10/10/05: Exactly like yesterday, I wrote a letter to Senator George Voinovich (my other Ohio Senator) to show support for AmeriCorps.10/10/05: Exactly like yesterday, I wrote a letter to Senator George Voinovich (my other Ohio Senator) to show support for AmeriCorps.
10/11/05: TrueMajority is a liberal education and advocacy group founded by Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry's). They advocate for social justice and other issues by monitoring Congress and then asking members to write their representatives at critical moments (such as when an important issue is pending). Their computer system allows you to send these letters automatically simply by choosing to "reply" to one of their e-mail alerts. In this case, I asked my Representative to join Representative Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) effort to remove the "library-snooping" provisions from the Patriot Act when it gets reauthorized by Congress.
>> Read Bernie Sanders' letter about the Patriot Act
>> Learn more about TrueMajority
10/12/05: I signed a lease today to live in a group house in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. When choosing a place to live, I prioritized living near public transportation so that I could avoid using my car as part of my daily commute to work. Besides allowing me to avoid the stresses of driving in downtown DC, this will reduce my consumption of gasoline and output of harmful emissions into the environment, and support the maintenance of an effective transportation system.
10/13/05: Every year I request a copy of the catalog of courses from the National Outdoor Leadership School because at some point I plan to do one of their courses. This year, I decided to download an electronic copy instead. We all know that the computer and Internet revolutions have failed to deliver on their promise to reduce the amount of paper we use in our daily lives. But at least in this case, I eliminated the environmental costs associated with printing and mailing this catalog. I also sent a message to NOLS, thanking them for providing an electronic copy and encouraging them to emphasize its availability in their marketing.
10/14/05: I have a special place in my heart for Team in Training, a fundraising program (as well as an endurance training program) run by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Essentially, you agree to raise a certain amount of money for the Society to help fund their research and patient care efforts, and in return they help you to train for an endurance event such as a marathon or a triathlon. I had a wonderful Team in Training experience in 2002, and successfully completed the Country Music Marathon. I always support friends who participate in the program, and in this case donated to my friends Melissa, Christie, and Yael.
10/15/05: Normally I get my car washed by using a drive-thru machine at a gas station. It's quick and cheap, but it also uses a lot of water and electricity. Today I got my car washed by the Yorktown High School Band as part of a fundraiser. It took a bit longer and wasn't quite as good, but minimal natural resources were used and the money went toward a good cause.
10/16/05: I sent invitations to certain friends and family members asking them to consider joining the American Civil Liberties Union "Action Network," an online system that makes it easy to write your representatives in government to let them know when you support a particular ACLU action or campaign. I have participated in the Action Network for years and became an official ACLU member on 9/30/05, but sometimes it is much more important to the success of an organization that you support them by reaching out to others that are not currently involved.