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TAKE ACTION

Basic Action Resources

SHARE YOUR SKILLS There are many Volunteer Opportunity Resources out there, but you can Click Here to see a short list of established sites that are easy to search for ways to get involved in your community and area of interest. Or you can go directly to www.usaservice.org to join in the National Call to Service events. CHOOSE WISELY We know you want to make better-informed, more effective giving decisions. To help make these important choices easier, we have provided a selection of top sources for finding comprehensive background information on the charities you may be interested in supporting. Click Here. VOTE! For students and other first time voters, figuring out the registration rules, dates, ID laws and all the rest can be daunting. This site has a great state by state summary of rules, and then takes you deeper for more information, such as which kind of ID qualifies in your state. Each state has new and ever changing rules, so check it out and share this! Click here. TALK TO YOUR GOVERNMENT Over the years the public has given Washington an increasing number of mandates to address a wide range of issues and problems. Many activities in the U.S. have a federal component, as well as a role for individual state governments. The federal government is involved in areas ranging from labor laws to health care, environmental regulation and protection to food safety oversight, welfare programs to education and civil rights. You get the picture. The reality is that if we want to be a part of the direction our government takes we need to keep communicating. There are many ways you can contact your federal and state representatives and voice your thoughts and ideas - don't forget, they are YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. This page provides links to state and federal government representatives that we hope make it easier for you to be an effective participant in your communities, locally and nationally. INVEST YOUR VALUES Your savings and investments can help create a better world! Integrating personal values and societal concerns with investment decisions is called Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). SRI considers both the investor's financial needs and an investment's impact on society. With SRI, you can put your money to work to build a better tomorrow while earning competitive returns today. This page will help give you more information on this growing trend. As we continue to build out our Make It Happen Resource section, we will add links to other financial news resources that can help us all harness our economic power to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. SHOP YOUR VALUES eBay has added a retail component to its new positive social change-themed community site WorldofGood.com (a joint venture with fair-trade company World of Good). Items on this socially aware shopping outlet, which pop up in eBay searches, fall into 4 categories in terms of how their sales benefit the world: There are "Goodprint" seals of approval that tell you if the product is people positive, environmentally friendly, animal friendly and whether a portion of the sale supports a specific cause. All products sold on the site are verified by third parties dubbed Trust Providers to meet core ethical and environmental standards. Send someone a gift today that makes a difference! GET STARTED TODAY WITH ACTION RESOURCES RIGHT HERE IN OUR "MAKE IT HAPPEN" SECTION: We have plenty of original content and useful resources that support successful programs, heroes and innovators working in an area that you might be passionate about. Click on these sections across the top in our subnav above, where you'll find: CALL TO ACTION: Our feature stories will often have a full array of related action steps you can take to support that particular individual, organization or program. Read the full story in our Feature Story section, and then turn to the Call to Action page for the next steps. We have stories on two grass roots heroes who can use your help now: Steven Angel, working to raise reading and test scores in schools, and Dan Habib, a dedicated father and documentary filmmaker, whose work inspires us to think about inclusive education in innovative and informed ways. In addition, we source more information in that topic and provide you with related action resources so you can read more, pass along valuable tips and information to your friends, and find new ways to continue fueling your passion to make a difference in that area. NEWS AND OVERVIEWS: Find the latest articles and news in your category of interest! Click here to use this (it) magazine resource to stay informed and get involved. LIFESTYLE RESOURCES: In this section we will cover pro-social actions happening in a wide variety of Lifestyle areas. Included will be resources for living a more sustainable and valuable life thru the choices we make in our purchases, lifestyle and entertainment. See the Home and Garden or Food Lifestyle Resources pages as examples. We will be filling each section with more useful links, reviews and resources in the very near future.