Tag: clothing donations

Celebrate Earth Day This Week and Every Week

Posted on by Jordank

Earth Day 2021 is not just a day — it’s a three-day event. Arranged around the theme “Restore Our Earth,” the observance will offer thousands of affiliated events worldwide to increase awareness of climate change and other environmental issues.

Scheduled this week are a global youth and education summits, a virtual “We Shall Breathe” summit from the Hip Hop Caucus, and a live event with workshops, panel discussions and performances on official Earth Day itself, Thursday, April 22.

Global summits will be held virtually, making it easy to join even if pandemic restrictions are in place. Fans of the planet are invited to participate in cleanups, tree plantings, teach-ins and other activities nearby; locate one near you on this map.

You can make every day Earth Day by volunteering with, donating to and advocating on behalf of environmentally friendly organizations. But perhaps the best way to help the earth is to modify your behavior in order to shrink your impact on the environment.

If you can’t go totally vegan to reduce factory farming, for example, you could at least observe Meatless Mondays. You can pick up litter when you’re out for a walk. You can calculate your own carbon footprint and take steps to reduce and offset it.

Reusable shopping bags and bottles can cut your use of single-use plastics. Plastic waste has infiltrated every part of the earth’s ecosphere, and humans and animals are suffering ill effects from ingesting the chemicals they release.

The more that can be reused without going into landfills, streams and oceans, the better. That’s another good reason to #donate your used clothing (a major source of plastics in the water supply, by the way) and household items to ClothingDonations.org.

#Donated items can have a second life with new owners, not only saving on waste, but also eliminating an equivalent amount of new goods needing to be manufactured. Plus, the proceeds from resale go toward helping veterans nationwide.

The Organizing Blog encourages you to get involved in efforts to clean up and protect the environment in ways large and small this Earth Day and every other day of the year. The saying may be hackneyed, but it’s true: We only have one earth — let’s protect it.

Clothing Donations Are Deductible

Posted on by Jordank

If you choose to itemize deductions on your federal income taxes, remember that all of the extra stuff you donate to ClothingDonations.org has a deductible value. Itemize your contributions, then calculate and deduct their fair market value from your returns using a long-form 1040 and Schedule A. Cash gifts and mileage driven on behalf of a charity are also deductible, but always remember to record your contributions and get receipts for them. #LastMinuteTaxTips

Managing a Move During the Pandemic

Posted on by Jordank

While slowing the spread of COVID-19 has required Americans to stay at home for more than year, where their homes are is changing rapidly. Since the start of the #pandemic, millions of people have pulled up stakes and #moved permanently.

Some people lost their jobs and were forced to move to save on expenses. Others want to find more space for their new #remote offices and classrooms. And some just want to get out of congested city centers and pursue a more socially distanced lifestyle every day.

If you’re looking at a move in the near future, be forewarned that the coronavirus has (of course) complicated the process. “Every task is just a little bit harder during the pandemic,” says USA Today.

To start, you’ll have to observe the proper sanitizing, masking and distancing precautions with any number of new people, including realtors or leasing agents, movers and storage facilities, and contractors and delivery personnel. And you’ll need them to take antiviral protocols seriously, too.

Look for “companies that require employees and customers to wear masks, detail how they practice social distancing, and can explain what steps they are taking to screen and protect their employees from becoming sick,” The New York Times says.

If you are in the market for a new home, rental and real estate agents are offering video tours to help people scope things out from a distance before they commit. Google’s Street View can also offer a preview of the new neighborhood.

Moving also means packing everything you own into boxes. Whether you’re purposely #downsizing or just trying to #streamline the moving process, weed out the things you won’t need in your new home; there’s no reason to move them.

As the disused clothing, books, small appliances and other household items start to pile up, set them aside in separate boxes and bags and contact ClothingDonations.org for a free, #contactless #donation #pickup. A masked driver will arrive on the appointed day to relieve you of that extra stuff.

Moving is never easy, but moving in pandemic times is that much more difficult. Let ClothingDonations.org help you strike at least one item off your long to-do list — and help you resettle happily in a new location as the pandemic slowly recedes.

Give Yourself a Dose of Digital Minimalism

Posted on by Jordank

Your home may be the very picture of #minimalism after you used all of the at-home time in the last year to #declutter and #donate your extra stuff to ClothingDonations.org. But your digital life may also need a good dose of minimalism. “Distracting ourselves with videos, TV episodes and quick online reads is a poor substitute for our prepandemic plans,” StudyBreaks says. Spending less time may offer you the space to tackle long-term goals, so now’s the time to do a “digital decluttering” to make time for offline pursuits.

It’s Time to Shed All of Your Possessions

Posted on by Jordank

#Minimalism means giving up everything you own. April fool’s! While the concept does include letting the things that don’t bring value to your life go, minimalism is really about giving yourself more time, space and freedom, Simple Lionheart Life says. You can still have a collection or hobby as long as it brings joy and satisfaction into your life — if you love and use books, for example, keep lots of books! But the #minimalist lifestyle goes beyond simply #decluttering your #stuff and can help you focus on relationships, diet, spending patterns and more.