All People Making a Difference
Ben Affleck will live on $1.50 to support charityBen Affleck supports Live Below the Line by taking on the challenge of living on $1.50 per day, just as 1.4 billion people around the world must do every day.
After Boston Marathon bombing: Faith in WatertownA pastor at a suburban church in Watertown, Mass., reflects on the Boston Marathon bombing, the pursuit of a terrorist suspect to her town, and how her congregation lived through a nightmare to emerge 'filled with a mighty spirit 鈥� a holy one.'
LeanIn.Org pushes women to stick with career ambitionsLeanIn.Org, founded by Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, 'plans to focus on very practical and actionable skills that women can use in the workplace and that men and women can use to combat gender biases,' says its president, Rachel Thomas.
EcoZoom builds a market for clean cookstoves in developing economiesIn impoverished areas, people spend $1 to $2 per day to burn charcoal or wood to cook food, a huge expensive for them. A clean-burning cookstove cuts that cost by more than half.
Copenhagen makes an ambitious push to be carbon neutral by 2025More bicycle lanes, biomass generation, public transit, cooling buildings with seawater 鈥� it's all intended to make Copenhagen the world鈥檚 first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.
Difference MakerPaul Gini猫s turned a failing African university into a world-class problem-solverToday 2iE is recognized as a 'center of excellence' producing top-notch home-grown African engineers ready to address the continent's problems.
Patrons praise restaurant staff near Boston Marathon blastDiners at Forum, a restaurant near the two bomb detonations at the Boston Marathon, laud the efforts of staffers who kept them calm and helped them to safety: 'They could have run like the rest of us, but they stayed there and showed us the way out.'
Circle of Six aims to stop rapeA phone app that quickly alerts six friends if a woman feels threatened is expanding from the US to New Delhi and possibly Mexico City.
After Boston Marathon blast, many show kindness to runnersGestures were as small as offering a drink of orange juice or the use of a cell phone or bathroom to taking runners into their homes or businesses.
Rural electric co-ops go greenElectric cooperatives have served rural Americans for generations. Some are taking advantage of their member-owned status to begin weaning their regions off of fossil fuels.
Fiji students set to become the world's savviest saversThe project will teach money-management skills to young students in Fiji using innovative techniques, such as games, that engage as well as inform.
Difference MakerClaudio Miranda's music is taming a once-violent Brazilian neighborhoodRaised in one of the world's most dangerous neighborhoods in S茫o Paulo, Brazil, he now helps youths reimagine themselves creatively through music, video production, art, performances, and education.
Girls just want to have fun ... in high-tech careersGirls Who Code steers young women toward careers in science and technology, fields traditionally dominated by men that face a shortage of workers in the future.
Start an orphanage in the Philippines at age 80? Of course!When a man offered to sell Lois Prater his child, her shock turned to action. Refusing to let her age stop her, she founded King's Garden Children's Home.
In Lebanon, a doctor offers comfort and healing to refugees from neighboring warsDr. Irad Beldjebel spends his days not only treating refugees, but serving as an all-round counselor to those fleeing violence 鈥� a trusty shoulder to lean on for people who are often traumatized by the past and unsure about the future.
How to curb invasive species? Eat 'emKaren Monger says there's a more sustainable alternative to culling, pulling, or poisoning invasive plants: Put them on the dinner table.
A small foundation learns how to make a big difference in juvenile justiceThe Tow Foundation focuses on Connecticut organizations that work to change how courts treat young people and that help youths stay out of trouble, its executive director says.
Difference MakerBryan Hoddle helps wounded vets run 鈥� and dream 鈥� againHe's more than a track coach: He's a counselor and a friend, listening to a life story.
Zimbabwe's farmers dig in to capture a delugeWith no access to groundwater, and no help from local authorities, farmers in drought-stricken Zimbabwe have grouped together to dig ponds to capture precious rainwater.
How Ontario is putting an end to coal-burning power plantsOntario is on the verge of becoming the first industrial region in North America to eliminate all coal-fired electrical generation. Here鈥檚 how Canada鈥檚 most populous province did it 鈥� and what the US can learn from it.