globalbriefs


News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.


Gulf Aid Text-Message Giving Helps Rescue Oil-Soaked Wildlife


In a recent Cone marketing agency survey, 19 per- cent of Americans said that they would rather text a donation to a nonprofit than make a donation in any other way, and the method is particularly popular among youth. It’s a fundraising tool now on the radar of every major U.S. charity, according to Christian Zimmern, co-founder of the nonprofit Mobile Giving Foundation (MGF). Zimmern notes that “we have 260 million cell phones in the United States,” while The New York Times reports that almost 90 percent of U.S. households now have a cell phone. He points out that this means that givers need not be a member of any online pay system, nor use a credit card; “You just need your phone.” MGF first qualifies charities, then facilitates a coordinated link with telecommunica- tions carriers.


The latest pressing cause to benefit from text-message giving are rescue op- erations for 400 species of wildlife from the life-threatening effects of the Deep- water Horizon oil spill. Birds, fish, reptiles and marine mammals urgently need help. The National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org) is asking cell phone users to text “Wildlife” to 20222 to donate $10 to try to save the animals.


Source: The Christian Science Monitor. Details at NWF.org/Oil-Spill/Ways-to- Help/Mobile-Giving.aspx.


Teachers’ Aid Good Samaritans Boost the Quality of Classroom Teaching


Despite billions of federal stimulus dollars allocated for qualify- ing schools this year, tens of thousands of teachers are flocking to online charities like AdoptAClassroom.org, DonorsChoose. com, ILoveSchools.com and SupportYourTeacher.org for help in securing essential classroom tools and supplies. Needed items range widely, from books and calculators to paper, pencils and microscope slides. In many districts, school budgets cannot cover the cost of all the classroom supplies needed, so


a teacher will pay several hundred dollars a year from his or her own pocket to keep the classroom


equipped. Given today’s pay freezes, job insecurity and school program cuts, individual donors are step- ping up to widen the circle of support and fill a local


teacher’s specified wish list, reports Judy McClellan, spokesperson for another teacher help site, GoldStar Registry.com. Donations of extra office equipment and household art materials are also welcome.


Sun Smart Sunscreens Still Fall Short on Safety


The nonprofit Environmen- tal Working Group has reported some suc- cess in its campaign to improve sunscreens. As of last year, 70 percent of sunscreens


contained strong UVA filters, compared with 29 percent the year before, and 19 percent fewer sunscreens contained oxy- benzone, which government data has linked to hormone disruption. Still, EWG scientists can rec-


ommend only 39 of 500 beach and sport sunscreens on the market this summer. That’s just 8 percent that earn a green light both for protect- ing skin against sun damage and excluding hazardous chemicals in favor of UV-blocking minerals, with zinc a better choice than titanium. A new problem is that one in six sunscreens promotes exagger- ated SPF claims of greater than 50, which may give a false sense of protection and encourage overex- posure to direct sunlight. Another is the presence of a vitamin A com- pound named retinyl palmitate, found in 41 percent of sunscreens and linked to skin tumors and lesions in government research.


“Many sunscreens available in the United States may be the equiv- alent of modern-day snake oil,” concludes Jane Houlihan, EWG’s senior vice president for research. EWG continues to recommend that people resort to hats, clothing and shade for primary protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.


Look up ratings for sunscreens, moisturizers and lip balms at ewg. org/2010sunscreen.


natural awakenings August 2010 7


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