One of the easiest ways to start doing something positive with your money without having to think about it all the time is to change your mobile phone company. I was with Verizon for the past several years and after learning about some of their terrible corporate practices such as discriminating against pregnant employees, I switched to a great mobile phone company called CREDO Mobile. They use the Sprint network and their coverage is the same as Sprint's, however, they are not owned by or affiliated with Sprint. The company does so many great things it is hard to even think of them all, but I will do my best to list a few here:
1. 1% of your monthly charges go towards 50 progressive non-profits that you as a member get to vote on every year. (some examples include: Amnesty International, Doctors without Borders, America's Second Harvest, Sierra Club, Rock the Vote, Planned Parenthood, and Greenpeace) Non-profits have been really hurting with the current economic climate because people are not donating as much. This is an easy way to contribute to causes you care about without spending any additional money on your part.
2. Your phone bill arrives with citizen actions that highlight important issues and who you can call or write to about them.
3. You can sign up for automatic CitizenLetters for those that want to make their voices heard but don't want to take the time to write your own letter or make a phone call. Or you can just check off a box on your payment stub.
4. You can round up your phone bill if you want and send the difference to the pool of nonprofits.
5. They will cover the cost of any early termination fees up to $200 to get you out of a contract with your current mobile phone company.
6. When I signed up and ordered my phone they sent me a free phone case made from recycled tires salvaged from Colombian cargo trucks.
7. When they sent me my phone I also received a free shipping label to send my old phone to CollectiveGood for recycling.
8. The customer service is friendly and personal. When you call in you initially get an automated answer that asks you to enter your phone number, but after that you can press "0" and be immediately switched to a live person without having to navigate through 10 minutes of automated phone tree frustration.
9. You can try out the service for 30 days and if you are not satisfied, send your phone back with no obligations. (I tried it for a couple weeks while maintaining my old phone initially and then once I knew the coverage was good, I called and had my existing phone number switched over.)
10. Their plans are competitive with all the other major companies.
11. They have several phones for free or you can also choose to get a refurbished phone and save one from going into landfills. They've also got great accessories such as solar phone chargers!
12. They do cool things like on election day, you could send as many text messages as you wanted for no charge so that you could remind your friends and family to vote.
13. By referring a friend (any of YOU), I can have the option of donating another $25 to the pool of nonprofits or receiving $25 off my bill. I am choosing to donate to the nonprofits for anyone who signs up. Just mention my member number when you call: 1673965 or let me know that you are interested and I can send you a referral email. Of course, once you join, you have this benefit as well, so help spread the word!
14. And, when you sign up we'll be able to talk to each other on our cell phones for free!! :)
15. There is a new member special going on right now that will get you a free Samsung Camera Phone ($199 value) plus all the other great perks. The offer code is: 500230
Please check out their website for more info: http://www.credomobile.com
Or call to speak with someone helpful and friendly: 877-76 CREDO
Make the Switch!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
It Starts with You and Me!
In the spirit of taking action, making a positive impact and being part of the solution as we have been called to do by our new President Obama, I am starting my first blog. I have come to realize that I have much to share and contribute and I now feel inspired to be a beacon of information on how to help make the world a better place for all of us. It starts with the vision of what is possible and then following up with being-ness and action. My goal is to illuminate the vision, inspire others to be in line with that vision and provide the tools, insights and information needed for action.
The purpose of this blog is to bring awareness and provide valuable information as to how we can all take responsibility for the world we live in by making changes in our daily life that will have a positive impact on our communities and the world. I intend to cover a variety of topics such as environmental issues, community involvement, social issues, health and wellness, personal and spiritual growth, human and animal rights, and an other relevant topics. My personal interests include cooking, entertaining and travel so I will be including information along those lines which tie in with the overall mission of making our individual lives and world better. And, given the current economic challenges we are facing, I will also be looking at ways to save money and maximize efficiency. My love and respect for my amazing friends and community at large means that I will most certainly be highlighting people and businesses that I know personally whenever appropriate. Eventually, I hope to do interviews with exceptional people of interest. I also invite input and ideas from any of you who will be reading and are engaged in this movement. This is a collective raising of consciousness and we are all in this together!
The first thing to realize is that each and every one of us is making an impact on the world at all times with every thought we think, action we take, every thing we buy, and so on. My biggest message to all of us is to become totally conscious and aware of all that we do. This may seem daunting at first, but with practice and continued awareness it will become second nature.
Let me give an everyday example of what I mean here. Let's say my fridge is bare and I need to buy some groceries. I might first start to prepare for my trip to the store by coming up with some menu ideas for the upcoming week and preparing a list of ingredients to buy so that I can be efficient with my shopping time and not have to make a return trip later for something I forgot. Next, I will think about what store to go to. It is important to look at what stores we patronize and what they stand for. When shopping for produce, I try to go to the local farmer's market for fresh, organic, locally grown produce. My second choice (for produce and a wide array of specialty items) is Whole Foods which has a good selection of produce and it is labeled where it is grown and whether it is organic. For my basic essentials and some produce, I go to Trader Joe's which has a widening selection of organic items at very reasonable prices. Lucky for me, Trader Joe's is within walking distance so if I'm not getting too much stuff, I can walk over with my rolling cart and my own bags. Otherwise, I'll drive our Prius which is very fuel efficient and make sure to bring in my re-usable canvas bags that I keep in our trunk. When selecting items to purchase, I look for organic and fair trade options, fresh foods, limited prepared foods with wholesome ingredients, minimal packaging that is re-usable or recyclable, primarily vegetarian food with an occasional wild caught Alaskan Salmon thrown in the mix, products by companies that are leaders in the movement towards environmental and social responsibility. When I pay for my items, I will strive to use a credit card from a socially responsible bank. My purchase will be placed into the bags I brought. When I go home I unpack items and place recyclable items such as egg cartons in my separate bin for recycling.
I can go into a lot more detail on each of the choices made above and will do so in future entries, but this is just a quick example to get you thinking. I know this may seem like a lot of things to think about and remember, but once you start doing these things regularly it isn't that hard. The thing to really keep in mind is that each of the choices made has an impact... the question is are you aware of the impact that your choices have and are you doing your best to make choices that will have a positive impact vs. negative? The practice is to become conscious and aware in every moment of the actions you are taking.
I do not know exactly where this blog will take us, but I hope that it will inspire us all to See and Be the Change and that the ideas will spread out like a ripple and eventually a huge wave across the sea of life that we are all swimming in!
The purpose of this blog is to bring awareness and provide valuable information as to how we can all take responsibility for the world we live in by making changes in our daily life that will have a positive impact on our communities and the world. I intend to cover a variety of topics such as environmental issues, community involvement, social issues, health and wellness, personal and spiritual growth, human and animal rights, and an other relevant topics. My personal interests include cooking, entertaining and travel so I will be including information along those lines which tie in with the overall mission of making our individual lives and world better. And, given the current economic challenges we are facing, I will also be looking at ways to save money and maximize efficiency. My love and respect for my amazing friends and community at large means that I will most certainly be highlighting people and businesses that I know personally whenever appropriate. Eventually, I hope to do interviews with exceptional people of interest. I also invite input and ideas from any of you who will be reading and are engaged in this movement. This is a collective raising of consciousness and we are all in this together!
The first thing to realize is that each and every one of us is making an impact on the world at all times with every thought we think, action we take, every thing we buy, and so on. My biggest message to all of us is to become totally conscious and aware of all that we do. This may seem daunting at first, but with practice and continued awareness it will become second nature.
Let me give an everyday example of what I mean here. Let's say my fridge is bare and I need to buy some groceries. I might first start to prepare for my trip to the store by coming up with some menu ideas for the upcoming week and preparing a list of ingredients to buy so that I can be efficient with my shopping time and not have to make a return trip later for something I forgot. Next, I will think about what store to go to. It is important to look at what stores we patronize and what they stand for. When shopping for produce, I try to go to the local farmer's market for fresh, organic, locally grown produce. My second choice (for produce and a wide array of specialty items) is Whole Foods which has a good selection of produce and it is labeled where it is grown and whether it is organic. For my basic essentials and some produce, I go to Trader Joe's which has a widening selection of organic items at very reasonable prices. Lucky for me, Trader Joe's is within walking distance so if I'm not getting too much stuff, I can walk over with my rolling cart and my own bags. Otherwise, I'll drive our Prius which is very fuel efficient and make sure to bring in my re-usable canvas bags that I keep in our trunk. When selecting items to purchase, I look for organic and fair trade options, fresh foods, limited prepared foods with wholesome ingredients, minimal packaging that is re-usable or recyclable, primarily vegetarian food with an occasional wild caught Alaskan Salmon thrown in the mix, products by companies that are leaders in the movement towards environmental and social responsibility. When I pay for my items, I will strive to use a credit card from a socially responsible bank. My purchase will be placed into the bags I brought. When I go home I unpack items and place recyclable items such as egg cartons in my separate bin for recycling.
I can go into a lot more detail on each of the choices made above and will do so in future entries, but this is just a quick example to get you thinking. I know this may seem like a lot of things to think about and remember, but once you start doing these things regularly it isn't that hard. The thing to really keep in mind is that each of the choices made has an impact... the question is are you aware of the impact that your choices have and are you doing your best to make choices that will have a positive impact vs. negative? The practice is to become conscious and aware in every moment of the actions you are taking.
I do not know exactly where this blog will take us, but I hope that it will inspire us all to See and Be the Change and that the ideas will spread out like a ripple and eventually a huge wave across the sea of life that we are all swimming in!
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