YES!

YES! A Journal of Positive Futures is a quarterly magazine published by, you guessed it, The Positive Futures Network, a non-profit group located in beautiful Bainbridge Island, Washington.

This diamond in the rough focuses on particular themes for each issue, and gives readers action items to help make our a better world in which to live. NICE can’t think of a better use of skill and talent then by the great work of this publication.

Examples of covered topics include: Getting Free – Sustainable Living; Money: Print Your Own; and peace building.

Currently on the cover is Amy Goodman, creator and host of the radio and television news show, Democracy Now!. Subscribe to YES! and get inspired.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

The mission of this organization is to, “…inspire people to practice kindness and to “pass it on” to others.” Pretty nifty and simple is we do say so ourselves.

Founded in 1995, the group provides free lesson plans, activity ideas, publicity guides and workplace resources to aid in the spreading of kindness. They have a healthy website with many great tools to help your church group or club in planning your kindness projects. And they don’t even want your money for it. Not only is everything free, they won’t even accept donations, grants or government funding.

So, how do they this? According to their website, the organization is funded by an anonymous donor. As far as public records reveal, the group has no religious, political or other affiliations. They simply exist to help spread kindness.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is the United States delegate to the World Kindness Movement. It’s great to know that there are entire organizations and networks dedicated to this very small, simple and yet powerful cause.

Fair Trade Certified

Let's start with the basics of NICE things. Products with the Fair Trade Certified logo support a movement that helps small family farmers and laborers in other countries to enjoy a larger piece of the earnings pie. One of the approximately 800,000 coffee farmers involved in the program makes an average of 3 to 5 times more selling through Fair Trade cooperatives than conventional methods.

Everyone has heard of Fair Trade Coffee, but this certification program also works with cocoa, tea, bananas and fresh fruits such as grapes and strawberries.

For more information, visit the Fair Trade Certified website.

USDA Organic

I have spent time in the sustainable agriculture movement, so I know to approach this one with some caution.

A couple of years back, the United States Department of Agriculture came out with an all encompassing food labeling program targeted at the burgeoning organic food movement. The process took nearly 10 years of back-and-forth between the visionary grass roots movement that started the deal and the bureaucratic USDA that wanted to regulate it.

The end result, however, is a program that at least gains organic food products better credibility with consumers. Also, a foundation for growing the industry that supports the organics, such as the certifying agencies, food supply houses and processing plants, was set in place by the USDA labeling efforts.

One thing you should be aware of is the different grades of organic foods out there. USDA breaks them down into four basic categories: 100% organic; 95 – 100% organic; more than 70% organic; and less than 70% organic. Basically, any product using the USDA Organic label shown above will have at least 95% organic content.

And also be aware that not all producers have accepted this system, as it is only a voluntary one. There are many products out there that would qualify as 100% organic under the USDA system, but do not utilize the label. So the best policy is to know your grocer, or better yet, your farmer, and ask them about the organic content of their foods.