Oceana

Are you into saving whales?  Dolphins?  Sea Turtles?  Fish?!  Then working with Oceana to protect our oceans and marine life might be for you!  Oceana (http://na.oceana.org/) is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Their offices in North America, Central America, South America and Europe work together on a limited number of strategic, directed campaigns to achieve measurable outcomes that will help return our oceans to former levels of abundance. Their scientists work closely with their teams of economists, lawyers and advocates to achieve realistic results for the oceans.

Even if your thing isn't the ocean, maybe it's the environment as a whole, or animal rights...it doesn't matter, Oceana's actions list has something for everyone.  You can choose to help by doing anything from saving Sharks, Loggerhead and Sea Turtles, to trying to put a stop to off-shore drilling, to getting stores to post mercury warnings on seafood displays and pledging to not trash the oceans.  If you choose to put your activism skills to work on this cause, see http://na.oceana.org/en/act for a complete list of actions.  If you're interested in joining Oceana's Wavemaker program, it's is easy and free. Immediately after joining, they send you an e-mail confirming your membership and telling you about some opportunities you can take to protect the oceans.  Sign up here:  http://takeaction.oceana.org/t/7443/content.jsp?content_KEY=4154

• Oceana on twitter:  http://twitter.com/Oceana
• Oceana on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/oceana
• To shop Oceana:  http://na.oceana.org/en/support-oceana/shop-oceana
• Donate to Oceana:  https://oceana.democracyinaction.org/o/209/t/7453/content.jsp?content_KEY=4155&utm_source=donate%2Bredirect&utm_medium=oceana&utm_campaign=fundraising or donate $10 to Oceana by texting OCEAN to 50555
• Adopt an Animal:  http://takeaction.oceana.org/t/7423/content.jsp?content_KEY=4144
• Pledge to be an ocean hero!

In addition to all those ways you can help, http://na.oceana.org/en/our-work catalogues different campaigns they're working on, and what you can do to help further whichever particular cause you choose.  Another cool feature this site has to offer is their animal discovery page (http://na.oceana.org/en/explore/creatures), which shows all the different life that inhabits our oceans, along with cool facts about them.  Their Living Blue page (http://na.oceana.org/en/living-blue), a clever take on "living green", is full of fun ways to get lost, including recipes, a green list, a plastic's pledge, do one green thing, 10 things you can do to save the ocean, and more! 

<3 and peace, Helena

Love146 (End Child Sex Slavery And Exploitation)

In 2002, the co-founders of Love146 (http://www.love146.org/) traveled to South East Asia to witness first hand the atrocity of child sex slavery and the hope of abolition and restoration. While there, Rob and Lamont (the 2 male founders)went undercover with professional investigators into a brothel. In that brothel, they witnessed little girls standing behind a wall of glass, each wore a matching red dress with a number pinned to her chest; they were watching children’s cartoons on small television sets. Men were purchasing these girls by the number pinned to her dress. As Rob and Lamont looked at these children watching cartoons they were struck by the eyes of each child. Their eyes seemed empty, without spark of life, like robots. And then there was #146. The only one not watching cartoons, she was staring back through the glass with fire and fight left in her eyes, there was still life there. In her eyes they found their calling. In her number came their name.

I think what Love146 provides is a wonderful system of prevention and aftercare for children who were trafficked, prostituted, and abused.  While they don't actually rescue these people from brothels, they do work closely with agencies that do.  For those curious about how many are affected by trafficking/ slavery, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimate that 1.2 million are children trafficked annually.



Issues that arise from trafficking include:

- HIV and other serious illnesses
- Psychological trauma
- Loss of educational opportunities
- Loss of family and community
- Increased vulnerability to further abuse

Some of the main reasons trafficking exists include:

- Lucrative business: 12 billion dollar per year industry
- Weak law enforcement
- Demand for commercial sex and for cheap labor
- Poverty and lack of economic opportunities
- Discrimination
- Low social status of girls

Anyone with a child, whose been a child, or who likes children can understand why this serious problem of modern-day slavery needs to be stopped.  If you would like further ideas of how you can help support this cause, check out these links:

Love146 youtube channel:  http://www.youtube.com/Justice4Children
Love146 myspace page:  http://www.myspace.com/love146
Love146 twitter page:  http://twitter.com/officiallove146
Love146 on facebook causes:  http://apps.facebook.com/causes/1533/45056902
Love146 store:  http://love146.storenvy.com/products
Love146 news:  http://love146.org/news
Love146 blog:  http://love146.org/blog
Love146 stories (my favorite part!):  http://love146.org/stories

Or, if you could find it in your heart to give $5 to Love146, enter your mobile number below:





<3 and peace, Helena

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all.  If you find yourself outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world, then help work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity.  Now, I realize that this is a hot topic for some, because the 2.2 million-strong organization fights to free prisoners of conscience, abolish the death penalty, stop violence against women and ensure everyone enjoys full human rights.  If, however, you find yourself, like me, passionate against stopping human abuses around the world, then you can help by:

•  publicating and promoting their research findings
•  public demonstrations
•  holding vigils
•  letter-writing campaigns (Some of the easiest & one of my favorites)
•  human rights education (Whether you're holding an assembly or talking with friends and family)
•  awareness-raising concerts (Are you a musician?  Then this is for you!)
•  direct lobbying
•  targeting appeals
•  email petitions and other online actions (Another easy thing to do from the comfort of your home)
•  partnerships with local campaigning groups
•  community activities (I would really encourage this one!)
•  co-operation with student groups (or, if you're still in school, form your own!)

If you would like to help, but aren't sure where to start, I would suggest taking a look at their Action Center:  http://www.amnesty.org/en/activism-center

You may not think that YOU can make a difference, but your participation helps immensely. When you add your name to their "Actions" you increase the pressure on governments and human rights violators to tackle human rights abuses...and for some, that can literally be the difference between life and death, and I can hardly think of anything more important than that.

Another cool feature their site offers is an Online Community Volunteer program that allows you to offer your skills and leadership in activism and mobilization for an Online Community. Your primary role will be to encourage and support your fellow activists to engage and mobilize for human rights. It is a virtual role, which means that no matter where in the world you are, you can still participate.

There are three main roles where they need activists to take a leadership role:

-  Online Ambassador: Write blogs, online commentaries and posts that help highlight human rights issues and Amnesty International’s campaigns to a wider audience.  You can also choose to be an Online Ambassador specifically for our Demand Dignity campaign and become a Voice Ambassador. As a Voice Ambassador, you will highlight the link between poverty and human rights.
-  Moderator: Engage with activists in Amnesty International social networking spaces, engage in conversation and make sure the debate stays respectful and constructive.
-  Greeter: Engage with activists in Amnesty International social networking spaces and support fellow activists by answering their questions and welcoming them to the Online Community.

To follow Amnesty International on twitter:  http://twitter.com/AmnestyOnline
To follow Amnesty International on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-United-Kingdom/Amnesty-International/111658128847068
Their Demand Dignity Campaign on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Demand-Dignity/237214434274?v=wall#!/pages/Demand-Dignity/2372144342744
Their Demand Dignity website:  http://demanddignity.amnesty.org/
For a complete action list:  http://www.amnesty.org/en/activism-center/all-actions
To read Amnesty International's blog:  http://blog.amnestyusa.org/

If you, like myself, are based in the USA, check out their US specific page here:  http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-priorities/page.do?id=1108051

<3 and peace, Helena

Cup Kozies

Big on the green movement?  Big on your morning coffee?  Big on saving the planet?  Then Cup Kozy, Ltd.  (http://www.cupkozy.com/) is for you!!!  It’s estimated that 14 billion cups of coffee are served every year wrapped in a single-use, cardboard coffee sleeve, which add up to 2.8 billion pounds of trash!  The average American consumes 3.4 cups of coffee daily.  Based on 2008 sales reports, CupKozy helped to keep 19,000 pounds of trash out of landfills...which is worth a mention in my book, or rather, on my blog.

CupKozy is a coffee lover's stylish, eco alternative to disposable sleeves used by coffee shops everywhere...think how many trees you'll save by using the cute CupKozy sleeves for your daily coffee, not to mention, from an artist's point of view, they give your coffee an interesting, imaginative, and personalized touch.  It's a way to celebrate Earth Day every day!
 
Some more great facts about CupKozy:
- CupKozys are handmade. No factories, sweatshops or slave labor
- The fabric used in making CupKozys is wool, a renewable resource
- Fits most 12, 16 & 20 oz. disposable hot or cold coffee cups
- CupKozys are compact and can be rolled up and attached to your keychain or bag
- Available in a variety of stylish color combinations
- Can be custom printed for promotional & corporate branding opportunities

To follow CupKozy on twitter:  http://twitter.com/CupKozy

<3 and peace, Helena

To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA)

As someone who once struggled (and sometimes still struggles) with addiction, self-medicating, and inflicting damage on myself as a release, I'm very passionate about the work done by To Write Love On Her Arms (http://www.twloha.com/), a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people like me...people like my sis-in-law...people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.  TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

If you would like to further find out what they are about, you should visit their blog here: http://www.twloha.com/blog ...if you are interested in following their cause from your social networking site, you can find TWLOHA on twitter (http://twitter.com/twloha), facebook (http://www.facebook.com/towriteloveonherarms), myspace (http://www.myspace.com/towriteloveonherarms), tumblr (http://twloha.tumblr.com/), and socialvibe (http://www.socialvibe.com/towriteloveonherarms)

If you are serious about making this your cause, and want to get up to your elbows in it, I would suggest joining their Street Team, a social networking extension aimed at helping you find ways to help the cause.

http://towriteloveonherarms.fancorps.com/signup/ref/Helena8664  If you would like to see my Street Team profile on the site, visit here: http://towriteloveonherarms.fancorps.com/Helena8664

<3 and peace, Helena

Tweet For Your Cause!

Twitter (http://twitter.com/) is a great platform for spreading the word about your cause. It's easy to use and follow, since whatever you write has to be within the 120 character limit. A person can use hashtags (#) to link into trending topics, increasing their chancs for the tweet to be seen...liked, thus a way to gain followers. Things you can use twitter for:

- getting people to sign petitions
- getting people to follow your blog
- getting people to join your groups
- making people aware of your cause
- sharing articles about your cause
- giving tips on helping your causes

And that's just an idea...you're only limited by your imagination...and, well, their Terms of Service. ha ha ha! Above is a screenshot of my twitter account, just to give you an example of what I use it for. Do you like what you see? Follow me at: http://twitter.com/Helena8664

Once you've been fully immersed in twitterland, and know your way around, I would suggest checking out: http://twestival.com/ (it takes tweeting for a cause to the next level!)

<3 and peace, Helena