Posted on April 20, 2016
5 ways to keep your data usage low
Most of us now use our smartphones to do stuff online. Check our email, read the news, watch a video. And whenever we do, we’re using data—sometimes a lot of it. How much? Here are a few common activities and the estimated amount of data each uses. Keep in mind that 1024 bytes = 1KB, 1024KB = 1MB and 1024MB = 1GB.
- Refreshing your Facebook feed: 50KB
- Sending 10-20 emails a day (no attachments): 20MB per month
- Streaming music or podcasts for 2 hours a day: 3.5GB per month
- Watching 60 minutes of standard-definition video a day: 8GB per month
If you’re watching the amount of data you use each month, here are 5 ways to keep data usage in check:
1. Use WiFi
This is the oldest—and best—trick in the book for minimizing data usage. Whenever you’re able to access a secure WiFi network, connect to it. Any downloads you make, videos you watch, social media feeds you refresh, etc.—none of it will use data on your monthly mobile plan.
2. If you use Google Maps, download local areas
If you’re like me, you spend most of your time in a few neighborhoods. Take a moment to download Google Maps of your local spots and you’ll have a faster, more data-friendly experience with the popular navigation app. Here’s how: when you’re connected to WiFi, open the Google Maps app, search for the area of your choice, click on its details page, then select download. Learn more from Google’s support instructions.
Posted on April 19, 2016
Earth Week Climate Challenge #1: Green Your Food
Green your food. The food you choose is important. It’s important to your health, obviously. But it’s also important to the health of your family, your community—and your planet. It’s true. Choose your food wisely and you can make a difference for our climate. And if we all work together, we can make a real impact.
A study published in March shows that a global shift to a vegetarian diet would cut food-related greenhouse gas emissions by nearly two-thirds. This clearly demonstrates the huge—and hugely damaging—impact that intensive meat production has on our climate. Of course, no one expects that the entire world will go vegetarian overnight. But if the world simply switched to a mostly vegetarian diet and reduced meat consumption to fit within current health guidelines, that could reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions by nearly a third.
Posted on April 15, 2016
#DoYourJob hits the front steps of the Supreme Court
This week CREDO activists joined our allies at People for the American Way, MoveOn.org, and other groups at a rally on the front steps of the Supreme Court on to send the simplest message possible to the Obstructionist Club: #DoYourJob.
Heidi Hess, CREDO Action Senior Campaign Manager, made the following statement to press:
“Republican obstructionists are trying to keep the Supreme Court under right-wing control by refusing to do their jobs. It’s a cynical and unprecedented power grab – and the American people aren’t falling for it. President Obama has done his job under the Constitution and it is time for Senate Republicans to do theirs.”
We were also joined by Congressional progressive leaders Rep. Keith Ellison and Rep. Raul Grijalva.
Posted on April 12, 2016
Fighting for a fair Supreme Court confirmation hearing
Every month, CREDO donates almost $200,000 to three amazing progressive nonprofits. We choose the three groups, then members and activists vote to decide how we divide up the money.
This month, your vote is especially important. President Obama has nominated Merrick Garland to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court and Senate Republicans are refusing to do their jobs and hold hearings to consider Garland. For progressives who care about money in politics, gun safety, reproductive rights, the environment—almost any issue of consequence—it is critical that we win this fight.
That’s why this month we’re donating nearly $200,000 to the Alliance for Justice, American Constitution Society and People For the America Way Foundation—groups that are leading the charge to overcome Republican obstruction of Garland and are waging a long-term battle to make our federal judiciary more progressive. These groups are working at the grassroots level, in the media and in the halls of Congress and it’s critical that we support them.
Posted on April 11, 2016
CREDO’s March donation recipients say thanks
Each month, CREDO takes a portion of its revenue, which adds up to nearly $200,000, and donates it to three progressive nonprofits. In March, we funded Brennan Center for Justice, Demand Progress and the National LGBTQ Task Force. Over 45,000 CREDO members voted on how to distribute our donations. Here are the voting results:
The nonprofits we fund are grateful for CREDO’s support and putting our donations to work!
Posted on April 11, 2016
Victory: New rules to stop Wall Street retirement scams
We just won a big victory on investment reform, and already Republicans are siding with financial interests to try and strip it away.
More than 100,000 CREDO members spoke out for strong new rules protecting Americans’ retirement savings from scam artists, and now the Obama administration has answered.
In a victory for financial reformers, the Department of Labor just unveiled new rules that will force investment advisors to put clients first and save Americans millions of dollars each year.
Posted on April 7, 2016
CREDO exclusive: New Tom Tomorrow comic on the Supreme Court Vacancy
For progressives who care about money in politics, gun safety, the environment and nearly any other issue of consequence, it is critical that we win the fight against Republican obstruction of President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. CREDO members have played a huge part in the fight for Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Learn more.
Posted on April 5, 2016
3 progressive-friendly apps for your smartphone
These days there are phone apps for everyone. Apps for travelers, apps for foodies and apps for exercise enthusiasts. There’s an app called Carrr Matey that guides you back to your parking spot in a pirate voice.
There are also apps that help progressive people support the issues they care about. Here are three of our favorites.
Buycott: Buy this, not that
Organic produce, a hybrid car, nontoxic cleaning solutions. Sometimes it’s easy choose the more sustainable product when you’re shopping. But in many cases it’s not. Buycott makes it easy to shop progressively. Just use your smartphone camera to scan a product’s barcode, then wait a few seconds while Buycott gathers information on the maker, so you can decide to give the company your money or not. Buycott often suggests alternatives. And the app offers quick ways to join campaigns for causes you believe in, like demanding labels on GMO foods and saving honeybees from pesticides.
Posted on April 5, 2016
Great news: The DOJ is investigating voter disenfranchisement in Arizona
This development came after more than 113,000 other CREDO activists signed our petition to the DOJ demanding an immediate investigation.
In a letter sent Friday to Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell, the chief of the DOJ’s Voting Rights section requested ten specific pieces of information, ranging from the criteria for determining the number and location of polling locations to the number of bilingual staff and poll workers assigned to each polling location. The letter requested comprehensive responses by April 22, and Maricopa County officials have already indicated that they plan to cooperate.
Posted on April 5, 2016
Why every day is Earth Day at CREDO
CREDO staff volunteering at Slide Ranch, a nonprofit that teaches environmental stewardship to children
Earth Day is a day for all of us to embrace the reality that the future of our planet is in our hands. A day to realize that what we do—or don’t do—determines whether our planet survives. This is why we at CREDO do all we can, on Earth Day and every day.
We give vital support to nonprofit organizations working hard for the environment. Since 1985, we’ve donated over $17 million to groups like Friends of the Earth, InsideClimate News, Rainforest Action Network, 350.org and Earthjustice. These donations are generated by our customers who vote each month to distribute the funding to the groups we support.
