July 28th, 2008 · No Comments

By John DeFore

As the World Bank recently acknowledged, even noble efforts to help the world’s less fortunate people can have negative side effects. As Americans gain a better understanding of developing nations’ growing contributions to environmental problems, it’s only natural for them to second-guess their charitable giving.

One online resource for such gifts, Global Giving, has just launched an effort to address those concerns. Its Global Giving Green campaign, which went online today, aims to identify charitable projects that either target green concerns directly or help communities without, say, pumping tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

An admirably straightforward page of GGG’s site breaks candidate projects into four categories: emissions reduction, reforestation, green technology and climate-change education. Each heading features a handful of projects scattered around the world: In the Philippines, there’s an effort to retrofit heavy-polluting taxis; in Honduras, fuel-efficient stoves are being supplied to poor families; in sub-Saharan Africa, villages are installing water pumps that transform child’s play into pumping power. Each project page lists specific fund-raising goals, shows how much has been raised to date, and ties donation amounts to something concrete: $100, for example, is enough capital for 10 farmers in Chiapas to start an organic vegetable collective.

While the project’s founders (former World Bank executives) focus mainly on international charity — noting not only concentrations of need on other continents, but the dramatic impact that even small donations can have there — they don’t ignore domestic needs entirely: One effort singled out for GGG attention is seeking $50,600 to install solar energy systems in 10 low-income homes in the U.S.

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