Calypso Studio's Earth Day Giveaway- Hurry!

Calypso Studios is giving away $10,000 worth of S.H.O.P. totes in honor of Earth Day. Entries are being accepted until 12PM EST April 22nd. Each winner will recieve one of the fashionable "Acts of Kindness" totes pictured above.

Even if you don't enter sweepstakes on a regular basis, throw your name in the pool for this one, it has fantastic odds. If you win not only will you be carrying the same tote given to stars in the Academy Awards swag bag, you will be taking a step toward reducing your use of plastic bags. Each reusable bag you put into use has the potential to reduce your plastic bag use by an average of 1000 bags!

Be sure to enter HERE before noon EST!

The Emancipation Network- with a handbag giveaway!

The United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs estimates that 27 million human beings are victims of some form of slavery, forced prostitution or similar exploitation. Approximately half of these people are under the age of 18.

Let that number sink in a bit

27 million

That is more than the population of Chicago, Los Angeles and New York combined. These victims, mostly women, are treated as commodities- 800,000 of them recruited, tricked or trapped like animals and taken from their own countries. It is a way of life the average American could never even fathom. Slavery and forced prostitution are so distant to most of us that there is no face or name to the numbers. And I suspect many in this world prefer it that way.

I'll admit that I hate reading statistics like the one above. It makes me sick to my stomach, leaves me feeling helpless. How can human beings be so cruel and evil to one another?But I try not to suppress those feelings because I believe that ignoring the ugliness in this world leads only to inaction, passivity. I never want it to be said that I did nothing.

Being just one person with limited resources restricts what I can do, and I never feel I do enough. So I am thankful for people like Sarah Symons and John Berger. Symons and Berger are the founders of The Emancipation Network (T.E.N.), a non-profit organization that fights human trafficking through "empowerment, education and hope". The Network provides funds for victims through products made by the survivors. This is an incredible program that genuinely strives to give victims a voice.

In order to help get the word out about the important work being done across the globe, T.E.N. has generously provided one of their "eco-chic handbags" in blue as a giveaway for my readers.

A high-quality, handcrafted bag with a hip earth-friendly edge, these handbags are made from reclaimed plastic bags. So not only is this item benefiting a victim of human trafficking, it is also eco-friendly.


T.E.N. not only does handbags but clothing, beautiful jewelry, home décor and gifts. If you are looking for a unique Mother's Day gift T.E.N. is absolutely worth checking out. Don't forget to head back here and enter my giveaway when you are done shopping!

Giveaway Rules
To win this adorable bag you will have to do just a bit of work. Please be sure to follow the first step closely in order for additional entries to count.

First Entry- Visit the T.E.N. website and tell me one thing you have learned from the site. It could be a product you love or some new information, just show me you have made a good faith effort to check the site out.

Additional Entries

• Tweet this giveaway and post a link to your tweet (one entry per day)
• Follow @KatherineforTEN on twitter and leave your twitter name (one entry)
  
• Blog about T.E.N., T.E.N. products or something you have learned about human trafficking (5 entries)
  
• Purchase any product from T.E.N. or make a donation of any amount, tell me which you did (5 entries for each done)

The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Entries will be accepted until 12 AM CST, April 30^th to allow enough time to get this out to you for Mother's Day.

Best of luck!

Jessica

Earth Day Features

Image courtesy of sxc.hu user flaivoloka

Earth Day 2009, the 39^th annual celebration of environmental consciousness, is this Wednesday. In honor of the little blue and green orb we call home I will be featuring products and giveaways which are all about the Mother Earth lovin'.

You don't have to be an extra-crunchy granola guy or gal to celebrate Earth Day. Purchasing products and services with a respect for the environment and social consciousness is a huge way to have a positive impact on the world around you I like to see shopping as a form of activism, now if only the IRS did the same and let me deduct my shoes and jewelry as charity.

So stay tuned for eco-happy giveaways, reviews and more this week.

Lighted Dog Collar Giveaway

Do you like to hike with your dog? Do you go for walks at night? Do you live in the country? Do you just like pretty bright objects?

Then the lighted dog collar by PolyBrite is perfect for you!

I have one of these large collars in red to give to a reader. The collar is 22 to 26 inches, has reflective stitching and is powered by a watch battery. Here she is-

Ready to win it? Here's how:

Tell me the name of the dog this collar would be for (one entry, must be done before doing any extra entries).

U.S. and Canadian readers only please.

For extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

• Subscribe to this blog via email or an RSS reader- 1 entry
• Favorite this blog on Technorati, leave your user ID- 2 entries
• Follow me on Twitter and tweet, leave a link to your tweet please- 1 entry per day for a tweet
• Mention this giveaway on Facebook, linky please- 1 entry
• Follow the blog- 1 entry
  

I will pick a winner Wed, April 22^nd at 12 AM CST.

Good luck!

Spring Clean Up Giveaway

Spot Organics is hosting a fantastic giveaway for over $70 in eco-friendly dog grooming products.

I am all about the eco-friendly, and poor Davey is a dirty mess that needs frequent bathing. So I am all over this giveaway.

If you have a dirty mutt like me, you should be too!

http://spotorganics.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/spring-clean-up-giveaway/

Good Luck everyone.

Meet Chloe

This post is long overdue. Chloe would probably tell you the whole blog should be about her. But if it was she would only care about it when she wanted to, and you could all suck it if you didn't like it. Because that is how Chloe is.

Now before you declare Chlo mean and nasty, let me explain. Chloe is a cat. Not just any cat, she is THE cat. The only cat that we will ever have if she has her way.


And as a cat she has sworn to uphold some basic cat rules:

1. Be affectionate only when you want to, and feel free to bite the hand that pets you the second you stop feeling affectionate.



2. Feel free to wake your human anytime, day or night for the above affection. You say your humans don't wake easily? Do as Chlo and howl, jam your body through the teeny tiny spaces in the window blinds, flick your tail across their face or simply ram your head into any exposed part of their body.



3. Any container of water placed in the house if yours for the drinking, or knocking over if you prefer.



4. Actually, everything in the house is yours- feel free to treat it as such. Also, no area is off limits to you. Demand your human give you access to any closed room or closet. How dare they try to use the bathroom alone.



5. Never feel obligated to catch a mouse or kill a bug. But be sure to watch with bemusement if you owner runs around screaming in an attempt to do either.



6. A laptop, newspaper, paperwork or books laid out in front of your human are there for you to sit on. Do this as often as possible.



7. Dogs are on this earth for you to tease and hiss at. They serve no other purpose.



8. Oranges are poison. Run when one is peeled.



9. Does the chair has a pillow you don't like on it? Do the bedsheets need washing? Do you hate Dad's Adidas flip flops? Puke on them, works for Chloe.
   

So I forgive Miss Chloe what might seem like rudeness since she is just following those cat rules. Plus she is the softest, snuggliest creature alive (when she wants to be).

And once she even sat on my lap while Davey was on it. Just the once. But don't tell the cat authorities, she would so be out of the club.

Treat Winners!

Thank you everyone for entering, I love the enthusiasm of the dog community so much! I wish I could send all of your sweet furry ones treats. But since that puggle of mine can eat ten times his weight in cookies, I let the randomizer pick 2 of you-

CONGRATS to Bruschi the puggle from All About Bruschi and Corrin from Oh Hey, What's Up.

I sent you both messages but if for some reason they got lost in the shuffle, feel free to drop me a note (pestkaj(at)yahoo.com).

I have lots of giveawways headed your way for fantastic stuff, so don't stray too far!