Need some inspiration? Annie Leonard has a new article in her Solutions Series on the Patagonia weblog. “Solutions in Our Communities” shows how getting involved at the community level is a fantastic start in making big changes in the world. Check it out here!

An excerpt:

“To make changes on the scale needed to address the severity of today’s environmental, economic and social crises, we have to change the rules of the game on three levels: in our governments, in our businesses and in our communities. Our communities are a good place to start: They’re close to home; the solutions are usually easier to achieve than trying to make change at the international, national or even state levels; and the emotional and social rewards are more immediate.”

Read the full piece here! 

In 2007, two kids in Michigan set out to earn their Girl Scout Bronze Award by raising awareness about the endangered orangutan. They learned that the orangutans’ habitat is being destroyed to plant oil palm plantations. After making the shocking discovery that palm oil was an ingredient in Girl Scout cookies, they launched a campaign to make Girl Scout cookies rainforest-safe.

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Protecting our health from toxic pollution is too important a job to be left to scientists, govenment regulators or even professional environmental activists. Annie looks at two communities, half a world apart, where citizens showed that people on the front lines of pollution have the power to fight back against being poisoned.

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When I turned on my computer today, I had 8 emails from vendors announcing special low prices — Black Friday deals — available all week. I waded through the Black Friday junk mail, tapping away at my delete button, to find the one email I sought: the message from my neighbor with the menu, schedule and guest list for Thursday’s Thanksgiving gathering…. FULL POST »

Annie on Colbert talking about how our quest for more stuff is taking the place of things that provide deeper happiness. Check it out!