3 ways to give the gift of a better world
Image by DreamStudio / stability.ai
Over the years I've tried to find ways to do something good with the financial means I have as a middle class person living in Finland. Considering that we're in the season of gift-giving, I thought to share some of these ideas. Perhaps writing this will also have a positive impact on its own.
Start compensating your CO2 footprint
My go-to choice is GoClimate, as you can set up a monthly subscription, their organisation is very lean, and their CO2 footprint calculator is dead simple with less than 10 questions. Considering our family of three that lives in an apartment building in Finland, drives a PHEV car and travels little, I pay GoClimate 20 € a month.
Set up a monthly donation to Kiva.org
Kiva is an organisation that provides micro-loans to entrepreneurs, educators, farmers, refugees etc. around the world.
These loans have very good repayment rates. Meaning that the money you donate monthly ends up growing as time goes by. This leads to compounding positive impact over the long term, as you accumulate more and more capital with which to support different people and projects.
I am donating $10 a month and lent altogether $350, of which $127 have been repaid. That money has then been put back to use to provide more loans. I have supported family-run coffee farms in South America and initiatives that provide education to women in Africa, for example.
Support an artist or creator in Patreon
Patreon is a modern way to become a patron of arts. You don't need to be a renaissance banker to make a difference. When there are hundreds or thousands of people who contribute few bucks a month to an artist, it can enable them to focus full-time on pursuing their gift and create something meaningful. In niche music genres such as metal, a band that goes touring often ends up losing money, or barely covering their expenses, so every bit helps!
Pick someone who you think does important work that resonates with you and start supporting them. For example, take a loot at what the independent musician Ren is doing: how his songs have touched the soul of so many people and shone a light on mental illness.
As for creators, do you have a hobby? Are there people in YouTube or elsewhere doing something that helps you with it? Or makes you enjoy the hobby even more? How about supporting them with a recurring or one-off donation as a means of expressing thanks? I love board games and am ever thankful to Shut Up & Sit Down for bringing the hobby into life in a way that I never thought possible, which is why I happily donate $10 a month to help them keep the lights on and put food on the table.
Here are my ideas and suggestions for a different kind of Christmas gift. What are yours? What would you add to the list?