Contributor List, Biographies, and Suggested Resources
190
Five Things to Do to Make the World a Better Place
- For one day, say thank you to every person who helps you that day, from
the bus driver, the supermarket checkout girl, and even the surly person
at the DMV. Once you get through that day, try it again the next day.
Eventually it will become second nature. - Pay it forward by making a small loan to kiva.org. When the recipient
pays it back, then pay it forward by making a loan to another person in
need. - Reduce your dependency on processed commercialized food
manufactured by multinational corporations by visiting local
greenmarkets, participating in the slow food movement, and other ways
to develop a diet that’s healthier for both you and the planet. - Recalculate your carbon footprint in light of the ongoing economic and
environmental crises to see how you can reduce travel (e.g., multitask by
making longer trips to one area instead of repeated trips; cut down on
conference hopping by using Skype, Webcasting, and other online tools to
communicate; explore carpooling and other sustainable modes of travel). - Simplify your life—reduce your consumption by seeing what you truly
need versus what our consumerist culture has tried to sell to you. Make
a conscious effort to purchase items that are fair trade, especially those
organizations where you know you’re helping a woman achieve self-
suffi ciency instead of contributing to a sweatshop economy.
Contributor: Brandon Gilvin
Professional title: Associate Director, Week of Compassion—the Relief, Refu-
gee, and Development Ministry of the CC (DOC); ordained minister
Personal blog: http://www.everydayheresy.wordpress.com
Bio: Writer, minister, diasporic Appalachian, theological progressive,
traveler.Recommended Books, Web Sites,
Blogs, and Other ResourcesA. J. Jacobs, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the
Bible as Literally as Possible (Simon & Schuster, 2008).
Anything by Amy-Jill Levine.
The WTF? (Where’s the Faith?) series.