As I approached my grandparents condo in Florida, after yet another bracing walk of 10,000 steps for WaterAid, I noticed a crowd surrounding the local Beach Rat.  I call him “Beach Rat” with affection – B.R. runs the rentals in front of the condo. He rents out chairs and jet skis, tells crazy stories and amuses the tourists by sticking live sand fleas in his mouth. He doesn’t eat them – that’s the best place to keep them alive till he can use them as fish bait.... [Read more]

If Facebook is friendship-lite then Twitter is the random ass slap at a bar.  My cynical side has been known to call Twitter non-committal, voyeuristic, and highly narcissistic.  But like everything else in life this coin has another side that does not involve celeb tweets, self promotion, or “Boys, I’m single again look at my sexy pics- XOXOX.” Indeed, not only can you find a wide range of social organizations, non-profits, and like minded green thumbs to help ease that earth avenger loneliness,... [Read more]

1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. 2 million people die every year from water born diseases. In many parts of the world people walk for miles to get water, which is often polluted. Frequently, it is the women of a village who perform this arduous task meaning they have less time to get an education, care for their children, or even make a living. Along the path to water they face danger from humans and wildlife alike. WaterAid Australia wanted to draw attention to the clean water... [Read more]

“Learning is an active process. We learn by doing…” –author Dale Carnegie For ten days this fall the people behind the scientific amusement park – Danfoss Universe turned school children from 15 countries into scientists. Children from 50 schools measured rainfall across the globe as part of Danfoss’s The Global Classroom Project (TGCP). Students from Denmark (home to Danfoss Universe), the United States, China, Brazil, etc. were able to log onto the project’s website, receive... [Read more]

Recently, I’ve had a number of planned volunteer activities fall through. I was going to help baby turtles in Florida, but the nests got washed away in a storm. Tragic. Then another rescue group moved their event from November to possibly January. Then I tried to go read poetry at a retirement village, but the administrator stopped me with an application and orientation process that rivaled Ivy League college admissions. 

Not going to lie – I was bummed. How was I going to complete... [Read more]

There is a fine line between volunteering and getting in the way. I may have crossed that line for this adventure, but Clinico deserved further investigation and nothing is cooler than posing as a medical professional for the day. The American Humane Association estimates that 9.6 million companion animals are euthanized in the United States each year. That statistic is not only cruel, but also represents a huge drain on resources and the environment. Spaying and neutering could fix pet overpopulation,... [Read more]