Posted on November 6, 2023
Funding from CREDO Mobile powers Green America’s fight for our climate
The climate news keeps getting worse. Recently, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization reported that global temperatures will surge past the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels within 5 years. Not 50 years, not 15 years, not the year 2100. We’ve got 5 years.
And then what? Beyond 1.5 degrees lies “uncharted territory,” the UN warned, with “far-reaching repercussions for health, food security, water management and the environment.”
Our condition is dire and it is urgent that all possible solutions be applied. One of them is capitalism: supply and demand. It’s the system that got us into this mess and it can help us get out. We, as consumers, must demand that corporations pursue long-term sustainability, not short-term, climate-killing profit and growth.
This is why we at CREDO Mobile support Green America, which harnesses economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.
In April, CREDO mobile customers and community members voted to support Green America’s mission to take economic action for the planet and achieve a world where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and where the abundance of the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come.
Backed by our donation, Green America has recently made real progress toward cooling our climate. Here’s a brief report from our friends at Green America describing the ways that our donation is making a difference.
Recent victories
Green America has scored a number of wins recently. They’re important in and of themselves and, in the big picture, they’re vital to demonstrating that economic action by consumers can achieve real results for our planet.
Green America’s Cool It campaign urges major supermarket chains to transition away from refrigeration systems powered by super-polluting, super-warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and better manage leaking systems. In September, Kroger, the latest target of the Cool It campaign, publicly committed to rolling out infrared leak-detection in all its stores by 2024. Although there is more to be done to get Kroger to move away from HFCs altogether, this announcement shows that the Cool It campaign is helping Kroger begin to understand the importance of refrigerant management as a part of its overall sustainability goals.
In addition to this victory, Green America has made progress on a number of other fronts since the CREDO Mobile grant award.
- The group secured over 20,000 signatures on its #CleanUpWireless petition, which urges the major telecommunications companies to accelerate their transitions to renewable energy. That’s twice the number of signatures hoped for when the campaign was launched.
- Promoted the proxy voting season and taught Green America audiences how to participate in investor activism through the shareholder resolution process.
- Registered thousands more regenerative gardens through the Climate Victory Gardens campaign, which now stands at over 21,000 gardens.
- Hosted four free webinars, which educated over 4,000 people about gardening using soil-regeneration practices.
- Developed, published and sent two editions of Green American magazine and the annual issue of Your Green Life to Green America members.
New initiatives
Since receiving its donation from CREDO Mobile, Green America has launched a campaign to tell the truth about biomass energy as part of its Climate Action & Clean Energy Program. Biomass energy, also known as bioenergy, is the burning of wood pellets to produce electricity. Though wood pellet production requires cutting down millions of trees and wood pellets release more carbon than coal when burned, biomass production is often marketed as “clean” or “green” energy. To make matters worse, polluting wood pellet plants are most often located near environmental justice communities in the Southeast, so countering the rise of biomass is a climate justice priority.
Green America has teamed with Dogwood Alliance and local community activists throughout the Southeast to challenge the greenwashing perpetuated by the biomass industry and bring national attention to the harm caused by wood pellet production. Already, it has engaged 7,000 of its members in the campaign through a petition urging Enviva, the world’s largest producer of biomass wood pellets, to preserve forests and protect environmental justice communities from the harm caused by its processes. The petition is scheduled for submission to Enviva by the end of October, when it should have 15,000 total signatures.
If you’d like to learn more or get involved with Green America, please visit GreenAmerica.org. And follow Green America on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Posted on November 3, 2023
Our October grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible nonprofits. Those small actions add up – with one click, you can help fund groups fighting for climate justice, strengthening our democracy and empowering AAPI women and girls. In October, CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation among Animal Legal Defense Fund, Brennan Center for Justice, and National Network to End Domestic Violence..
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our October grant recipients thank you.
Animal Legal Defense Fund
“Thank you for your support of our movement. CREDO members like you help us create meaningful, systemic change by protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system.” – Chris Green, Executive Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund
To learn more, visit www.aldf.org.
Brennan Center for Justice
“Thank you CREDO members for encouraging the work of the Brennan Center for Justice! We are deeply grateful for your partnership in the fight for democracy and justice reform, and in ensuring that every voice – and every vote – counts.” – Michael Waldman, President, Brennan Center for Justice
To learn more, visit https://brennancenter.org.
National Network to End Domestic Violence
“Thank you! Support from CREDO members like you makes it possible for NNEDV to improve outcomes for survivors, their families, and communities and continue our work to create a world in which domestic violence no longer exists.” – Sandeep Bathala, Vice President of External Affairs, National Network to End Domestic Violence
To learn more, visit nnedv.org.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in November, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on November 2, 2023
How to prevent apps from accessing your personal data
Smartphone apps can collect a whole lot of data about you:
Your name and email address, location history, personal contacts, photos and videos, purchases, health and fitness data, financial information, browsing and search history, your IP address and other sensitive data.
Why? Your personal data is worth money — and although Apple and Google are working to crack down, these companies may share and sell your data to third-parties, usually without you even knowing.
If you’re concerned about your privacy, here are a few steps you can take to further protect your data on your smartphone.
Stop third-party apps from collecting data on iPhone
- Limit app tracking, to prevent apps from tracking your activity across other companies’ apps and websites:
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking > Toggle off “Allow Apps to Request to Track”
- Toggle any app in the list below to “off” as well
- Limit app access, , to contacts, microphone, photos, health, etc:
- Go to Settings > Privacy
- Click on the category you would like to limit app access (for example, Photos)
- Click on an app in the list and change the permissions
- Limit location sharing
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services (Note: Location services may be essential for some apps to function properly or as expected, think ride-sharing, mileage tracking or weather apps.)
- Choose an app to change its permissions
Stop third-party apps from collecting data on Android
- Limit location sharing:
- Go to Settings > Location
- Choose specific apps to modify their location permissions
- Turn off diagnostic data sharing and marketing information:
- Go to Settings > Privacy
- Toggle off Send diagnostic data & Receive marketing information
- Turn off ads personalization:
- Go to Settings > Google
- Tap Ads. Toggle on Opt out of ads personalization
- Depending on your Android model, you may need to go to Settings > Privacy to access this option
- Delete or reset your Advertising ID.
- Remove permissions from apps:
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Permission manager
- Choose and tap a permission to modify settings
- Choose the app and tap Don’t Allow, Ask every time or Allow only while using the app
Posted on November 1, 2023
Vote for the American Civil Liberties Union, Mi Familia Vota Education Fund and Stand.earth this November
Every month, CREDO members vote to distribute our monthly grant to three incredible progressive causes – and every vote makes a difference. This November, you can support the American Civil Liberties Union, Mi Familia Vota Education Fund and Stand.earth.
American Civil Liberties Union
For over 100 years, the ACLU has been showing up in the courts, in the streets, and in the halls of power to defend the rights that the Constitution guarantees to everyone. From protecting abortion rights to advancing voting rights, to defending free speech, the ACLU shows up to protect our civil rights and liberties.
Funding from CREDO will help the critical work of protecting and defending the rights and liberties for all including protecting free speech and the right to protest, defending reproductive freedom, fighting anti-LGBTQ discrimination, and much more.
Mi Familia Vota Education Fund
MFVEF has an unwavering commitment to bring voter education opportunities that strengthen Latino civic voice and agency in transforming our nation’s democracy into one more representative of and responsive to the needs of Latinos, and all peoples.
Just as CREDO empowers its audiences to vote in support of a common cause, MFVEF will, too, empower those we serve to partake in democratic processes for the betterment of Latinos, and all peoples and toward a greater common cause.
Stand.earth
Stand.earth delivers large-scale change for our planet and its people by interrupting systems that create environmental and climate crises. We advocate for a future in which environmental and climate justice policies uphold the dignity of all people.
Funding from CREDO members will help Stand.earth protect old growth forests and endangered ecosystems, defeat dirty oil and gas megaprojects, and advance ambitious climate-safe policies that phase out fossil fuels and scale up clean energy solutions.
Your vote this month will determine how we divide our monthly donations among these three progressive groups. Be sure to cast your vote to support one, two or all three by November 30.
CREDO members who use our products and services everyday are the reason we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile and join our movement.
Posted on November 1, 2023
This Thanksgiving, we’ll help Feeding America serve half a million meals
There are 34 million hungry people in the U.S. Many who are workers earning low wages and can’t afford groceries after paying the month’s bills. Or who lost their job and fell into hunger by plain bad luck.
They’re people like Lamont, who supported his family working for a cable TV company when he caught a piece of wire in his eye and lost much of his vision, then his job. After that, he had a choice: pay to light and heat his home or buy groceries. Some days he and his wife didn’t eat so their kids could. Fortunately, they found a local food pantry supported by Feeding America and it got them through their hard time. Lamont is now a director at the food pantry.
This is what Feeding America does. It gives a hand to people who are hungry until they get back on their feet. The largest charity working to end food insecurity in the U.S., it partners with food banks, food pantries and local food programs to bring meals to those 34 million Americans who regularly face hunger, 9 million of them children.
CREDO Mobile supports Feeding America. And this Thanksgiving, when many sit down to celebrate with a feast, we’ll be donating funds for Feeding America to provide half a million meals to people who might otherwise go hungry.
We’re able to do this due to the support of CREDO Mobile members, who generate money for this donation—and all our donations—just by using our service. And for that we are thankful.
Since 1985, we’ve given over $94 million to nonprofit groups like Feeding America, every one of them working hard to make our world a more fair, just and sustainable place. The groups we support focus on many different issues—from climate change to social justice to women’s health—but all share a vision of a more progressive world where everyone has equal rights, a livable environment and enough food to eat.
If you’re a CREDO Mobile member, thanks for standing with us in the fight for the causes we believe in. If you’re not a member, please consider joining now and helping us support nonprofits like Feeding America.
You’ll get everything you want from a phone company: competitive rates, great deals on new devices and service on the nation’s top-rated network. And you’ll get one thing no other phone company can give: the good feeling that comes with knowing you make the world a better place just by using your phone.
Learn more about the great work Feeding America does at FeedingAmerica.org.
Posted on November 1, 2023
Mi Familia Vota Education Fund works for a democracy that serves and represents all
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This November, the Mi Familia Vota Education Fund is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will help MFVEF in its mission of uniting Latino, immigrant and allied communities to promote social and economic justice.
Read this important blog post about MFVEF’s critical work, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to MFVEF to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding November grantees.
Mi Familia Vota Education Fund is a national nonprofit organization that builds Latino political power by mobilizing Latino, immigrant and allied communities.
What drives us
Since 2003, MFVEF has worked alongside the nation’s largest Latino communities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas. Our mission to advance the voice of the Latino community is the driving force that motivates and informs our work. At MFVEF, our community is at the heart of what we do. This is why we emphasize our efforts around community engagement: to facilitate work that is truly community-driven.
Our focus
We believe achieving equitable and more just change that benefits our communities requires meaningful, on-the-ground efforts that yield community-driven solutions. Our job at MFVEF is to provide educational opportunities that raise awareness of various systemic challenges facing all of us and our communities in ways that spark community-based movement and achieve positive, just and transformational changes to the world we live in. Through year-round engagement, our social justice efforts promote:
- Civic education
- Leadership development
- Citizenship
- Issue organizing
- Voter registration and participation
Our approach
At MFVEF, we organize, mobilize, engage and educate through a ladder-of-engagement model that guides community members through leadership development on their civic journey from participant to volunteer to advocate and, ultimately, leader and champion of their community. Our investment in growing community leaders has helped create community-wide impact.
In addition, MFVEF’s work in engaging Latino communities and building partnerships with allies is guided by the “8 Patas” or 8 Pillars model of community engagement. Under this model, we work with schools, local networks of businesses, faith organizations, media outlets, community organizations, local consulates of immigrant-sending countries, labor unions and elected officials to maximize our reach and impact. We recruit leaders from each of these community areas who leverage the 8 Patas model in their community engagement, advocacy and leadership.
#MerecemosMejor, We Deserve Better Campaign
MFVEF’s approach has found tremendous success in meeting our communities where they live and where they are and has helped us reach new milestones in our MFVEF footprint. In the midst of a global health crisis, domestic division, and worldwide civil unrest and injustice, we are reminded of our mission, the communities we serve and our shared pursuit of achieving transformational systems-level change, and we have grown and adapted our work and nationwide visibility to address such global challenges.
Our #MerecemosMejor Campaign, in collaboration with our Mi Familia Vota sister affiliate and expansive list of local, state and national partnerships, was created to strengthen visibility of how we educate Latino communities and how we engage civically in our electoral process while celebrating the contributions to our communities and greater society. As the Latino community grows quickly, so has the community’s economic contributions that benefit all of our nation’s citizens because we deserve better.
We aim our campaign efforts at providing nonpartisan civic education, engagement and mobilization opportunities in ways that empower and propel our communities to address their more pressing concerns through collective action. This campaign’s long-term goal is to inspire our communities to use their voice at the ballot box in support of state leaders, officials and policies that represent their needs and beliefs.
Join the movement
As we approach the next presidential campaign year, we welcome all to join our cause! We are excited and committed to expanding our work that strengthens civic engagement, participation and representation of today’s generation of Latinos and other minority groups so that we all can thrive and prosper in a brighter, healthier, sustainable and more just tomorrow.
Because you’re valued CREDO Mobile customers and supporters, we hold your November donation vote with the utmost regard, gratitude, grace and humility, as your contribution will help fuel our guiding light on our shared journey toward achieving a democracy that works for us all!
Get in touch with MEFEV
To learn more about Mi Familia Vota Education Fund and the exciting work we do, please visit MiFamiliaVotaEducationFund.org, follow us on our social media pages (@mifamiliavota: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) and sign up for our newsletter here.
We thank you for joining us on our journey toward a democracy that works for all of us!
Posted on October 31, 2023
The ACLU: Defending the right of all people to be themselves, fully, freely and with joy
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This November, the American Civil Liberties Union is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will help the ACLU in its mission to create a more perfect union—beyond one person, party or side—to realize the promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.
Read this important blog post about the ACLU’s critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to the ACLU to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding November grantees.
November 13 marks the start of Transgender Awareness Week, a time for us to reflect, celebrate and advocate. This year, it’s especially significant.
LGBTQ rights, and especially trans rights, are under attack. In 2023, nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ bills, most of which target transgender and nonbinary people, were introduced in state legislatures across the country. Eighty-four bills passed into law in 23 states, with 19 states passing bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth. In Congress, opponents of LGBTQ equality continue to push extremely concerning provisions, including those eroding trans people’s safety and rights, in critical government funding bills.
But the ACLU continues to fight back by working in state legislatures, challenging unconstitutional policies in court and mobilizing supporters to protect trans rights.
Client spotlight: Dylan Brandt
In Arkansas, the ACLU and ACLU of Arkansas, along with our law firm partners, are challenging a ban on gender-affirming care on behalf of clients like Dylan Brandt.
Dylan is a teenager in Arkansas who lives with his mom, Joanna, and his younger brother in a small town of 10,000 people where Joanna owns a boutique she’s been running for two years.
When Dylan finished 7th grade, he told his mom he is a boy in a note he made his brother give to her. While Joanna was initially surprised, she looked back on his life and realized that it made sense. Dylan had “rejected all things feminine” from the moment he could make decisions about his life. He had also been experiencing depression and anxiety in social situations. Dylan has now been on testosterone for over two years, which has been transformative for him. Today, he’s a happy, confident kid.
In 2021, Arkansas passed HB 1570, a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for trans young people. The ACLU and ACLU of Arkansas challenged this law right away and it remains blocked. If this law were to take effect, Dylan would lose the medical care he has been relying on and which he needs to sustain his health and well-being. He and his family might have to leave Arkansas.
Fighting for trans justice across the U.S.
Our case in Arkansas is part of the ACLU’s nationwide trans justice work, which includes:
- Protecting gender-affirming care: the ACLU continues to stop or delay harms resulting from bans on gender-affirming care in Arkansas, Indiana, Montana and many other states.
- Defending the rights of trans youth in school: the ACLU has pending cases in three states that would overturn cruel sports bans that prevent kids from playing with their peers, building on our recent win in Idaho.
- Defending drag performance: earlier in 2023, the ACLU successfully challenged a drag ban in Utah and, in September, the ACLU of Texas won a permanent injunction, successfully blocking a law that would have censored drag performances across the state.
- And much more.
How you can make a difference
As we continue the fight for LGBTQ freedom today, we need you to join with us.
With your support, we will continue this important work until the day that trans, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people can self-determine their identities and live free from violence and discrimination in all aspects of life. Whatever attacks they may throw at us, we at the ACLU are here now and always to protect peoples’ rights. Count on it.
Learn about the ACLU’s trans justice work here.
And learn more about the ACLU’s 100-plus-year history of defending civil rights and civil liberties at ACLU.org.
Posted on October 26, 2023
Survey Results: Your educational experience
Recently, there have been repeated attacks on education in the United States: “Don’t say gay” laws, threats to teachers and librarians, banned books and a manufactured panic about Critical Race Theory (CRT). We were interested in your thoughts on education and your experience with schools to see how things have changed over time. We were thrilled to receive over 3,000 thoughtful responses.
The attacks on education are a backlash against progressive progress in education. Progress may be slow, but there is progress. In almost every area we surveyed, the educational experience became more inclusive and more progressive. Younger respondents read more books by LGBTQ+ authors or authors of color. Younger respondents were more likely to be taught about LGBTQ+ history or Jim Crow. There is more coverage of consent and sexual orientation in Sex Ed classes.
Progress leads to backlash. And that is why CREDO supports groups like Zinn Education Project and Facing History and Ourselves. We need to keep moving forward. We can’t go back.
What we found:
Lots of books by straight, White men.
We did not see a lot of diversity in the books read in high school.
- 87% of responders did not read a book by an LGBTQ+ Author.
- 40% did not read a single book by an author of color.
- 24% read less than 2 books by women in high school.
We did see some trends by age and those who graduated from high school more recently were more likely to read books by women, authors of color and LGBTQ+ authors. Unfortunately, we did not have much data from current high school students to see how much things have continued to change.
If you are interested in catching up on authors you may have missed in high school, please check out our Bookshop.org affiliate. This is a great place to find new books and help raise money for independent bookstores. CREDO earns a commission on every book sold. We have recommendations for books by LGBTQ+ authors, authors of color, women authors and even a list of most banned books. That said, you can find just about any book you are looking for there. Why shop at Amazon, when you can support CREDO and independent bookstores?
Book banning is in the news, but not a new problem.
Only ~10% of responders mentioned a controversy about a book while in school. The most common books mentioned were Catcher in the Rye, To Kill A Mockingbird and Tropic of Cancer. Other books mentioned included books by Toni Morrison and Mark Twain.
Over 250 of the educators who responded had a book or lesson plan challenged. Many of these challenges were around LGBTQ+ inclusion. Others about religion. Apparently, The Crucible can be interpreted as instructions in witchcraft. Fortunately, in most of these cases, the teachers were supported.
The best comment on censorship was, “The AP Bio book had to have some pages glued together because they discussed abortion.”
What is taught in history is changing.
When asked about topics that were controversial or did not present the United States in the best light, we see that these topics are more likely to be covered in history classes than they used to be. There has been a growing movement on the right to suppress the teaching of many of these topics, but at least from our respondents, the trend had been in the right direction. For example, 49% of respondents over age 45 covered the Japanese Internment. That is up to 64% for respondents under age 45.
The Civil War is taught differently depending on where you went to school.
Responders who went to high school in the former Confederate states were more likely to have been taught the Civil War was about something other than slavery.
- 42% of responders from former Confederate states were taught the war was about State’s Rights. Only 22% of students from other states were taught that.
- 24% of responders from former Confederate states were taught that the Confederacy was a “noble lost cause.”
More than 2/3 of all respondents were taught “brother fought against brother” while only 25% of respondents were taught about African American soldiers fighting in the war. Only 9% were taught stories that centered African Americans.
Perspectives on evolution are evolving.
The teaching of evolution used to be highly controversial, but that has changed. 88% of respondents under age 45 were taught evolution in school. This is up from 75% for older respondents. Evolution was less likely to be taught in religious high schools.
Sex Ed – has changed over time.
Results from the survey show that more topics are covered in Sex Ed. Older respondents were far less likely to have covered topics like Consent, Masturbation, and Gender and Sexual Orientation. Only 15% of those over 55 covered Abortion in their Sex Ed classes, while 39% covered Abortion in their Sex Ed classes.
The increased coverage of these topics is positive, but it is shocking that half as many Sex Ed courses cover abortion as do abstinence – even for more recent high school graduates.
Notes on responses and methodology.
We were thrilled to get over 3,000 responses to this survey. While the information we gathered is fascinating, we do know that it is not representative of the country at large. Given that most responses came from emails to CREDO members, this is not a representative sample in terms of geography or political leanings. Additionally, the respondents were extremely well educated, with 50% of respondents having a graduate degree.
We were very glad to get so many responses from educators. 41% of respondents were teachers of some sort – with 25% teaching in elementary school through high school. Their perspectives were valuable.
Other quotes we just had to share
There were many, many insightful, personal responses. More than we could possibly share, but we wanted to share a sample of some of them.
“History classes must study and discuss historical facts even if those facts are a painful part of our history. How will we keep from repeating history of we do not?”
“So much progress is being erased by a few very conservative people. I would not want to teach now nor have a child in public school.”
“Teachers need better pay and greater respect.”
“I feel really grateful that my child’s school here in Chicago is doing a much better job with these topics!”
“Only as others my age have said – “I can’t believe we are still protesting this shit”.
“It’s taken me years to realize how white, Euro-centric and male-oriented my whole education was. We need to balance this out and also be honest about our country’s history.”
“Thank you for helping dig through the musty memories and all you do to raise awareness of the degradation of education today.”
“Teachers touched my life forever. They were excellent role models and outstanding individuals.”
Posted on October 12, 2023
New life for old devices: 5 ways you can repurpose your outdated gadgets
We all do it. When we get a new device, we toss the old one in a drawer, there to languish till doomsday. Which, alarmingly, seems to grow closer all the time. And which is why we recently launched the CREDO Climate Project —to give you doable, difference-making ways to combat climate change.
But anyway, back to those old gadgets. Don’t mothball them, repurpose them. Here are five ways you can give new life to an outdated device.
Turn an old phone into a security camera
A lot of people buy a new phone because they want a better camera. But the camera in your old phone or tablet is still plenty good enough to serve a purpose. That purpose can be keeping an eye your home.
You can convert an old phone into a security camera in a few quick steps with an app like AlfredCamera or WardenCam. Just go to the App Store or Google Play and download the app to both the old device and your current phone.
Setup is easy and there are no monthly fees for the basic versions. Your old phone works as the camera, your new phone works as the monitor. You can view a live feed remotely to watch any space, observe a pet or monitor a child from another room.
Turn an old tablet into a media viewer or old phone into a music player
As our devices do more, their batteries need charging more often. To preserve the battery life on your new tablet, use an old tablet as a dedicated media player. Keep an outdated iPad next to your Apple TV or an Android tablet by your Chromecast dongle. An added plus is that anyone can watch without the hassle of logging in or unlocking the screen.
If you listen to a lot of music, audio books or podcasts, use an old phone to play them. This will save the battery on your new phone and keep it free of storage-consuming files, which will help it perform better.
Turn an old laptop into a media hub
When you run a lot of programs and store a lot of files on your laptop, it works more slowly. So repurpose an old laptop as a media hub. Store music and videos on it and stream them from there. This will ease the burden on your new laptop.
Turn an old phone into a GPS device
It’s not a good feeling to watch your phone die when you’re using it to find your way. If you’re out in the wild and your battery goes to 0%, so, often, does your hope of getting back home.
So repurpose an old phone to a dedicated GPS device and use it when you’re out hiking or biking. Because it is tasked with only that function, its charge will last longer.
Donate your old devices
Once they’re replaced, old devices usually don’t have a lot of value to their owners, which is why they end up in a drawer. But they do have value to a lot of nonprofit organizations, which can use your old devices to fund their causes.
Unfortunately, you can’t donate an outdated device directly to a nonprofit of your choice. They’re not set up to handle old devices. But you can use a service like GreenDrop, Cell4Pets or Recycling for Charities.
Here’s another way to support the nonprofits that are working for causes you believe in: join CREDO Mobile. Just by using our service, you’ll generate donations for nonprofit groups fighting to make our world a more sustainable, fair and equal place.
These donations cost you nothing extra. But they mean everything to the nonprofits we support. Since 1985, we’ve given over $94 million to progressive groups like Earthjustice, Planned Parenthood and the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.
Join today and you’ll get the good feeling that comes with knowing you support the causes important to you just by using your phone. You’ll also get everything you want from a phone company: fast, friendly customer service and nationwide coverage on the top-rated, most reliable network.
Posted on October 11, 2023
Defend our democracy: Support the Brennan Center for Justice
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This October, the Brennan Center for Justice is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will help the Brennan Center as it works to reform, revitalize and, when necessary, defend our country’s systems of democracy and justice—for all.
Read this important post about the Brennan Center’s critical work, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to the Brennan Center for Justice to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding October grantees.
American democracy faces unprecedented, unrelenting attacks that grow ever bolder in their attempts to undermine our country’s foundations. The Brennan Center for Justice, a leading nonpartisan agency for democracy reform, is fighting against these attacks and for our principles on multiple fronts. Since 1995, our expertise, innovation, partnerships and proven track record have placed us at the forefront of a growing movement—one that seeks to revitalize, reform and protect our systems of democracy and justice.
At the height of the pandemic, the Brennan Center and our allies worked with election officials across the country to combat widespread disinformation, vote suppression and threats of violence against poll workers during the 2020 election cycle. Our efforts resulted in record voter turnout and one of the smoothest elections in recent history. Yet antidemocratic forces refused to accept defeat. They lied about a stolen election. They filed meritless lawsuits. They stormed the Capitol and election deniers refused to certify valid election results even after witnessing the horrifying attack on the seat of government. They brazenly tried to hold onto power however they could.
Since then, antidemocratic forces have only ramped up their assaults, using every tool at their disposal to strip away the right to vote from eligible citizens and defy constitutional law. But the Brennan Center, thanks to individuals and organizations like CREDO Mobile, is well prepared to meet the growing challenges. We are committed to fighting for an American democracy that lives up to its ideals—and one that works for all of us.
With just over a year left before the 2024 presidential election, our work ahead will focus on protecting the election. This will include countering attempts to restrict voting access and ensuring the safety of election officials who are simply doing their jobs. We will continue to fight fiction with facts, battling deliberate efforts to sow mistrust in the election process. And we will continue to help the most marginalized communities fight for fair representation.
We defend free and fair elections
There is a powerful, coordinated plot to rig elections, target voters of color and subvert valid election results. The Brennan Center has a four-part strategy to protect the next election from that plot, concentrating our efforts in battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Texas, where our partnerships and demonstrated effectiveness run deep.
Stopping election subversion. The Brennan Center wrote the national plan to save the last presidential election. Now we will leverage our credibility to urge states to adopt five essential steps to ensure the integrity of the 2024 election cycle—steps that include clear standards of conduct for poll watches and improvements to the handling of mailed ballots. We are also prepared to go to court to stop radicals from upending election results and halt voter intimidation. Already, we successfully directed legal and messaging campaigns that led the Supreme Court to reject the radical “independent state legislature theory,” which would have given state legislatures unchecked power to suppress and gerrymander votes.
Supporting election officials. Election workers experienced an extraordinary level of threats against themselves and their families during the 2020 election cycle. The Brennan Center’s strong advocacy helped secure $1 billion in funding to support state election administration. For the 2024 election cycle, we are partnering with current and former election officials to strengthen infrastructure, prepare for disruptions and confront the new threats that artificial intelligence poses to our democratic process, such as supercharging disinformation.
Fighting voter suppression. The Brennan Center won six court cases against the Ohio legislature over its extreme gerrymanders yet the legislature continues to defy rulings in our favor. We are now working with our plaintiffs to put independent redistricting on the ballot for 2024, lending our nonpartisan policy expertise, rigorous research, and media savvy to this and other state battles.
Educating the public. The power of public opinion to change the course of history is well proven and the Brennan Center aims to win more advocates for democracy in this space. With 350,000 newsletter subscribers and a wide social media following across several platforms, we provide trusted sources of information and analysis. Journalists and allies use our research, explainers and op-eds to drive awareness and impact. The Brennan Center also created Brennan en Espanol, a website with translations of our more pertinent pieces that reach a Spanish-speaking audience. And we just launched the State Court Report, a site that tracks constitutional law cases and developments across 50 states. With a conservative Supreme Court, state courts take on greater importance in the fight to protect individual rights against regressive rulings.
Your support will strengthen democracy
Your vote for the Brennan Center for Justice in this month’s CREDO Mobile donations election will ensure that our expert staff and leadership can remain independent, stand firm against forces determined to bring American democracy down and find groundbreaking solutions that strengthen our democracy.
