All People Making a Difference
Including the poor in the solar energy boomA Colorado community's solar farm may be the first of many that lets people buy cheaper, greener electricity.
Bringing high-tech volunteers and nonprofits togetherHashtagcharity.org will match high-tech volunteers with worthy charities that need their help.
A charity creates a guide to how to get produce into 鈥榝ood deserts鈥�D.C. Central Kitchen offers a manual for other nonprofit groups that gives tips on staffing, budgets, marketing, and how to building partnerships.- Pauli Murray: Historic change agent for women, blacksPauli Murray was an attorney, professor, author, and the first black woman to be a priest in the Episcopal Church. To raise her profile, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has named her house a national treasure.
An Air Shepherd to guard African wildlifeDrones programmed with a sophisticated search algorithm will patrol the skies over wildlife parks in South Africa, a project backed by the US-based Lindbergh Foundation.
Difference MakerHorse whisperer Monty Roberts aids veterans and others who face traumasMonty Roberts is taking his message of nonviolent communication and developing trust to military veterans, military police, and incarcerated youths with post-traumatic stress disorder.
This food bank feeds humans and wolves alikeA Michigan food bank supplies farms and animal sanctuaries with food it can't use. 'We鈥檙e not taking food away from people, but we鈥檙e keeping it out of the trash,' says one animal shelter founder.
Eyes on the Seas guards the oceans from aboveOne in 5 fish is caught illegally. Now satellites are watching. Using satellite data, seafood suppliers can prove they are working with vessels that are fishing legally.
With fins off the menu, shark slaughter is ebbingFor decades, sharks have been sought for their fins and meat. But bans on finning and new attitudes toward eating shark fin soup are leading to optimism about the future for these iconic ocean predators.
Composting made easy wins over New YorkersThe 14th Street Y finds success in providing convenient composting, accepting a wider-than-usual range of organic items that includes meat, bones, and shells.
Website lets visitors give corporations' money to charitiesViewers to Volunteers allows ordinary people to help direct how corporations spend their charitable dollars.
Difference MakerAlex Cook paints walls, not canvas, with a message of hope and loveThe Boston-based artist creates outdoor murals across the US and abroad. 'Art has the potential to save someone鈥檚 life,' he says. 'Why be subtle about it?'
Drip, drip, drip: Tanzania farmers learn to defeat droughtDrip irrigation systems, introduced to help with worsening drought, are restoring harvests, building resilience to erratic weather, and saving time.
Fighting poverty with eyeglassesWithout clear vision, people in the developing world may be unable to secure a job or support a family. VisionSpring offers inexpensive eyeglasses to meet the need.
A visit to Kenya prompts a well-drilling nonprofit to spring upWater Is Life Kenya helps bring clean water to remote, rural communities, reducing disease and helping to lift people out of poverty.
Prisoners find purpose behind bars saving salamanders 鈥� and going greenRaising endangered species is just one part of the Green Initiative at an Ohio prison, which also includes growing and donating 15,000 pounds of vegetables and recycling a million pounds of garbage per year.
At Sadhana Forest, trees spring from once-barren landThe nonprofit group shows local people in India, Haiti, and Kenya how to plant trees in dry regions 鈥� and improve their lives.
Difference MakerHenrietta Clanton Foote runs a free kitchen with an open heartFor Foote, known as the 鈥榓ngel of East St. Louis,鈥� cooking up a free meal for those in need is her vocation and her joy.
Why four grandmothers are champions of solar power in the PhilippinesFour women from an indigenous group in rural Philippines were trained as solar engineers in India. Soon, they'll be changing lives, one light at a time.
An American teen gives sports gear to kids around the worldWesley Boone watched children play soccer using a rock or scraps of cloth as a ball. That inspired him to found Gear Going Global, which sends gently used sports equipment to children in developing countries.