All People Making a Difference
Wildlife in Crisis helps 5,000 animals return to the wild each yearA small Connecticut nonprofit group treats wildlife from songbirds and red-tailed hawks to foxes, skunks, even fisher cats and bobcats.
Search for Common Ground uses TV soaps to promote peaceNow in its 30th year Search for Common Ground uses a variety of methods, including TV soap operas, to build peace and avoid conflict in 30 countries around the world.
An entrepreneurial approach to sanitationThe social entrepreneurs at Sanergy supply badly needed clean toilets in the developing world and then sell off the waste they gather.
Difference MakerSteven Amstrup says it's not too late to save polar bears 鈥� and ourselves'We know the answer to what it takes to save' polar bears, says environmental prize winner Steven Amstrup, who has gone to the Arctic to study the bears for 30 years.
Brass City Harvest brings fresh food to an urban 'desert'In the middle of Waterbury, Conn., a faded industrial city, Brass City Harvest will open a year-round farmers market, offering fresh produce and other goods from eight Connecticut farms.
Saudi princess founds Opt4Unity to bridge cultural divides'Saudi women have been quiet for a long, long time, and it鈥檚 about time we spoke up,' says Saudi Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel.
Mobile technology boosts access to clean water for the poorThe widespread availability of mobile phones has enabled the development of low-cost solutions aimed at improving water security and reducing poverty.
Games for change: How digital fun is becoming a way to better the worldUsing online games to benefit society, or 'games for change,' is a fast-growing movement. A favorite pastime of teens and young adults is being used for good causes.
Difference MakerRohini Nilekani pours her wealth into getting books to India's poorest childrenWhen she found herself suddenly wealthy, the Indian philanthropist founded Pratham Books, a nonprofit publisher that uses innovative ways to put low-cost books in the hands of millions of kids.
Gardening projects change lives of troubled veteransEncouraging recovering military veterans to work in community gardens helps lift them out of depression, increases their self-esteem 鈥� and even gets them eating better, says Vietnam War vet and gardening guru Howard Hinterthuer.
Inner-city grocery chain innovates by hiring ex-cons, providing fresh foodThe story of a Philadelphia grocery store chain suggests that collaboration with the community may be the key to success for businesses in struggling neighborhoods.
Alice Walker: 'Go to the places that scare you'The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'The Color Purple' says a life worth living must be fought for. 'You have to go wherever you need to go ... and place yourself there against the forces that would distort you and destroy you.'
Difference MakerBrenda Palms Barber offers ex-cons in Chicago a honey of a second chanceSweet Beginnings, a growing business on Chicago's West Side, provides just released prisoners with job experience making honey and other products.
Ex-NASA engineer designs an app to chart water qualityJohn Feighery created mWater 鈥� a cell phone app that instantly records and maps the results of water-quality tests, making monitoring of water quality in developing countries quicker and easier.
'Parent power' film stirs hopes among education reform activistsReviewers called it trite and dull, but education reformers on both the left and right have hailed 'Won't Back Down' as a potential game-changer for public education.
One solution to Palestine's economic problems? Export bits and bytesThe technology sector, which simply requires an Internet connection, is free of the border restraints that most other Palestinian industries experience.
Five cities and the groups that are making them greenAround the world cities are promoting urban agriculture to help feed their growing populations.
Difference MakerBruce Lasky trains young lawyers in Asia to defend the poor and powerlessThe New York City native quietly champions legal reforms in Southeast Asia, a region where the rule of law is often weak and governments are criticized for their human rights records.
Southeast Asian scientists look to reinvent the flush toiletThe 200-year-old flush toilet requires a substantial amount of infrastructure, which is expensive to build and run. Innovative toilets could be a source of energy while dramatically improving sanitation.
This '1 percent' helps nonprofits solve architectural problems'The 1聽percent' a program of public architecture based in San Francisco, connects nonprofit groups in need of design assistance with free help from architecture or design firms.