“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Take it from Gandhi, you should do something about our messed up planet. The great thing is, the internet makes that easy. There are thousands of political action blogs, organization websites, and social networks that can help you make a difference. Below is a list of ways that you can get involved:

• Contact your local representative about issues that you would like to see changed. Also, contact your senators about the same issues for double the impact. To make more of an impact, visit the following sites to find petitions and form emails (which I recommend editing or adding to, or else no one will read it) that thousands of other people are sending.

-EFF – The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a reference to help your voice matter. I highly recommend at least skimming some of its content. Also check out their Action Center.

-Care2 Action Center – Access hundreds of emails that you can send to your representatives. Additionally, many of the emails are pre-addressed to heads of organizations, companies, and government departments, or other targets for change. Many of these petitions have been signed by over 10,000 people. To make a broader impact, try adding a personal note on all emails where that is an option

-iPetitions – iPetitions allows anyone to create a petition, collect online signatures, and then send the petition to members of congress and other targets for change. Some of the petitions have collected over 100,000 signatures!

• Volunteer for local organizations. To find thousands of teen volunteer opportunities anywhere in the United States try DoSomething.org. Also try REI and VolunteerMatch’s volunteer search engine (it found 152 opportunities 5 miles from my house!) If you are a student in MCPS, know that you can earn SSL hours for working with any accredited organization in the area, which, besides for being necessary to graduate, can lead to scholarships and special awards. You can download the SSL form here. Use this tool to find SSL approved volunteer opportunities.
• Wear Your Cause – Show your allegiance with political t-shirts, bumper stickers, hats, and much more. The link leads to CafePress, a website that allows users to create their own designs and make money by selling their designs on various items. For other cool liberal apparel try Bush Humor, Peace, Wildlife, and Equal Marriage categories. For Obama gear that supports his campaign, click here.
• Donate to causes that you care about. Remember to do your daily clicks (especially Five For Fighting, which donates $1 per view!) Also remember to GoodSearch, instead of using Google or Yahoo, to donate 1 cent per search (it adds up). To make a monetary donation to your charitie(s), go to the organization’s website or find the organization on this website. To learn about intelligent giving try Charity Navigator.

Have fun making a difference!