pelf-ism is contagious

Yes, you read that right! I am organizing a group-writing project at The Giving Hands in January 2008 and the theme is Save the Ocean.

Why should I participate?

Have you always been awed by the beauty of our oceans? Have you always loved the ocean when you were small? Do you have a lot of fond memories of the ocean while growing up? Are you always upset whenever you see people polluting our beautiful oceans? Have you always wanted to write about the environment but found it irrelevant to the niche of your blog?

The opportunity has just came a-knockin’

Image credit: O mar by Azorina.

How do I participate?

If you are interested, please pick one of the tips listed below (yes, you may pick more than one tip) and let me know in the comments, so that other people are aware which tips are still available and which ones have been grabbed. I will update the list from time to time to reflect the tips that have been taken up

You may write from your own points-of-view, or from your own experience, or from stories you have heard or read. You may also write a factual article (please remember to include the sources of reference) or a photo-article (only images).

Once you have written your article, I will need you to send me the script (before Dec 31st) to be published at The Giving Hands. You are also encouraged to provide a short biography at the end of your article to introduce yourself (and yes, you may include links to your own blog in your biography).

Wait, I have other questions!

1. May I post the same article on my blog?

   Yes, you may. This is a group-writing project and is aimed at creating and raising awareness on how we can all do our part to save our oceans. I am not a fan of duplicate contents but some things are worth repeating.

2. Will there be a winner? What are the prizes?

   By taking up this group-writing project, you are already a winner in my eyes and the eyes of your blog readers. And by participating in the project, you are also showing other bloggers that you are capable of doing something very meaningful

Now, here’s the list of 31 tips:
(tip #1 will be published on Jan 1st, 2008, and so on)

1. Go to the beach — littlebro
2. Dive responsibly — Jakartass
3. Keep your home aquarium ocean-friendly
4. Talk about the ocean in your place of worship
5. Get married on a wild beach — nimrodjo
6. Go on a whale-watching trip — Rinnah
7. Take the kids surfing, or have them take you
8. Walk on whatever beach you want — little polaris
9. Eat organic and vegetarian food — Will
10. Grow a natural yard or garden — julie
11. Conserve energy to help the seas — tears in heaven
12. Save the sea turtles
13. Opt out of the throw-away culture — Kristarella
14. Raise funds for an ocean-related organization — Vladimir
15. Use less plastic — David
16. Be a marine sanctuary volunteer
17. Conserve water — betmo
18. Eat seafood that’s healthy and sustainable — Steve
19. Drive a fuel-efficient car, car pool or use public transport — Guilherme
20. Sail on an ocean-friendly cruise ship
21. Join a coastal cleanup
22. Keep your household refuse non-toxic
23. Support your local wetlands — Pearl
24. Live a reasonable distance from the beach
25. Join/Volunteer at a Marine Mammal Rescue Centre
26. Don’t feed the sharks — Steve
27. Keep oil off our shore — PK Tan
28. Don’t exploit sea creatures for vanity’s sake — Yvy
29. Visit an Aquarium — Pelfy
30. Learn your local maritime history
31. Vote for those who protect the coasts — Vladimir

Let me know if you need some suggestions or ideas to write your article, and I am glad to discuss/work with you

What better ways to begin the new year than blogging to raise awareness on saving our oceans? Hurry up, pick your tips before they are all snatched!

A HUGE thank you goes to the following bloggers who have helped promote this group-writing project:

• Pelf is a word… by Jakartass
• beach by littlebro
• To pick up the challenge or not? by tears in heaven
• Get a life! by soufulow

P/S: This group-writing project is inspired by David Helvarg’s 50 ways to save the ocean.

If you care about the planet then you may have a future in Environmental education. If you are passionate about the environment and unhappy in your current career an online degree could put you in a job you will love fighting for a great cause.

On September 27th, bloggers around the world blogged against abuse, and I did too, in an article entitled Together we can stop child abuse. That post generated some discussions on child abuse, and I decided to make my rounds a few days ago to pick up some of the hidden gems. Many bloggers agreed that child abuse was a very difficult topic to write about because it saddened them that innocent children had to endure abusive words and actions from adults who were sometimes out of their minds.

But when I dugged deeper, I realized that not only innocent children were abused. Adults were, too (and still are). And here I present to you some of the very well-written posts written in conjunction with BlogCatalog’s Monthly Blogging Challenge.

1. Child prostitution and sex slave trade — RubyShooZ wrote a very comprehensive post on child prostitution and the current sex slave trade in Thailand.
2. An End To All Abuse — Turn on your speakers and meditate!
3. A child speaks… at least, please listen! — Nancy Lee shares the true story of a neglected 12-year-old.
4. Stop the abuse — Red recalls the abusive parents and husband she’d had, and how she endured the pushings and shovings and beatings from them.
5. One woman’s story — Regina tells of the true story of how her Granny was dropped at a nursing home and how her bad leg was broken but she was threatened not to say a thing or she would be hurt further.

Abuse comes is many different ways, and it takes a little more effort to recognize that a friend/colleague/neighbour is abused. We may not know what to do or say to them, but perhaps one of the best things we can offer is a pair of ears and a shoulder.

It makes ALL the difference.

First of all, I am glad that the month-long blogging campaign on environment-related issues had been a success

I have had the opportunity to team up with a group of very competent bloggers who know a great deal and care about the environment. I would also like to thank them for taking some time off to share their knowledge and experiences

Over the course of one month, I have done a lot of blog-hopping and found that generally, we are a caring lot. At least I’d like to believe that we are.

We share tips on how to conserve water, energy and electricity. We share our experiences on how to reduce our utility bills. We advice our readers on the things that we can all do to reduce the impact of global warming (or climate change). We tell our readers how important it is that we take good care of Mother Nature so that she stays healthy and all.

Well done, fellow bloggers! If I have dropped by and left a comment on your environment-related posts, I’d like to say that I am truly proud of you

Cheers to a healthier Mother Nature

Note: Click here to read all other Blog Action Day posts (Technorati reactions)