Treshr

Treshr is a brand new site project by S7 Labs that makes it easy to give things away, or, the other way around, find free stuff. (It drives me absolutely crazy to see what perfectly fine items people here in NYC are putting the trash!) Everyone has stuff they don’t need anymore. Maybe your child outgrew their old clothes, or you moved to a new place and have old furniture to get rid of. Whatever it is you’re looking for, someone somewhere is trying to throw it away. Treshr, basically a search engine for Freecycle, is here to make sure nothing goes to waste.

Feel free to explore on the map to see what people near you are giving away. If you have something specific in mind, type it into the search bar, and they’ll only show you what you’re looking for.

Make an account with them (it’s quick and simple) and you can post offers, save the things you’re looking for, and even receive email notifications when someone near you posts something you want, and it’s all fully customizable of course.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Fantastic! Treshr

Amit Gupta Needs You

I mentioned Amit Gupta‘s search for a bone marrow match last week. Now, David Cole and Tag Savage put together a site that will help you figure out how you can help.

In case you’re afraid of becoming a potential donor, you should know, that modern bone marrow donations are done with a process similar to blood donation It’s painless, but boring. Head over to www.amitguptaneedsyou.com and do your part. I am registered.

52×52.org

The lovely

Jessica Hische just revealed her latest do-good-side-project called 52×52.org here at BrooklynBeta.

The idea: 52×52.org will help you give to charity, every week, for one year. Her site will act as a messenger, not a middle-man, asking you to donate $52 directly to the featured charity. If $52 is too much, donate $25, $15 or $10! Give whatever you can, each and every week for one year, and together we will make a giant difference. Here’s the site: 52×52.org.

If you want to help Jessica to make it easier to donate/give and help her build out the site, please get in touch with her!

Bolder

Last friday I had the pleasure to meet the folks behind Bolder, a site that helps people to trigger and discover experiences that make the world a little better, one action at a time. You can start a challenge yourself or browse through the challenge catalogue and do positive actions to earn rewards. Anyone can respond to a challenge and earn a reward.

Every challenge is a unique creation started by businesses or people. Challenges pose a request for users to take action, have a little fun, and be part of something that drives positive change.

Here are some of the challenges that caught my eye:

Go completely waste-free for a day
Say no to disposable bag at check-out
Make a regular work meeting a walk meeting

While talking to one of the Bolder founders he told me he used it to challenge his roomates to keep the apartment clean. Whenever they would clean something, they would ‘check in’ and mention what they did. That way they’d get recognized for their actions and earn points. Made me chuckle. I might do the same for Studiomates. But the cool thing is that if enough people meet the challenge, the person posing it has to do something in return. For example: Eric A claims that if 25 people go waste-free for a day he’ll go waste-free for a week!

But the site goes beyond the personal challenges, it invites companies to pose challenges. I like the notion of companies wanting to trigger good actions. And I am not surprised by some of the companies I see up there: Seventh Generation, Rickshaw Bagworks, Nature’s Gate…

Why don’t you go ahead and start a challenge?

Blue Marble Goes To Africa

My lovely studiomate Jessi just pointed me to an intriguing AIGA/NY event this coming Tuesday: It will be a talk with the two ladies who founded Blue Marble Ice Cream. They were bold enough to start an ice cream business without prior experience! The evening will include a short preview of the documentary about the work Blue Marble is doing in Rwanda.

Can you imagine a place in the world where people have never heard of ice cream? Then can you imagine going there to help people start their own ice cream shop? In Jessi’s word: Crazy and inspiring.

Get your ticket for this AIGA event here.

More about the Documentary
More about Blue Marble Ice Cream.

Sweet Dreams – trailer from Thunderfull Films on Vimeo.

A logo for Human Rights

Did you know there is no globally recognized logo for human rights? That’s what humanrightslogo.net is trying to change. The Human Rights Logo Challenge is a global competition to solve the greatest imaginable creative task: find a universally recognized logo for human rights.

The winning logo will be made available in the public domain, free to be used by anyone, anywhere.

How can you take part? Upload your logo on to humanrightslogo.net. Discuss and assess the logo competition entries with people from all over the world, supported by a team of experts. The jury, of which I am a member of, will make a pre-selection from all the entries. In a global public online ballot, the winner will be chosen from among the top 10.

Submit your designs, you have until July 31st, 2011.

90 Days of Art

“90 Days of Art” is an online Art Journal and Gallery for charity. John Beck McConnico will produce an average of one sketch, doodle, or art nugget every day, for a 90-day period. Each item will be available for sale as a greeting card, limited-edition print, or framed piece of art.

90daysofart.com

Supporting Parents in Japan


The above images are by a young japanese photographer called Yuki Kokubo. Her parents live about 70 miles from the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima and as there is a gasoline shortage in the area they are not able to flee to a safer place at this time. Due to their current situation (more info) they’ll be facing financial hardship in the coming weeks. Since she is currently in graduate school full-time and doesn’t have a source of income, she has decided to sell prints of her photography to try to help out them out.

Read more about her parent’s situation.

I admire Yuki’s pro-active approach in trying to help them. I am just going to donate money, no print necessary.

Biodegradable, Edible Cups

I just backed the JELLOWARE project over on Kickstarter. I am truly hoping that these ladies will raise their $10,000 to develop this fantastic idea further. I can only imagine how much fun these would be at a kid’s birthday party. Heck, even in our studio!

Jelloware are biodegradable, edible (and vegan!) cups that are flavored to compliment the drink inside. You can eat your cup as you sip your drink, and any leftover remnants can be composted.

Join me in backing the Jelloware ladies?

A Coat to Help Detroit’s Homeless

GOOD Magazine featured this coat designed to help the homeless, and employ them. Design student Veronika Scott envisioned a way she could help, by designing a coat which could allow homeless people to stay warm, but also preserve their dignity.

Read the full story.

(via ideasareawesome)

Tweet Towel

Tweet Towel is a tea towel with a personal miniature message embroidered onto it. I just received one and it made me smile big time.

All Tweet Towel profits go to the We Are What We Do Charitable Foundation, funding their digital inclusion projects to get different generations talking more, sharing more and spending more time together.

Tweet Towel gets two swissmiss thumbs up!

(thank you Tori)

Project 7

Brew for a Better World from Project 7 on Vimeo.

What if that cup of coffee you drink every day could change the world? Project7 is doing exactly that. Simply put, you buy coffee and you do good. Each of their seven coffees is attached to a specific cause and provides funding for worthy non-profits. These funds are put toward specific activities that make a difference. So, how does it really work?

Project 7 exists to give. They are a cause-related company that makes every day consumer goods, like bio-bottled water, gum, mints and coffee. They aren’t asking you to buy more stuff, just change the products that you already buy.

For every purchase of a Project 7 product, some good is done in seven areas of need – Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Hope for Peace, House the Homeless, Quench the Thirsty, Teach them Well and Save the Earth.

This is fantastic. I want more businesses to take such a noble approach.

Authentic Jobs = 5

This September marks the five-year anniversary of Authentic Jobs, a network I am a proud member of. (If you’re reading this post on my actual site, look at the “Come in we’re hiring” sign on the left column). What was once a sidebar on cameronmoll.com has grown into a valuable, standalone resource for web and creative professionals. We’re kicking off the celebration in three parts, the first of which went live yesterday at authenticjobs.com/five.

This five year Authentic Jobs anniversary also marks the four-year anniversary of charity: water, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean water to millions of people in developing countries. Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us.

Together, we can make our birthday celebration be about giving gifts to others—$20 gives the gift of clean water to one person. Donate just $20 (or any amount) and help us raise $20,000 for the Bayaka people.

charity: water 2010 September Campaign: Clean Water for the Bayaka from charity: water on Vimeo.

The Bayaka are an African Pygmy tribe. They were one of the last hunter-gatherer societies in the world until the logging industry pushed them out of the forest. Now, they’re learning to live on the outskirts of villages, where they face rejection and abuse by locals who see them as animals who belong in the jungle. Many Bayaka live without clean water in southern Central African Republic.

charity: water’s goal this September is to raise $1.7 million to give clean water to the 16,000 people of Bayaka, along with 74,000 Central Africans. That means 90,000 Central Africans will have clean water—all because of one giant birthday celebration that spans the globe.

Help us raise $20,000 to make September’s goal a success and to wish Authentic Jobs, charity: water, and 90,000 Central Africans a very happy birthday.

Get started with your donation >

Brelli: Bamboo Umbrella

Dave and Fabian of Holstee fought the rain this morning and came to visit me at swissmiss studio. As they were walking in I noticed Dave’s supercool umbrella. Knowing how careful they select products they own, I wasn’t surprised to hear that this was a fully biodegradable umbrella. And yes, it’s available in their shop.

Anyone who’s been in NYC after a storm has seen it – the streets and trash cans are filled with the super cheap black umbrellas, destined to sit in our landfills for hundreds of years. This is the worlds first fully biodegradable umbrella. It is made of 3 materials bamboo, organic cotton and a patented biodegradable bio film. It’s great to look at, but don’t be fooled, it is designed to withstand winds up to 40 mph – common street umbrellas will barely make it past 12mph.

Brelli: Bamboo Umbrella

#wishlisted

Biodegradable Pen

The DBA Pen is the only 98% biodegradable pen in the world. It’s also the only pen to use ink composed of simple, environmentally responsible ingredients. Produced at a wind-powered facility in the United States, it was designed as a responsible alternative to the wasteful and often toxic pens we use almost every day. And with its straightforward design and rollerball tip, the DBA Pen looks good and writes well too.

By the way, DBA is looking for an intern.

DBA 98 Biodegradable Pen from DBA on Vimeo.

The Recycled Wallet

When it came time to buy a new wallet, our friends at Holstee couldn’t find what they were looking for so they designed their own, the Holstee way:

The slim Holstee wallet design holds the essentials – cash, credit cards and even has a sliding window for your ID and Metro card. Working with a family-run non-profit based in India that works to collect and recycle litter off the streets of Delhi they were able to create their dream wallet.

This vegan (!) wallet is made primarily of plastic bags and newspapers, collected off the Streets of Delhi in India. Production of this wallet helps reduce waste in Delhi, provides fair wage employment and subsidizes healthcare and education for each employee’s family. Their packing is a minimal slide insert made of (at least) 90% recycled material.

How much do I love Holstee? (spreading arms faaar) Thiiiiiis much!

Gulf Charity Poster

As oil continues to leak in the Gulf of Mexico and the powers that be continue to seem, well, powerless, we all wait impatiently wishing we could do something—anything—to lend a hand. The Heads of State designed the Gulf Charity Poster hoping, with your help, it can make a small impact on the growing devastation. This two color serigraph is an intial run of 200, signed and hand numbered.

They’re donating 50% of the profits from their Oil Drop poster (thats $20 per poster) to Oceana, the largest organization solely focused on protecting the world’s oceans. Oceana has been awarded the exceptional rating of 4 stars by Charity Navigator, which means you can feel good knowing your money is having a direct impact.

Purchase here.

Water by Numbers


The ChopShop has teamed up with WellDone to provide clean water to those throughout the developing world who need it most – one awesome t-shirt at a time. The designers at ChopShop worked closely with the WellDone team to highlight the various facets of the global water crisis through the visualization of 27 striking water statistics. The icons paint a picture that remind us that we must both conserve earth’s most precious resource, while working to improve clean water access to those most in need.

Carry Hope

Print Magazine is currently running a project called “Carry Hope” where selected artists have designed tote bags and 100% of the profits will go to charity. They are now opening up the competition to the public and they will be featuring some of the design submissions in the magazine in addition to printing one of the designs from the public.

More info here. If you do participate, care to share a link to the design in a comment below?

CrisisCommons is Community Technology + Humanitarian Relief

Nina pointed me to Crisis Commons, an organization that brings together professionals to create useful tools in times of need. They have been conducting something called CrisisCamp where people get together on a specific day to work on projects.

In their words:

“Crisis Camp is a gathering of technologists who come together to build platforms to assist with the releif efforts in Haiti.”

“We are an international network of professionals drawn together by a call to service. We are developers, specialists, communicators, first responders, project managers, and people who just want to help!”

More here: http://crisiscommons.org/

Check on their site, top right corner, for upcoming CrisisCamp meet-ups in London, New York, Boston, Boulder/Devner, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland, Sillicon Valley and Washington DC.

Authentic Jobs Twenty Ten Promotion

Today begins Authentic Job’s annual New Year’s Promotion, but this year is different. They’re calling it the Twenty Ten promotion. It works like this: Post a listing between now and January 22 and you’ll receive 20% off your listing. More importantly, 10% of your purchase will be donated to Charity:Water to help bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

I am part of Authentic Jobs (see listings on the left side of my blog), so you can use the swissmiss promo code SWISSTEN.

You may also join in and donate to the Authentic Job campaign independent of posting a listing. They are hoping to raise $5,000, which is enough to fund the development of a freshwater well in one village.

Here’s to a fantastic (and cleaner) 2010.

(Coincidentally, Charity:Water is seeking a Web Designer / Front-end Developer in New York City.)

The Working Proof

Burden Print

Anna Corpron and Sean Auyeung of Sub-Studio launched a new site this morning called the Working Proof. It is an online print gallery and shop with the mission of promoting both art and social responsibility through a series of limited-edition prints.

Prints are affordable (always under $100), and each print is paired by the artist with a charity to which they will donate 15% of each sale – creating what they believe to be a product with not just aesthetic, but social value. Their charities support a wide range of causes including humanitarian outreach, animal rights, environment, and research.

Their first print, Burden by Samantha Hahn, is simply lovely.

Do you have any unused Gift Cards?

Four friends had an idea to collect gift cards and give them to people in need. They went to a gathering and asked 8 people how much money in unused Gift Cards they had in their wallets and walked away with $50 in Gift Cards to help people in need. GiftCardGiver.com was born.

What about you? Do you have any unused GiftCards? (I do!) It is very simple to get involved:
STEP 1: Use as much of your card as you want (or send a full card).
STEP 2: Write how much is left on your card using a permanent marker.
STEP 3: Place the card in an envelope and send it to the guys of GiftCardGiver.com at:

Gift Card Giver
490 East Side Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30316

They then collect and distribute the cards to appropriate Non-Profit Organizations that can use those cards to help others. This is a grass roots campaign that has created a new form of giving and you are an important piece to the idea coming to life.

Or here’s a cool idea: Throw a party and ‘card’ people at the door:

The Story of Charity:Water