Pass on the Pleasure of Reading

Drop off your old magazines at a retirement home, hospice, or any other place where the residents or patients may enjoy them. At my place of work, we get large-print copies of our books sent in multiples, so we keep one for our library, send one to the author, and share the others with our local retirement home. An elder Beat poet lives in the El Cerrito village for seniors, so I can drop off a collection of magazines and large-print books and then sit down for tea and a nice chat. I leave having received much more than I brought with me.

Serve the Public Servants

Bake some goodies to take to your local police department, fire department, or teacher’s lounge as a way of saying “Thanks!” They are your neighbors, too.

Be Generous

True generosity, with no strings attached, expecting nothing in return and without scorekeeping, is a direct expression of abundance. Be generous with your time and skills by volunteering for something you believe in; leave an extra tip for the wait staff; give away thank you notes. Go through your closet and gather up things you don’t wear and donate them to a homeless shelter or people in need.

Keep Your Garden Green

*Plant some bamboo. Bamboo contributes to the balancing of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

*Don’t use a leaf blower. The horrible noise is reason enough to avoid these machines. Compost instead, and never burn leaves!

*Plant a garden using xeriscaping-no water needed. Find out more at ecolife.com/garden/natural-lawn/xeriscaping.html.

*Capture rainwater for gardens.

*Fertilize with grass clippings.

*When watering your garden, turn on the water early in the morning to minimize evaporation.

*Try not to fertilize before a storm to avoid the fertilizer being washed away.

Lighten the Load Laundry Has on Our Environment

Laundry can be a costly business, both financially and environmentally. Expensive conventional detergents and laundry aids are mostly derived from petroleum and often contain chemical fragrances and phosphates, which are known to deplete water of oxygen. This has devastating effects on fish-they basically starve and die. Eco-alternatives are much cheaper, just as effective, and so much better for our world.

At the store, look for phosphate-free, eco-friendly laundry detergent powder. The green brands use a soap base instead of petroleum, which works just as well without the deadly chemicals. You may even find that strange allergies and discomfort goes away as you eschew heavily chemical-laden soaps.

Compassionate Crafts

Some of my friends love to knit and crochet. Everyone I know has already had a colorful throw given to them, so what to do with all the products of all that handiwork? Look no further!

The Red Scarf Project (fc2success.org/how-you-can-help/red-scarf-project/) is looking for knitters to donate homemade red scarves for foster children in school. Whether you just learned to knit and purl or you are an expert, you can send encouragement and warmth to a foster student with a simple scarf. 

Newborns in Need (newbornsinneed.org) would love clothing and bedding items for newborn, sick, needy, and premature babies. You can donate blankets, hats, booties, and afghans. All they ask is that you use the softest yarn possible. 

Warming Families (warmingfamilies.webs.com) is a 100% volunteer-run project that delivers donated blankets and other warm items to the homeless and displaced. They supply to local shelters and nursing homes.

Guilt-Free Beauty

Be sure to buy beauty products that have not been tested on animals. Check with leapingbunny.org for a list of companies that do not test finished products, ingredients, or formulations on animals. You can also phone 1-888-546-CCIC (Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics) and they’ll be happy to send you a pocket-sized shopping guide to companies that manufacture with compassion. You can also look for the leaping bunny logo on cruelty-free products. Pretty on the outside and the inside!

The Sweet Life

Show your support of childhood cancer patients and survivors with Lily’s stevia-sweetened chocolate (lilyssweets.com). A portion of profits goes to nonprofits in Pennsylvania, California, and New York. Opening up a box of joy is good for us all!

Puppy Love

Show that you are well trained and buy a Kona Benellie blanket for your pup at konabenellie.com, and you’ll also keep shelter dogs warm and cozy. Dog is your co-pilot, right?

Gifts That Give Back

For every pair of thick and warm hand-knitted cable mittens purchased, CherryT Co. donates another pair to a child in need. Buying a pair at cherrytco.com is like sending out two big high-fives!

Go Back to School

Give an elementary-school pupil who reads below grade level a leg up by tutoring them in bi- weekly 45-minute sessions through Reading Partners (readingpartners.org). Tutoring struggling readers is placing a bet on our future.

Let Kids Be kids

Kids today play outside less than any previous generation. Promote play by donating to Ka-BOOM! (kaboom.org), a nonprofit that has built more than 2,300 playgrounds nationwide, to help make sure all children are within walking distance of a swing set.

Letting Nothing Drop

Sign up to volunteer with the anti-dropout program Communities in Schools (communitiesinschools.org), which helps vulnerable students in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Let’s help get this to every state!

Make Furry Friends

Studies show pets provide both a psychological and physical boost to their owners-so donate to petsfortheelderly.org to help a senior get a dog or a cat. The unconditional love of a pet can make a life that much sweeter.

Make Sure Our Elders Are Well Fed

One in six Americans over age 60 faces the threat of hunger, and Meals On Wheels is there to help. A total of 2.5 million seniors in all 50 states, many of whom have chronic health conditions, rely on the service. Go to mowaa.org to make a one-time donation ($35 provides 5 meals), or join the Next Meal Club to donate monthly.

Become a Modern Digger

There is plenty of free stuff to be found in every community. Urban foraging, or dumpster diving, has become very popular in the last few decades. Well-known proponents of the movement include Food Not Bombs, which began feeding the hungry with salvaged food 30 years ago; and I first heard about The Diggers when I was interviewing the great poets Diane di Prima and Janine Pommy Vega for Women of the Beat Generation.

The Diggers, who came together in the sixties in San Francisco, regularly fed around 200 people a day on donated and foraged food. They also ran free shops, threw free parties, and started a free medical clinic.

Some contemporary urban foragers call themselves Freegans (a composite of free and vegan) and pride themselves on their recycling prowess. The Freegan mission is to live with minimal consumption of resources and limited involvement in the mechanisms of the conventional economy. If you fancy learning the skills necessary for successful dumpster diving, Freegans (freegan.info) are the people to contact. Active groups are listed, and some organize trash tours where they instruct newcomers on how to scavenge safely. The basic rules are common sense: forage with at least one other person, always thoroughly check food when you get home and wash as needed before eating anything, and don’t leave a big mess at the scene- the rodents will love you, but the store owners won’t!

The Art of the Free

The free box is a very workable concept, as the longevity of the Bolinas Free Box attests, but there are problems to be avoided. Dropping off damaged, soiled, or unusable items is inappropriate. Also, tidiness must be taken into consideration. The best-case scenario is an organized walk-in so that people can see what freebies are available. A free box initially really needs a shed or other weather-proof shelter that people can easily access, and committed volunteers are essential to keep the stock in reasonable order. It works the other way around, too, thanks to places like DonationTown.org, who will come and pick up stuff you are ready to “free up” into the world. After all, donating household items gives a second life to the things you no longer need.

Be an Anonymous Gifter

Have you ever heard of the Bolinas Free Box? This institution began 30 years ago by accident. As the story goes, a young couple was departing the shores of Bolinas, California, and dumped some boxes of extra belongings behind at the community center as they left. The rather nice assortment of clothes, books, and household utensils drew some interested residents to have a look. By the end of the day, several other people had brought free stuff down to share. The Free Box took up residence in a shed between the health food store and the community center and has been providing all comers with all kinds of free fare ever since. The era of the free box was born.

Popcorn and a Movie

Donate movies and toys to the children’s ward at your local hospital. Even better, stay and watch a movie in the social room and bring doctor-approved treats!

Slow Down

Take it easier. There is a lot of hustle and bustle in this world, and it’s easy to miss the simple joys of life if you are always in a hurry. Alter your perspective a bit and take your time. When grocery shopping, instead of rushing through your list, walk down every aisle, notice all the colorful fruits and vegetables, enjoy the errand, and be grateful that you can afford to buy groceries.

Here is when you know you are going too fast: when you forget to be nice. When that happened to me, I took stock and realized I was heading in the wrong direction. Now I am doing my best to not do the crazy busy thing. It doesn’t do any of us any good. Least of all me. Least of all you.