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Skip Black Friday and shop discounts at these companies making a positive impact on the world

Michelle Gant
11.27.19
Courtesy of DoneGood

While Thanksgiving is meant to celebrate all we have to be grateful for, it's also the unofficial kick-off to the holiday shopping season. Last year, Americans spent about $1 trillion on gifts. What if we all used that purchasing power to support companies that reduce inequality, alleviate poverty, fight climate change, and help make the world better?

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the coming days will have spending on everyone's brains. But in an effort to promote the companies doing good for the world, DoneGood founder Cullen Schwarz created Shop for Good Sunday (which falls on December 1 this year.)

Dubbed the "Alternate Black Friday," Shop for Good Sunday is dedicated to encouraging people to shop brands that do good for people and the planet. It also serves as a reminder to support local businesses making a positive impact in their communities.

While Shop for Good Sunday technically falls on a single day, this year, participating ethical and sustainable brands are running discounts for the whole week prior.

Where you invest your dollars matters, and there's great potential to put that money to good use if you know how. Check out these six brands that sell amazing products while also making a positive impact on the world. You'll not only be getting your loved ones meaningful gifts, but also making the world a brighter place along the way.

Isn't that what the holidays are really about?

Functional outdoor gear

Parque Rain Shell

Cotopaxi makes unique, sustainable outdoor gear, like this Parque rain shell, while keeping ethics at the core of its business model. The company gives 1% of its annual revenue to organizations that fight poverty and improve the human condition.

Modern furniture

Simbly Coffee Table

Simbly is a direct-to-consumer furniture company that sells modern, sustainable products built in the U.S. made of FSC-certified wood. And for every product sold, the company plants a tree.

Beautiful jewelry

Tho Bar & Geo Buffalo Horn Earrings

Hathorway is a jewelry company that handcrafts its accessories with materials like ethically-sourced up-cycled buffalo horns and handwoven rattan. Each item is designed and assembled in the U.S. with thoughtfully selected materials sourced from Vietnam, Thailand, and South Korea. A portion of the company's profit goes to initiatives that empower young, underprivileged women.

Luxe linens

Bamboo Charcoal Sheet Set

Ettitude crafts its home textiles from CleanBamboo fabric, a unique material made from 100% organic bamboo, the most resource-efficient plant on the planet. It also requires significantly less water to grow and produce than traditional cotton textiles. The products are also ethically made and come in packaging made from extra pieces of fabric.

Unique wood wares

The Charcuterie Board

Would Works creates and sells beautiful household wood products handcrafted by people experiencing homelessness or living in poverty. The company works with its artisans to provide job skills, financial literacy, and an income so they can reach their financial goals.

Empowering candles

She Inspires Candle

Prosperity Candle products are created by women refugees building a brighter future for themselves and their families. Each candle is made of soy-blend wax with essential oils hand poured in a well-designed container that is easily refilled or repurposed.

Find more of these great deals at DoneGood!

*Upworthy may earn a portion of sales revenue from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.

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Business

Woman screams at a mom for bringing 2-year-old 'man' into the restroom. She had the best response.

Who is bothered by a two-year-old in the restroom?

via Canva/Photos

A young boy on a toilet in the women's restroom.

Parents already have to deal with a lot while traveling with their little kids. Being outdoors, exposed to danger and unknown conditions, they have endless worries. On top of that, parents do their best to ensure their child is not an inconvenience in public settings. Often, they end up reminding others of the importance of empathy and understanding.

A woman who goes by u/Public-Proposal7378 on Reddit shared how another lady gave her a trying time when she was shopping at a public restroom with her little son. The post was taken down later. The little boy accompanied his mother to the women’s bathroom, but a lady went off on her. However, she received an epic response from the mum.

bathroom, men's room, wome's room, bathroom sign, public restrooms. A bathroom sign.via Canva/Photos

A woman was confronted for bringing her young son into the women's restroom

The mom shared that she went to the washroom and took her son along with her. The woman got into one of the stalls. She mentioned that the bathroom was empty at the time, and the duo casually began talking. “I refer to him as a buddy, so clearly he's a boy,” she noted.

Soon, an older lady came into the bathroom and went into the next stall. Hearing the mom speaking to her boy, the lady freaked out and started screaming. She referred to the two-year-old as a "man" and began ranting. “She was telling me that this is the women's room and males should not be in here. She goes on and on about how this is inappropriate, she doesn't feel safe, and males need to be in the men's room or wait outside,” the mom recalled. The mom couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the woman's worry.


She decided to wait after she was done, so she could speak to the woman, but the lady refused to get out of the stall. “I can see her feet just standing in front of the stall door waiting for me to leave,” she remarked. The mom quickly left the washroom but waited outside. “She comes out about a minute or so later, and she comes face to face with the two-year-old that she was screaming about being in the women's room,” she wrote. The mom responded to her unruly comments with a single, bold question. “I asked her where exactly I should leave my two-year-old while I need to use the bathroom, while I am out with him alone, if he doesn't belong in the women's room,” she asked. The elderly lady had no response and immediately left.

The commenters supported the mom

restroom, athroom stall, public restroom, stalls, toilets, A public restroom.via Canva/Photos

“Why are people really that threatened by the idea that a literal baby is in a women's bathroom?” the mom asked. Several people commented, assuring the mom that she wasn’t in the wrong. Many related to her plight of being criticized while traveling alone with a child. u/oldtimehawkey wrote, “If there are stalls around the toilets, I don’t see what the problem is. As long as someone isn’t seeing me peeing, they can be in the bathroom.” u/betterthanbeer added, “Yeah, I got wrong-footed by my toddler daughter who had to pee ‘now’ and dashed into the ladies room faster than I could redirect her. Two ladies helped.” u/Calgary_Calico said, “What an absolute psycho. He's two, He doesn't even know what male and female are yet, lady.” u/jneinefr remarked, “This is wild to me. I'm sorry you had to deal with that, even without an incident.”

Although there is no exact age at which a mom should stop taking her male child into the women's room, it's common knowledge that it's okay to do so until the child reaches grade school. Then, they are probably old enough to wait outside for mom to finish or to use the men's room themselves. The mom in this story had the perfect response to the older woman's reaction to her child in the bathroom: Where should I leave him when I have to go to the bathroom? This forced the older woman to choose between her "safety" and that of a two-year-old. She wasn't going to win that battle.

This article originally appeared last month

bathroom etiquetteboys in woman's roometiquettekids in bathroomladies roommomsparenting choicespublic settingsyoung sonwoman screams2-year-oldpotty trainingchild safetyparenting
Family

10-year-old girl walks into police station and brings officers to tears with 2 simple words

She's been handing out handwritten cards to officers all over the country ever since.

Photo credit: Canva

A 10-year-old has been handing out Thank You cards to police officers across the country for years.

10-year-old Savannah Solis knew she had to do something. Per KHOUN, the girl from Tyler, Texas had heard the tragic news that two local police officers in New York had been murdered. The news, all the way back in 2015, brought her to tears.

Solis knew that, as a kid, there wasn't much she could do, to stop the bad guys, to make the world safer. But she dreamed of one day being a police officer herself and being able to help. As a 5-year-old, Solis says her mother had a heart attack and the first person to arrive and offer help was a police officer. She never forgot that officer's kindness and bravery.

Savannah’s mom, Debbie, recalled the immense love and support the girl had for police officers all over the world. Inspired and mesmerized by their line of duty, she hoped and wished only the best for each of them. “We would drive by and see them stopping somebody and in the backseat she would pray, asking God to take care of them,” the mom recounted.

In the meantime, she wanted the heroes in her own community to know that she cared. So she decided to write personal letters. Hundreds of them.

police, cops, police officers, law enforcement, heroes, 10-year-old, thank you letters, kindness a piece of paper with a heart drawn on it Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash

Her letters had two words recurring each time, “Thank you.”

Furthermore, the girl explained as best as she could what their service meant to her and how grateful she was to them for saving lives.

During her Christmas break, the girl went all out making these letters and posting them—she even delivered a few personally to police departments all over Texas.

“You are my heroes. I want to say don’t stop, please don’t give up. Many do not care or appreciate the sacrifices you make every day. But I do,” the girl remarked. Savannah added a note of inspiration which read, “Many are standing with me today to let you know that you matter. Officers across Texas, you matter to me. Officers in New York City, you matter to me. Officers all across America, you matter to me. Please keep taking care of us.”

One of Solis' deliveries was caught on video, per KXAN, where officers were moved to tears by her gesture.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

She went about taking autographs of as many officers as she could. Debbie noted that her daughter didn’t want celebrity or artist autographs but those of the cops. All the officers are seen shaking hands and getting teary-eyed as they read the cards colored and highlighted with the title, “My hero.”

Austin Police Department Assistant Chief Jessica Robledo felt proud of the girl’s gesture and of the fact that their role was so valued in someone’s eyes.

“The words she spoke from her heart touched every single officer. I noticed everyone was trying to blink back tears. That’s what it’s all about. She is an old soul. She knows the right thing to say and I don’t think she even realizes the impact of her words on these officers and this department,” she remarked.

That was 10 years ago. As Solis grew up, she continued her personal outreach to police officers all over the country, letting them know that their bravery was appreciated.

She visited a precinct in Manchester, New Hampshire as recently in 2021 where she brought cards to the officers, met the K9 dogs, and was introduced to the police horses as well. Commenters were blown away that Solis was continuing the gesture after so many years.

"Savanna. Officers need that inspiration with everything going on today. You're remarkable for doing this."

"Amazing young lady right, thank you Savannah I appreciate all your efforts to show your appreciation for our men, woman, dogs and horses in blue"

"What an amazing young woman thank you for sharing this post and thank you for your service to our city. And all the law enforcement officers all over the Country."

Bravo, Savannah!

This article originally appeared in July. It has been updated.

police officerscopslaw enforcementheroesheroismkindnesscommunitybraveryrescue10-year-oldlettersthank youpolice
Pets
Family

Dad asks to pick up teen son for the last time. Neither expected such wholesome tears.

Art

Husband and wife reenact daily life in the 1800s and people are riveted

Heroes

Server felt something was 'off' about a family with teen boy at diner. Her simple note saved his life

This easy and delicious Thanksgiving dessert was beloved by American colonists and is still made today

It was a favorite of Founding Father John Adams.

Photo credit: Canva

The Thanksgiving dessert Indian pudding was a favorite of Founding Father John Adams.

No Thanksgiving feast is complete without some yummy desserts. While pie tends to be the crowd favorite, it can be a predictable dish to prepare.

But one dessert dish that may bring an element of surprise and American history to your Thanksgiving meal is Indian pudding. Dating back to the 1700s, Indian pudding is a twist on the British classic hasty pudding—a thick porridge dish made by boiling wheat flour in water or milk.

For American colonists, access to wheat was sparse. However, corn was abundant—an ingredient heavily favored by native Americans—and 'Indian' pudding was created. "The Native Americans made cornmeal, which early settlers called 'Indian flour,'" according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"The dish dates back to the 17th century, when settlers were introduced to corn and cornmeal by the native Americans, and referred to it as Indian corn or Indian meal," Anna Stockwell, writer at food magazine Epicurious, explains. "While wheat flour and white sugar were scarce, cornmeal and molasses (used to produce rum) were abundant, and Indian pudding is thought to have evolved from the British hasty pudding traditionally made with wheat flour, milk, and sugar."

Indian pudding was a favorite of Founding Father John Adams. His wife, Abigail Adams, created her own recipe for Indian pudding.

@saltysprig

Indiana Pudding Recipe! #indianpudding #recipe #baking #fallrecipes #cooking #dessert.

YouTuber and historic food chef Max Miller of Tasting History recreated an Indian pudding dish from 1829. He noted, "Once a popular dessert (or breakfast) across the country, Indian Pudding is rarely seen outside of New England today. But, while it’s not the most beautiful dish, it’s absolutely delicious and deserves a comeback." (You can try his recipe here.)

The dessert has New England roots, and people on Reddit offered their thoughts and experiences with the dish (as well as their own recipes).

"My Mayflower descended New England grandmother used to make this for me every Thanksgiving, and it was my absolute favorite, one commented. Another added, "I grew up in Western Mass. We used to get this occasionally at our school lunches. We used to walk back and forth to school before cafeterias were built. But once we got a cafeteria, we had some old-fashioned New England ladies who made old fashioned New England dishes and Indian pudding was one of them. It was our dessert for hot lunch. It was delicious. I made it a few years ago and I ate the whole thing myself."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Others offered advice on how to serve it, while noting it may not be the most beautiful dessert on the dining table:

"It looks nasty, but it’s absolutely delicious warm with heavy cream or ice cream on top," one commented. Another shared, "It’s awesome. Definitely serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream." And another home chef added, "I would serve it like you would a trifle: in glass and with a couple of layers of cake and cream."

Culture

Beavers were brought to the desert to save a dying river. Six years later, here are the results.

Their engineering feats are pretty dam incredible.

Canva Photos

Can outsider beavers save this dried up river?

It's not easy being a river in the desert under the best of circumstances. The ecosystem exists in a very delicate balance, allowing water sources to thrive in the harsh conditions. These water sources in otherwise extremely dry areas are vital to the survival of unique wildlife, agriculture, and even tourism as they provide fresh drinking water for the people who live nearby.

But man-made problems like climate change, over-farming, and pollution have made a tough job even tougher in some areas. Rivers in Utah and Colorado part of the Colorado River Basin have been barely surviving the extremely harsh drought season. When the riverbeds get too dry, fish and other aquatic creatures die off and the wildfire risk increases dramatically.

About six years ago, one team of researchers had a fascinating idea to restore the health of some of Utah's most vulnerable rivers: Bring in the beavers.

beavers, beaver dam, animals, wildlife, ecosystem, nature, earth, sustainability, deserts, waterways, rivers, pollution, climate change Beaver on riverbank. Canva Photos

In 2019, master's student Emma Doden and a team of researchers from Utah State University began a "translocation" project to bring displaced beavers to areas like Utah's Price River, in the hopes of bringing it back to life.

Why beavers? Well, it just makes dam sense! (Sorry.)

In all seriousness, beaver dams restrict the flow of water in some areas of a river, creating ponds and wetlands. In drought-stricken areas, fish and other wildlife can take refuge in the ponds while the rest of the river runs dry, thus riding out the danger until it rains again.

When beavers are present in a watershed, the benefits are unbelievable: Better water quality, healthier fish populations, better nutrient availability, and fewer or less severe wildfires.

It's why beavers have earned the title of "keystone species," or any animal that has a disproportionate impact on the ecosystem around them.

beaver, dam, dam building, nature, ecosystem Pbs Nature Swimming GIF by Nature on PBS Giphy

Doden and her team took beavers who were captured or removed from their original homes due to their being a "nuisance," interfering with infrastructure, or being endangered, and—after a short period of quarantine—were brought to the Price River.

Despite the research team's best efforts, not all the translocated beavers have survived or stayed put over the years. Some have trouble adapting to their new home and die off or are killed by predators, while others leave of their own accord.

But sine 2019, enough have stayed and built dams that the team is starting to see the results of the effort. In fact, beaver projects just like this one have been going on all over the state in recent years.

- YouTube youtu.be

The water levels in the river are now the healthiest they've been in years. The fish are thriving and Utah residents are overjoyed with the experiment's results.

According to an early 2025 column in The Salt Lake Tribune (i.e. six years after the beaver translocation began) the revitalization of the Price River has "helped save [our] Utah town."

"A tributary of the Colorado River, the Price River runs through downtown Helper," wrote column authors Lenise Peterman and Jordan Nielson. "On a warm day, you’re likely to find the river filled with tourists and locals kayaking, tubing and fishing along its shore. A decade ago, it was hard to imagine this scene—and the thriving recreation economy that comes with it—was possible."

Of course, it wasn't JUST the beavers. Other federal water cleanup investments helped remove debris, break down old and malfunctioning dams, and place tighter regulations on agriculture grazing in the area that depleted vital plant life.

But the experts know that the beavers, and their incredible engineering work, are the real MVPs.

beavers, beaver dam, animals, wildlife, ecosystem, nature, earth, sustainability, deserts, waterways, rivers, pollution, climate change An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River Public Domain

In other drying, struggling rivers in the area, researchers are bringing in beavers and even creating manmade beaver dams. They're hoping that the critters will take over the job as the rivers get healthier.

Utah's San Rafael River, which is in bleak condition, is a prime candidate. In one area of the river, a natural flood inspired a host of beavers to return to the area and "riparian habitat along that stretch had increased by 230%, and it had the most diverse flow patterns of anywhere on the river," according to KUER.

It's hard to believe that beavers nearly went extinct during the heyday of the fur trapping industry, and continued to struggle as they were considered nuisances and pests. Now, they're getting the respect they deserve as engineer marvels, and their populations have rebounded due to better PR and conservation programs.

It's about dam time!

This article originally appeared in June.

Sustainability
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