All People Making a Difference
Why Target stopped asking job applicants if they've been convicted of a crimeMore than 60 counties, cities, and states 鈥� and some corporations 鈥� are reducing discrimination against former offenders by 'banning the box' from job applications.
Good Samaritans fix a wheelchair on the spotWhen Michael Sulsona's wheelchair broke down while he was shopping at a home improvement store, four employees dropped everything to help.
A hashtag that refuses to see Israelis and Arabs as enemiesAn Israeli student living in the US has started the online campaign #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies. While many have applauded, he says, others have been afraid to join in.
'Cafeteria Man' champions fresh foods in schoolsTony Geraci has transformed the food program in Baltimore's public schools, replacing 'mystery meat' and canned foods with fresh, local produce and introducing students to how food is grown and prepared.
Texas longhorns may come to the rescue in desert landsThe Israel Longhorn Project wants to introduce Texas longhorns into desert areas of East Africa and Israel. The hardy species eats invasive shrubs and is resistant to diseases rampant in hot climates.
Maria Shriver launches service program to honor her dadThe Shriver Corps, named after Sargent Shriver, who founded the Peace Corps, will train volunteers to help poor Americans.
Difference MakerMike Domitrz developed 'Can I Kiss You?' to promote healthy datingHe crisscrosses the country speaking at colleges and on military bases, blending humor, audience participation, and how-to advice to prompt people to think through a sometimes daunting subject 鈥� dating.
Abbe Museum takes 'greening' seriouslyThe museum, which tells the stories of native American peoples in Maine, has 'loudly retrofitted' to reduce oil and electricity consumption.
Saving soil: digging for solutions beneath our feetAgriculture doesn't have to degrade soils 鈥� it's possible for food production to enrich the earth, restore nutrients, conserve water, and prevent erosion.
Difference MakerDeb Socia helps the disadvantaged learn essential computer skillsBoston-based Tech Goes Home provides computer training for inner-city students, the very poor, those with disabilities, seniors, and immigrants.
Tara Books opens a new page for tribal artists in IndiaGita Wolf collaborates with India's women tribal artists to create award-winning books and help the women step across the gulf that divides them from the modern world.
Wilma Melville turns rescued dogs into rescuersThe Search Dog Foundation partners dogs rescued from shelters with firefighters to help find victims buried in the wreckage of disasters.
Sri Lanka tea plantations go greenerGrowers in Sri Lanka with small tea plantations are seeking certification with an international conservation organization in order to boost their brand and learn conservation techniques.
Why Barbara Bush started Global Health CorpsBarbara Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, welcomes the sixth class of Global Health Corps fellows for two weeks of training. The Global Health Corps places young professionals and recent college graduates in fellowships with health organizations in the United States and Africa for a year of service.
The Learning Tea brightens the future for poor or orphaned girls in IndiaKatrell Christie, owner of a tea shop in Atlanta, helps educate girls in India, giving them choices beyond lives of hard labor.
Difference MakerKatherine Connor founded a sanctuary for abused elephantsBoon Lott鈥檚 Elephant Sanctuary, a 540-acre reserve in Thailand, is home to elephants saved from a life of misery in the logging and tourism trades.
Waterless dyeing could clean up the clothing industryTextile-dyeing is one of the world鈥檚 most-polluting industries. China and other Asian nations releases trillions of liters of chemically tainted wastewater. New waterless dyeing technologies could sharply cut pollution.
Tenacious gardeners put down roots in 'America's most desperate town'They're committed to the future of Camden, N.J., and they've created one of the nation's fastest-growing networks of urban farms.
Difference MakerShukla Bose left a highflying career to educate India's poorest childrenHer foundation wants to break the cycle of poverty by educating 鈥� from kindergarten through college 鈥� at least one child in each family.
How satellite maps can halt Amazon deforestationImazon, a nonprofit group, is collaborating with a Brazilian state to use real-time satellite imagery and advanced mapping techniques to protect the rainforest.
