This isn’t an example of poor grammar on behalf of the Eimatai staff; GOOD is a new magazine by a bunch of folks who are simply interested in trying to do… good.
This print and electronic magazine focuses on a different issue every month: education, health, war, travel, environment and others.
You may not agree with every opinion in this magazine, but there are a lot of ideas explored through the prism of “doing good.”
Too often in America, the focus of businesses and individuals is making as much money as possible. A famous bumper sticker reads “The winner is the one who dies with the most toys.”
I think many of us feel differently. We believe in a higher cause, and an idealism that demands more than simple profit. We need to be asking ourselves if we will be leaving the earth better or worse than it was when we got it.
Check out this magazine either at a bookstore, or on their Web site. Give their ideas some thought, and share them with the people you are close to.
Last week I was watching the Today show when I saw the most amazing story. A 15 year old girl named Hannah Salwen convinced her family to sell their 6,500 square foot Atlanta home for another half the size. Half of the price difference between the two homes (over $800,000) would then be devoted to combating hunger in Africa. (Her brother Joseph made a video of their story which can be seen above, and they have been covered in the media as well.)
Hannah’s Lunchbox, as they call it, is an amazing new take on what normal American families are willing to do to help needy people around the world. One day while driving home, Hannah saw a man begging for money on the street while a Mercedes was idling at a red light right next to him. The epiphany she had was that if normal Americans cut back on some things which were truly luxuries, they would be able to use that money to help countless others.
This selfless act forces us to think what we can possibly cut back on in order to help others. While the Salwens donation of 3/4 million dollars is amazing, small donations really can make a difference. Drinking tap water over bottled water can save a lot of money; buying clothing from target instead of Banana Republic can save a lot of money; sharing DVDs, CDs and video games with friends instead of buying multiple copies can save a lot of money.
A number of websites can now allow you to support small projects in countries around the world, with very little money. Kiva is a Web site where you can choose from hundreds of entrepreneurs who would benefit greatly from loans as small as $200 to buy supplies for their businesses (and that’s money you get back in the end!). FINCA is an organization that doesn’t let you choose who to help, but does similar loans to small business-people. Donorschoose.org is a great site that allows people to finance small projects and supplies in low-income schools across the United States.
So think about it – what can you live without? Tell us your story.
Posted by eimatai 
