DECEMBER ACTION PROJECT
So this season we’re making an effort to Remember the Environment, Remember the Homeless, Remember the Poor, and Remember the Enslaved by having a “Recycled Holiday.”
This means make it your project this month to give vintage or homemade gifts rather than buying just to buy. Instead of placing a demand on new products that were made under questionable conditions, we can reuse or repurpose previously used products. Purchase items from estate sales, and antique, vintage or thrift stores. You can give them as is or you can revamp/repurpose the items. Not only will this likely help your wallet, but it will also be a much more meaningful gift to the person receiving it. You will also be reducing waste and energy as old products will be saved from landfills and new products will not need to be produced. Here are some fun gift ideas, do them yourself or hold a recycling gift party to make them with friends:
- Get a wide array of items locally from furniture, electronics, sporting goods to clothing on freecycle.com
- Decorate a box or tin and give baked goods
- Give an old bag decorative stitching to make it one of a kind
- Find beautiful vintage jewelry online or at local estate sales and antique/vintage stores
- Make bowls or mail holders from old records (click here)
- Repaint used furniture to make it one of a kind
- Make new things out of old magazines (click here)
- Give a unique jewelry organizer (click here)
- Make something out of old blue jeans (click here)
- Give a gift in someone's name to help people in third world countries live self sustainably (click here)
- Wrap old wire hangers in yarn with bows to give beautiful custom padded hangers (click here)
- Make plastic bag yarn and knit or crochet recycled goodies (click here)
These are just a few ideas to get the wheels turning in your heads. We are asking you to get more involved by posting on our site any other recycled holiday gift ideas you may have along with links to how people can achieve these ideas if available. You can do so here.
If you are still wanting to purchase new items for the holidays we encourage you to only purchase socially conscious items. Buy fair trade, sweat shop free, items made from recycled products etc. Check out The Love Alliance webstore: www.thelovealliancestore.com as well as our friends at Shop To Stop Slavery’s Ethical Holiday Shopping Guide here: http://www.shoptostopslavery.
Click here to read our extended blog on this project and issue.
--------------------------
NOVEMBER ACTION PROJECT
Today there are more homeless people living in America than ever before. It may be surprising, but many of these people look and act just like you and me. Some suffer from mental illness and others from addiction, but because of recent increases in the cost of housing as well as the rising unemployment rate, more and more average families are finding themselves without an affordable place to live.
In November and December we’ll be turning our focus to the issue of homelessness in the United States. This month we’re asking you to Remember the Homeless first by educating yourself and others about the real facts, so that we can work together to dispel the myths that have led us to act without compassion on those who are less fortunate.
Second, this month our action project will be to provide those in need with some of the basic necessities for living. Most homeless shelters are able to utilize personal size hygiene items and cold weather clothing necessities for the homeless and in-need community they serve. During the Thanksgiving season, many shelters make a special appeal for these items and package them into bags as a practical gift for those who seek their services.
We encourage you to get together in groups to put together “Compassion Bags” to donate to your local shelters or to give out to people you may encounter on the street. Get together in groups to assemble the bags. Assign individuals to bring a certain item and throw a compassion bag assembly party. Some ideas of what to include in your bags:
- Soap
- Shampoo
- Deodorant
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Shaving Cream
- Razors
- Underwear (all sizes)
- Socks (white and black)
- Hats
- Gloves
- Individually wrapped, healthy snack
Get creative! What sorts of things do you think should be added to this list? Dream it up and show some love to those who may need it most this season. Make sure you let us know how it goes and send us [info@thelovealliance.net] pictures of the assembly parties you throw!
To locate local homeless shelters near you try typing in your zip-code on this website: http://www.
Click here to read our extended blog on this project and issue.
--------------------------
OCTOBER ACTION PROJECT
October is Fair Trade Month and as always we want to focus on human trafficking and fair trade this month. Last year we focused on coffee and this year we are focusing on chocolate.
Did you know that Americans spend 17 billion dollars a year on chocolate? And did you know that 40% of the world's Cocoa comes from the country of Cote d'Ivoire (The Ivory Coast) where in 2002 the industry of that country employed more than 15,000 child slave laborers?
In the last 10 years restrictions on the production of cocoa - the main ingredient in chocolate - have grown by leaps and bounds. Countless organizations are partnering with governments, candy corporations, and small farmers to ensure that from cocoa bean to chocolate bar it is a sustainable, fairly produced product. Still, cocoa is sourced from hundreds of thousands of farms across the world. With such a variety of growers in often hard-to-reach locations it is nearly impossible to regulate how and who is growing, picking, and producing the raw product of our favorite treats. The only way to ensure 100% that the chocolate you're buying is free from slavery and that real funds are going to the farmers is to buy Fair Trade.
With all that in mind, we are asking you for the month of October to only purchase and eat fair trade chocolate. Ask your local grocery store or candy shop if they have a fair trade option (they often do). We have created a resource for you to learn more about the chocolate we eat as well as fair trade chocolate brands and where you can buy them.
Click here to learn more and view our list of Fair Trade Chocolate. A few examples include: Equal Exchange, Green and Black’s, Newman’s Own, Cloud Nine, etc.
--------------------------
SEPTEMBER ACTION PROJECT
As we mentioned above, because of the busyness of summer, school starting up and the delay in our newsletters and projects; August's Action Project: House Cleaning will continue into the month of September. If you have not already participated in this project, we encourage you to do so. It is an easy way to make a big difference and an easy way to get others involved. To read last month's Action Project click here.
Although August's Action Project is continuing into September, we still want to provide an Action Project focusing on Human Trafficking. This project is low key and does not require much of your time.
When discussing Human Trafficking, we often say that a simple way that we can all combat trafficking is by looking at the products we buy. Unfortunately exploited workers, many of which are enslaved, in sweat shop conditions, and/or children, have produced many of the products in our stores. So this month, we are asking you to look at the products you buy.
In the past we have written about Fair Trade (click here to read) and Fair Trade Coffee (click here to read). There are also many sites out there that rate companies and products. Not For Sale, a great non-profit that we refer to often, has recently launched a site and app called Free2Work. The site and apps allow consumers to easily search specific products, learn more about various labor standards and corporate practices, and further their engagement through their consumption decisions. Another great rating site is Better World Shopper, a site dedicated to providing people with a comprehensive, up-to-date, reliable account of the social and environmental responsibility of every company on the planet AND making it available in practical forms that individuals can use in their everyday lives. There are also great blogs available such as our friends at Shop to Stop Slavery and recently found Fashion Loves People. These are just a few of the resources available. We will be updating our blog post "The Products We Buy" with more resources and would love to hear of any other resources that you all might find.
--------------------------
AUGUST ACTION PROJECT
We have made some changes to our calendar and Action Projects because of the new Focus Calendar that was implemented this year. Therefore this month we will be holding our 5th Annual Love Alliance Fall Cleaning. This Action Project is one of our favorites and has probably been one of our most participated in projects.
We encourage you to go through your piled up stuff this month and give away anything you no longer wear, use or want. Be sure to not confine your giving to just clothes. We have seen people give away old CD players, computers, and even a car. Many times we look at the needs in the world and feel like they are so big that there is nothing we can do to help. But this simply is not true. This month you have the ability to give away things that are cluttering your life to someone who is in dire need of it. Whether that is a pair of shoes you never wear, or an old computer that is collecting dust. Lets be sure to have just as much fun with this year's Fall Cleaning as we did the last four years.
If you would like to make an even bigger difference, you can organize a clothing drive. Our groups have done this in the past and even made it a competition where total individual amounts are weighed. Friendship Used Clothing Collection offers suggestions for organizing a used clothing donation drive, as does this guide to campus clothing drives and this guide on organizing a clothing drive in your office. Charity Guide also has an easy 5 Step Guide.
It is your decision as to where you would like your donations to go. The Love Alliance Melbourne Group has donated to a local non-profit thrift store the past four years. Every town should have a place like this, if not you can donate to nationwide non-profits like Salvation Army and Goodwill.
Because of the busyness of summer, school starting up and the delay in our newsletters and projects this month’s project will continue into the month of September so do not feel rushed. If you have any questions or need help finding a place to donate feel free to ask via email.
--------------------------
JULY ACTION PROJECT
Our July/August Focus is on World Poverty. We have decided to spotlight a fantastic non-profit organization working with world poverty and then join along side them in a great initiative they are working on. We were introduced to The Global Poverty Project this past year and had the privilege of attending “The End Event” to celebrate the completion of their “Live Below the Line” campaign. The organization exists to increase the number and effectiveness of people taking action to end extreme poverty. They have put together a presentation that they have been traveling with to educate individuals on world poverty. Their site has information as well as ways to get involved in making an impact on world poverty. Please check out their site to find out more.
This month, we ask you to join along side us in supporting The Global Poverty Project in their great fight against world poverty. Every minute and a half, a woman dies from pregnancy-related causes. Most of these women live in the most impoverished areas of the world. Causes of maternal mortality are directly linked to poor living conditions and extreme poverty. On top of that, 8 million children die from diseases that we know how to treat. These deaths can be stopped with affordable, and timely medical care. Please sign and share the petition to ask our government to keep the promise they made in 2009 to support the United Nation's Every Woman Every Child campaign. Visithttp://seetheend.org/ to sign and share the petition. Have your family, friends, co-workers, and/or classmates sign the petition this month.
Next month’s Action Project is our Annual Fall Cleaning so get ready.
--------------------------
JUNE ACTION PROJECT
We continue to focus on Clean Water for the month of June. We are going back to the basics and resurrecting one of our first Action Projects: Loose Change Drive for Clean Water. This is such an easy way to make a huge difference in someone’s life and towards such a huge injustice. When it comes to clean water every penny counts, it only takes as little as $1 to give clean water for an entire year to someone who is dying of thirst. We understand that sometimes individuals can get overwhelmed when it comes to raising money. We want to emphasize that this is not about raising more money than anyone else. Rather it is about informing people and saving lives. Even if you only raise $1 next month, you have potentially saved one person’s life.
We encourage you to get creative with this month’s project. One idea is to cut a slot in the top of a water bottle (small/gallon sized & recycled) and collect loose change to help aid those who are dying of thirst. Or empty the change from your pockets everyday. You will be amazed at how much adds up.
At the end of the month you can total how much you have raised and either donate it online through our Charity:Water page here. Or you can make out a check to "The Love Alliance" with "Clean Water" written in the memo to: The Love Alliance, 790 Washington Ave. #158 Brooklyn, NY 11238. 100% of donations will go to directly funding water projects.
If you still have not checked out our updated “Remember the Thirsty” section, you can do so here.
--------------------------
MAY ACTION PROJECT
Our May/June Focus is on the Clean Water Epidemic. While this is arguably one of the largest world needs it is also a need that is greatly unknown about in developed countries. This month we encourage you to freshen your knowledge on the clean water epidemic and to more importantly educate others on this issue that effects nearly 1 Billion people in the world. We have updated the facts within the Remember the Thirsty section of our website as well as added quite a bit of new facts which are all primary sourced. Our organization is here to serve as a tool for you to be educated and empowered to make a difference towards injustice in the world. We want you to have the most up to date facts on the issues so you can learn and share.
Next week (Week of 5/9) we will be sharing a video about a clean water issue that Mark Ruffalo spoke with us about. Be on the lookout, check out the video and be sure to share with your friends and family. We also encourage you to check out and share other great resources such as Charity:Water’s new and amazing video “Water Changes Everything.” This is an injustice that we have the ability to make a substantial impact on. Lets continue to open our eyes and the eyes of the world to this issue.
--------------------------
APRIL ACTION PROJECT
We continue to focus on the Environment in April with our 4th Annual Community Cleanup. This month we encourage all of our groups and supporters to join a community cleanup or plan their own. Many cities put together their own community cleanups for Earth Day and Arbor Day. Check out www.earthday.org and www.kab.org to see if anything is going on in your community.
It is also easy to plan your own community clean up. Choose a day and time and then invite your friends, family and co-workers. You can provide or ask people to bring garden or latex gloves and trash bags or use, used grocery bags to collect your trash. No matter where you look, we guarantee you will be able to find trash that needs picking up. Past community cleanups have been done at the beach, parks, neighborhood streets, highways, etc. Of course we urge you to be extremely careful if you decide to do a road clean up.
Don't forget to recycle all of the garbage that you can. Let's be a part of making our communities and the world we live in a safer, cleaner and more beautiful place for ourselves and the generations after us that will be inheriting our mess. Be a part of not only changing the environment in a positive way, but of also changing the perceptions of the people around you.
--------------------------
MARCH ACTION PROJECT
Our March/April Focus is on the Environment. This month we have an easy way to make a huge difference: Simply Use Reusable Bags instead of Plastic and Paper Bags this month.
Plastic bags end up as litter that fouls the landscape, and kill thousands of marine mammals every year that mistake the floating bags for food. Plastic bags that get buried in landfills may take up to 1,000 years to break down, and in the process they separate into smaller and smaller toxic particles that contaminate soil and water. Furthermore, the production of plastic bags consume millions of gallons of oil that could be used for fuel and heating. For more information click here.
A simple solution is to use Reusable Bags while shopping. The average reusable bag has the lifespan of over seven hundred disposable plastic bags. Over a lifetime, use of reusable bags by just one person would save over 22,000 plastic bags. If that doesn’t convince you, some stores (like Target and Ikea) offer a discount for using reusable bags.
If you don’t already have reusable bags, grocery stores often have them available for a dollar or two or you can purchase T.L.A. printed tote bags from our webstore (currently on sale for $10). If you currently have used plastic bags in your house we encourage you to recycle them at your closest grocery store or recycling center to ensure that they don’t end up in a landfill.
Make this simple change this month and lets see how many plastic bags we us a group can avoid using.
--------------------------
FEBRUARY ACTION PROJECT
As we mentioned last month we are now focusing on a specific issue every 2 months. January/February Focus is Sickness. February is also the month of love, so we are combining the two: LOVE THE SICK.
We are encouraging people to volunteer their time and/or visit someone sick this month and show them love. One of the easiest ways to do this and one the places that need love the most is to visit a nursing home. So many people in nursing homes never have visitors or if they do it is few and far between. Having human interaction and receiving love can help give these individual’s a better quality of life.
Other places that are easily accessible are your local hospital, children’s hospital, Ronald McDonald house, etc. Or you might have a friend or family member who is under the weather this month. Maybe make them some homemade soup, bring over some magazines or just spend some quality time with them. The possibilities are limitless. Lets make a difference and show some love this month to individuals who are sick.
--------------------------
JANUARY ACTION PROJECT
January/February Focus is Sickness. This month we have an easy ways to make a difference for the sick in our community.
Since 1970 January has been declared National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, and with good reason.Above all other times of the year, it’s the month that presents the most challenges in recruiting people to give blood.This January is no exception and local blood banks are in urgent need for more donors.
Changing weather, busy holiday schedules, increased cold and flu symptoms and even the winter blues can keep the most dedicated blood donors from making or keeping an appointment to give.Yet winter weather can lead to more traumatic injuries on icy roads and may increase the need for blood.
This months Action Project is to donate blood at your local blood bank. If you are too young to donate, then your Action Project this month can be to get at least one person who is of age to donate in your place.Visit www.redcrossblood.org or search “Donate blood” along with your cities name to find a local place to donate.