5 ways to improve yourself (and the world) this summer– just by lifting a finger.

1. Improve your vocabulary.  

Have you heard of www.Wordnik.com? Wordnik is the first word navigation system that helps people unlock the value of words and phrases to discover what information is most meaningful and matters to them. Wordnik goes beyond traditional dictionary definitions to deliver words in context.  Spend 5 minutes a day on the site and improve your vocab by the time the air starts to chill!

2. Save money on your phone bill. 

App-o-Day, the new free iPhone app, is a being called, “the Groupon of apps.”  They scour the app store and bring you the best paid apps straight to your phone FOR FREE every day.  You’ll find the best new games, health apps, and productivity tools right on your phone, for free, every day.  You’ll save money and get the best (dare I say life-changing?) apps out there.

3. Watch a movie, save the world. 

Whole Foods Market’s Do Something Reel film festival, which kicked off on Earth Day, is an ongoing collection of provocative films about food and environmental issues that can be purchased and streamed online at www.dosomethingreel.com for a limited time. Whole Foods Market will stream a different film each month with proceeds helping to fund the 2012 Whole Foods Market/AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival filmmaker grants.  May’s film, “WATERSHED: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the New West,” is produced by James Redford and narrated by his father, Robert Redford, tells the story of the threats to the once-mighty Colorado River and is be available to online audiences everywhere for one month at www.dosomethingreel.com for $5.99.

 4. Buy a book, give a book. 

Better World Books is an online bookstore – with a soul.  The company collects and sells books online.  Some books they donate, some they sell and use a portion of that sale to fund literacy initiatives worldwide. With more than 8 million new and used titles in stock, it’s a self-sustaining, triple-bottom-line company that creates social, economic and environmental value.  To date, the company has raised almost $12 million for libraries and literacy, donated over 6 million books to charities, and has diverted millions of books from landfills.  Plus, every time you buy a book, they donate a book to someone in need.  So stock up on your summer reading!

5. Browse the web, earn points, give to charity (or to yourself). 

Swagbucks, the leading online rewards destination, enables users to earn virtual currency and real life rewards for performing the everyday actions you already take online.  Search the web on Swagbucks, play games, shop online, watch videos, fill out surveys and “cha-ching,” you’ll earn branded virtual currency — Swagbucks — that translate into real-world rewards and prizes, which includes donations to charities (and of course electronics, apparel, books, music downloads, gift cards, toys, jewelry, accessories, and more for yourself).

(Disclaimer: This information was sent to us from Group SJR.)