Greater Milwaukee Men

Brewer's outfielder Nyjer Morgan, self-proclaimed 'Alpha-male Silverback Gorilla', shows his softer side and a humane heart in a new video interview for  PETA  discussing how he recently adopted a cat. Regardless of what you think of some of their extreme measures - though an animal welfare person myself I don't agree with them all - their ads and campaigns can and do promote basic animal welfare awareness. And one of the simplest yet most important aspects of animal welfare is companion animal adoption. When we learn to treat our companion animals better then that is likely to carry over to better treatment of all animals. The reasons to adopt are numerous, and I could do ( and have ) done entire posts about it, for a quick review check out the Humane Society of the United States  Top Five Reasons to Adopt .

The field, roof, and even seats are green at  Miller Park , the stadium where the  Milwaukee Brewers  play, and they have gone beyond color to become a truly Green facility, as in environmental. Miller Park has received one of the most prestigious honors for facility sustainability and conservation efforts. The U.S. Green Building Council ( USGBC ) has announced that Miller Park is  LEED  (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified in the category of Existing Building Operations & Maintenance, making it the first stadium with a retractable roof and just the third Major League Baseball stadium overall to receive the designation. Since the initial plans for Miller Park and throughout its existence, the Brewers have worked to reduce Miller Park's impact on the environment and seek green and environmental programs including hosting a  Green Week , and becoming one of the  top 10 stadiums for vegetarian food options . Working with another Milwaukee Company, Johnson C

What's this? Has Well-Met Man gone to the dogs? Sure, this will be the fourth dog-related post in a row, but there was no plan, it just happened that way. In fact,  was going to wait on this one to give it a break but no other man-news has come up. Besides, dogs  are MAN's best friend and being a fan of dogs and beer, this product was bound to be found sooner or later. Cycle Dog is a company that does the honorable, Well-Met, practice of reclaiming inner tubes from bicycle tires and using the material to make collars and leashes for dogs. Since the tubes cannot be recycled by normal means, millions of them end up in landfills. By reusing or reclaiming the material for other purposes, Cycle Dog is helping the environment.

On Sunday, March 25th, the Milwaukee Admirals will host their annual Pedigree Dog Day Afternoon, when the team battles the Rockford IceHogs at 3:00 pm at the Bradley Center. For $2 in advance or $3 at the door extra you can bring a dog to the game - you still need to buy your own ticket in addition to your dog's. Better yet, if f fans purchase tickets through either the Wisconsin Humane Society or Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha (HAWS) the Admirals will donate $2 to that respective society. Click here to purchase from Wisconsin Humane Society  Use Promo Code: humane Click here to purchase from Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha  Use Promo Code: HAWS This is a great way to get out with the guys, socialize your best friend, and support local animal welfare at the same time - pretty much a 100% Well-Met event. More details on tickets for yourself and your pooch are here .

As many others do around this time, DRAFT Magazine is holding their own version of a bracket a la the NCAA basketball tourneys. Since it is a beer magazine obviously their bracket is setup to select the best or favorite of 64 competing beers. Everyone who enters has a chance to win a Beer Meister Kegerator , but the best part is that each brewery involved got to pick a charity they support and DRAFT will donate $1,000 to the winning brew's choice. Fill out your bracket here . Luckily for us in Milwaukee we have great breweries and great charities. Lakefront Brewery has been selected for their pretty amazing Fixed Gear American Red Ale, and to top it off while many breweries selected national organizations, Lakefront has chosen Wisconsin Humane Society to be the recipient of the donation if they win. There are other Milwaukee and Wisconsin beers such as  Leinenkugel's  Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scottish Ale (benefits Little Lake Wissota Project in Chippewa Falls) and  Sprecher B

The Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had a unique story about the  power of organ donation . In this amazing and heartfelt story, we learn about how Chris Persinger, a 17 year old boy on the verge of becoming a man, lost his life but bey checking the organ donor box on his license gave not only many strangers but amazingly his own sister the gift of health and well-being, for some likely life. The story is almost fantastical - something Hollywood might think up - but entirely true and I highly recommend reading the  full piece  which is extremely well written (it may be one of my favorite pieces I have ever read by JS).

On March 8th you can double the impact you make on an organization simply by donating through the Greater Milwaukee Foundation 's Match Day. If you donate to the Foundation’s  Basic Needs Fund  or to one or more of the  19 participating agencies  in the greater Milwaukee area meeting the food and shelter needs of individuals and families who are struggling, the  Brewers Community Foundation  along with other funders are providing a total of $675,000 to match contributions and grow the impact of a donor’s gift. Some people may choose not to donate because they think the amount they can give is pointless, that it will mean nothing to the organization. Besides that being untrue, non-profits welcome even the smallest donations (100 people donating $10 is $1,000), this program can help alleviate that as well by doubling the amount you donate.

Today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sunday edition highlights UW basketball player and senior Rob Wilson for his work off the court as much or more so than on it. The full article is here . Wilson has been an intern at a Madison Boys & Girls Club this semester and plans to leave UW with a degree in human ecology and leadership studies. As part of his internship he puts in 15 hours each week, but when time permits he tries to put in as much time as a volunteer doing whatever he can to help out children with single parents, something he knows about dealing with from personal experience. While volunteering, he spends time with the kids playing basketball of course but also reading with them, even helping out on the computer.

Green Bay Packer A.J. Hawk, known for his flowing locks long before Clay Matthews, has cut his hair to donate it to children with cancer. He tweeted a picture with the message, "Today is a special day for me as I've decided to cut off my hair and give it to someone who needs it more than I do." and later  "My wife and I are proud to start Hawk's Locks for Kids which will be helping kids with cancer," "No child should have to feel ashamed of themselves due to a disease."