Archive for the ‘Causes’ Category

Urban Greening Missions Every City Dweller Should Support

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 by monkeybed

When you’re living in a city, it seems that any green patch of earth should be celebrated. If all you’re doing is celebrating, maybe it’s time to start supporting their protection and expansion too!  Gayord Nelson, the co-founder of Earth Day once said that “the ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”

So, if you’re passionate about enjoying the outdoors, take some time to lend a hand at preserving them for others, too. Here are some easy ways to get involved:

1. Sign the Pledge

Even if you’re not a devoted biker, surely you understand why the future of biking must be preserved. Biking is not only an extremely healthy pursuit; it’s also a powerful form of transportation with very little impact on the environment.  That’s why we recommend that you take a moment to sign the pledge to preserve the future of biking at PeopleForBikes, an organization that urges U.S Senators and Congressmen to make new, low-cost investments into biking programs and facilities (including the expansion of bike trails and paths in urban environments).

2. Become an Advocate

Learn about becoming an advocate for Parks and Recreation by visiting their website and reviewing the federal and legislative issues that impact parks and recreations. By just spending a few minutes on the website, you’ll learn the steps you need to take to help save your community’s green assets.

3. Support Local Initiatives

The best thing you can do to help your local green spaces is to support the initiatives that help make them thrive. Check out this local Trails and Open Spaces Coalition in Colorado and then research what you can do in your neighborhood, follow the associations that affect your region on Facebook, Twitter, and volunteer to help make community gardens thrive.

See you in the park!

Bike to Work, Score Gear

Monday, May 24th, 2010 by monkeybed

May is National Bike Month, but we at Monkey Bed think biking to work is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your community all year. REI asked the other day on their blog, Have You Tried Bike Commuting?, wondering what’s preventing 98.4 percent of Americans from commuting by bike. We won’t drone on here with all the environmental, health, and economic issues it helps address, but lets all nod our heads and acknowledge they are huge before we jump right in to shamelessly bribing you to bike to work.

That’s right, we have a bribe to offer bike commuters! We’ll be developing the next Monkey Bed product this summer on the streets of the northeast and we need your help. We’re looking for people in New England or the Tri-state area who commute to work on their bike, or even bike regularly on the weekends. If you’re already at it, reach out to us by e-mail, by leaving a comment, by tagging a Tweet with #bikecommuter, or leaving a comment on our Facebook page. We’ll get you all the details separately, but you’ll be asked over the summer for things like feedback on ideas and help testing prototypes.

In exchange you’ll get one free final product that you helped develop and a couple coupon codes for friends!

Space is limited, so reach out soon. For those of you wondering if now is the time to give bike commuting a try, it is. Start today and then e-mail, comment, tweet, or facebook us to be included in our small bunch of VIP Monkeys!

Minuteman Auction

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 by monkeybed

In advance of putting Urban Blanket Bags on sale, we’re excited to be supporting Minuteman senior services. Minuteman is a local non-profit that provides services for seniors during some of life’s more personally challenging events. Aging is something we so often hide from view in the US so we’re happy to be helping bring senior care issues into focus and supporting a great local organization.

Check out the Minuteman Auction to bid on an Urban Blanket Bag and hundreds of other great items.

More on Minuteman

Our mission is to help elders and others with long-term care needs remain in their own homes, safe, comfortable and independent, for as long as they are able, and to support their caregivers as they face the challenges presented by the competing needs of family, work and self. (more)