Author Archives: Dej Knuckey

How to Give Blood as a Vegetarian 

Posted on by

I walked into my American Red Cross blood donation appointment in February feeling confident. I eat well, I exercise and I care about doing my part. Then came the results from the hemoglobinometer they slipped over my finger and a polite but firm rejection. My hemoglobin was too low. 

It was frustrating, but it sent me down a path I’m grateful for. Because I learned that if you’re vegetarian—or, like me, eat a mostly plant-based diet—you can give blood. You just have to be a bit more intentional about iron. 

A pint of my finest B+ (and who wouldn’t want their blood to Be Positive?), donated and off to do its part to help save lives.
Read more

Colleagues Connect to Make Community Safer  

Posted on by
Vanir team ready to head out to install smoke alarms for community members in Richmond, Calif., for Sound the Alarm. L to R: Project Directors Santiago Harris and Cymbre Potter, Construction Manager Tierra Andrews, and Senior Project Manager Laurence Maller

On a cool Saturday morning in Richmond, Calif., a group of colleagues from construction management company Vanir traded hard hats and project schedules for clipboards and smoke alarms. They were part of the American Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign, installing free smoke alarms and sharing fire safety information in at-risk communities. 

But for this team, the day was about more than just service. It was also about connection. 

Read more

Earth Day, Then and Now: Finding Hope on the Frontlines of a Climate Crisis 

Posted on by

By Dej Knuckey

On the first Earth Day in 1970, twenty million Americans gathered to protest pollution and industrial waste. No one was using the term “climate crisis” yet, but the biggest pollutants of all—greenhouse gases—were just beginning to take their toll. 

Since then, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from 325 to 430 parts per million, a powerful measure of how much the climate has changed in just over five decades.  

Now we see the effects every day: The American Red Cross is responding to nearly twice as many large disasters as it did a decade ago. 

Read more