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Recycling Textbooks – Greenbeaver's book drive results!

Last spring Greenbeaver held a book drive on campus to recycle textbooks. The books were sent to Better World Books, who then donated the books and funds to Books for Africa (the organization we chose to receive our donations). Better World Books had a record-setting drive to support global literacy.

Check out the impact we have contributed to, through BWB:

• More than $1.9 million for Books for Africa


• $340,000+ for Room to Read


• $440,000+ for the National Center for Family Literacy


• $111,000+ for Worldfund


• $572,000+ for additional literacy partners


• Diverted over 25 million pounds of books from landfills


• 7,700 tons of carbon offset on BetterWorldBooks.com sales

Better World Books buys and sells used books. To thank us for our contribution, they are offering a limited-time 10% additional discount on your textbook purchases; just copy and paste this code at checkout: TEXTBOOKS09.

Greenbeaver will be hosting another book drive during fall semester at BVU. Watch for information to be posted soon! If you belong to a campus organization, you can host a book drive for your campus, not only to support recycling and global literacy, but to earn a little money as well. BWB donates money back to your campus organization for every book donated. If you want more information, check out Better World Books

An Experience Like No Other: My Visit to South Africa

My hope is that this post reaches you in high spirits, low worries, and your faces gleams and glows with joy! How’s life? Well, we’re back from the beautiful South Africa and just as we all expected, it was nothing short of AMAZING!

15 Beavers and I traveled to the southern tip of the continent of Africa on a Biological Adventure led by Dr. Richard Lampe and Mark Kirkholm. We had the opportunity to travel the KwaZulu Natal in southeastern South Africa for the first two weeks and then traveled to the Provincial (St. Lucia on the INDIAN OCEAN, Umfolozi, Hluhluwe, and Itala), as well as Kruger National Park. During the course of the trip we observed various creatures in their natural habitats of grassland, thorn scrub, and forest. We were even fortunate enough to visit historical sites such as Eshowe, Ulundi, Zulu villages and homesteads, Isandlwana, and Rorke’s Drift. The trip took a total of 21 days…sounds long huh? Those 21 days flew as rapidly as a cheetah on a prey chase!

Working with GREENBEAVER for the past semester, I’ve become more of a devout advocate in developing and sustaining a global environment favorable to all of humanity. Environmentally and socially, GREENBEAVER diligently strives to establish a reconnection and coexistence with nature as our ancestors once achieved. GREENBEAVER also works to reconnect us as a people, a whole, to eventually mitigate any cultural separatism prolonging our disunity by means of philanthropy and service. Keeping this in mind as a fellow GREENBEAVER, I couldn’t help but notice the tremendous progress in the sociality of South Africa. A once segregated country where the white minority controlled the vastly larger black majority had now become a country succeeding through the chains of inequality.

While South Africa continues to grow as a country pro equality, I noticed the Adansonia digitata-like (baobab) chasm between the rich and the poor. Of course in a capitalistic economy where private property and profit are praised, the blue-collar plight and plead, “Unequal wealth distribution” is automatically replied with an adage in which American citizens are familiar with : Only the Strong Survive. Indeed. However, the arroyo of the rich and poor in South Africa barely births an obvious middle-class. I was nearly brought to tears when travelling from Joburg to Durban as the sites of shanty towns continued to appear. The prevalence of poverty was incredible despite supposedly government diligent efforts.

Yes, South Africa is classified as a middle-income country. Yes, South Africa faces substantial income gaps and yes, South Africa is still deemed as a developing country. It must also be brought to light that South Africa also boasts one of the higher income per capitas in the Motherland. South Africa is also ranked 25^th in the world based on GDP. Such economic accolades easily leads to the inference of some appearance of some sort of middle class, yet the bourgeois is vaguely represented.

Optimistic eyes opt a continued decline in poverty in South Africa, specifically, a reduction in both absolute and relative income poverty. First-handedly viewing the realities of a Third-World really does something in a sense of humility to one's soul. Although I come from a modest background where I became familiar with financial struggle, it’s nothing more saddening and motivating to witness individuals in shoddier shapes. Our journey to the Motherland was all breath-taking, pleasurable, and frustrating all in one glimpse. As members of this Homo Sapien species, let it be our obligation to fight and provide the same quality of life we all want for people everywhere.

*Vulcan Sign*

Des

P.S. Here's a *beep* so you all can leave messages. Thanks

Shades of Green - It's not all or nothing

You don’t have to go out and buy all new energy-star appliances, install sun panels, and build a wind turbine in your backyard to be “green” – although it’s nice if you can afford it! And you don’t have to completely change your lifestyle to make an impact on your carbon footprint. It’s all about getting started; doing what you can, and feeling good about it. Sometimes it’s hard to get started, and then hard to keep it up – believe me, I know! I vowed to stop using plastic bags when shopping … but I kept forgetting to put the reusable bags back in the car when I was done unpacking groceries. One quick solution was to buy one of those nifty nylon bags that scrunches up into a very small attached bag that fits into the smallest of purses, or can hook onto a belt or backpack. So now I always have at least one reusable bag with me all the time – and while it’s “only one bag”, if EVERYONE carried and used one bag, it would cause quite an impact!

Start with the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, and see where it takes you. Simple actions like turning off lights when you leave a room (good; better – replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs), turning off your computer and other appliances when they aren’t in use (good; better – unplug them or buy a smart power strip), recycle plastic bags (good; better – use reusable bags when shopping). There are so many actions you can take that will make an impact!

I found an interesting web site called “One Million Acts of Green … when we all do one act, we act as one, and help the planet”. Check it out: http://bit.ly/uQK8i . There are suggestions for doing acts of green, checklists to check off what you already do, and what you pledge to do. You can create a free profile, and track your progress, as well as see the impact everyone is making. It’s packed with good ideas for green acts. It’s a start ….

Donated funds to Philippines

We just donated part of our funds to Tomasa Tabbu, a Filipino.


Tomasa Tabbu

Tomasa Tabbu is 50 years old and resides in Barangay Natappian West Solana, Cagayan. She currently makes an income by selling fruits and vegetables in front of her house. She is earning a weekly income of PHP 750. She is married to Angel Tabbu who is the father of her three children. Her husband assists her in the business and they both wish to expand it for the future of their children.


Tomasa is asking for a loan amounting to PHP 18,000 in order to purchase more vending products. She hopes to buy three new kinds of vegetables: lettuce, cabbage and “pechay” (a squash) to further increase her income. She dreams of having a permanent stall for her business someday and is working very hard to achieve all her dreams in life, especially for the future education of her children.

Kiva repaying us!

Hi Greenbeaver Go green help people,
We'd like to give you a repayment update on the loans you've made
through Kiva.

A total of $25.00 has been repaid today! As of 2009-05-17, you now have
$25.00 in Kiva Credit in your account.

Click here to re-lend, withdraw or donate these funds! Or you can show
your friends some Kiva Love with a Kiva gift certificate.
https://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=account&_te=ru

Below is the repayment update on your Kiva Portfolio:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jessenia Esther Duarte Irias in Honduras (Activity: General Store)
You Loaned: $25.00
Newly Repaid: $25.00
Total Repaid So Far: $25.00 (100.00% of your loan)
View loan profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=95111&_te=ru

To view your Kiva loan portfolio go to:
https://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=account

Want to receive these updates more/less often? You can change the
frequency at which you receive repayment updates under Kiva Email
Preferences:
https://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=account&action=emailPreferences&_te=ru

If you have any questions, you can find our Frequently Asked questions
and our contact info at the Kiva Help Center:
http://www.kiva.org/about/help?_te=ru .

Best Wishes,
Kiva Staff

______________________________
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