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Advocacy “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful concerned citizens
There are countless ways that we can use our lives to make a difference in the lives of others, our environment and planet. None is better or preferred to another. It is the full expression of our self, spirit and consciousness in an effort of service that makes a difference. As Bill Clinton says in his book Giving: How each of us can change the world, "I believe that each of us has an obligation to level the playing field of life. Schools that have no books, communities without water, and people without access to medical care are not someone else's problem. We all have a capacity to make a difference somewhere. We just have to decide if we have the will to do it." My buddy Seane Corn refers to this as “Spiritual Activism”, the act of using our lives to make a difference in the world around us. While there are an infinite number of social, ethical and humanitarian causes worthy of our attention and giving, below I have listed a few close to my heart. is an urgent response to the AIDS pandemic ravaging Africa. With 28 million already dead, the disease continues, wiping out whole societies, threatening economic infrastructure and creating tragic devastation in the family structure. For under $1.00 per day Keep A Child Alive is able to get desperately needed HIV/AIDS medications to children and their families in South Africa. Providing medical services and care to children globally by supporting the communities in which they live. I am very proud to say that my close friend Brad Berg, MD PhD is the founder and president of this non-profit tax exempt organization, incorporated in 2006 and developed to provide medical care to children in the developing world who otherwise would have no access to health care.
99% of animals killed in the U.S. each year die to be eaten; Vegan Outreach is working to expose and end cruelty to animals through the widespread distribution of our illustrated booklets (pdfs): Why Vegan, Even If You Like Meat, and Compassionate Choices, along with our follow-up Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating. Ultimately, living with compassion means striving to maximize the good we accomplish, not following a set of rules or trying to fit a certain label. From eating less meat to being vegan, our actions are only a means to an end: decreasing suffering.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 1.8 million members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organization in the world. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other "pests," and the abuse of backyard dogs. PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns. Since 1984, the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, MA has freed more than seventy large whales from life threatening entanglements, using techniques developed by Center staff. The Center is the only organization on the east coast of the United States federally authorized, by National Marine Fisheries Service, to disentangle large, free swimming whales, such as the humpback and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale*. Over the years PCCS has also disentangled other marine animals, like dolphins and porpoises, seals and sea turtles. If you want to help support these endeavors, please consider becoming a member.
Sea Shepherd is committed to the eradication of the Canadian seal slaughter, pirate whaling, poaching, shark finning, the annual Taiji Dolphin hunt and slaughter, unlawful habitat destruction, and violations of established laws in the World's oceans. Sea Shepherd assists national and international bodies in the enforcement of international law under authority of the United Nations World Charter for Nature. |
Keep A Child Alive
Fight for the Children
Center for Costal Studies
