save a little time, save a little money, save a little planet
Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:
Planting radishes and carrots. . .
planting potatoes in boxes, an idea I got from Chiot’s Run. . .
watching the strawberry plant bloom. . .
getting the garden annex ready and planting corn.
Have you been in your garden?
Today I’m highlighting one of our sponsors, Tiny Prints. They design beautiful greeting cards, thank you notes, business cards, invitations, birth announcements and more. A couple of months ago, Tiny Prints offered me a gift card so that I might try their products. I ordered a set of personalized notecards and couldn’t be happier with the ordering process and the quality of the cards that arrived. 
The design I chose is called “Perched Birds”. We have two children, so the four birds were perfect for us. The paper is heavy stock and the printing quality is excellent.
There are numerous designs to choose from in everything from sleek to cute and beyond. The best thing: their company actively works to green their business practices. All of the paper they use is either FSC certified or made from 30% post consumer waste. When I asked a representative from Tiny Prints, what steps they are taking to be more green, this was the response:
We went through an extensive checklist and walk thru with a member of the County of Santa Clara Green Business Program. They checked our appliances, recycling program, what kind of lights we use and more. After determining that we were a fit for the Green Business Program, our company was then reviewed by various compliance agencies in the area. We passed everything and are now certified green!
We:
- Buy “greener” products (i.e. recycled office and kitchen supplies, items that are not harmful to the environment, etc.)
- Send out Spare the Air updates weekly
- Track energy usage
- Turn off all electronic items that are not in use (shut off computers at the end of shifts)
- Recycle proper items
- Encourage staffers to use public transportation and carpool
While Tiny Prints is a sponsor of this site, I was not paid to write a positive review of their company. I am truly pleased with the quality of their products and with the efforts they are taking to green their business practices (otherwise I wouldn’t have accepted them as a sponsor). I’d encourage you to visit their site and see the designs for yourself. They are running a series of promotions and discounts on the site right now, too.
Today I’d like to tell you a story about one of the best things that’s happened since I started blogging. It’s a story about the power of our voices and the power of the all the people out there listening. It’s a story about the power of one, who tells one, who tells another, and another, until things happen. It’s a story about ideas coming to life and about real lives getting better because of it.
Here’s the story:
Once upon I time I stumbled on Jamie Martin’s blog, Steady Mom. I can’t remember exactly how I found her; it was probably the way most of us find each other: I read a blog that led me to a blog that led me to another. I was so moved by what Jamie was doing over there that I ordered her book, Steady Days [my review], right away. I wanted to know more of what she had to say. Something else I found on Jamie’s site was Love146.org. This is an organization that works tirelessly to put an end to child sex slavery. I have two young daughters. This group spoke to me.
Like most people, though, I don’t have an endless supply of money. I’d love to help Love146 in a significant way, but I just don’t have the funds. I did contribute what I could, but they’re doing such important work, I wanted to let more people know about them. So I wrote a post. I wrote that post hoping to make people aware, hoping a few might be moved to give a little, because I do believe in the power of a lot of people giving a little.
What I didn’t expect was this: a colleague and friend who lives right here in my town reads my blog. She is a nice person and a concerned citizen. She’s also a part of the local Quaker Meeting of Friends. This Meeting operates a thrift store called The Thrifty Quaker. Each month, the store’s profits are donated to a different charitable organization. Since their opening in September of 1996, they’ve donated over $2,000,000.
My friend was so touched by what she read about Love146 here at Smart Family Tips, she suggested that they receive the proceeds from April’s sales at The Thrifty Quaker; her Friends agreed. She told me the wonderful news and now we’re busy here talking things up. We’re trying to get a lot of people to donate this month so there will be more to sell. Obviously, the more sales, the more money will be available to donate.
This is why blogs are so cool — I happened on a blog that mentioned a charity that spoke to me. I wrote about that charity on my blog and it spoke to someone else. That person told people she knows and as a result, Love146 is going to receive a donation at the end of April that will be far larger than any monetary contribution I could make on my own.
If you’re reading this and you blog, please remember that you never know who’s reading and who those readers know. You never know when someone may be moved by the words you cast out into the world and when those words may turn into funds for a worthy cause.
Sometimes writing blog posts seems inconsequential. It isn’t.
Bloggers, keep writing.
Readers, keep sharing what you read with your friends and your neighbors.
Together, we just might change the world, one writer, one reader, one friend at a time.
