Christian Response to Global ResponsibilityBy Lindsey Dugue  Ask any kindergartener what he thinks people need to live and you might get some pretty preposterous answers; but most likely food, water, clothes, medicine, or shelter will be among them. The current global population is approximately 6.75 billion people, and without a doubt there are people within our reach that can’t afford basic necessities. In fact, almost half that population lives on less than $2.50 a day.
As believers, we’re called to love the Lord, our God, but also to love our neighbor (Matt. 22:36–39). Many of us can’t afford to take $500 out of the bank and give to a charity, but there are many other ways to give and share, and finding these ways is becoming easier even in our current economy. In a self-centered world, let’s be deliberate in finding ways to love the Lord by serving one another and preserving the earth in which we live. Here are some initiatives to check out:
Coffee addicts, here’s your shot (no pun intended). Starbucks®, Caribou Coffee®, and many other coffee shops participate in fair trade coffee growth and sales. This means that they purchase coffee beans from farmers at a reasonable price, so that farmers can make decent wages off their crops and keep their farmlands free from harmful chemicals. Ask your favorite café if they support fair trade farmers and share the wealth with others this way. Also, look into Alliance World Coffees, an organization that trains men and women for ministry, plus maintains free trade farms for coffee and tea products.
For those of you who have MSN® or Hotmail email and instant message servers, you can get involved with each email you send through the IM Initiative. A portion of Windows® Live revenue goes to support a group of your choice: American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Club, The Humane Society, National AIDS Fund, or UNICEF, among others. There is no charge for this additional service, and the only notable change is a small link appearing at the end of each email that invites others to join. Simply go into your email options’ ”customize bar” and choose “i’m making a difference.” The rest is history.
More than ever before, bottled water is a more “natural” way to go. Now when you buy a bottle of water, someone else can have a drink, too. Ethos™ Water is a group that donates 5 cents per bottle of water sold toward providing sanitary drinking water to places with high child mortality rates due to contaminated drinking water. You can purchase Ethos Water at Target®, Starbucks, Whole Foods®, and other retail markets.
You may have seen the (PRODUCT)RED™ logo on billboards and Web sites. (PRODUCT)RED is a campaign that works with The Global Fund and other companies to spread the word about AIDS in Africa. Partnered with American Express®, Apple®, Converse® shoes, Dell™, Emporio Armani, Gap®, Hallmark, Starbucks, and Microsoft® Windows, 100 percent of (PRODUCT)RED money from certain products goes toward HIV/AIDS treatments for those living with the disease in four African countries. Check out the (PRODUCT)RED Web site for more details about how you can contribute.
Whoever thought that your shoe fetish could benefit someone across the world? If you haven’t heard about Toms Shoes, well these shoes are cool. Since its inception in 2006, Toms has been giving one pair of shoes for every pair purchased. That year, 10,000 plus shoes were given in a shoe in Argentina to kids without soles. Last year, Toms gave more than 50,000 pairs of shoes to kids in South Africa. If you’re willing to pay $50 for a pair of shoes for yourself, why not pay as much for two so that someone else can have a pair, too?
Last but certainly not least, WorldCraftsSM is a nonprofit organization that markets handmade crafts from all over the world. The products are also sold as fair trade and the money made goes back to the artists to sustain their families and their skills. These crafts make wonderful gifts for friends and family as well as provide wages for people around the world. Check out WorldCrafts online.
Hopefully some ideas have sparked your interest, so go out and give a little today!
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Lindsey Dugue lives in Chicago and blogs at thegreycity.blogspot.com.
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