Dana is a Pali word meaning “offering” (“donation” might be a word we are more familiar with). Traditionally in Asia, teachings are offered free of charge, and in a way that makes the teachings equally accessible to all who desire to learn and grow from them. This way of offering teachings is done from a place of generosity, with no expectation of reciprocal exchange of any kind. Recipients of teachings in the East will then usually make offerings based upon their own means.
This is a concept most people in the West have some difficulty with, since we are used to having fees and prices dictated to us based on someone else’s determination of value, and often if there’s no fee attached, our perceived value can be affected.
I find the concept of dana worth exploring, along with what we value in life, how we spend our time and energy, and what we do with whatever money we have access to.
I think it was the book “Your Money or Your Life” that introduced me to a different way of relating to time and money many years ago. The film “Pay it Forward” had a profound effect on me, and I had seen it in action a few times. More recently I’ve been exploring the Gift Economy and Charles Eisenstein’s book Sacred Economics (which you can also read online now).
Crowdfunding might be the closest system we have to the concept of dana here, but it seems to be geared towards raising $ for specific projects rather than on-going needs or occasional support. I mention it for those with projects that might be able to benefit.
I am happy to share what I know, and the resources I find as I do my best to improve awareness of life with a serious “sensitivity” to pollution and other environmental health issues that affect us all. As my health and abilities improve, I will continue to add resources and refine the way they can be accessed here.
I am also housebound as a result of a disabling and serious “sensitivity” to pollution, and a toxic brain injury, which I am still recovering from. I have to avoid exposures to everyday toxic petrochemicals (like those found in almost all personal care and laundry products, among other things), and since avoiding these disabling substances is impossible even when I isolate myself in my safer home (due to the winds bringing in neighborhood laundry fumes, deliveries being cross-contaminated, etc), I am unable to function consistently or work to earn an income and am therefore completely dependent on ODSP (Ontario’s “welfare for the disabled”) which provides less than poverty level assistance towards meeting my basic needs, but not enough to actually meet them.
Medically required, basic needs for non-toxic daily living are expensive, especially by delivery and mail-order, as shipping, handling, exchange rates and cross-border fees can add significantly to the cost of things that are otherwise not available from fragrance free supply chains. There are no disability related allowances that take these extra expenses into consideration.
I won’t list in detail all of things I need, but some things, like:
– a non-toxic HEPA vacuum cleaner,
– stainless steel interior (no plastic drums) top loading, (not-HE) washer and dryer (which I desperately need after over 9 years of having to hand-wash whatever I can manage),
– a digital camera without rubber or wi-fi, and with a re-chargeable battery and good zoom lens (for taking photos through my windows),
– a ROHS certified wired keyboard and mouse, (and maybe extras to offgas)
– plus ongoing expenses for things like medically required organic foods and supplements, shower filters, organic bedding, clothing, socks, underwear and the like, are things I could use some help with.
So, if you find anything on this blog valuable, and have any extra dollars to spare as a gift, I’ll be forever grateful for your kindness ♥
If I can also ask people in the US to donate in US dollars, that would be so helpful now, as there are many disability related things not available in Canada that I must buy from the US in Canadian dollars, and the exchange rates are beyond painfully prohibitive these days.
Thank you!
P.S. The 2 donate options actually take you to the same place. I am always confused when I see the 2nd one because it doesn’t say PayPal on it, so I added both in case there’s someone else out there who is equally confused when it comes to these things!
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 
I never realized my name meant so much! Thank you for posting this and I wish I had the money to help but as you know those of us who are environmentally disabled don’t have much. Wishing you all the best! Dana Toliver – here’s my blog if you’d like to visit ‘Mold Can Make You Sick -A Single Mother on a Mission to Help Save Lives http://www.gsgrl2000.wordpress.com and I will be adding a link to your blog on my blog <3
Thanks, and all the best to you Dana
I love this concept, Linda. I hope you get a lot more :)
Thanks Miche… It’s a new concept that hasn’t caught on yet… Maybe someday :-)
It’s a beautiful concept yes but not a new one but an old one, the first and most important one I believe, that is LOVE, to love oneanother as you love yourselves! Where there is true LOVE there is sharing of knowledge to benefit others as we have benefitted ourselves :) Where there is true LOVE there is compassion, caring and giving to those in need :) and true joy comes from experiencing this LOVE that definately should be the only energy that powers our world :) I keep praying this can and will happen. Unfortunately the forces that rule our world have been taken over by greedy, selfish, liars that have mislead society to believe only what benefits their greedy interests. :(
LOVE is the only miracle maker, so lets give freely out of love! God bless you all.
P.D. I need all these things too but I would be happy just to be able to live in a “natural environment” where I could step outside and “breathe” fresh air and have a chance to heal :) too, as I’m sure most of us would :) That is a blessing in itself !
Just to be able to breathe unpolluted by petro-pollution and smoke-free clean air all the time would be such a blessing…
Having a safe washing machine for clean clothes, towels and bedding would be a really big help too…
I hope and pray that you and everyone else receives what is needed ♥
In the interest of full disclosure…
Since I put up this DANA page in April 2013, it has been viewed 324 times, and I received 3 donations as a result.
Between May 7th, 2013 and February 17th, 2014, I received a total of $57.26.
Thank you!
Previous online requests for assistance (via a blog post in 2010, shared on the Canary Report, and on fb) resulted in people donating $561 to my paypal account between April 14th, 2010 and February 17th, 2014.
In June of this year, I requested assistance from my facebook friends to pay for costs associated with my dental extraction, and received 2 other paypal donations totaling $164.47.
From the time I opened the paypal account in early 2010, until now, the end of August 2014 (in 4 1/2 years), I have received donations totaling $782.73.
THANK YOU! <3
For those who are interested in statistics:
I have received a total of eighteen paypal donations in the four and a half years since the blog was started and my paypal account was opened.
Three were from people I "met" as a result of this blog, ($105.81)
(one donated to my dental fund in June from my fb request so was not counted in the DANA page amount above as the donation was not made because of this page)
Two donations were from people I knew before developing MCS/ES, one is a current fb friend. ($115.92)
Seven of the donations were from four people with MCS/ES that I know from online MCS groups. ($470)
One was from a fb friend who has numerous other chronic health conditions ($50)
Five (in 2010) were from people I had no previous connection with who donated from the Canary Report posting. ($41)
This may not seem like a lot to most people, but to me, these donations have made a real difference, sometimes even between life and death!
Thank you all SO very much <3 <3 <3
I wouldn't be here without you!
blessed be to your efforts, to your resilence, to dana :)
Thank you <3
SO grateful for the work you are doing, Linda! Tusen takk (that’s a “thousand thanks” in Norwegian). Blessings to you!
I was looking up how to say “you are welcome” in Norwegian, but each site said it a different way!
So, thank YOU <3 Tusen takk!
blessings in the new year. may it bring better health to all :)
Thank you Kimberly!
Here’s to 2016 being filled with non-toxic blessings for all!
Linda, How to donate “Dana” in US dollars from US ? Would be using pre-paid Debit (gift) card. The PayPal link looks like it accepts CAD $ only. Keith
Thanks for asking. I don’t know?
Paypal used to have the option to choose currency, I had balances in both, but that was around 10 years ago when I received some donations for essentials that I had to order from the US.
I have not used other types of e-things or cards!
Hello I don’t know if this message will reach you now but we have been having mold problems in our house and we are suspicious of us having mold toxicity. We would love to ask you some questions about what you did.
Hi Lily,
Exposing Mold might be a good place to start (they are one of the few remaining resources I am aware of).
https://exposingmold.org/resources/
CMHC used to have some good documents, but in recent years many of those disappeared and have been hard or impossible to find since then. I am not up to looking to see where they might be hiding now.
One of the websites I used to use as a reference is not up currently (paradigmchange).
My personal circumstances prevented me from doing much, and with long covid, my memory of what I learned from others isn’t great, so I can’t offer any advice.
May you find what you need to make your home safe and recover your health!