Greater Milwaukee Men

We all, men and women, go through jeans quite frequently, But what do you do with your old jeans? Sure you can cut them off into shorts (if you are stylistically challenged, or maybe just to do work in), but what do you do with the shorts? Yes you can donate to Goodwill or a like organization. But sometimes the jeans are too far gone or you just don't like the thought of someone else wearing your clothes. So you likely just throw them out. Instead of filling up landfills, you can be green and even help someone out at the same time. Instead donate them to  Green Jeans Insulation where they use them to make high quality insulation. You can send them in, or even drop them off directly at Habitat for Humanity in Madison. What I would like to do  is find a way to get donation bins around town where jeans can be dropped off (like the food or old plastic bag drop offs in grocery stores). We would at intervals pick them up and take them ourselves to Madison. Anyone interested...

One of the hardest things about being a man and wanting to be responsible, especially to the earth, is to find products that are - well - manly. OK I want to use my own bags shopping, great but every bag seems to be girly floral bird patterns and prints (like this bag here).  Same with water bottles, yes Sigg makes some bottles with skulls and what not on them but the percentage is low compared to kids and womens' prints, and the list goes on. I will try to scour the stores - both brick and mortar and online, to find resources for cool green stuff for men and post here as I find them.

I am an animal lover in general. Though not a vegetarian (that is a long discussion I don't want to get into here), I respect all animals. But yes I am a dog person. While I have adopted both dogs and cats I am sorry cat people but dogs are at a different level than all animals. Dogs have done and still do so much for us. To any who think they are just another animal and thus don't need to be treated any different (and actually we should treat all animals as we treat dogs) watch this to see a few ways that dogs help us now. Then read this and tell me dogs haven't contributed to make our society what it is today. Many a community in our history may well have perished if not for the support of dogs. They have served and still serve us as not only companions but true partners. In short they guard us and protect us in ways even other humans cannot. Dogs protect our livestock and help us herd them with one dog what would take many men even on horseback. They search out bombs a...

In the midst of all the crap going on in sports - Tiger Woods, Ben Roethlisberger, to name a few - we saw a good guy win the Master's in Phil Mickelson  complete with his wife at his side, but then this happened and further made us believe there can still be honor in sports: English golfer Brian Davis called a two-stroke penalty on himself for a shot where he grazed a twig, causing him to lose his chance at his first PGA tournament win. It is likely no one would have even noticed had he not reported himself. Thank you for being a true Gentleman Brian.

Here is a great example of a person that took an interest, a typically male interest even though it is a female, and used it to garner for donations for a good cause. This girl got donations from gaming companies related to World of Warcraft to use as prizes for people who donate to her team for the Leukemia and Lymphona Society. Yes, that's right, if fellow gamers donate to her team, at least $25, they get entered to win prizes back themselves! Oh yeah, and she is doing a triathlon, take that all you men!

Just got done watching Roger Ebert on Oprah (yeah... I know, my wife had it on), and his story of perseverance with his cancer is amazing, but more so because of his spirit through it all. He seems like a genuine, caring man we should all aspire to be like. His wife read an entry from his journal with an inspiring message about how to live. “I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this, and I am happy that I lived long enough to find it out.”

Whether you donate money or time, giving back is beneficial--and not just for the recipients. Research has shown that the old adage, “it’s better to give than to receive” is true after all. A Gallup survey on volunteering in the U.S.A. found that 52% of volunteers do it because they like doing something useful and helping others. Another 38% said they enjoy doing volunteer work and feeling good about themselves. Besides feeling good about yourself for doing something for others, giving back is also good for your physical health. In a Canadian study, 85% of Ontario volunteers rated their health as "good," compared to 79% of non-volunteers. Only 2% of volunteers reported "poor" health, one-third the amount of non-volunteers who reported the same health status. Here are 7 Reasons to Volunteer: 1. Develop new skills 2. Make social connections 3. Give back to your community 4. Develop and grow as a person 5. Gain a new perspective 6. Know that you're ne...