Pocket Mouse

Also!

VOTE!!!

oops.

(Again, I forget to post a draft.  This is from two weeks ago!  Update from last weekend coming soon.)

- Tried Great Sage, an organic vegetarian restaurant in Clarksville.  I had yummy apple cider, artichoke spinach crostini, Indian vegetable cakes, and a big piece of carrot cake.  I also discovered the little row of shops known as Conscious Corner, which consists of Great Sage, Nest Natural Home, Bark!, and Roots Market. 

- Saw "Watch, A Haunting" at a new little theater on Charles Street called The Strand, followed by crepes at Sofi's (banana, peanut butter, honey, and granola!). 

I'm happy to see that the Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey program is starting again!  Last year, I adopted Juniper.  This year my turkey is...

Faye!

Manifest Hope Gallery

My favorite out of all the finalists, by Ben Dutro:

I hope they make it available in a print!  See more here.

Free Rice

I am usually suspicious of these things, so I hope this one is for real:

Free Rice!

For every word you get right, they donate 20 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger.  It's kind of addictive.

At the very least, I guess you can improve your vocabulary...

action alerts and online activism

I often feel bad because there are so many amazing charitable organizations that I want to support, but I just don't have the money to donate to all of them.  I'm really excited that so many organizations are now offering alternative ways to help.  Several websites now have "action alert" sections where you can read about different issues and with one click, send a letter to your congressperson, the offending company, etc.  If you are like me, you are probably wasting a lot of time online anyway, so why not actually do something good with your time? 

These are a few of my favorite sites for online activism:

National Resources Defense Council

The Humane Society

Animal Protection Institute

ASPCA

PETA

Sierra Club

Helping Animals

Looks like I'm on an animal/environmental kick here, so I'll post a "part two" with different types of organizations.  To be continued...

National Bird Day

This Saturday, January 5th, is National Bird Day.  National Bird Day is sponsored by the Animal Protection Institute (API) in coordination with the Avian Welfare Coalition (AWC) and is a great way for people to take action on behalf of captive birds.

The National Bird Day website lists many ways to get involved, including writing letters to pet stores asking them to eliminate the sale of birds.

And don't forget to check out the really cute selection of National Bird Day shirts.  Here are the ones I bought:

 

arbor day gifts

It might be a bit early, but I'm already planning a fun project for this Spring.  The Arbor Day Foundation offers adorable tiny gift trees in recyclable tubes that can be converted into bird feeders.  Labels can be customized with messages, quotes, or logos.  The tiny trees are only $3 (though 25 is the minimum order) and you can choose from four different trees (Longleaf Pine, Colorado Blue Spruce, Coastal Redwood, or Ponderosa Pine). The order form will help you determine which species will grow best in your region.

I love giving out little gifts from nature to celebrate the beginning of Spring (last time, I did potted violets), so I'm planning to order 25 trees to give out to friends and co-workers on Arbor Day.  Arbor Day in Maryland is the first Wednesday in April (April 2nd this year), but it's different in every state.  Check this page to find out when your state's Arbor Day is if you are interested in doing something similar. 

Speaking of the Arbor Day Foundation, their website has some really lovely tree quotes on it.  A few of my favorites:

"I never before knew the full value of trees.  Under them I breakfast, dine, write, read, and receive my company" (Thomas Jefferson)

"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets.   To plant a pine, one need only own a shovel." (Aldo Leopold)

"Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world." (John Muir)

I should also mention that Arbor Day Foundation membership is only $10 for 6 months, $15 for a year and you get 10 free trees shipped to you free of charge. 

Please don't eat me!

This is Juniper, the turkey I adopted as part of the Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-a-Turkey project.  They are encouraging people to adopt a turkey for $20 instead of eating one this Thanksgiving.  Farm Sanctuary is an organization that has been very special to me ever since I read about it in Nicole Georges' Invincible Summer zine (which was also the zine that persuaded me to finally go vegetarian). They run shelters in New York and California for rescued farm animals. 

So, no preaching, but I encourage you to check out the Adopt-a-Turkey and Farm Sanctuary websites.  The Farm Sanctuary site has lots of rescue stories with adorable photos (for some reason, this cow reminds me of my doggy, Sammy).  The Adopt-a-Turkey site has some really good information on the turkey industry and some yummy-sounding vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes. 

Women for Women

I read about Women for Women last night in the April issue of Bust and I signed up immediately.  You are matched up with a woman survivor of war in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Columbia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, or Sudan.  Like any other sponsorship, there's a financial commitment ($27 each month to help with your sister's food, job skills training, etc.), but the really unique thing about Women for Women is that you also pledge emotional support, meaning that you'll get to exchange letters with your sister.  Just go here to sign up.