Three Cups of Tea

What if you didn't know how to read or if there wasn't a school in your town? Well in places in this world that is reality for the children. I read this book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time and I was inspired. Greg Mortenson is man who trekked mountains and came across this one small village in Pakistan. Here is the summary of the book:

In 1993 Mortenson was descending from his failed attempt to reach the peak of K2 in Pakistan. Exhausted and disoriented, he wandered away from his group into the most desolate reaches of northern Pakistan. Alone, without food, water, or shelter he eventually stumbled into an impoverished Pakistani village where he was nursed back to health. While recovering he observed the village’s 84 children sitting outdoors, scratching their lessons in the dirt with sticks. The village was so poor that it could not afford the $1-a-day salary to hire a teacher. When he left the village, he promised that he would return to build them a school. From that rash, heartfelt promise grew one of the most incredible humanitarian campaigns of our time: Greg Mortenson’s one-man mission to counteract extremism and terrorism by building schools—especially for girls—throughout the breeding ground of the Taliban.Mortenson had no reason to believe he could fulfill his promise. In an early effort to raise money he wrote letters to 580 celebrities, businessmen, and other prominent Americans. His only reply was a $100 check from NBC’s Tom Brokaw. Selling everything he owned, he still only raised $2,000. But his luck began to change when a group of elementary school children in River Falls,Wisconsin, donated $623 in pennies, thereby inspiring adults to take his cause more seriously. Twelve years later he’s built fifty-five schools. Mortenson and award-winning journalist David Oliver Relin have written a spellbinding account of his incredible accomplishments in a region where Americans are feared and hated. In pursuit of his goal, Mortenson has survived an armed kidnapping, fatwas issued by enraged mullahs, repeated death threats, and wrenching separations from his wife and children. Yet his success speaks for itself. This year the schools will educate 24,000 children.

I encourage you to get this book and read it. It will open your eyes to what children are going through in this world. For more information check out:

www.threecupsoftea.com or a San Francisco based company www.roomtoread.org. Feel free to leave comments on what you thought of the book and happy reading :)

The Story of Stuff

Ever wonder where all of our stuff comes from, who makes it and where it goes. Well here you get to find out in a short 20 minutes. Take some time, watch this short movie online and I think you will think differently about do you really need more of something you already got?

What is the Story of Stuff?

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Check it out at www.thestoryofstuff.com

Leave a comment and let me know what you thought :)

The Better World Shopping Guide

Ever wonder who actually makes your clothes or the cleaning products you use in your house or what company actually owns that Listerine you use to make your breath smell so fresh or the cereal you buy at the supermarket?

Ever wonder if these large corporations actually do anything for our country, or if Nabisco is really Nabisco owned? If Cool Whip is a small family owned company or if PAM, the cooking spray you use to stop your morning eggs from sticking to the pan is actually the name of the company that makes these produsts? Well to tell you point blank it is a company name Altria. Ever heard of it? Didn't think so, I didn't either. So I did some research.

"Altria Group is the parent company of Philip Morris International, Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc. and Philip Morris Capital Corporation. In addition, Altria Group has a 28.6% economic and voting interest in SABMiller (Major beer brewer by volume). Our companies have always defined responsibility through strong ties in the communities in which employees work and live. In addition, Altria and its companies have a long history of supporting organizations helping those in need. In the last 10 years alone, Altria companies have provided more than $1 billion in cash and in-kind donations to nonprofit organizations,(retrieved from http://www.altria.com/)." What this doesn't tell you is this company is #2 on the worst corporation list. They got the Greenwash award for public deception, they spent over $100 million on Washington Lobbyists, involved in document deletion cover-up, named global climate change laggard, undermines overseas health standards, continues to do business in Burma, and currently the target of 2 major boycotts! Now is this a company you want to support? I don't and that is why I have made a conscience decision to shop better.

My friend Morgan introduced me to the better world shopping guide, a small book that helps you make better decisions when your shopping. Choosing products, stores and food that not only are better for you, but are better for the environment. Think of some products for example, Soda. Having a coke or sprite tastes great, but did you know that the Coca-Cola company has been on Multinational Monitor's worst corporation for 3 years, hinders clean water access abroad and is a target of major human rights boycotts, not to mention drinking soda is probably a large contributor to childhood obesity.The books rates companies on an A to F scale. Let's take Laundry Supplies and rate them. On the A scale you have Seventh Generation, Ecover, Bio Pac, etc. But rated as an F you have Clorox, Borax, and Purex. Never heard of the A products have you? It's because they are smaller companies and yes a bit more expensive but overall better for yourself and the world. If you want to know why they are rated that way you will have to check out the book. The book will explain the reasoning for the grade for certain companies.

This is a lifestyle change and to think more conscientiously about what you are buying. Start small and change one thing. For me my first step was changing where I buy my food. I have stopped going to supermarkets, such as Safeway. I only shop at trader joe's for my food (rated an A-), they have most products there and if they don't have it there I choose either local markets or Whole Foods (rated an A).

I encourage you to check out the website www.betterworldshopper.com and spread the word, one person can make a change :)