This weekend, pro surfer Jodie Nelson plans to become the first woman ever to paddle the grueling 39.8 miles from Catalina Island to Dana Point, California - something only 3 or 4 people have done alone. The feat is usually tackled by teams but Nelson plans to go solo with a goal of raising $50,000 for breast cancer research and awareness.

“I’m setting out to do something that is, for me, super intimidating, unknown, and something that I have a good chance of failing at. But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t do it! This isn’t about me. People battling cancer go through similar feelings that are magnified to a much grander scale. They are battling a life threatening disease that is intimidating and unknown to them.”

To learn more, track her journey, or make a donation, visit www.paddlewithpurpose.com and don't forget to support Keep A Breast on SocialVibe.

Would you consider attempting something like this to call attention to a cause you care about?

Via Keep A Breast

Life here on earth may never be like life in Avatar's fictional land of Pandora, but taking care of our planet is at least a step in the right direction.

At a press conference yesterday, producer James Cameron said that, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day next month, Twentieth Century Fox has vowed to plant one million trees throughout 15 countries by the end of 2010.

Cameron, who lives on a solar-powered ranch in California, has said that Avatar reflects destruction of life on earth. “We are destroying species faster than we can classify them. We are destroying the food chain faster than we can understand it.”

Their hope is that the move will inspire others to be kind to the planet. Hey, it may not be Pandora, but our home sweet planet has some pretty amazing places.

Check out some of WWF's pics from the Coral Triangle Region:

Feeling inspired to help preserve the places in those pics? Start by supporting WWF or The Nature Conservancy on SocialVibe and getting your friends and family to do the same!

Do actions like this from large companies make you any more likely to purchase their products… a DVD for example?

Via ecorazzi

For as wealthy and "greedy" as America is, we're still by far the most generous country in the world when it comes to charitable giving. India's recent rise from poverty into prosperity has been wonderful for newly-rich Indians, but are they giving back as much as they should be?

While the number of Indians with high net worth has grown 11 percent a year since 2000, giving in 2009 totaled $7.5-billion, or 0.6 percent of gross domestic product, less than half Great Britain's rate and about a quarter of that of the United States, according to a report by the consulting firm Bain & Company.

We'll cut you some slack for now, India -- we understand that you're a new player on the charity scene; but eventually you're going to have to pick your game up. We'd be more than happy to show you how! (And send you massive amounts of pink balls.)

via Philanthropy.com

Keep A Breast and Fearless Records are giving you the chance to win all 9 CDs in the "Punk Goes" series, including the newest one, Punk Goes Classic Rock, available April 27th.

This latest installment features artists like Forever the Sickest Kids, The Maine, and blessthefall, covering classics from Tom Petty's Free Fallin' to Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train.

Also up for grabs is an autographed copy of Picture Perfect, the latest album from longtime Keep A Breast supporters, Every Avenue. You'll also get a Picture Perfect disposable camera to sweeten the deal.

You read that right - one prize pack, TEN CDs. They might even toss in a T-shirt or two.

To enter, go to www.socialvibe.com/keepabreast and choose them as your charity. Then, get 2 friends to join in support of KAB by April 19th. You must still be supporting KAB when we select a winner. Good luck and happy listening!

After a tumultuous journey through the House and Senate, President Obama is expected to sign the healthcare bill into law tomorrow.

The new legislation will provide tax credits to the roughly 24 million Americans who lack coverage through their jobs. An additional 16 million living below the poverty level will become eligible for Medicaid.

Individuals who, by the government’s standards, can afford healthcare and do not buy it will be fined at least $750 per year.

“Meanwhile, insurance companies will be subject to new rules: In six months, all new plans will have to cover the full cost of preventive care, including annual physicals and children's immunizations. Insurers won't be able to require prior approval for patients who need to see gynecologists or go to the emergency room.”

Low-income elderly will start seeing savings on prescription drugs as early as July 1st.

House Republicans argue that this bill is not representative of what the American people want, have found multiple problems with it, and vow to keep fighting against it.

Democrats say that, although the bill is not perfect, getting medical care for those who need it eclipses the smaller issues like whether or not government-provided coverage should be used for abortions – as of now, the answer is “no” except in cases of rape, incest or a threat to the mother’s life.

What do you think about the healthcare bill? Should the government stay out of it or do the benefits of helping low-income families gain access to medical care outweigh the costs?

Via Washington Post

We’re all familiar with that feeling you get after seeing images of something terrible unfolding as you watch the news. It’s sad, but it’s happening a world away and, let’s face it, you’re not Angelina - what can you possibly do to help?

Renee Green had that same feeling as she watched victims of the Haitian earthquake on her TV last week. Then, she decided she could do something; she donated her entire $700 tax return to the relief effort!

"Granted, $700 isn't much," she told TakePart. "But it was a lot for me. It's worth it to make someone's life simpler with a bar of soap or a roll of toilet paper."

Four days later, she made her daily stop at 7-Eleven to buy breakfast and 2 scratch-off lotto tickets. She’s always believed in karma but had no idea that she was about to win $50,000!

"What I did for Haiti was from my heart," she says. "And I'll continue to do things from my heart."

Next up for Renee? Helping a local school by buying new math books for the students. Let’s all follow Renee’s example and lend a hand where we can. No cash to spare? Start by donating your time to a charity that could use some help… or (yup) earn free donations for victims in Haiti right now by supporting Music for Relief on SocialVibe!

What’s your favorite way to pitch in and do your part?

Via TakePart

Do you like having Target, Starbucks, and a movie theater just down the road from your house? Good news for you then: a new book argues that places like those should be even closer to where you live.

Details, please!

Urban Sprawl and Public Health: Designing Planning and Building for Healthy Communities, analyzes the many health consequences of urban sprawl, the residential environment that more and more Americans now call home. Based on this analysis, they make the case for "smart growth" as a public health strategy - communities that are more compact, that place homes, workplaces, stores, and other land uses near each other, and that offer alternatives to the automobile for getting from place to place. Such communities, say the authors, would encourage physical activity, contribute to clean air, improve personal safety, promote social interactions - in general, protect and promote health.

Less cars = less smog, and more walking/biking = healthier people. Less smog + healthier people = longer, happier lives. Sounds like a great plan to us!

In case you're interested in reading the book, you can pick it up from Amazon here. (Although we can't guarantee it's a sizzling page-turner.)

via CharityWire

In honor of St. Patty's Day, we've done some digging to figure out why we're all wearing green, whether St. Patrick really did drive the snakes out of Ireland, and how it became acceptable to pinch people who shun the day's dress code.

First of all, there are very few islands that have no native snake species... but Ireland happens to be one of them. Saying that St. Patrick "drove the snakes from the Emerald Isle," is likely referring to the fact that he spent decades converting the Irish to Christianity, hence driving the druidic religions out of Ireland.

So what about the whole "wear green or get pinched" thing? It's actually an entirely American tradition that dates back to the 1700s. The story goes that wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, who pinch anyone they can see. People pinch those not wearing green as a reminder that the leprechauns can get them. How... sweet of them?

Another fun fact: Guinness and other dark Irish stouts contain antioxidants and, according to The American Heart Association, researchers say that it "may be as effective as daily aspirin in reducing the blood clots that cause heart attacks." So if you're over 21 (or are lucky enough to be in a place where the drinking age is 18), enjoy a toast to your health tonight! Sláinte!

Via National Geographic

Image: Life