Join the Movement: Change the World for Ten Bucks

Chronicle Books and We Are What We Do a U.K.-based nonprofit, have partnered to bring Change the World for Ten Bucks: Small Actions x Lots of People = Big Change to the U.S. With colorful graphics, the book features 50 simple actions to effect change, whether it's registering online as an organ donor, writing to someone who has inspired you, or buying fair-trade products. Chronicle will celebrate May 1 as "Change the World Day" by closing its Bay Area offices to allow employees to volunteer at local organizations for the entire day.

"Change the World for Ten Bucks is all about community, talking to your neighbors, smiling at strangers, being kind, and doing simple actions that make the world a better place. To us, there's no better place to do those things than in a local bookstore," said Christina Loff, Chronicle Books publicist. "And one of the actions in the book is to shop locally!"

In the spirit of the book, Chronicle employees are volunteering at such local organization as Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, City Slicker Farms, Habitat for Humanity, Beach Clean-up in the Presidio, Alemany Farms, 826 Valencia, the San Francisco Zoo, Opportunity Impact, and The Lighthouse. AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is sending 30 members from its Pacific Region campus in Sacramento to serve alongside the Chronicle volunteers.

More than one million copies of Change the World have sold in editions in the U.K., Australia, Germany, Canada, and Ireland. Profits are used to expand the We Are What We Do movement worldwide -- to inspire people to use their everyday actions to change the world.

Chronicle Books Editor Christina Amini discovered Change the World in Berlin at the Saint Georges English Bookshop. It was called Change the World for a Fiver (Short Books, London). "I was immediately charmed by the earnest and offbeat actions contained therein," Amini told BTW via e-mail. "'Spend time with someone from another generation.' 'Learn to be friendly in another language.' 'Write to someone who inspired you' (postcard included!).

"I loved that it had surprising interactive elements, like the actual postcard stuck inside the book, tear-out tabs so that you can introduce yourself to your neighbors, and two pages stuck together to remind you to put your gum in the trash. It was the kind of book I needed to share."

Amini brought the book back home and contacted We Are What We Do, which was just about to start looking for a U.S. publisher. She then worked with the organization's co-founder Eugenie Harvey, Americanized some of the actions and wording, and created a U.S. edition.

Chronicle is offering a promotional kit, "10 Actions That You Can Do to Change the World at a Bookstore," to help create displays and events. The kit contains one poster, one shelf-talker, 50 bookmarks, and 50 postcards. Booksellers who would like to order a promotional kit should send an e-mail to [email protected].

To learn more about We Are What We Do, check out this YouTube video.. --Karen Schechner