Dear Akohans,

We’d like to thank you for sending your thoughts to the Haitian people and for doing your part in the relief efforts. From seeing inspiring local fundraising efforts to witnessing a seven-year-old raise $200,000 by riding his bike, we have been moved by the compassion shown to this disaster-stricken country.

Again, we’d like to thank you for helping out. For those who wish to continue contributing to the disaster relief, here is a list of organizations we suggest:

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors without Borders http://www.msf.org/
Plan International http://plan-international.org/
CARE http://www.care.org

This is not an exhaustive list, as many non-profits and charities around the world have been mobilized to assist Haiti. We encourage you to get informed with your local government, community centers or your local chapter of the Red Cross or Red Crescent and to do what you can to help.

Thank you for your compassion & generosity.

The Akoha team

The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity and the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures.

Biodiversity refers to the variation of life forms in a given ecosystem. It is often used as a measure of the health of biological systems. The UN declaration puts focus on biological conservation efforts, in parallel with the 2010 Biodiversity Target originally set by EU Heads of State in June 2001 and later adopted by world leaders. Loss of biodiversity can be attributed to many factors: habitat degradation, overexploitation, introduction of alien species, pollution, disease, climate change. With gestures big and small taken in our daily lives, we have the ability to positively impact the situation and prevent more biodiversity loss.

Diversity is a source of richness in our lives. From the excitement of watching different bird species fly by to the delight of tasting an abundant variety of desserts, the world is filled with simple pleasures. We invite you to enjoy these diverse pleasures and to make choices in your everyday life to help preserve them.

Playing Akoha to help the cause

Here are a few missions you can play to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity.

- Have a discussion with a friend or a stranger about Biodiversity
- Buy organic food from a local farmer’s market
- Take public transportation for a week
- Replace a light bulb with a compact fluorescent

Over the next three weeks, we’ll list suggestions on Twitter from our staff as well as from the community. Feel free to comment with suggestions of your own! Finally, check out the Convention on Biological Diversity to see what’s going around the world to celebrate this event.

On behalf of the Akoha team, we wish you health, laughter and love in 2010. Happy New Year!