by Belle de Jong

Life may feel like it’s on hold right now, but doing good never goes out of fashion.

At WriteMeAnything, we always try to do good – and good deeds are part of our daily routine. But we admit we have been a little frustrated in the past couple of weeks. We wanted to know: how can we still have a positive impact while on lockdown?

Well, the good news is that – even in times of working from home and self-quarantine – we have found there are little things we can do that will do good! For the first time in history we can save humanity by staying home!

So – with the help of a few great apps – we’re waking up, logging on, and doing our bit. Here’s how you can too.

 

1. Share your time and talent. Many people have come up with creative initiatives during the lockdown. Some are helping the elderly with groceries, others offer online tutoring for school kids. Now that you have the time, spend it helping someone who can use it. Ask a friend how they are doing, teach your followers to dance. If you make art or music, share it online. Every little thing makes the world a little brighter.

2. Browse the web with Ecosia. Instead of using Google as your search engine, switch to Ecosia, the search engine that plants trees. As you search the web, Ecosia uses their income from ads to plant trees. Even better, they don’t store your searches permanently or sell your data to advertisers. So you are doing both yourself and the planet a favour.

3. Focus with the Forest app. Yes, you can plant trees from your device. We love the Forest app, which lets your phone grow a forest as you focus on your work or studies. As they are partnered with real-tree-planting organisation Trees for the Future, real trees are planted when you spend your virtual coins. The longer you switch off, the more trees get planted on our planet.

4. Strike online with Fridays For Future. The global Fridays For Future movement took their actions online, where Greta Thunberg and other climate activists post pictures to raise awareness. Find some old cardboard or recyclable paper, craft your own sign and take your fight online too.

5. Care for people, pets, and the planet on GreaterGood.com. Simply click to donate bowls of pet food, protect wildlife, or support research. Greater Good also connects changemakers with causes they care about through shopping, donations, and signing petitions. It’s that simple!

6. Feed hungry children with the ShareTheMeal app. The app from the United Nations’ World Food Programme lets users ‘share their meals’ with children in need. The programme has supported school feeding programmes and provided food assistance in emergencies. Since the launch of the app in 2015, they have helped provide aid to some of the largest food crises in the world, including Yemen, Syria, and Nigeria.

7. Sign petitions on Change.org. Browse this website to sign petitions for the greater good. With activist campaigns ranging from supporting local initiatives to passing national laws, you can find petitions on any good cause.

8. Join Amnesty International to write for rights. Sometimes words really can change a life. Millions of Amnesty supporters write letters, sign petitions, tweet, and post on Facebook to fight for human rights. Get involved by using your pen to make this world a better place.

9. Educate yourself. From award-winning documentaries on Netflix to fun and educational YouTube channels, the internet is full of info. Indulge yourself in topics you would usually never read about, or learn more about a topic you’ve always been interested in. The Explained series on Netflix and Kurzgesagt on Youtube are really worth a click.

10. Switch off. If you’ve worked your way through this list, switch off your devices for a change. The carbon footprint of our gadgets and the internet account for 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions, according to some estimates. So turn off your gadgets and enjoy some time to yourself. You deserve it.

Thank you Belle de Jong for putting this amazing list together. Love these ideas? Got more of your own to share? Add your ideas in the comments section below – we’d love to hear from you!