Best In Crowdfunding: June 2013

I've scoured the internet's top crowdfunding sites, trying to find projects I think are most deserving of my contribution. It proved to be a much harder task than I had anticipated! While there are plethora of great ideas, I found that most of them aren't intended to improve the lives of others, which is really what I was looking for. After hours of browsing, I've found some really wonderful projects. Here are my 5 favorites this month. Take a look and see if you want to contribute to any of them. You might even nab a little something for yourself!


Ecorithmic
Sometimes, the things that technology is capable of accomplishing absolutely blow my mind. Learning about this mobile app is one of those times! The Ecorithmic app will help users to be more fuel-efficient drivers. It will record regular driving routes, taking into account elevation, traffic signals, speed limit changes, and more, and then instruct the driver how to shift gears or ease off the gas at certain points during the route to use less fuel. Mind. Blown.
Campaign Goal: £140,000
Deadline: July 9
Platform: Kickstarter

Just Food
This brand was developed by a woman whose young son suffers from a medical condition that requires him to be tube-fed. She developed a line of additive-free, shelf-stable tube meals because all that had been available was manufactured processed food product. Her son's health increased when she started blending the meals for him, and a business idea was born. If, like me, you are lucky enough to NOT have someone in your life who requires tube feeding, your purchased meals will be donated to a child who needs them. If I ever have a child or loved one who has to be tube fed, I'll be so glad to know that this company is out there!
Campaign Goal: $10,000
Deadline: July 15
Platform: IndieGoGo

Library for All
I'm impressed by the lofty objectives of this campaign. The idea is simple: to give school children in developing countries access to an expansive digital library. I can only imagine how difficult it would be, logistically, to coordinate such an effort. Seems like the major elements would be getting the cooperation of major publishers, and also giving developing communities access via affordable reading devices. The creators behind this campaign seem to have a handle on both. I really believe that education is the key to bettering our world, and this would be a giant step.
Campaign Goal: $100,000
Deadline: July 13
Platform: Kickstarter

Real Value
They had me at "what's the real cost of cheap?" The core message of this documentary is that it really is so very important to be AWARE of where the things we buy and eat are coming from, and what the affects of our purchasing decisions really are. I absolutely can not wait to watch this movie. More importantly, I can not WAIT to make my friends and family watch it. Check out the trailer, below.
Campaign Goal: $10,000
Deadline: July 4
Platform: Kickstarter

Sole Power
This is another impressive example of what technology can do. These shoe insoles capture the kinetic energy of foot steps and store it in a battery pack that can be used to charge mobile or electronic devices. Genius. Not only will it save power, but it can also enable individuals in developing countries to have access to electronic devices. The creators ultimately want to use a "buy one, give one" buying platform to distribute the insoles to those places.
Campaign Goal: $50,000
Deadline: July 18
Platform: Kickstarter



If you love the idea of funding these and other deserving projects or individuals, be sure to check out these sites too:

• Kiva - Connects lenders to borrowers around the world, helping to fund small businesses in developing countries, education, and more.
• Sprigster - The "Boost a Hero" project is a crowdfunding platform for military veterans.
• Unglue.it - Contribute money to the copyright holder of your favorite book to have a free, licensed electronic edition made available to everyone!

Recipe: Vegan Quinoa Sushi Salad

Like all of the best ones, this recipe came about completely by accident. It has since become one of my go-to recipes for weekday lunches. It's chock-full of protein, omega fats, and vitamin B12 - all that good stuff that vegans love!

Over the summer, I made these vegan sushi rolls for a friend's birthday picnic. It took a few practice rolls to get the process right. I tossed those practice rolls into a container and later had it as a snack. Turned out those sloppy, falling-apart rolls became an awesome salad. I decided to play around with the ingredients a little and came up with this recipe.

For my salad, I used a Florida avocado instead of the more common California avocado. Florida avocados are bigger and are sometimes labeled as "Lite" avocados or "Slimcados." They have fewer calories and fat per ounce than a California or Hass avocado. They're not as creamy, but the flavor of the Florida avocado is perfect and delicious in this salad.

There are a variety of packaged seaweed products available, but I found that the sushi-style nori sheets tasted best for this recipe. It really made the salad taste more like sushi. Seaweed is one of the few vegetarian sources of vitamin B12, which is often lacking in vegan and vegetarian diets.

The ingredient that really put this recipe over the top was the vegan "caviar." I'd been wanting to try it for a while so when I saw the Carviart on sale on Vegan Cuts, I was all over it! I had tried making my own vegan caviar or "roe" in the past using amaranth seed and beet juice (recipe here.) It lacked the salty flavor of the real thing. The Caviart comes a lot closer to the real deal.

You can sign up for a Vegan Cuts account if you want to try some for yourself. For more information about Caviart, check out this page.

Vegan Quinoa Sushi Salad

Quinoa Sushi Salad

Dressing:

• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce

- Combine ingredients at set aside.

Salad:

• 1 cup of quinoa - rinsed well
• 2 cups water
• 1 Florida avocado, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 sheets of nori sushi, broken/chopped into 1" pieces
• vegan caviar

1. Cook the quinoa by combining it with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until quinoa is translucent. About 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
2. Add dressing to quinoa along with seaweed, and sesame seeds. Toss to combine.
3. Top with avocado, cucumber, and caviar.

Further reading
http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/difference-between-california-and-florida-avocados.aspx
http://www.livestrong.com/article/18578-health-benefits-eating-seaweed/
http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/plant#seaweeds
http://thebroccolihut.com/florida-vs-california-battle-of-the-avocado/

You Can Recycle That: Strings of Holiday Lights

As you're taking down the tree and holiday decorations during your annual bout of S.A.D., don't be so quick to throw out all of the faulty strings of Christmas lights! Believe it or not, those lights can be recycled.

Not only will you feel good about keeping your lights out of a landfill, but you'll receive a coupon for 25% off a purchase of (eco-friendlier) LED Christmas lights. It's a great deal for you and the environment!

Check out HolidayLEDs.com for shipping information and details about how to get your coupon.