Adventurous Life Newsletter - Inviting You to Find Inspiration in Odd Corners (December 2002)

Looking for ways to have a positive impact on the world while choosing gifts for loved ones? Despite the fact that this newsletter is going out a bit belatedly for Hanukkah, I hope the spirit of thoughtful giving proves relevant, both during this winter holiday season and throughout the year.

If you're looking for a last-minute gift or can't decide what to buy for the person who has everything, consider a goat...or a llama...or (for vegetarian readers out there) how about a tree? Heifer International lets you give the gift of sustainable food resources to families around the world in the name of your favorite person. She (or he) gets a card letting her know about the gift you've given in her honor.

Do you have a pet? How much do you spend on its food each year? When we got our dog, my partner didn't feel right about him eating better than many people in the world, so we added up what we spend feeding him and will donate at least that amount each year to OxFam International.

Join the No Gap for Me This Holiday Season campaign and alert your friends and family that you're interested in holding companies responsible for meeting international human rights standards (not just local "prevailing" standards -- wages, for instance, are often far below the poverty line). Want to learn more? See the No Sweat feature below for more links and information. Wondering where you can buy clothes? As a starting place, look for eco-friendly shopping options through Co-op America's Green Pages.

No Sweat - What You Can Do

It's easy to forget that every purchase we make and -- perhaps more importantly -- every dollar we save has an impact on someone's life. Over half the clothes sold in the U.S. were made in sweatshops (what qualifies as a sweatshop?), and each of us has unwittingly contributed to this sad fact.

According to the Bangor Clean Clothes Resource Center, U.S. shoppers buy 25% of the world's manufactured garments. Which means we can change the world.

The resource center's web site states that "if just 2% of our country's consumers bought only from non-sweatshop suppliers, producers would need to change their practices to stay competitive." Two percent? That's us!

Drop by the web site to learn more about how this grassroots Clean Clothes project has changed ethical guidelines and state purchasing laws in Maine and -- most importantly -- how you can organize and act in your local community to do the same.

For more information, along with links to alternative clothing options, visit the resources section of my web site.

This is the final article of a four-part series on Going Virtual. If you've ever thought about joining the thousands of people who've made working from home part of their daily lives, these articles will guide you through some of the technology, paradigm shifts, and practical considerations that can make it possible in your own life.

Before you leap into telework -- especially if you're planning to freelance -- you'll probably treat more than one successful home office worker to lunch in a thinly veiled attempt to pick their brains. In an effort to save you a little capital (for those pending home office equipment purchases), I asked a few successful teleworkers to share their collective wisdom for this final segment of the Going Virtual telework series...