Virtual Ability Works With Other Nonprofits in Virtual Worlds

Contributing Author: Gentle Heron

Virtual Ability, Inc.® was the first organization that began as a Second Life® community and then became a legally chartered nonprofit corporation. At the time the Virtual Ability community was forming in Second Life, a wide variety of nonprofit corporations from the physical world were coming into Second Life to do awareness, outreach, and fundraising. They formed a group called NonProfit Commons, sponsored at that time by TechSoup®. Virtual Ability became an early active corporate member of the NonProfit Commons (NPC) group in Second Life.

In addition to attending weekly meetings (Friday mornings at 8:30am Pacific), Virtual Ability members have given presentations, greeted newcomers to the NPC, mentored about virtual worlds and nonprofit functioning, and assisted several Second Life groups to apply for nonprofit tax status.

The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community of practice for nonprofits and those doing social-good, cause-based work to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize these unique environments to achieve their missions. NonProfit Commons is now peer governed and funded.

This Friday, August 25, NonProfit Commons is celebrating its tenth anniversary in Second Life. Find out more about NPC's history at http://nonprofitcommons.org/content/about-nonprofit-commons or join the parties at 8:30am or 5pm Pacific in the NPC Amphitheater on Plush* (SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Plush%20Nonprofit%20Commons/98/127/25 ) in Second Life.

Please email any questions about NonProfit Commons to mentors@nonprofitcommons.com.

Editor's Note: Plush is a virtual location in Second Life with a special kind of link to get there. You will need to create an account and an avatar to use in the environment. If you are entering Second Life for the first time, visit this page to get started.

Image Credit: Rhiannon Chatnoir

Humpday Hint: Sweets? On a DIET??

Yes, you can eat sweets when you are dieting. You can either limit yourself to a 75-calorie sweet every day, or save up the calories to splurge on one large sweet on the weekend.

What sweet treat contains fewer than 75 calories?

• A medium apple or peach
• Half a banana
• A cup of raspberries
• Half a grapefruit
• Root beer float (diet soda over ¼ cup light ice cream)
• About 1 ½ Tbsp of many types of granola
• 30 sugar-free jellybeans
• 5 flavored mini rice cakes
• 1 cup fat-free hot cocoa
• 1 block (3 squares) dark chocolate

Here are some other sources of ideas for low-calorie snacks:

88 Unexpected Snacks Under 100 Calories
20 Sweet Snacks for 50 Calories or Less/
30 Healthy Snacks with 75 Calories or Less (With Recipes)
Healthy Snacks Under 75 Calories
7 Bedtime Treats Under 75 Calories

YES! (Dark) Chocolate is allowed!

Four Things to Do to Keep Your Skin Healthy

Contributing Author: Gentle Heron

Summer is not the only time of year we should be mindful of taking good care of the vessels of our intellects and personalities. Without further ado...

1. Avoid sun overexposure.

The sun is the leading cause of all kinds of skin damage, from sunburn to wrinkles, age spots, and skin cancer. It’s the ultraviolet radiation emitted by our sun that damages the skin. UV rays break down the collagen and elastin in skin; these chemicals keep your skin plump and smooth. When collagen and elastin decrease in skin, the skin becomes wrinkled.

Sunlight also enlarges melanocytes, pigment-containing cells. A smaller dose of sun may make your skin tan, but larger amounts can lead to patches of brown spots called age spots.

Another thing the sun does to your skin is release free radicals. These are harmful chemicals, unstable atoms, often oxygen, that have an unpaired electron. This imbalance in electric charge makes the free radicals highly chemically reactive. Free radicals can damage DNA, and this can lead to aging of body systems and development of skin cancers. (NOTE: Free radicals are also created by smoking and other environmental factors.)

The best way to avoid sun damage to skin is to avoid overexposure. Stay out of the sun during mid-day when the radiation is strongest. Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects from both UVA and UVB and has an SPF (sun protective factor) 30 or greater. Apply sunscreen every two hours; more frequently if you are sweating heavily or in water. You should also wear protective clothing and a hat to protect your scalp and face.

While some skin care products contain antioxidant ingredients to help fight the effects of free radicals, the best defense is to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables containing vitamins C and E. Good dietary sources of antioxidants include berries, carrots, spinach and broccoli.


2. Stop making faces.

Did your mother say, “Stop making the face or it will grow like that!” when you scowled? Mine did. Maybe our Moms were right. While smiling and frowning are ways we communicate, these movements stretch the skin. As we age, our skin becomes less elastic and does not snap back into shape as readily as when we were younger. Compounded with the loss of elasticity produced by sun damage to skin, facial movements can lead to the formation of wrinkles.

3. Don’t smoke, or quit smoking.

Did you know that smoking damages skin as well as lungs? Smoker’s skin doesn’t heal from small injuries such as nicks and pimples as well as non-smoker’s skin does. This is because smoking causes blood vessels to narrow, restricting the availability of oxygen and nutrients that the skin needs to nourish and repair itself.

Smoker’s skin wrinkles more easily that non-smoker’s skin. Smoking causes elastic skin fibers to thicken, which will increase sagging. The more you smoke, the worse the damage to your skin.

Please consider not smoking, or quitting if you do smoke. It will not only benefit your lungs, it will help your skin stay healthier.

4. Avoid skin irritants.

Your skin can be sensitive or allergic to any number of chemicals, including ammonia, bleach, laundry detergent, and cleaning products. Contact dermatitis is reddening and scaling of the skin. But some people experience burns from contact with these chemicals.

The best way to protect your skin from irritants is to avoid them, for instance by wearing gloves to clean house or wash dishes. If you have mild contact dermatitis, moisturizing your skin will make it feel better. If you have more problematic irritations, try using an antihistamine or non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID, such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen). If the problem is severe, please contact your healthcare professional.

It is always a good idea to take care of the skin you're in!

Image Credits: Pixabay

Get a Home Energy Audit

Contributing Author: Gentle Heron

With autumn approaching soon, it is not too early to start thinking about ways to improve your home's heating efficiency as outside temperatures begin to drop - or rise, depending on in which hemisphere of the planet you live.

Often your local utility company will come out to your home and perform an energy audit. This is probably the most accurate way to learn how to use energy efficiently. However, it will mean scheduling the visit for several hours during the workday, and this may not be feasible for your schedule.

An alternative is the online energy audit. You will spend a few minutes inputting data, and in return will receive valuable information about your energy usage.

Several sites offer these audits. Many local utilities will add in local weather and housing data, making them quite accurate.

You can also check out the US Department of Energy’s Home Energy Saver site at: http://hes.lbl.gov/consumer. This site helps you calculate your energy usage based on your ZIP code. It also includes several videos of energy saving projects such as insulating your water heater and hot water pipes, as well as interesting blog posts.

Another online energy audit option from energy.gov is found here: https://energy.gov/energysaver/do-it-yourself-home-energy-audits. Not only will you learn how to look for areas in your home where you are losing energy, but you will be offered methods for improving the building’s energy efficiency.

Beware, though, of advertising sites that want to collect your personal information. If an offer related to energy audits or energy savings seems too good to be true, it probably is. Use only sites from your local utility companies, universities, or government agencies.

Editor's Note: While the above links are for US consumers, many countries have corresponding services available to their citizens. Be sure to seek them out.

Image Credit: Pixabay