Don’t hear a word they say - only a shadow on my mind…”
That may not be the exact quote but that’s how I remember it and rather than go searching I thought I’d say hello.

There’s so much information “talking at us” all the time that I have been pondering the purpose of this blog as related to all the messages you already get; thinking how Breathing Space and I can best use this space.
I think I have finally figured out how this blog will be different from the organizing tips I send out to folks who ask for them. The tips are available and over time I will make them more so … an RSS feed etc and so forth…
But, I do want to talk about organzing and world issues somewhere; about specific ways in which we humans can make small differences that add up - and this blog can officially be that place.
As you who have visited my website know, for me, the main reason for spending any time on organizing is to make it more possible to do what you really love and care about. And the STUFF we have AND what we do with it are also very much linked to how the world-at-large functions.

ELECTRICITY!!!

The most recent world helping/organizing tip that I have heard is about saving electricity by plugging in your electronic devises to a power strip. When you leave your work space - or entertainment space - TV etc. even if you have turned off individual machines - it saves more electricity if you also turn off the power strip.

Most electronic devices have some electric pull even when you turn them off. Those little red lights inform you that SOME electricity is being used simply in order to tell you that the device is NOT being used! Do you need that?

The investment for a power strip is as low as $4.99 and you will save a bit of electricity every day. Every bit adds up!

Do you have other tips that have worked for you? please share!

I just discovered this resource! Hurrah! You may, like so many of us, have a large collection of unwanted computers and computer equipment taking up space in your garage,basement,attic or your office. Would you like to get rid of them in a earth friendly and people friendly way?
In case you don’t get my weekly tips- here’s the scoop. (Go to www.dell.com/recycle to get the full story.)

” Donate
Dell provides consumers a donation option for old computers. When you are ready for a new system there are neighbors in your community who could make use of your old one. Through Dell Recycling,consumers can donate their computers to the National Cristina Foundation to help disabled and economically disadvantaged children and adults in your own community. The foundation will pick up your computer at your door and put it to good use in your community.

Recycle

If recycling your computer is your preference, Dell offers an environmentally friendly method to dispose of outdated computer equipment that no longer has useful life.

Dell is happy to accept any brand of computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor or printer. And Dell will pick it up at your home. ”

WOW! That’s what they are promising. Give it a try during your spring decluttering! And please let us know what happens!

No- not the other way around.

I am not writing about the causes of clutter though I could and should at some time.
But rather - once again a major concern has crossed my desk. In some ways causes do feel like clutter. There are endless numbers of causes; you can only think about so many before your mind and heart become overwhelmed.

At the same time- there are some things that each of us decides to let in. And today for me it is the issue of Guantanamo prison. Here is what avaaz is saying about it. Seems like a pretty timely cause for this week — what with Passover and Easter. It’s something that CAN be changed!
Here is the info from the Avaaz email:
Adel Hamad grew up in a small village in Sudan. Through hard work, he became a schoolteacher and hospital assistant. To support his family he took a better job at a community hospital in Afghanistan. Then late one night he was torn from his bed and sent to hell, as Guantanamo Bay Detainee #940.

Adel Hamad has had no trial. He has seen no family members for four years. Even US military officers reviewing his situation have called his detention “unconscionable.” But he and nearly 400 other prisoners are still trapped at Guantanamo. Last week US Defense Secretary Robert Gates finally said Guantanamo should be closed. President Bush’s advisors are split down the middle on this issue — a massive global outcry could tip the balance, and push Bush to close Guantanamo forever. Click below to sign the Close Guantanamo petition, and we’ll run ads next week in major US papers announcing the number of signatures:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/close_guantanamo

It’s now clear that many of the detainees are simply innocent people caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Guantanamo’s former commander General Jay Hood has admitted, “Sometimes we just didn’t get the right folks.” This is what happens when people are held without charge or trial.

After being held for five years, last week Australian David Hicks was finally charged — and sentenced to just 9 months in an Australian prison. This hardly looks like the “worst of the worst” - words the Bush Administration used to justify ignoring basic standards of justice. Meanwhile, as regimes around the world use Guantanamo to excuse their own human rights abuses, international law keeps taking a beating.

Sign the petition calling on the US government to close Guantanamo , and for its inmates to be tried in a legitimate court or set free. Let’s run ads in Washington DC and show that citizens from every country on earth want this injustice to end:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/close_guantanamo

In hope,

Ricken, Milena, Tom, Graziela and the Avaaz Team