Every little bit helps

Every Little Bit Helps
Every Little Bit Helps From Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution
BY: From Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution
The holiday season was coming to a close and the new year was approaching quickly. I
was so pleased with the resolution my family and I had made at the beginning of this year
and especially proud that we were actually able to keep it. For the past year we had made
an effort to go green and, looking back, I knew we were pretty successful.
Last year we began recycling all of our glass, paper, plastic, and aluminum cans. We
changed all light bulbs throughout our home to those energy saving bulbs; we stopped
purchasing bottled water and began using SIG bottles. In addition, we made it a point to
use reusable bags when grocery shopping; even taking my reusable bags to the mall.

One of the best things we did was to subscribe to a service called Green Dimes. For a
small fee, Green Dimes will stop all that annoying junk mail that arrives in the mailbox
and use part of the fee they charge to plant trees in the community. Just think of all of the
trees we helped save and all of the trees we helped to plant!
Although I was proud of all the changes we had already made, I felt that we could take it
a step further for the new year and do more. I was especially interested in teaching my
kids, who could always use a good lesson in giving back, to become more involved in
learning how important it is to take care of the environment. I began thinking about ways
I could further the connection. It took awhile for it to come to me but when it did I was
inspired and excited about it.
I figured that, in our own way, we were already giving back to Mother Earth. But
wouldn’t it be great if we could give more to organizations that support causes which
help the less fortunate around the world? What I decided to do was take the money we
earned from recycling our aluminum cans, glass, and plastic and give it to charity. We
would give to a different charity each time we collected the cash when we turned in our
recyclables.
My seven-year-old son, Brayden, would even be able to join in, as he was responsible for
sorting the items and taking them to the recycling center with me. I wanted him to
become even more involved, and so I decided that he would help me decide which

charity to support. He could help to do the research about the various charities on the
Internet. Because we cashed in our recyclable items every month or so, we wouldn’t have
a large lump sum; but I loved the idea of teaching my son that it doesn’t matter how
much you give; what matters is that you give. The smallest donation can make a
difference.
As this year comes to a close we are all proud of the steps we have taken to make a
difference. And next year, although the dollar amount won’t be huge, we will be doing
our part to help the environment and make this world a better place. All of the changes
we make don’t have to be huge, but if everyone became involved, just think of the
difference we could make.