Novel Hand

Novel Hand Novel Hand is where activism meets impact. Read our articles on social impact, the environment, sust

Join our team!! 😎Novel Hand Fellows complete a summer internship, writing articles and working on a project of their cho...
03/25/2022

Join our team!! 😎

Novel Hand Fellows complete a summer internship, writing articles and working on a project of their choosing, and stay on in a fall role on our team.

➡️ Our past interns have enjoyed the flexibility of the program and individualized feedback on their writing. Plus, you'll get to work closely with other fellows and the rest of the Novel Hand team.

⚡️Our application is open now at novelhand.com. We're reviewing applications on a rolling basis with a priority deadline of April 10 and a final deadline of May 1.

Have questions? Comment below, DM us, or ask a question in our stories!!

🌴 Ok, but what is voluntourism??Voluntourism is a form of tourism that mixes vacation with volunteering. That might look...
03/19/2022

🌴 Ok, but what is voluntourism??

Voluntourism is a form of tourism that mixes vacation with volunteering. That might look like providing free medical care in the mornings and surfing in the afternoon. Or it might look like climbing a volcano and building homes in a remote village. 🌋

Voluntourism isn’t all bad. Besides, isn’t it better to volunteer a little while on vacation rather than not at all?

➡️ The issue is that sometimes voluntourism does more harm than good. That medical care is limited when you’re only there for a week, and few international volunteers know how to properly build a home.

This month, we’re leaning into the uncomfortable side of voluntourism and asking whether this kind of volunteering actually has the impact that we intend. ✨

Answer that question (and more) with us at novelhand.com!!

This month we're learning about VOLUNTOURISM ⬇️⬇️🌱 We've all seen photos of privileged people travelling to developing c...
03/14/2022

This month we're learning about VOLUNTOURISM ⬇️⬇️

🌱 We've all seen photos of privileged people travelling to developing countries to do volunteer work. Maybe you've even been that person yourself — and many people have strong opinions about the value and impact of travelling to other communities to do short-term volunteer work.

⚡️But there's a more difficult question here: how should we interact with humanitarian issues around the world? This March, Novel Hand is exploring our intentions to do good, white saviorism, and how we interact with human suffering through voluntourism.

🌳 The first article, written by May, is available now at novelhand.com. Check it out and let us know in the comments below what you want to learn about voluntourism this month!

What do half marathons and fast food have to do with being a good citizen?➡️ In my most recent 'Alexa in ATX' article, I...
03/10/2022

What do half marathons and fast food have to do with being a good citizen?

➡️ In my most recent 'Alexa in ATX' article, I'm pondering what half marathons can teach us about how we use public resources and infrastructure. After last month's Impactfull series on the Olympics, I'm more convinced than ever that sports and social issues are inextricably linked. Not to mention the amount of waste that sporting events create 😅

🍔 And on fast food, I'm exploring if fast food can really be 'all-natural' and how what we eat affects our communities.

☀️Read this week's article at novelhand.com!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!! 💗Send your Valentine one of our cards to show your love for them AND the planet 🌏🌹
02/14/2022

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!! 💗

Send your Valentine one of our cards to show your love for them AND the planet 🌏🌹

This month we’re talking about… THE OLYMPICS! 🥇⛷What? Yes. Nearly everyone loves watching figure skating and skiing, but...
02/05/2022

This month we’re talking about… THE OLYMPICS! 🥇⛷

What? Yes. Nearly everyone loves watching figure skating and skiing, but the Olympics also have implications for issues that you care about.

➡️ You’ve no doubt heard about the zero-covid policy at this year’s Beijing Olympics— the pandemic and public health are again front and center at the Olympics.

But that’s just the beginning of the social implications of the Olympics. China faces allegations of internment, forced labor, and other human rights abuses against ethnic minorities. What’s more, the Olympics affects local communities and economies in very real ways. Sports are also a hotbed for activism— we’ll be talking about that too this month.

➡️ This week, check out our first article and this podcast episode from Today, Explained. Link in stories! Then, start taking action with this month’s impact buttons.

What do you want to learn this month?

One of my favorite personal finance influencers recommends waiting an entire THIRTY DAYS before buying something that yo...
01/24/2022

One of my favorite personal finance influencers recommends waiting an entire THIRTY DAYS before buying something that you want to be sure that you really want it.

☀️ While this is a great rule of thumb for a new pair of shoes or concert tickets, most of the things that we buy are more regular: groceries, clothing, office supplies, and the like. And Amazon makes it easier than ever to buy and receive these things without ever leaving your house.

Waiting thirty days or planning ahead is great for one-time purchases, but to avoid Amazon and it's poor labor and environmental record, we recommend looking for alternatives.

Here are some of our favorite Amazon alternatives:
• Uncommon Goods
• Thrive Market
• Your local farmer's market
• Etsy

What's your favorite Amazon alternative?! Let us know in the comments! ⬇️⬇️

Why shouldn't you buy books from Amazon? ⬇️⬇️We love these tweets from  in Lawrence, Kansas explaining the economics of ...
01/10/2022

Why shouldn't you buy books from Amazon? ⬇️⬇️

We love these tweets from in Lawrence, Kansas explaining the economics of your local bookstore.

✨ Simply put, local bookstores support their communities, and Amazon doesn't.

📚 Next time you're looking for a new book, check out your nearest independent bookstore or your local library!

The biggest barrier to avoiding a climate disaster might not be corporations, fossil fuels, or carbon... it might just b...
01/06/2022

The biggest barrier to avoiding a climate disaster might not be corporations, fossil fuels, or carbon... it might just be language. ⬇️

🌳 Rather than helping us communicate effectively about climate change to audiences around the world, much of our climate jargon has become a barrier to knowledge.

Without some sort of scientific education or prior experience with climate science, it’s hard to understand climate terms and acronyms, what climate policies mean for our everyday lives, or even why we should care about our climate at all.

Read Emma's article at novelhand.com to learn more about climate communication and to learn a few new words!

THIS MONTH, NOVEL HAND TURNS TWO‼️Alexa here. We are SO excited to celebrate two years of our community this January!🎊 I...
01/04/2022

THIS MONTH, NOVEL HAND TURNS TWO‼️

Alexa here. We are SO excited to celebrate two years of our community this January!

🎊 It's hard to believe that it's been TWO WHOLE YEARS since and I took photos in Nashville to start my "blog". Since then, we've welcomed dozens of people to our team, recorded nearly 100 podcast episodes, and written hundreds of articles.

THANK YOU for being a part of Novel Hand! We couldn't (and wouldn't) do this without a community of people who are also passionate about people + planet. ❤️❤️

Here's to more learning and more impact! 🎉

Each month, our team curates five ways for you to create impact in our monthly Impactfull topic. ⬇️This month, the first...
01/04/2022

Each month, our team curates five ways for you to create impact in our monthly Impactfull topic. ⬇️

This month, the first action is to sign a petition asking Amazon to allow consumers to choose plastic-free shipping options. (Check out our August Impactfull topic for a refresher on the issues with plastic waste).

🌳 Amazon has a long way to go in terms of sustainability. While it offers some sustainable packaging options, we’ve all received an item in the classic bubble-wrap-lined plastic envelope.

Head to novelhand.com to learn more about Amazon and take action!!

https://novelhand.com/amazon-impactful-dec2021/

✨WHAT A YEAR!!!✨From hundreds (!) of articles to launching Impactfull, our team has had a meaningful year. People and pl...
12/30/2021

✨WHAT A YEAR!!!✨

From hundreds (!) of articles to launching Impactfull, our team has had a meaningful year.

People and planet are the focus of everything we do— and we’re excited to continue that in 2022 ✌🏻

What’s something that you learned from Novel Hand this past year?? Let us know in the comments!!

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