1 Month [24, 25, 26, 27]

If I were caught up here on the blog with my world-betterment acts, there would be an act for every day. How cool is that?! When I started this project I knew that there could be no way for me to stay caught up with one act per day, but to be 30 days in and still on track feels amazing. I know some are smaller acts than others, but it all adds up, which is a beautiful thing. I can't stress enough how important it has been for me to just keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities. I've found inspiration on other blogs, in magazines, even just sitting in class. There's been some nights when I literally couldn't fall asleep because my mind was going a mile a minute thinking up new and exciting ideas. My goal this year is to hit on causes from all around the world and of all kinds. As a poor college student I understand the frustration of being presented only with options that involve donating money, so I am also searching for ideas that involve donations of time and (wo)man power, resources I can actually give of freely. Today I've got a nice little mix of acts to introduce to the blogging world. We've got some money donating, random acts of kindness, and even a band to highlight.

First up, the tiny acts. Although they may seem nearly useless or completely unnoticed, I can tell you from experience, those tiny little acts of kindness matter. One little act that isn't usually an act, rather luck, is finding a lucky penny. It's one of those bright spots in my mom's day whenever it happens. I've never really hopped on the bandwagon (it probably has to do with the fact that I hate the smell of coins, especially when it gets on my hands) but the other day I got to class to find a lucky penny placed in the top corner of my desk. Thanks mystery person, it made my day! The second little thing also involves money, this time in the form of one dollar bills. I donated another two dollars, two very crisp new bills, to my church. That makes my attempt to tithe regularly quite a success: 2 for 2!


Now, for the big news. I'd like to introduce you to Hope into Humanity. I was introduced to this by my friend who posted the original video on facebook. What I absolutely love about this initiative is that they are "going back to the basics." Although they specifically mean the basic needs of any human (food, water, shelter), the idea in general is the same as mine. For them 2012 is the year to change the world, just like it is for me! Their current campaign is a 90 day fundraising drive to raise $20,000 for Charity:Water. With that money 1,000 people can get access to clean, safe water. Check out their water cause video HERE and consider donating to their cause! They're already 30 days into the challenge so you still have 2-ish months to donate!

Staying on the theme of other groups doing good, there's this band, the Giving Tree Band, that basically is amazing. Sorry for the lack of originality in that assessment, just believe me, they're awesome. The basics on this group are that the band was started by brothers Todd and Eric Fink in 2004, it is a seven-piece band that plays bluegrass-y tunes with a classic rock touch, they are all "eco-ruffians" who went plant-based (aka vegan) due to appreciation of its health and energy benefits. Ever since I started seeking out information about a plant-based diet and the community that surrounds this lifestyle, I've heard about this group, but I never actually searched for their songs on youtube or spent some quality time researching their mission. Then my mom sent me the best care package in the world: a simple card and the newest issue of VegNews. You may laugh at me, but seeing this (→) is all I needed to make my day that much better! It's so colorful (and if you know me at all you know how easily amused by color I truly am...) and it all looks so yummy! So, back on topic, there was an article about the Giving Tree Band towards the end of the magazine (which I stumbled upon right away because I started reading the magazine back to front) that highlighted some of their dedication to being environmentally friendly: solar-panel energy for producing their albums, playing on reclaimed-wood instruments, biodiesel-fueled tours, biodegradable CD packaging, and of course their vegan diet. So, if you're looking for some super good music and a great cause to support, mosey on over to amazon.com, the iTunes store, or even your local music store and buy one (or all) of the Giving Tree Band's CDs! I might give in and buy one of their CDs soon, or I might hold out a bit so I can buy Home on the Range when it is released. What is that you ask? It's a a joint project of the Giving Tree Band and a whole assortment of other veg and vegan artists that will donate all proceeds to support farm-animal rescues like Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, Happy Trails, Farm Animal Sanctuary Inc., and Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Not only that, but the CD packaging will be eco-friendly and it'll include a "Compassion 101" guide booklet to animal welfare (um, hello there future!).
If you're still on the fence about whether you want to support them, here's just a taste to get you interested: Giving Tree Band Video #1

But in all seriousness, they're really good: Giving Tree Band Video #2

I don't know how many different ways I can say it, they're just plain awesome:

Balloons, Tortoises, and Finger Puppets [21, 22, 23)

This is Chris. Not actually a desert tortoise, but my absolute 

favorite tortoise xx

Today it wasn't even lunchtime yet and I had already been presented with two chances to change the world (mind you I didn't even get up until 9:30). First, my roommate (not the blood-donating one, the other one) and I went grocery shopping at Kroger and at the checkout the cashier asked me if I would like to donate a balloon to a local children's hospital. Yes, yes, I would indeed. For $2.99 I have now given a child something to smile about. Not long after stowing all my groceries in their designated corners of my apartment I checked my email and there was an email from Defenders of Wildlife calling on me to contact the Bureau of Land Management. "Why?" you may ask. Well, because it turns out our well-meaning efforts to expand our solar panel energy use in the US is endangering the habitat of already endangered desert tortoises. Less than 10 minutes after receiving the email from Defenders of Wildlife, I had submitted an email to the Bureau asking them to keep expanding solar energy efforts but also to be careful not to make such expansions into tortoise habitats. →Here← are some tortoise facts for some light reading, and →here← you can get your world-changing groove on with fellow Defenders of Wildlife.

finger puppet hands!

I ended my world-changing acts of the day quite similarly to how I started them, this time donating my time (and questionable artistic skills) rather than money to bring a smile to a child's face. As part of a club meeting (so yet again, I cannot take credit for the idea), we made finger puppets for children at the Akron Children's Hospital. I had fun with it and hopefully my ridiculous-looking finger puppet will make some child smile.

In the Future

 As Lucy Pevensie, aka Georgie Henley, said “when you grown up, you should be just like you” (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader). And, you may say that I am indeed “all grown up,” but then why does there still seem to be such a great need for me to constantly clear up the confusion and explain that no, I am in fact not 16, that I am actually 21 and about to graduate from college... Details and confusion aside, when I grow up I’ll be just like me: odd, bubbly, quirky, German, and very very shy. I’ll totally be fine with that, I’ll embrace it and enjoy it, flaunt it even, but I’d also like to be just like her ---> over here, Dianna Agron: the first one, the one with the blond hair and the amazing voice. Not that I want to be blond necessarily, she’s just so cute. And this whole You, Me & Charlie business makes me smile. One day I’d love to have my blog morph into that, with multiple people and many voices. But for now, I'll content myself with guest bloggers, so if you have something to say, send me a line. If you’ve changed the world lately, let me know! Poems, videos, photos, maybe even a Hogwarts toilet seat, send it my way at--> marieke.abney@gmail.com

Speaking of guest bloggers, I've already got the very first one lined up and ready to go! Remember my roomie, from this blog post? And, well from this one too? She's moving up in the world: she'll be blogging about giving blood because I'm too much of a wimp. I don't like needles and I prefer for my blood to stay safely in my arteries and veins, thank you very much. But, my wimpy-ness aside, giving blood really truly is a great cause to support! Check back soon for her account of giving blood, and don't forget to send me an email detailing your world-changing stories. 

5 ingredients or less [20]

It's that time of the week again! A yummy food blog post. Maybe this should become a regular part of my blog, me just bombarding you with yummy yummy vegan food that I can make in my walk-in closet-sized kitchen (no joke, it's smaller than our bathroom...). Anyways, the food of choice this week is EnviroKidz Cereal. I will never grow out of the cereal phase (especially cereal meant for children), no matter how much anyone mocks me. But I do like to have my cereal be relatively healthy. Again, none of that weird sounding stuff that I (1) can't pronounce and (2) don't even think it's a naturally occurring food item. But I digress. EnviroKidz makes a random assortment of food and, as far as I've tried, all of it yummy and with relatively few ingredients. The EnviroKid food item currently residing in my pantry is Gorilla Munch cereal, made with organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, and sea salt. So, again not necessarily super duper healthy for you but much better than that combustible whatever-whatever that I mentioned last time.

Our teeny-tiny kitchen in all of its messy glory.

Faith [19]

To all those who are not religious, even to the point of being hostile towards it, I’d like to say: stick with me while I bring out the crazy. In the last little while I’ve felt drawn to live a life for others. That has partially been inspiration for starting this blog and in part it has been inspired by biblical study, particularly Galatians 6:1-10 ("[9] And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. [10] So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith").

            In bible study Sunday night we talked about doing our part for others and especially in situations where we feel we should do good but felt uncomfortable. Part of our solution lay in doing good willingly in those situations in which it comes easily. One of those situations for me is tithing at church, giving money to further the world-changing work LifePoint church does. I’d say after two and a half years I could consider myself a “regular attender” at my church but I have never given until it hurts. For that matter, I have never given at all, until Sunday. It was just two dollars, but it was a start.

Yes please! [18]

Not too long ago I blogged about going natural. Remember that kettle corn I'm so obsessed with? Yep, munching away on it as I type. But, by "living naturally" I am not just confining myself to food. My eventual goal is to come at this from all angles: general health, food, environmental, social. The list goes on and on. I'm cheating a little bit by including this next example of natural living, this being the "Yes to..." line of body care products, because I started using them last year, but my reasoning is that I am committing myself to using these products for the entire year of 2012 and to trying more and new products as the need arises.

So, a little bit about the "Yes to" brands, movement, campaign (lifestyle?). It was started by a group interested in creating a line of natural skin and hair care products. The subgoals were that the products would work, be guilt free (money and cruelty-wise), and be made from organic fruits and veggies. After only five years it can be found in 28,000 stores in 25 countries. The brands are: Nourishing Carrots, Soothing (Sensitive and color-treated) Cucumbers, Clear Skin Tomatoes, and Age Refresh Blueberries (WHY must my favorite fruit be for aging? I may joke that I'm an old lady with my knee problems, but my skin doesn't agree...) And, of course, it could not be on this blog if it didn't do good for others (though the non-chemical, environmentally-friendly, and cruelty-free aspects sure are a great start!). A portion of proceeds from every Yes to product sold goes to the Yes To Seed Fund, which provides children with opportunities to connect to nature and to learn about healthier lifestyles. Go check it out at the Yes to and the Seed Fund websites! 

Compassion=Strength=Success [15, 16, 17]

In today’s world, chock-full of technology, we too often demand and depend on instant gratification. We can immediately see that an email has been sent or when a text message is received. But this instant gratification has replaced something much sweeter and much more meaningful: heartfelt communication. The time of handwritten, snail-mail letters seems to be coming to a close; even the U.S. Postal Office is decreasing its services. So, goal for this weekend: finish and send letters to not one but two of my good friends. For now no names so maybe the letters will still be a surprise to the recipients, but I will give one hint, both of them are somewhere on this continent:

    In other news, it's amazing how by consciously keeping your eyes open for world-changing opportunities day in and day out can open up a whole new world of good. Even a quick check of Facebook can provide you with a world-changing chance. There's a gazillion and a half different pages that you can "like" on Facebook, everything from bands to foods to organizations. One of them is "We Day." I could go on and on about the amazing work We Day is doing, how it's a one day event that sparks a year of world-changing events or how it's an initiative of "Free the Children" that is meant to empower the youth of North America and the UK to help bring healthcare, clean water, and sanitation to people around the world. But, you see, I just got that information off of the We Day website so I think I'll just let the seasoned We Day advocates tell you about the movement themselves:

And don't forget to check out both the We Day and Free the Children websites here and here, respectively. AND, go to Facebook and "like" We Day to donate $1 to Free the Children, as I did for world-changing act #17.

Yes to Natural [13, 14]

I must confess that I have never put much thought into how brussel sprouts grow, whether in the ground or on trees, but it turns out that the truth is so very much cooler than I could ever have imagined (Just google brussel sprouts stalk for more pictures). My parents became part of a CSA (that is, Community Supported Agriculture) a couple years ago by buying a "share" (a membership or subscription, if you will). They have spent the last couple summers receiving boxes upon boxes of fresh vegetables filled with flavor and vitamins, and, along with that, a "food education." Just simply identifying the many varieties of leafy greens they bring home every week can be a fun challenge. With the help of my sister's fantastic cooking skills and a bit of ingenuity we have all benefited from this CSA affiliation by learning about a whole new level of plant-based YUM.

From both the CSA shares and ever more adventuresome shopping experiences at the local grocery stores, I've been exposed to kale, kohlrabi (German turnip), collard greens, purple (heirloom) potatoes, and celeriac (celery root). The brussel sprouts' experience occurred over break (technically still 2011... whoops) and reminded me of my goal of living more naturally, a goal that seems so very easy in the summer when fresh fruits and vegetables are carted into our house by the boxful. But with a little bit of planning and determination, I'm back on track with my baby steps towards natural living. My latest adventure was making my very own almond milk.


Steps: (from Vegan Planet)

1. Soak 1 pound almonds in 4 cups of water overnight.
2. Drain the almonds, catching the liquid to be used later.
3. Put the almonds (I did it in small doses) in a blender, add liquid, and blend.
4. When it's a nice, slightly chunky liquid, transfer it to a cheesecloth and squeeze all of the smooth almond milk out.
5. Add sweetening to taste (though it's super yummy just as is) and store the dried almond crumbles (aka the cheesecloth leftovers) in the fridge for use in other recipes (ones that call for almond meal and the like).





The process itself was an adventure, with a great deal of effort going into not breaking the blender, and it was also a bit of a mess... But, in the end it worked out perfectly. Next up, homemade rice milk!

For most of the experiment I was thinking: I'm not sure this is how it's supposed to work but if it sounds right, looks right, smells right, it must be right. Right?





As much as I wish I could sit in the kitchen all day making every last food item I could ever desire, that's just not practical. So, to go along with my natural-eating frenzy, I have decided to take a little leaf out of my sister's book (I swear I'm not copying you Nani! Just doing something very similar...) and adapt one of her past ideas of eating food with only 5 ingredients or less. So, my goal is to find or feature a new food item every week that has five ingredients or less. The whole point is to go grocery store searching for foods that I eat regularly and require no more cooking on my part (cereals, breads, snacks) but, unlike the average prepared food item, don't have a list of ingredients four miles long that include "natural flavors" or "sodium acid pyrophosphate" (what the heck?!). First up is Angie's Kettle Corn. I am thoroughly in love with this stuff, thanks to my friend Jen who introduced me to this yummy snack at dinner a couple days ago. And just look at those ingredients!! Alright, so not super healthy necessarily, but still better than something that makes me think of self-combusting flammable liquid...

Go Green [12]

This is my roommate. And lots of recycling. We completed our changing-the-world duties of the day by recycling the tons of cardboard/paper recycling we were all too lazy to transport from our apartment over to the dorms pre-break. So a post-break trek it was. There were several mishaps and a few ripped bags. We had to stop and regroup a couple times, and there may have been quite a bit of giggling. Also, I might have left my roommate stranded in the parking lot with those ripped bags and all the recycling strewn everywhere while I went to dump my load in the bins... But I went back and rescued her, promise! Next up: the bin of plastic/cans. That should be less exciting because it'll only involve one person, the bin, and four flights of stairs (twice) rather than two people, mounds of recycling, three flights of stairs, a hallway, multiple card swipe-requiring doors, a car, the dreaded parking lot, and another couple flights of stairs.

And will you succeed? You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.) [10, 11]

In the span of two weeks I've already talked myself out of doing this project at least three times and even forgot to do something world-changing a couple times (blasphemy!). Dr. Seuss had it right, you will indeed succeed, and "top all the rest. Except when you don't. Because, sometimes, you won't." Thanks to these small speed bumps I've come to appreciate just how important motivation can be. So, just as the random acts of kindness are meant to motivate others, I have to motivate myself. One way I've found is by watching a feel-good, change-the-world movie, the sappier the better. It may be scripted, with a pre-planned ending, but by nature it's inspirational. Case in point: New Year's Eve (does it get any sappier than this?!). Thanks to my fabulous friends, Aly and Kristen (WHEN do I get to officially join your family?), for inviting me out to a great movie-watching adventure!

Oh yes, and a little side note on the glasses (remember THEM?) I always planned on the "getting new glasses" deal to be part of this blogging experience, but the donating part was unplanned. You see, originally, getting new glasses was my way of boosting my confidence and keeping up the early momentum. Welcome to the ______=power=success series of this blog. You see, I have this idea that different traits give me power and therefore success, one being confidence. These glasses (→) were awesome and all, but I wanted fun-er glasses (that is, bigger). And so, I decided on these (↓)

So, as I head back to college as a second semester senior (try saying that 10 times fast...) I go with a new look in the hopes that confidence really does=power=success.

New Look [9]

Time again for a short bio of some fabulous organizations that are changing the world, in this case, one ponytail at a time. Practically everyone's heard of Locks of Love and the wonderful work they do. But, turns out, there's lots of similar organizations targeting a different group of potential donaters (is that even a word? donatees?) and recipients. In pursuit of an organization that was a better match for me, personality and hair-wise, I stumbled across Hair That Cares (medical related hair loss), Pantene Beautiful Lengths (partnered with the American Cancer Society), and the Matter of Trust Oil Spill Program (although they no longer accept hair donations).


I was looking for an alternative because my hair was nowhere near long enough to donate 10 inches (a Locks of Love requirement), unless I wanted to go with the pixie cut, and because I wanted to go with a less well-known organization and cause. Cue Children with Hairloss, a nonprofit dedicated to providing children who suffer from medical related hair loss with wigs. Its mission: "Help us cover young heads to heal young hearts." As long as hair is at least 8 inches long, clean, and in good condition, it can be donated, even if it's chemically-treated or grey.

So, although I was quite fond of having long hair -->
I decided it was time to chop it off.

                                                               

















And now my head feels so light!

Though, my neck's kinda chilly...

Do as the monks do [8]

What was your world-changing act of the day? Mine was flipping a fly back onto its feet. You heard me. It was just lying there on its back on the bathroom floor wiggling its tiny little legs hopelessly around in the air. So I helped it out, or up, or over. Something like that.

Mini lesson of the day: Show compassion to the smallest, seemingly most insignificant creatures on Earth. Do as the monks do.

Edjumacation [7]

"If every newspaper was recycled, we could save 250,000,000 trees a year! Think about all the cute furry animals that wouldn't lose their homes. You can make monkeys happier." -Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

For two plus decades NBC has been running a public service campaign called "The More You Know." Each year it is themed, taking care to focus on topics important to the community at large. The campaign was first started in the late 80s in response to teacher shortages and in the hopes of recruiting and retaining educators. It changes its topics with the times, depending on a national advisory board for guidance in identifying important topics and developing effective messages. This year the topics are: diversity, education, health, and the environment.





If you've ever watched NBC you have probably seen their mini info blips, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The The More You Know website is filled with videos, information, and bloopers. It is a treasure trove of information, even dedicating an entire page to links to nonprofit organizations and government agencies with even more information. My favorite aspect of the website by far is the "what you can do" part for each topic. Suggestions range from the vague "have an open mind" to the detail-oriented "use a pencil-width flow of water at the sink." I know I'll be returning to this website this year for information and ideas. Will you?

 The objective has always remained the same: provide the information needed for improving lives and the world we live in. But it's not always serious business, sometimes the messages involve a little bit of: fun and games.

It Just Makes Cents... [6]

...donating to the Humane Society that is. I often wonder why we have coins in the US. In Europe, coins are highly useful for buying public transportation tickets. In America we... well, we don't really use public transportation all that much. And attempting to count out exact change for that new gadget or whats-it that cost exactly $12.44 is just far too great a pain. So instead I tend to accumulate a lot of relatively useless change.

 

Useless no longer, I say! Have you ever noticed all those little donation boxes on the counters of every business imaginable? Raising money for this, that, and the other cause. I have. And today I took all of my change and donated it to the local Humane Society's box on the counter of the local vet clinic. All $3.27 in lots of pennies, a couple nickels, a handful of dimes, and 1 1/2 dollars worth of quarters.

 So, the receptionists might have laughed at me a bit as I slid all of the coins into the box, tiny handful by tiny handful because the opening in the top was too slim to fit more than about five coins at a time. And yeah, it took forever and put me on the spot for quite a while. Oh well, it looked cool afterwards, with the pile of change weighing down the dollar bills others had deemed worthy of donation before me.

Pass it on [5]

Reuse, recycle, regift. That's what I did with my glasses yesterday when I went in for my yearly eye exam. All I had to do was put my new glasses on my nose, hand my old glasses to the LensCrafters associate, ask her to donate them to OneSight, and walk out the door. Voila, I changed the world!

**OneSight is an organization that works to help the 250 million+ people worldwide suffering from poor vision so they can be successful at school, on the job, or in daily life tasks. OneSight travels around the US and the world to bring free eye care and glasses to those in need and also works to fund the education of future optometric professionals and research into improving global eye health. They depend on the donation of gently used eyewear and cash. Check 'em out here: OneSight.

My own little world, reached population two [2, 3, 4]

When I started brainstorming for New Year’s Resolution 2012 I decided that “changing the world” meant one of three things. It meant the world as a whole, so I supported TOMS shoes, which is working to change the world one pair of shoes at a time. It means my tiny little world, basically keeping myself motivated when second-semester-senior-year-of-college stress kicks in. And then there are the worlds of others. That’s where the act/theme of the day comes in: Random Act of Kindness. It’s pretty simple, just do something nice for someone else, just because. This year these will probably be the most numerous ones, the theme I’ll fall back on whenever I get super busy.

And so my own little world reached population two, week 1 edition:

 My mom’s coworker found out a couple months ago that not only is she pregnant, but it’s triplets. I decided that my first act of kindness would be buying her some used baby clothes from the local Salvation Army. Getting everything ready for one baby is expensive and time-consuming enough, multiply that by three and... ouch. 

Also, turns out that I’m totally in love with baby clothes shopping. It’s all of the cuteness and none of the poop. 

 Whenever I’m home from college, my mom will leave little “good morning” notes on the kitchen counter. Sometimes they really do just say “good morning”, “have a good day”, “love you” and other times they include to-do lists and other requests. As a typical college student, I stay up late and sleep in, so on day 3 of 365 Days, 365 Ways I decided to take advantage of our differing schedules, write my mom a note after she went to bed and left it for her on the kitchen counter. Of course she had the last word, leaving little responses directly on my little note for me to find when I got up long after she had gone to work. 

  



My roommate at college has been collecting postcards from around the world for years, either on her own travels or as gifts from the travels of friends and family. Her goal is to make them into an artistic tabletop one day (totally wish I’d thought of that first!). I failed to send her a postcard from Ireland last year during my semester abroad there, but better late than never, right? Turns out my family’s collected quite a pile of postcards over the years that have slowly been forgotten, and so random act of kindness #3 was to pass some of these postcards along to someone who will love them.