All People Making a Difference
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.
Windy Knitty: Chicago knitting club became a haven for teensHow knitting builds confidence 鈥� and some cash 鈥� in Chicago's west side teenagers.聽
Conflict-prevention group plays a key role in a tiny Southeast Asian nationTroubled East Timor has endured a rocky road to independence. The group Belun ('friend') is trying to forge common ground and ease tensions among聽 factions.
Let Girls Lead helps to reform a marriage lawMalawi is raising the legal age for girls to marry from 15 to 18, improving their lives.
Difference MakerPriti Patkar helps the children of Mumbai's sex workersAs a young social worker she was planning only to take a survey. But when she saw what was happening she knew she had to stay and help.
'Green' toilet could light up refugee campsA pioneering toilet uses microbes that feed on urine and produce enough electricity to light up the facility or charge mobile phones.
As India battles rape, a female superhero joins the fightA new comic book features a young village woman who, with the help of a goddess, spreads awareness about sexual violence.