All People Making a Difference
Walden Pond, where Thoreau lived simply, goes solarWalden Pond, considered the birthplace of the environmental movement, will have a new visitor center, powered by solar energy, that includes a charging station for electric cars.
Farhana Yamin's simple yet radical idea: zero emissionsMs. Yamin has been a key actor in getting that ambitious goal into the discussion of carbon emission reductions under way at the UN climate talks in Lima, Peru.
Difference MakerNalini Shekar put aside retirement to help India's waste pickersIn Bangalore, India, Nalini Shekar has organized lowly waste pickers wandering the streets into a cohesive group of waste-management professionals.
Toys for Tots: creating 7 million smiles a yearA Marine Corps Reserve effort helps families.
Education is key to protecting children in West AfricaPeople need to feel free to ask questions, to voice their opinions, and to understand the role they can play in changing practices such as child marriage, says a Muslim leader and child protection specialist.
Lava Mae provides mobile showers for homeless peopleFunded by Google and Indiegogo, a San Francisco nonprofit turns old buses into much-needed shower facilities for those living on the streets.
A decade after a devastating tsunami, new forests protect Indonesia's coastThe tsunami that struck Indonesia in 2004 obliterated vast areas of Aceh Province. But villagers there have used an innovative microcredit scheme to restore mangrove forests and other coastal ecosystems as a natural barrier against future killer waves and storms.
Difference MakerPeter Schumann's puppets speak out on big issuesAs a boy Peter Schumann carried his hand puppets with him when he fled the Russians. Now he's one of the foremost practitioners of experimental puppet theater in the world.
Inventor hopes to clean the air with giant purifiersIn Lima, Peru, now hosting UN climate talks, Jorge Gutierrez is showing off his air-purifying 'super tree' device that he says can convert as much carbon dioxide into oxygen as 1,200 trees.
Religious leaders vow to eradicate modern-day slaveryAn anti-slavery drive, led by Pope Francis, receives the backing of a wide array of the world's religious leaders.
Prospector Theater helps disabled people entertain new prospectsA restored theater in Ridgefield, Conn., provides customers with a great moviegoing experience while employing people with developmental disabilities.
California police chief connects cops to the communityIn Richmond, Calif., a police chief has employed several steps that have greatly reduced violent crime as well as the need for police to use deadly force.
Fort Drum goes wood powered in a push for renewable energyIt's the first green energy project to come online since the Pentagon's 2012 commitment to develop 3 gigawatts of renewable energy on military bases by 2025.
Difference MakerChen Hui-jie runs a political campaign 鈥� at age 16A teenaged girl in Taiwan serves as a campaign manager for a city council candidate, and provides a model of civic activism for cynical teens.
Helping schoolchildren find the Vision To LearnThrough Vision To Learn, Austin Beutner brings eye exams and glasses to low-income students, helping them see their way to a better education.
How to talk guns: First, get to know each otherA public dialogue on gun control, begun at a 2013 Monitor forum, continues in Montana.
Difference MakerChad Houser cooked up a caf茅 to give young offenders a second chanceAt Caf茅 Momentum in Dallas former juvenile offenders learn valuable life skills.
8 Main Street job creators rebooting the economyFrom the Deep South to the West Coast, these entrepreneurs are making sure jobs and dollars grow 鈥� and stay 鈥� in places hardest hit by hurricanes, poverty, and gentrification.
Rickshaw drivers take a 'respect women' message to New Delhi streetsSome 40,000 auto-rickshaw drivers in Delhi have attended classes on respecting women and are spreading the word across the city, known as India's' rape capital.'
Community radio teaches homebound students in LiberiaUsing radio the Advancing Youth Project provides reading and math instruction, and job training, to students stuck at home during the Ebola outbreak.
