Welcome to the feel-good issue of the Digital Influentials newsletter!
This time around we decided to focus our attention on the altruistic side of our nature and find some of the best, most upbeat, digital ways to save the world! You may or may not be surprised just how easy it is to save the world using digital media. If you go to Google and type in “save the world” there are more than 229,000,000 results. Conversely, if you go to Google and type in “how to ruin your day” there are only 7,960,000 results. Based on this simple qualitative survey, I think things are looking pretty good!
First, let’s get started with WORLD OF GOOD (http://worldofgood.ebay.com/), as delivered to you by eBay. If you use World of Good to shop for products they will guarantee that you find the most eco-friendly, ethically sourced items and thereby drive positive global trade. No tariffs or taxes; just people creating things for other people. My favorite item thus far is the solar-powered flashlight. The idea is great; use the sun to charge the batteries and your flashlight will run all night.
If you tend to take a more dramatic approach to saving the world, then join up with the CARROTMOB (http://carrotmob.org/). The mission is simple; they organize groups of consumers to support environmentally-friendly companies and businesses. On a local level, this can drive a business to success and is a more positive tactic than a boycott. Boycotts by their nature are dismal; they punish bad habits rather than reward positive thinking. It’s the power of positive thinking in action!
If you have a few minutes and you’re considering volunteering, check out EXTRAORDINARIES (http://www.beextra.org/) as a place to start! They are a platform for creating and managing micro-volunteer opportunities. Maybe you have 10 minutes in your day, and maybe you have 2 hours. No matter what you have, they can connect you with worthwhile opportunities from tagging pictures to building web pages or doing research. These are things you can do from home and they have an impact on the world. Its not every day that you can find such an easy to use platform, so definitely check them out!
If you want to raise money and donate it to a worthwhile cause, then try using CREATE A FUND (http://www.createafund.com/index.php?route=home). They seem to have created and offer a simple way to crowd-fund an idea or an organization. Individuals can donate $25 or more and the aggregate can really be quite large! The masses have the money, so let them put it to good use!
And in the same positive vein as pay-it-forward comes KINDED (http://www.kinded.com/). Kinded provides a simple way to create a card and practice random acts of kindness for the people around you. When you perform the random act of kindness, hand that person the card and its their turn to map it and pass along the kindness. The cynical among us will probably not trust these random acts, but maybe it can work. When you’re feeling down, you tend to act negative but a random act of kindness can change your whole day!
On the iPhone platform, because saving the world is not a stationary action, you should check out the GO GREEN app for helpful ways to save the planet and iRECYCLE to find local recycling centers near you. And even though I know it’s not really “green”, check out the GREEN SCREEN STUDIO app to edit your pics and drop them into new and familiar settings!
That’s it for this edition – now go out and save the world!!
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