young women from having to decide: dinner or pills? A legislative error made the price of birth control skyrocket for low-income and college-age women. It was an unintended mistake, but Congress has been slow to fix it. Contact your representative through www.ppaction.org/campaign/birthcontrolprice/.

ahead while you run errands. On the walk to lunch, in your office window, or on your bike ride home your phone or iPod is ripe for rejuvenation. www.Noonsolar.com sells tote bags with solar panels stylishly incorporated on the outside to catch the sun’s rays and convert them to iPod juice. The bags are made of sustainable materials and are hand-dyed using natural pigments.

your Senators to support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It’s already passed the House, but Senate Republicans prevented the bill from moving forward. Afterwards, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), said, "Women of America: Put your lipstick on, square your shoulders, suit up… The revolution starts tonight." Start our revolution at www.nwlc.org/fairpay/.

mail-order catalogs that you’re only using to line the bird cage. Sign up at www.catalogchoice.org and they’ll get the message to the mailbox busters that you’re not particularly in need of metallic man thongs.

state-sponsored censorship by publishing fragments of censored material on your blog. Irrepressible.info is an Amnesty International campaign to protect freedom of expression. Internet repression occurs in countries like China, Vietnam, Tunisia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria, and IT companies like Yahoo! have become compliant in handing over users’ private data.

a “swine” evening at the inaugural “They’re Banking On You” event, May 31 at the Wachovia Atrium. The event, a silent auction of 75 piggy banks that have been decorated by children and local celebrities, will benefit A Child’s Place, a nonprofit organization dedicated to erasing the impact of homelessness on children. For tickets, call 704.343.3790 or visit www.AChildsPlace.org.

Kim Hemsley, a former actress who struggled with a 10-year-long eating disorder, for a six-class course on eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive eating). Called New ID, the program begins May 1 and runs through June 4. To register, email NewID@CityChurchCharlotte.com or call 704.333.5121.

a taste of local history at The Art of Craft: 1830, the third annual event at Historic Rosedale Plantation, including a pottery sale and showcase of area craftsmen including glass-blowers, basket-weavers, fiber artists, and print and jewelry makers. Tickets are available online at www.historicrosedale.org.

with Time Out Youth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, at the Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte for the second annual Celebration of Charlotte Arts, May 6. For tickets, $35, call 704.344.8335 or visit www.timeoutyouth.org.