The Match Against Poverty

My bf finally got me to go see a football game. Or no, actually it was the second time, but the other time was at Camp Nou and Zlatan was playing..whole other deal. Yesterday I went to Karaiskaki. Olympiakos' stadium. Also called The Tempel, by bf. Why would I do this?

It was the Match Against Poverty. A match arranged by Ronaldo and Zidane to raise funds for the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti and the floods in Pakistan. Worth it? Yep. Even though it was freezing and all I did for two hours was try to identify all the famous players (Can't they stand still just for a minute?). Made bf happy and helped raise money for people in need, check and check. Good deed OF THE WEEK!

Dare me

I need inspiration. Seriously. I have such a crazy load of things for my mind to process every day right now that I can't think of any good deeds. That's also why it's been quiet here last few days. So help me out? Tell me a good thing I can do tomorrow and I will do it. I will.

Let's talk this through.

Yesterday I got some weird looks as I bought a kid something to eat. She came begging for money but when I offered food and something to drink her face lit up. It sounds all nice and in order with my thoughts on begging, doesn't it? So why did people act like what I did was strange? I would really like some answers here, because I might be missing something! Perhaps there are factors I didn't consider.

Shape up Greece!

I found two Fairtrade labeled products in my supermarket! It's one brand of coffee and a cocoa. I was so happy to find them that it took me a while before I started thinking about why I haven't seen them before. But it's actually pretty obvious why, and the reson is annoying as hell.

These products are in the supermarket as they are organic and have been placed on the shelf with "organic foods". You can not find the organic coffee next to the other coffee brands. Only in this specific part of the store. Imagine that my supermarket is as huge as... probably 500 sq.m It has 4 floors and I don't know how many hundreds of customers in a day, and they have 2 things with a Fairtrade label. These aren't imported for the label. That I was able to find them was a total coincidence.

This article, written by Katia Antoniadi, confirms my suspicions. For those of you who don't read Greek, I can tell you that the article also says 65 % of the Greeks don't know the meaning of the words "fair trade". And that from the few Greek companies that even replyed to a survey, made by Consumers International, the commercial directors didn't know what products were in this category.

It's clear to anyone that this is an area in which Greece has to improve. I will do my part. Friends are hereby invited to my Fairtrade Coffee on Wednesday. Shall we say around seven?

Fairtrade Challange - so awesome!

In Sweden, where I'm from, Fairtrade is arranging something awesome.

On wedensday, the 27th of october, anyone who wants can join in having a coffee break with Fairtrade products. So far 306.842 people have reported that they're going to join in! To join you simply invite your friends to your house for a coffee / bring sweets to work and have a coffee break with your colleagues or whatever. You use one or more Fairtrade labeled products. You let fairtrade know you are having the coffee and afterwards you report your result. It's so simple and a great way to spread knowledge about the difference you can make when you choose the right products.

The person who invites the most people, the supermarket who invited the most other stores to join, the one who uses more fairtrade products and the one who gets the best pictures of the event, will win some really nice prices. You might for example get to visit one of the producing countries working with fairtrade!

I think this is a fantastic idea, and I'm jealous of all the swedes who get to be part of it! So don't you miss this!

By the way, maybe it isn't impossible for me to join. I just gotta find some fairtrade labeled stuff. All you greeks, are you interested in something like this?! If I invite you, will you come to my fairtrade coffee? (I know you're reading, so just post a "yes" or "no" in the comments field. Be anonymous if you like.)

Oh, I'm serious!

• Tomorrow: The exception. Weekly lunch at my grandparents house means lemonato or giouvetsi (both meats). Out of my hands.
• Weekend: Will make a big batch of my potato soup. Sallads etc.
• Monday: Pasta with walnuts and parmesan
• Tuesday: Spinach soup with eggs.
• Wednesday: Chili sin Carne with bread and feta cheese.
• Thursday: Fishsoup with bread.

I'll get you recepies.

Fish soup. It's not too shabby.

Part vegetarian - Is it a thing?

I should become a vegetarian. I really hate what the meat industry is like. It is horrible. But this blog is meant to document all the small things I'm doing to change, and things that everyone can do. I am not going to go to Africa and do charity work, or give up on the small income that I do have in order to donate it all. And I don't think I will go all vegetarian anytime soon at least. Because it would mean a major and difficult change in my life! And I really really love meat.

But perhaps I can go half-veg? Is that a thing? Lets say I eat meat only a couple of times a week and allow fish and sea food during the rest. I've been surfing around reading recepies today, and I got inspired as always. Eating more vegetarian food will also mean eating more healthy! Wich I reeaally need to do. You greeks all know how easy it is to get the souvlakia menues out when you're hungry in Athens.

I'm deciding right now (without boyfriend knowing, but he needs a punishment for using a paper filter for the coffee this morning anyway): I will try eating green for a week starting tomorrow.

Bad me

Apparently women are advised not to give blood during a certain period of the month. Who knew? Well, at least the plan to go and give blood today made a great excuse not to go to the gym or anything else I probably should have done this afternoon.

Or in other words: I've been completely unproductive again today.

Where can I give blood?

My plan was to do one "good deed" every day. But finally it's more difficult than I thought to think of things to do. Especially as yesterday and the day before had such crazy weather (didn't know it could rain like this in Athens!) that we didn't even leave the house except when we had to go to work. And what "good deed" can you do sitting in your house? The only thing I did was trying to fix this blog, which might lead to something good later on.

And today the only thing I did was... um... standing on the bus, so the old people could sit. This shouldn't even count, but it sort of does in my case since I usally try to find a seat in order not to hurt my stupid old back.

Tomorrow I want to go to give blood. Can anybody tell me where to go?

The Doing Good Accessories Store

I have created a store on Amazon where you can find a bunch of Fairtrade labeled products! There's a link to it in the column to the right. I call it the Doing Good Accessories Store. It's mainly coffees and teas but also some other stuff. It's worth checking out! I think some of these things might make excellent Christmas presents. Like this gift bag of holiday teas from Davidson's:

Click on the image for more info.

Follow up. See, I'm not fooling around.

 Recycling! As simple as this.

 And the coffee tastes just the same without the paper filter.

Recycling time!

It's actually almost funny when you think about it. How easy it is to find excuses not to do things you should be doing. I used to be excellent at finding excuses not to study. I know all students say this but I would have been in the world championship for excuses if it existed. I would do things I dreaded More than studying instead of studying. And that's just crazy. Lately I've come to terms with the fact that I don't like studying and said hell with the excuses, I'm lazy and I accept it.

My excuse for not recycling my trash goes like this: I don't have enough space. And sure, I do live in a 20 sq. m. studio, but! As the writer behind a "doing my part to change the world" blog, the excuse certainly ain't good enough. If I have space for a big chair I never use and all of my shoes, i have space to recycle. So that's my mission of the day! I'm gonna put some bags on my balcony for all my recyclables. And try to remember to use them.

Good deed of the day

This giant bag is full of clothes, shoes and bags I just cleared out of my closet. Tomorrow I'll hand it over to a charity organization. It only took me 20 minutes, and now I have space to hang some winter stuff in there. Yay for doing good!