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We shop. It's true. So then-
Nov. 9th, 2003 11:26 pmA friend of mine e-mailed tonight and asked for a list of some sites I could forward for online gift shopping with a bit of a conscience. There are so many!..I'd love to hear other people's favorites...but here's a bit of what I sent. Might as well share with all in case some links are new to someone!
Going through the portal at
www.greatergood.com is a great way to do it in general I think... it will bring you to all the regular shops but you choose a charity that a percentage of your purchase will go towards.(!)
novica.com is still one of my favorites, especially for holiday gifts from craftspeople around the globe...read about the artisans, etc. Started by a former U.N. amabassador and her daughter. Partnered now with National Geographic and doing well and huge and I'm glad. I've kept watch since the start.
www.hungersite.com often has nice gifts to choose from. Linked with MercyCorps and Novica's Artisan Village.
Lately I've been keeping an eye on eBay which is trying to launch 'GivingWorks'. If that takes hold it could be HUGE, but it needs time to evolve. It's still too confusing to search ...and there are not enough sellers involved at this time. But definitely something to watch and support, promote and perhaps even get involved in. Can you imagine??I think eBay has the potential to be a Force. It's a natural emergence of web commerce. eBay has shown that each individual person can be a seller, without a store,with one item or a million, in their spare time or full-time, it's merely a choice, an opportunity. Now this 'GivingWorks' can show that every person can be a fundraiser/volunteer in their spare time as well. And if my dream comes true, then most every transaction made will be benefiting positive change. Worldlibraries.org is even on there now(!), but no sellers yet to benefit. Makes me want to start selling something.:)
I had my doubts about www.eziba.com at first...but after reading up a bit more I think they're doing some very good things. such as this, which I read about in an article on Rwanda in Marie Claire's November issue ( I highly recommend that issue actually,it was left in my house by a girlfriend and I was really surprised by some good articles like that one). And as IF I needed to have a bigger crush on Angelina Jolie,(she's on the cover) she gives me more reason to with her interviews and good works in Cambodia and Burma/. Whatta woman. By the way, I recently watched the movie Beyond Borders in which she plays a character not so far from the image she's living/promoting now- yes, deliberately. It may not be the greatest movie overall, but I'm so happy it's out there,putting these ideas out there, in theaters along with/in lieu of all the pointless fluff. Anyone seen it? To sum up, at the end of Angelina's interview..these words stick: "You don't have to live with nothing to be a good person, but once you've seen people suffering, how can you not remember it all the time and do something toward making things better? How can you not do something?"
There are 3 books I turn to again and again when I need a cold water splashing of perspective larger than my immediate western culture, to get out of my petty griping and get motivated to DO something and I love to give them as gifts as well:
amazing books 'Material World' and 'Women in the Material World' and a book that inspires and motivates me so much:'In Her Hands- Craftswomen Changing the World'. www.herhands.org Incidentally, proceeds from that book also go to several charitable organizations for women in developing countries as well!
Going through the portal at
www.greatergood.com is a great way to do it in general I think... it will bring you to all the regular shops but you choose a charity that a percentage of your purchase will go towards.(!)
novica.com is still one of my favorites, especially for holiday gifts from craftspeople around the globe...read about the artisans, etc. Started by a former U.N. amabassador and her daughter. Partnered now with National Geographic and doing well and huge and I'm glad. I've kept watch since the start.
www.hungersite.com often has nice gifts to choose from. Linked with MercyCorps and Novica's Artisan Village.
Lately I've been keeping an eye on eBay which is trying to launch 'GivingWorks'. If that takes hold it could be HUGE, but it needs time to evolve. It's still too confusing to search ...and there are not enough sellers involved at this time. But definitely something to watch and support, promote and perhaps even get involved in. Can you imagine??I think eBay has the potential to be a Force. It's a natural emergence of web commerce. eBay has shown that each individual person can be a seller, without a store,with one item or a million, in their spare time or full-time, it's merely a choice, an opportunity. Now this 'GivingWorks' can show that every person can be a fundraiser/volunteer in their spare time as well. And if my dream comes true, then most every transaction made will be benefiting positive change. Worldlibraries.org is even on there now(!), but no sellers yet to benefit. Makes me want to start selling something.:)
I had my doubts about www.eziba.com at first...but after reading up a bit more I think they're doing some very good things. such as this, which I read about in an article on Rwanda in Marie Claire's November issue ( I highly recommend that issue actually,it was left in my house by a girlfriend and I was really surprised by some good articles like that one). And as IF I needed to have a bigger crush on Angelina Jolie,(she's on the cover) she gives me more reason to with her interviews and good works in Cambodia and Burma/. Whatta woman. By the way, I recently watched the movie Beyond Borders in which she plays a character not so far from the image she's living/promoting now- yes, deliberately. It may not be the greatest movie overall, but I'm so happy it's out there,putting these ideas out there, in theaters along with/in lieu of all the pointless fluff. Anyone seen it? To sum up, at the end of Angelina's interview..these words stick: "You don't have to live with nothing to be a good person, but once you've seen people suffering, how can you not remember it all the time and do something toward making things better? How can you not do something?"
There are 3 books I turn to again and again when I need a cold water splashing of perspective larger than my immediate western culture, to get out of my petty griping and get motivated to DO something and I love to give them as gifts as well:
amazing books 'Material World' and 'Women in the Material World' and a book that inspires and motivates me so much:'In Her Hands- Craftswomen Changing the World'. www.herhands.org Incidentally, proceeds from that book also go to several charitable organizations for women in developing countries as well!
