As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve become mildly obsessed with Pokemon Go. It’s my new Geocaching. I’m walking for at least two hours every day now, and usually covering 5K. The thing is, I feel like it’s time that I can spend doing something more worthwhile to the community. I think that I’ve found it.

A few times since I’ve started, I’ve gone out with my garbage picking tools from Keep Rockland Beautiful. While hunting, I’ve been picking up trash and recyclables. That’s great and all (if I do say so myself), but I want to do more. Thanks to my friend Shannon, I’ve found the answer.

There is an app called Charity Miles. It is sponsored by several corporations that have charitable giving programs (while in HR for Benjamin Moore, I was the Matching Charitable Gifts coordinator, so I have experience with this). They donate a small amount of money per mile that you walk. It’s 25 cents per walked mile, and 10 cents per biked. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it adds up. If I walk 3 miles a day, that’s 75 cents. If i do that 5 times a week, that’s $3.75. 50 weeks becomes $187.50.

In other words, I just donated almost 200 dollars while playing a game (yes, the company takes a cut, but not too severe).

I have a compulsion to do as much good as possible (probably from my belief in Tikkun Olam (heal the world). This is an easy way to do so. Let’s show that we’re not just poke masters, but poke do-gooders.