‘The Moment of Happy’ – that pure exuberance a child feels when they get a new bike.

Happiness is an amazing thing. It’s the ultimate renewable resource. The amount of happiness in the universe, unlike energy, has no limit. Some have called the bicycle the most efficient, self-powered creation in the history of humanity, but it may well be the most efficient engine of happiness, as well.

Driven by a healthy obsession with cycling, Dan Austin and his brother Jared have left their tire tracks on many continents. But it was one trip to Cambodia in 2006 that set their wheels of fate in motion. At the end of their trip, the Austins decided to donate their bicycles to an orphanage. But a selfless act that brought happiness to two orphans, the Austins realised, left out 86 other children at the orphanage. Thus began their push for donations to provide all the orphans with that same feeling of happiness, and The 88Bikes Foundation was born.

Each individual donation is $88 dollars, which is the approximate cost of a bike in most developing countries. Each sponsor also provides their name (or the name of a friend, if it is a gift), along with a photo of themselves. Donations can be an entire bike, or even a smaller amount towards the endowment.

 To save on shipping costs, support local economies and supply bicycles that look familiar to the children and are suited to their terrain, 88Bikes sources from local manufacturers and distributors. Its Peru project, however, marked the first time the foundation sent a volunteer on site to develop a bike shop and apprenticeship program to train the children to do repairs. The Austins and Arauz take no salaries and sponsor their own travel and administrative expenses.

Donate to 88 Bikes Foundation 

1. Take advantage of your local library for books, music, and videos.

2. Walk or bike, use public transportation, carpool with neighbors and co-workers, and consolidate any car errands to one or two days per week.

3. Use a clothesline instead of the dryer.

4. Replace paper towels & napkins with cloth. You can make rags out of old clothing, and cloth napkins out of old sheets and curtains. Barter and trade with neighbors and friends.

5. Utilize Freecycle, Craigslist, and other local free exchanges.

6. Shop at thrift stores and garage sales, and arrange clothing swaps with friends and family.

7. Make your own lunches for school and work.

8. Stop buying snacks and take-out food, and instead cook at home.

9. Buy fruit and vegetable seconds and day old bakery items. These are generally significantly reduced in price – often by 50% or more. Generally you’ll need to cook with them right away.

10. Pick your own produce at a local farm.

11. Grow your own food.
Recycle and compost as much as possible to reduce trash collection fees.

12. Make your own cleaning and body products from simple and cheap ingredients like vinegar, baking soda/bicarb, hydrogen peroxide, corn starch, cooking oil, lemon juice, and water. Check out TLC’s 50 All Natural Beauty Products You Can Make Yourself.

13. Unplug or turn off power switches to appliances when not in use, to save electricity.

14. As they burn out, replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs. They cost more initially, but they will save significant amounts of electricity and will last many times longer than an incandescent bulb.

15. Turn off the television and/or get rid of your cable bill, and take up reading, knitting, and walking more regularly. 

Ever wondered what would be a greener way of doing something, or had questions about the sustainability of a company?  You can find those answers and more at GreenAnswers. It’s an online resource that takes green questions and answers them via crowd-sourcing its community of green experts.

Not only that, but GreenAnswers plants a tree for every new member and continues planting for questions asked or answered.

To plant the trees, GreenAnswers has partnered with a non-profit, Trees, Water & People. TWP has been working with communities in Central America for over twelve years to help protect and manage their natural resources. In that time, TWP has planted over 3 million trees that provide fruit, timber, and firewood to the local communities.

While recycling is a term now familiar to everyone, mentioning “upcycling” to the average person will often be met with a blank stare. 

Generally speaking, upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

Though the word may be new, thrift is not a new concept. In fact, up until the 1950s or so, upcycling was actually commonplace. Everything was used until it was in no way beneficial. For example, seed bags were made into clothing, bags, and anything else that could be useful.

Modern-day upcyclers put just about anything they can find to good use. Broken pieces of jewelry are combined to make a new, beautiful necklace. Old t-shirts are made into balls of yarn, and juice packs are made into handbags. Anyone can get in on the movement by examining their consumer habits and finding new uses for items they already have.

Upcycling not only protects the environment from unnecessary waste, but also allows us to add to the beauty of our immediate home environment with attractive, affordable alternatives. Perhaps one of the most impressive benefits of upcycling is that it can fit in everywhere: the home, office, and everywhere in between.

(above from Hipcycle.com website)

Some great sites that sell upcycled products:

Hipcycle

TRASHE Bags

Uncommon Goods

Some DIY upcycling ideas:

DIY ideas @ greenUPGRADER

365 Upcycled, DIY Dresses

Recycled crafts @ Craftgossip.com

Here’s a quick video that further describes upcycling: 

Imagine you needed to borrow money. For example – to start a small business, buy a house, or go to college. 

You’re looking for a bank to lend you a helping hand and in exchange you will pay them back (in installments) the full amount, plus interest.

Pretty normal, right?

However, what if that bank was YOU? What if poor students and entrepreneurs from across the world told you why they needed a loan, how it would help them and were willing to pay you back (with interest)?

Interesting concept, huh?

Well, that’s exactly what Kiva.org is – a crowd-sourced micro-lending website/platform service that allows individuals (like you and I) to lend money to extremely low income students and entrepreneurs across the globe.

To get a visual of how a Kiva loan really works, check out this inspirational video “Fistful of Dollars”, created by Kieran Ball (a Kiva Fellow):

A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan

Want to become a lender? Register through the Kiva website and get started on giving.