Join Me For ShiftCon 2014: An Eco Wellness Social Media Conference

Next year, there is going to be a great new social media conference specifically for eco and wellness bloggers. If you are passionate about social change, organic food, health, environmentally friendly products and more, this is the place for you to be. I hope you'll join me for a great weekend of learning and networking.

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Food: We're Doing It Wrong -- Fast Food Marketing, Poverty, and Food Security

Two significant food-related reports were released today. One of them, Fast Food Facts, looks at fast food marketing in the United States and found that the industry spent $4.2 billion on advertising in 2012. The other one, Hunger Count, looks at food bank use in Canada and found that 833,098 people turned to a food bank in Canada in March 2013. These reports are both significant because they point to important issues relating to health and food security in North America. They are related because our capitalist society values and promotes advertising as increasing choice, while at the same time continuing to support an unsustainable food system that ensures low income families have little to no choice.

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A "Like" Doesn't Save Lives, Money Does

Over the years, you've probaby seen a lot of campaigns saying that if you "like" something or comment on a blog post, a donation will be made to feed hungry children, vaccinate babies, or find a cure for breast cancer. It sounds easy, it IS easy, but there's often more to it than that. I can see the good in some of these campaigns, but I'm also wary about corporate attachments to good causes.

This is why, although I'm a social good and social change blogger, you'll see me shy away from, ignore, or sometimes outright criticize the social good campaigns with major corporate affiliations (unless they are transparent and have no conflict of interest). That is also why it is easy for me to enthusiastically support UNICEF Canada's "Likes Don't Save Lives" campaign, which encourages people to go beyond slacktivism and make a donation that will make a difference.

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The Blood, Sweat and Tears of Birthday Party Politics

Can we cancel birthdays?

Or, if not, can we at least agree to some rules? Or maybe some guidelines?

I’m not really sure where to start, but maybe an “is this going to make a kid cry?” checkpoint might be a good place to begin.

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How To Boost the Confidence of an Insecure Tween?

A reader wrote to me this week with a question. It isn't something that I've had to handle with my kids (yet) or that I have any specific expertise on, but I do think it is an important question and know that I have really smart readers. So I asked the person who sent it if I could post it on the blog and she agreed. Please come and help her out with some sound advice on boosting the confidence of an insecure tween.

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