Tag Archives: cause

Help Wildlife Affected by the BP Oil Spill

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Help NWF save wildlife in the Gulf.  Text “WILDLIFE” to 20222 to donate $10.

http://www.nwf.org/oilspill


How Can You Help:

  • Volunteer for the Cleanup Efforts – The National Wildlife Federation is helping coordinate the on-the-ground volunteer effort, including NWF’s Gulf Coast Surveillance Teams, which are being set up to monitor the coastline for wildlife in distress.
  • Text “WILDLIFE” to 20222 to Donate $10 – You can help wildlife threatened by the oil spill by donating via your mobile phone. Your donation will help support National Wildlife Federation’s on-the-ground volunteer and restoration efforts.
  • Speak Up for Cleaner Energy Choices – Tell your senators that now more than ever we need to pass comprehensive legislation that provides America with cleaner and safer energy choices.  Click HERE for a list of all senators and their contact information.
  • Help Spread Messages Online – Follow @NWF on Twitter or join us on Facebook to get all the latest updates about the BP Oil Spill. On the ground in the Gulf?  Share your photos and videos on Flickr by tagging them SPILL_NW10.

PLEASE, if you find wildlife along the Gulf Coast that you think may have been injured by the oil spill, do NOT attempt to rescue it. Call the Oiled Wildlife hotline at 866-557-1401.

Cool Cause – SurfAid International

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surfaidIn 1999, on a surf trip to the Mentawai Islands (a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia) Dr. Dave Jenkins, physician and surfer, fell in love with more than the epic waves  - the Mentawai people.  These people, mostly women and children, were dying from preventable and treatable diseases like malaria, measles, cholera and tetanus.

Once Dr. Dave returned home, he couldn’t forget the people he had met in Mentawai.  A year later, in 2000, along with his long-time friend Dr Steve Hathaway, they co-founded SurfAid International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of human suffering through community-based health programs.

“The mission of SurfAid International, a non-profit humanitarian organization, is to improve the health, well-being and self-reliance of people living in isolated regions connected to us through surfing.”

When the Asian Tsunami struck in 2004, followed by the 2005 Nias Earthquake, SurfAid expanded its operations to Nias.  According to its Website, “With the support of the New Zealand and Australian Governments, the global surfing and wider community, and most importantly the Mentawai and Nias people of the affected areas themselves, SurfAid has come to exemplify the healing power of cross-cultural partnerships.”

SurfAid is always coming up with fun events that you can be a part of – think art auctions with a portion of the proceeds benefiting SurfAid, or Swim4Humanity, Kick4Humanity and Paddle4Humanity days.  Bookmark their EVENTS page to stay in the loop on events happening near you!

This is how a simple surf trip ended up changing the world.  Don’t you just love people like this?!

Do you know SurfAid?  Have you ever participated in one of their events?  We’d love to hear from you in our comments section!

TOMS Shoes: One Day Without Shoes – April 8th

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toms-shoes-new-logo-500x5001TOMS (you know, the awesome shoe company that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need every time you buy a pair of their shoes) has declared that TODAY, April 8th is One Day Without Shoes Day!  Below is some information from their Website about the day, the cause and the solution.

“One Day Without Shoes is the day we spread awareness about the impact a simple pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. On April 8th, we ask people to go the day, part of the day or even just a few minutes, barefoot, to experience a life without shoes first-hand, and inspire others at the same time.”

-Tom’s

It’s Hard Without Shoes

Through everyday encounters with domestic poverty, we are reminded to appreciate having food and shelter, but most of us all but forget about our feet. Food, shelter, AND shoes facilitate life’s fundamentals. Imagine a life without shoes; constantly aware of the ground in front of you, suffering regular cuts and scrapes, tending to infection after each walk, and enduring not only terrain, but heat and cold.022807_toms_shoes

The problem is large, but the solution is simple. Wearing shoes and practicing basic hygiene can prevent both infection and disease due to unsafe roads and contaminated soil. By imagining a life barefoot, we can all contribute to the awareness of these conditions. On April 8th, communities, campuses, organizations, and individuals are banding together to walk barefoot for One Day Without Shoes.

Take a walk with us on April 8th, 2010.

Facts:

  • In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.
  • Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
  • Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
  • In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
  • Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.

Surfrider Foundation Announces Premier of Revolutionary Film to Improve Water Management System

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KYH2O_LogoA_color-copy-veryOn World Water Day, Monday March 22, 2010, the San Diego Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation will premier The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water at The Loft on the campus of UC San Diego. This new short film, narrated by actress Zuleikha Robinson from the television series Lost, dives into controversial problems and solutions related to water management and serves as a practical outline for citizens curious about water issues. There will be three showings of The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water: 4 p.m. (press), 6 p.m., and 7:30 pm. The last time slot includes a free showing of the surf feature, Absolute Mexico.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:

The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water – TRAILER 1 from Surfrider Foundation San Diego C on Vimeo.

The film is free and open to all. Government agencies, elected officials, experts, students and the general public will all find the movie intriguing and informative. Following each showing, there will be a Q & A session for the audience to ask questions and learn more about smart solutions to improve water management and the way we use water. Happy hour specials, including beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres, will be served all evening.

From beautiful and climate-appropriate ocean friendly gardens, low impact development and safe water re-use, the video highlights comprehensive solutions for economical and environmentally sensitive water management reform. “These approaches to meeting our water demands will simultaneously achieve multiple benefits like pollution prevention, energy conservation, wildlife and habitat restoration, flood mitigation and more. The video, created by Surfrider activists, presents a truly holistic integrated vision of water management meant to provoke debate and reform,” according to Joe Geever, Surfrider Foundation’s California Policy Coordinator.

“With the communities of San Diego County under Stage 2 mandatory water restrictions, this film comes at an important time,” said Belinda Smith, Co-Chair, Know Your h2o. “We really want people to understand that by following the solutions offered, we offer water managers, and communities the unique opportunity to rethink and fix our outdated water management system.”

The basis for the Surfrider Foundation’s Know Your h2o program, the film will be a centerpiece in Surfrider Foundation’s campaign to bring holistic solutions to water management. As Southern California enters another year of drought conditions, changing the way we use water is imperative to the sustainability of our San Diego communities.

Founded in 1992, Surfrider Foundation’s San Diego chapter is the largest within the national Surfrider Foundation. The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people through conservation, activism, research and education. San Diego chapter membership totals 5,000 people throughout the county. Nationally, Surfrider Foundation membership includes more than 50,000 concerned lovers of the ocean and beaches. More information can be found at www.surfridersd.org or by calling (858) 792-9940.

Dubai Star Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay – How YOU Can Help!

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Kill the Spill (KTS) crew and Surfrider Foundation San Francisco, need your old Nylons and stockings!

Help! Donate Your Old NYLONS & STOCKINGS This Week (Oct 31 – Nov 8)!

Spread the word! We need  *NYLONS & STOCKINGS* donated ASAP for the oil boom to sop up and contain the oil.  Per KTS and Surfrider SF,  the non-profit, Matter of Trust, and volunteer teams are stuffing numerous hair booms this weekend.  Please send them in clean or washed. It’s ok if the stockings have runs in them, as according to Matter of Trust’s Lisa Gautier, they will double them up.  Please send to your nylons this week through November 8, 2009 to:

Matter of  Trust
99 St. Germain Avenue  (at Glenbrook Ave, in Twin Peaks) | map
San Francisco CA 94114.  Tel: 415 242-6041

Also, they are desperately seeking temporary, donated warehouse space in San Francisco, CA. If you know of any please email Lisa Gautier at  lisa@matteroftrust.org]

If  you spot any oiled wildlife, please contact Oiled Wildlife Care Network at 1.877.UCD.OWCN (1-877-823-6926). Up-to-date info about their current response to this spill can be found here.