In an effort to get back to a more meaningful sense of the “holiday spirit” after the over-hyped Black Friday (November 28) and Cyber Monday (December 1) spending binges that follow Thanksgiving, more than 10,000 organizations will give consumers more bang for their donated and charitable bucks on #GivingTuesday on December 2.
In an effort to get back to a more meaningful sense of the “holiday spirit” after the over-hyped Black Friday (November 28) and Cyber Monday (December 1) spending binges that follow Thanksgiving, more than 10,000 organizations will give consumers more bang for their donated and charitable bucks on #GivingTuesday on December 2**.**
Among them is The Himalayan Stove Project, the US-based nonprofit that distributes free, clean-burning cookstoves to the people of the High Himalayas to reduce deadly Household Air Pollution (HAP), which will offer a 24-hour donation-matching program on the “national day of giving back**.”**
In addition to doubling donations, the Himalayan Stove Project will also offer supporters a gift for a gift: a free, individually numbered, 
(pictured left) for donations of $250 or more.
“#GivingTuesday offers consumers the chance to shift gears from the mad scramble for ‘the best deal’ and turn their attention to something meaningful,” says Himalayan Stove Project Founder and “Chief Cook” George Basch. “By matching donations dollar-for-dollar, we are making our supporters’ funds work even harder. A $250 donation, for instance, has double the impact on #GivingTuesday than on any other day: It will fund five clean cook stoves, which will dramatically improve the health of five families — and even save their lives — while also reducing greenhouse gases and decreasing deforestation due to more efficient use of wood.”
The Himalayan Stove Project says Household Air Pollution, caused by rudimentary cook stoves that emit smoke and fumes directly into homes and enclosed spaces, is the fourth-largest cause of death in the world: It leads to 4.3 million premature deaths per year, more than malaria, HIV/Aids and tuberculosis combined. HAP in the Himalayas is also a major contributor to ice-melt, which drastically accelerates global warming.
The Himalayan Stove Project’s donation-matching program, sponsored by a group of generous supporters, will go live on the organization’s website at midnight (12 am) of December 2,, and run until 11:59 pm on Tuesday night. In addition to direct donations, the organization also offers US supporters the opportunity to make honorary and in memoriam donations, in lieu of holiday gifts or to memorialize a friend or loved one.
Published Nov 26, 2014 8pm EST / 5pm PST / 1am GMT / 2am CET