value for all our stakeholders.

Before I get reamed by my independent bookstore friends for recommending an online retailer, let me just say that I am a big supporter of local independent bookstores, full stop. But if you've got to buy online (especially true for folks where the big bookstore bads have run every independent out of business) independently owned Better World Books saves books from landfills, supports literacy programs in the States and around the world, and gives you an option to ship your books not only for free, but also carbon-neutral. Excellent.

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If anyone has some resources for other eco-friendly, fair trade, and/or cause-driven gift-giving, please feel free to post in the comments. Happy holiday shopping!

Thursday, April 30, 2009 is the annual Dining Out For Life in the East Bay. Dine out at a participating East Bay restaurant and that restaurant will donate 25 percent or more of the total meal tab to an organization working to fight AIDS; this year, the beneficiary is Vital Life Services in Oakland.

I'm hitting up Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe for their killer mac and cheese and an ice-cold Oly. They're one of the few folks giving 50 percent -- doubling the standard donation!

Find out when your area is hosting their Dining Out For Life here.

I'm on a high of goodness:

Miami Banker Gives Out $60 Million in Bonuses

This actually brought tears to my eyes. This man worked hard and seemed to make good decisions his whole life. He treated his employees well, and they were loyal (57 years!) and in turn most likely were part of the reason for his success. Talk about giving back! It feels good to know that there are still people like this in the world, a true role model.

This is the type of person I wish to emulate, even on my own meager economic level. Meager means most of my giving back is along the lines of sweat equity, tipping well, sharing a bottle, or buying someone dinner. But even these little things can make a difference in someone's day.

I've posted links to Operation Nice before, but I think it's time to do so again. We can't all give someone we appreciate $50K, but there are plenty of easy ways to give back to those who deserve it -- and maybe every now and then to folks who might just need it. And you might just get some good juju yourself in the process.

Just want to pimp this:

S. F. Zipcar Lets Charity Workers Drive for Free

The nonprofit organization I work for is already in negotiations to use Zipcar to pick up our clients for their medical appointments, but I didn't know this was part of a broader plan on the part of Zipcar.

It is this type of social entrepreneurship that makes me feel like we're on our way to a better world.

Wow, this is so cool!

GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50-percent of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. It's a simple and compelling concept. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it's powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers — the users and the organizations do not spend a dime!

Think about how often you search the internet. What a great way to help a nonprofit you care about, for free, just by doing something you do almost every day. You can even install it in your toolbar to make it easier. Love it.

Oh man, is the holiday crazy totally on or what?

You know, every Christmas, Trevor and I try to get educational toys, books, and comic books for our gaggle of rambunctious nephews, and every year we feel sort of lame because while they are all great kids who always appreciate a gift from their Auntie and Uncle, what they really really want is plastic crap from China. So this year we decided just this once we'd give in and whore ourselves out to the People's Republic of Melamine, Lead Paint, and Horrific Labor Violations.

And as anyone exposed to children who are exposed to advertising knows, getting holiday lists from 2-7 year olds is a pointy, flashing, two-AA-battery laden plastic sea of Transformers, Bionicles, Ben-10, and random superhero toys. Most locally owned shops don't carry this stuff, so trying to mitigate possibly ethically-challenged gifts by at least shopping locally is also quite difficult.

So yes, I'll admit, I went whole hog: I went to Target.

Like other guilty American pleasures including but not limited to Jack in the Box and firearms, I do love myself some Target, but I only ever go once a year or so because 1) I want to support local business, and 2) going to the mall is like walking into hell. And ugh, I know, Target is really just the more pleasant -- albeit also union-busting and slave-wage paying -- cousin of that nasty, global community-raping behemoth, Wal-Mart. But unlike the Wal, they do offer domestic partnership benefits to their LGBT employees, more products made in the United States, and many green products, including organic foods and clothes.

Look at me rationalize! Such bad juju to shop at these types of stores -- especially when we're in a recession and we should be supporting our local economies instead.

So I'm here to ask you to help me with my bad juju: since I was only able to appease my moral conscience with my gifts for friends and non-children this year, help a sister out and give some love to my 2008 list of great places to shop for socially conscious, recession-busting holiday gifts.

1) Buy local whenever you can.

We all shop at chains, and that's not the end of the world. But doing it all the time can suck the lifeblood out of a vibrant and diverse community. One could go as far to say that democracy thrives in a culture of independent business. And just like our civil liberties can be slowly chipped away without our notice, by the time we realize the variety and spice we've lost in our communities by supporting big-box stores, one can feel like it's a lost cause that is too difficult to remedy. Not so!

I saw a great flyer the other day that recommended simply taking at least 4 days out of the month to support local business. Whether that's buying a book at your local bookstore one day or spending just a few dollars more for that birthday gift at your neighbor's shop the next week, buying local need not be bank-breaking, inconvenient, or difficult. It's an investment in your community -- and it's probably the safest investment one can make right now!

2) If you've got to buy non-US made or non-locally, why not buy fair trade?

Goods from China and many developing countries are cheap because gross labor violations and intimidation/exploitation of the poor and desperate drives down labor costs. But socially conscious alternatives need not cost you an arm and a leg. The Global Exchange offers over 100 fair trade gifts under $30.

3) Get your nature on: check out the rocks and fossils, beautifully polished and set as jewelry, from lapidopterix. Or spend your dollars at any number of other handcrafted artisan shops on Etsy.

Full disclosure: lapidopterix is a friend of mine who just started his wonderful little Etsy site. He travels all over the Western US on rock digs. When we visited him last, he took us out to a remote area of Northern Oregon to go augite hunting. We spent the afternoon in a beautiful rainforest setting, being rained on (naturally), digging our heels and our tiny hammers into the side of a muddy hill looking for little black faceted nuggets of goodness. What a blast!

He's been a rockhound as long as I've known him, and he really knows his stuff. Check out his gorgeous pieces, and if there's something specific you're looking for, hit him up on Etsy. Chances are he has it!

4) Honor your friends and family with a gift of supporting women's economic security, health, education, and leadership by making a donation to the Global Fund for Women.

Cutting back in a recession can be hard. But it is important to remember that compared to most other parts of the world, in the West during our recessions we are still very very rich.

Worldwide, women perform two-thirds of all labor and produce more than half of the world's food. Yet, women own only about one percent of the world's assets, and represent 70 percent of those living in absolute poverty. Supporting the Global Fund supports women's ability to contribute to and benefit from economic growth and development.

From the Global Fund for Women:

The Global Fund for Women provides grants to organizations that promote women’s economic empowerment through a variety of strategies, including skills training, access to microloans and organizing migrants and other women workers. Our grants promote women's leadership in environmental and natural resource management and efforts to educate policymakers on how macroeconomic policy and trade negotiations affect women’s economic well-being.

Happy shopping!

Was just reading about a new "clicks for revenue" project to benefit charities called Everywun.

The concept works this way: Interested users go to the Everywun web site, click on a charity badge - as broad as poverty or as specific as a homeless program - and then embed the badge in a blog or social-networking site. Each subsequent click on the badge by friends and visitors generates income from a corporate sponsor that has contracted with Everywun in an effort to support that charity.

I was impressed to see some of my favorite charities -- as well as a top-notch organization I used to work for -- listed among the charities that are being supported by this project.

Still in its infancy, Everywun is marrying two great concepts for which I have a great passion: the redistribution of corporate wealth to those in need, and making philanthropy accessible to people who may not be familiar with it or be able to afford it otherwise.

[Everywun creator Dan Jacobs] also was thinking about shifting some online advertising revenue, which totaled more than $21 billion in 2007, to charities.

"You are talking about the potential redistribution of tens of millions of dollars to philanthropy," Jacobs said. "And we are providing wonderful value to businesses who know that consumers will switch from one brand to another if the brand is associated with a good cause."

It is really so simple and genius, and I give kudos to Jacobs for tapping into the increasingly immense potential of online advertising as a revenue source for nonprofits. But I do have a concern about who might possibly be sponsoring my badge, and I'm sure some organizations might have the same concerns.

I remember when I worked for a certain nonprofit, we turned down millions of dollars from a corporate sponsor looking to clean up their offensive international business policies and image. We realized it was unethical for us to take money from the company and then turn around and possibly have to use that same money to fight that company's policies. Donors to another nonprofit I worked with were incensed that the organization accepted money (that made up a large portion of their budget) from a corporate sponsor whose policies were in direct opposition to our mission.

So I'm not really comfortable being left in the dark over who is sponsoring my badge, and then placing that badge on my website for sponsor advertising to my visitors. Then again, I don't want to piss on this parade because in the end the point is that a worthy nonprofit gets much needed funds. So what if a possibly offensive corporation gets some friendly advertising? I suppose it could also bring attention to that corporation's policies by default and help change them by pointing out the indiscrepancy -- much like the ongoing back and forth between Greenpeace and Apple.

Like carbon offsets, owning a Mac and an iPhone but then being ridiculously rabid about not driving my car, and ethical vegetarians who wear leather, there's always a give and take. It's just figuring whether or not the pros outweigh the cons.

Bead-Making Helps Ugandan Women Shed Poverty

The women of Kampala make the beads out of magazine paper. BeadforLife, the Colorado nonprofit behind the movement, imports and sells the beads at bead parties and online, and the money goes back to Kampala to buy land and build homes, send children to school, and help the women start businesses and improve their health through malaria treatments and mosquito nets.

"The draw is the beads, but really, it's an opportunity to get a discussion going about extreme poverty and how if we work collectively, we can change people's lives."

Gorgeous beads and a fantastic cooperative. This is why women are often the ones to get it done.

For more information see Bead For Life.

I read an article recently about a Cistercian order of monks who started an online office supply business. The monks have no personal income or possessions, but are required to be self-supporting. After they noticed the mark up on ink supplies was "sinfully high" (no joke!) they started their business. But get this, they not only claim to save customers a lot of money, but donate all of their net revenue to nonprofits.

There's a certain amount of religious thinking in the American Christian world that says money is kind of tainted — that there's something kind of evil about it — and I think that's wrong. That's part of the reason why (people) say, 'Monks making money? Monks running a big business?' They think there's something wrong with that ... What I've come to realize is that (money) is a tool, however I make it, whether it's selling ink and toner, or beer, or investing in stocks. It's a commodity that can be useful for doing a lot of good for others.

Mmmm...beer.

But even more seriously, this is truly "commerce with compassion" and a business I can totally get behind.

Anyway, I mentally filed it away when I read the article, thinking I would check it out next time I needed toner.

And so the time for toner arrived. Holy moley! I just saved a significant amount, and got to choose where I wanted to invest what I spent from their list of nonprofit organizations. I was so impressed I'm posting their info here.

Laser Monks

I just hope they don't mind being pimped by an NC-17 rated blog. Sorry guys.

Post dump: I forgot to include three more awesome things that happened in 2007.

1) Learning about Kiva, a nonprofit that partners with microloan institutions to allow individuals to loan money to small businesses in the developing world. You don't have to have a huge stock portfolio or wads of cash to do this -- you can loan as little as $25 at a time. Through the power of the internets and strength in numbers, a woman in Samoa can get the $650 she needs to expand her sewing business, or a man in Ecuador can get the $425 he needs to buy a refrigerator for his fishing business, directly from people like you and me.

This is so great, because not only can individuals who might not be able to afford $650 at one pop help someone become self-sufficient or contribute to making a current business more successful, but there is a connection that you don't get from giving to large institutions: you get email updates about the project you are funding! I highly recommend that EVERYONE check this organization out.

2) Finding two pairs of brand spankin' new slip-on Vans -- one pair of classics in turquoise canvas, one pair bright yellow suede with racing stripe -- in charity shops within days of each other and 2008. When I became obsessed with Vans I cannot pinpoint, but I am amassing quite a collection. Just gotta check my burning desire for the unattainable Hosoi Sk8-Hi. Sigh.

3) Receiving the best Christmas present ever: this sweet tactical flashlight. Thank you, monkey!

As I said earlier, the holidays are officially "on." What better day than Black Friday, or Buy Nothing Day, to give thanks for what you have, plan your charitable giving, and spend some energy on things that matter most?

December 1st is World AIDS Day. Here are a couple of really good promotions going on to help support Youth AIDS:

1. Kiehl's is donating 100 percent of sales of their delicious grapefruit hand and body cleanser to Youth AIDS. This is a great gift for Secret Santas or the hostess of the party you're attending or the house you are staying at for the holidays. I certainly wouldn't sniff disapprovingly at it either *wink*

2. If you're on MySpace, when you add 3 Needles as a friend before December 1st, 10 cents will be donated to the Youth AIDS Africa project. A free and painless way to do your part to not only raise some funds but get this critically acclaimed movie about the global AIDS crisis on everyone's radar, and get people talking.

If you're starting to think about tax season, and write-offs, or you just like to give a little back, here are some of my official endorsements for your hard-earned charitable donations:

1. Global Fund for Women

I worked here, I know the tireless women and men who work here, I know their courageous and fearless grantees, their dedicated international board, their loyal supporters. I know the good work this organization does for women's rights around the globe. Committed, positive, and passionate, GFW consistently invests over 3/4 of their funds into programs, above and beyond what is encouraged by such charity watchdogs as Charity Navigator; this year, they have invested over 80 percent toward programs, and have received 4 stars, the highest rating from Charity Navigator, for the fourth year in a row. Donate to the Global Fund for Women.

2. Greenpeace

I usually like to support small community-based environmental organizations, because I feel the most good is done to support your community first as a building block in a healthy environmental foundation, but longtime international healthy oceans advocate Greenpeace gets my vote this year because of the diversity of their programs, their commitment to nonviolence, and their support of people working to educate the public with scientific fact about the state of our oceans -- this article is why they are getting my support this year. Donate to Greenpeace.

3. Union of Concerned Scientists

I've been an admirer of UCS for some time. UCS merges scientific study with citizen action to work toward environmental stability and sustainability. Sharing their findings about everything from the benefits of organic food to the feasibility of renewable energy sources with the public, media, and governments, township to federal, has made them a well-respected environmental advocate in government policy. I also love their commitment to education -- making environmental awareness both realistic and easy to understand -- as well as their passion for removing the imposed hierarchy between scientific and "layperson" advocacy. Donate to Union of Concerned Scientists.

These are the charitable organizations I have committed to supporting this year, and I encourage you to check them out. But I would also love to get recommendations for charitable giving from anyone who reads this blog. Whatever you decide to support financially or spiritually, the most important thing this holiday season, and always, is to remember those who are less fortunate, and those organizations that are working to make our communities and our world a better place.