archives: Changing the world

Fight leprosy. Fight stigma.

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January 31 is World Leprosy Day.  More »

Celebrities Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro for Clean Water


Celebrities climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for the one billion people around the world without safe drinking water.  More »

New Years Resolution of 12: The Global Citizen Project

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Joannaline Young interviews Charyn Pfeuffer about her Global Citizen Project - 12 projects in 12 countries in 12 months.  More »

From the Editor: “It’s about changing the dream.”

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The first step in any process of change is to change our dreams.  More »

Urban Volunteering: London

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Interested in volunteering in London? Ruth Stokes has some great suggestions!  More »

Photo Essay: Team 100 Athletic Scholarships Changing Lives for Tanzanian Women

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The Team 100 Athletic Scholarship Program gives young women in Tanzania opportunities to get an education in the United States.  More »

Bacteria: A New Gasoline Alternative

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Researchers at UCLA have modified a bacterium to potentially serve as not only a fuel substitute, but also an environmental cleanup agent through its   More »

Send Stiv Wilson to Explore Plastic Pollution in the Atlantic


Stiv Wilson is invited to participate in a research mission to explore the plastic pollution floating around in the Sargasso Sea, and needs your help   More »

Travel bloggers leverage Twitter power for holiday charity drives


They've seen the problems of the world and have good ideas about how to help. Here's how they're using Twitter in the process.   More »

Higher Taxes For Country Living: A British Proposal

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Turns out, the regions with the largest carbon footprints in the UK are in the rural northeast, not the famed cities of London or Glasgow. London, in  More »

50 Visionaries Changing Your World

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Will Allen, Hiroshi Sunairi, Daniel Kish, David Bacon, Patricia van Nispen tot Sevenaer - heard of them? They're changing the world.  More »

Will More People Take The Stairs If We Make It More Fun?

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In September, The Fun Theory, a group promoting behavioral and environmental change, turned an average subway staircase in Stockholm into a giant, mus  More »

Japan to Harvest Energy from the Sun Via Solar Space Station

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The SSPS project, which Japan hopes to become fully realized as soon as 2030, will put into orbit giant solar panels just outside Earth's atmosphere t  More »

Sitting Beneath the Buddha with Barbara Bush

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There are lessons we have to learn over and over again before we get them right.   More »

No Impact Week, Day 7: Giving Back

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Abbie Mood finishes up No Impact Week and thinks about how to make a real impact.   More »

The Happy Planet Index: Finding Happiness Without Destroying the Earth

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Happiness and long life expectancy don't have to cost the earth.  More »

Man runs 500 miles in effort to end global slavery

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Sometimes you have to do something drastic.   More »

7 Common Challenges You Encounter After You Launch Your NGO…

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...and how to solve them!  More »

Laugh Your Way to Social Consciousness

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Is becoming socially conscious as simple as laughing at a good joke?   More »

5 Things You Should Know Before Joining the Peace Corps

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Get tips from a former Peace Corps volunteer about making the most of the "toughest job you'll ever love."   More »

Five for Friday: July 24 Edition

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Sending you into your weekend with five inspiring stories.   More »

Arrested Development Focuses on Africa: An Interview

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Once famous in the US for their "conscious" rap and hip hop, Arrested Development is now focused on making a difference in Africa.   More »

Photo Essay: Saving Indian Street Kids


"Many people ask me, 'Why India?'.... Quite simply, because these twenty-five million children exist."  More »

Money for Clean Energy Innovators

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Two $10,000 fellowships to be awarded to fund the best ideas for clean energy.   More »

Organizational Profile: What Took You So Long


What Took You So Long sets off on a 14,000+km. journey in Africa to document hopeful stories and help NGOs.   More »

First Person Dispatch: Volunteering for Animal Rights in Greece

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Stephanie Downs looks ahead as she prepares for a voluntourism trip to Greece.   More »

Open Debate: Can the Internet Really Solve the World’s Problems?

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Could Twitter have prevented the Rwandan genocide? That's what Gordon Brown thinks.   More »

Iran’s Tiananmen: 5 Reasons We MUST Support Iranian Citizens on Saturday

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70% of Iranians are under the age of 30. A change in government now could have dramatically positive results for the lives of all young Iranians. Now   More »

Citizen Diplomacy in Iran

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Formal diplomacy is important. But citizen diplomacy may be even more powerful.   More »

Photo Essay: Demonstration in Solidarity with Peru’s Indigenous People

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A cynical commenter leads me to question: Can holding a protest sign help solve the world's problems?  More »

Panama’s Model Tourism Program

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Panama's Minister of Tourism transforms tourism, the economy, and--oh, yeah--locals' lives through an innovative program.   More »

Twitter for a Cause

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Fundraising for a cause in 140 characters.  More »

Photo Essay: Protest at Chevron’s Annual Shareholder Meeting

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A photo report of the protest outside Chevron's Annual Shareholder Meeting in San Ramon, California.   More »

An Open Letter to America

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A letter from a resident of the Ecuadorean Amazon who has experienced Chevron's environmental hazards firsthand.   More »

Prop 8 Prompts Question: What Should America Become?

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Prop 8 isn't just about gay marriage. It raises bigger questions about America's philosophy about people.  More »

First Person Dispatch: Caring for Orphaned Kids in Mexico

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Matador contributor Dominic DeGrazier expects to find a dirty, sad orphange. Instead, he finds a home-like atmosphere, full of color and life.   More »

Carbon Footprint of US Junk Mail Equivalent to 480,000 Cars

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The average person in the US receives 11 pieces of junk mail per week. How many trees would be saved, and how much carbon could be offset were this ju  More »

Social Change in Colombia

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Going inside Colombia's Escuela Taller.   More »

7 Ways to Have Life-Changing Conversations

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Whether offline or on, whether talking about changing the world or what to eat for dinner, you can have more meaningful conversations. Here's how.   More »

Are You a Changemaker?

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If so, you might be interested in Ashoka's Changemakers initiatives.   More »

Social Activism with Compounding Interest

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5 reasons to start a non-profit or NGO BEFORE you're old and rich.   More »

Creating Community Through Film

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Live in Olympia, Seattle, Portland, Bellingham, Eugene, or Victoria, BC? Then you're invited.   More »

Saving Turtles in Baja California Sur, Mexico

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Travelers Notebook co-editor Teresa Ponikvar visits Baja California Sur and reports how a handful of people are making a difference for hundreds of tu  More »

6 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

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Six things you've been putting off and can start doing... NOW.  More »

“Hispaniola”: Short Film Explores Race in Haiti & the Dominican Republic

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Freddy Vargas's film, "Hispaniola," conveys a lot in just 12 minutes.   More »

Cameras for Change

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The power of photography is profound.   More »

Clowns without Borders

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Have red rubber nose, will travel.   More »

India’s Pink Chaddi Campaign

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Panties and pub crawls might just be the most imaginative form of protest ever. Whether the protest will be effective remains to be seen.   More »

Twitter’s #followfriday

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Every Friday, people on Twitter recommend their favorite "tweeters" for other folks to follow. Here are seven incredible people tweeting about world n  More »

Learn Portuguese & Support Social Change

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The affordable tuition at Casa do Caminho in Rio means you can learn Portuguese & support social change at the same time.   More »

Room to Read

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Backpacking for charity.   More »

Volunteer Voice: Learning More About Sustainable Bolivia

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An interview with the founder of Sustainable Bolivia.   More »

Meet Some of Brazil’s Changemakers

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and learn how you can support their work.   More »

4 Gates Foundation Projects You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

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"All lives have equal value." -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation  More »

Seniors in the Peace Corps: an Interview with Muriel Johnston

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"The application process . . . has given me an opportunity to examine my life and future goals."   More »

Working with the Deaf in Vietnam

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"Bright, highly capable kids like Thien are fated to become field laborers or factory workers because the system does not provide the handicapped with  More »

Purdue University Senior Designs Innovative Housing For Refugee Camps

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"My goal is to design products that assist the developing world. . ."  More »

Finca Bellavista: The World’s First Treehouse Subdivision

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With sustainability as a guiding principle, Finca Bellavista is redefining how land is developed.  More »

Volunteer Voice: Tracking Down a Chance to Give Back

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The first article in a series about a year spent volunteering.  More »

The Most Important Message This Christmas: Buy Fair Trade

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A different kind of message about hope and change.   More »

Travel Blogging for Change

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Learn how travel bloggers are fighting hunger and poverty worldwide, and what you can do to help.   More »

Save the Waves Coalition

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Meet an org dedicated to protecting surf spots around the planet and educating local people about their value.  More »

Roll Your Own Peace Corps (Part 1)

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Pt 1 of a series on exactly how to get the most out of your effort while volunteering for an NGO.  More »

Are We Ready to Step Up and Serve Under Obama?

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"As Obama asks the youth of the greater La Crosse area to serve, I’m left feeling embarrassed."  More »

10 Ways the International Community Must Help Africa

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A concise overview of the most important issues facing Africa.   More »

US Set to Lead the World in Solar Power

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New solar thermal plants in the Mojave desert are leading the way towards US energy independence.   More »

A Safe Passage: Volunteering in Guatemala

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How one NGO is empowering hundreds of the poorest kids in Guatemala City through education.   More »

A Traveler’s Secret Way To Save Gas Money

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You rely on public transport while traveling. Free yourself from gas prices and car loans by switching to public transport at home.  More »

How to Start a Successful NGO in 10 Steps

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Ryan Libre brings a zen approach to starting a successful NGO.   More »

5 Diseases that are Thriving Thanks to Global Warming

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A wake-up call for policymakers (and local citizens) to do something about global warming?  More »

Witness for Peace

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Look. Listen. Learn. Voluntourism with Witness for Peace in Colombia.   More »

10 Ways Travelers Can Change The World

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Envision what you can do to change the world as a traveler.   More »

Five Ways to Raise Money at Home for Your Cause Abroad

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With the right mindset, fundraising can be both easy and fun.  More »

Casa do Caminho: Getting Orphans off the Streets

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In Brazil, getting orphans and street children off the streets is literally a matter of life and death.   More »

Top 10 Volunteer Opportunities Worldwide

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10 Programs that change the lives of local people and the volunteers who help them.   More »

Nations Less Traveled: Volunteer Opportunities in Africa

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Volunteers are needed in these often-overlooked African nations.  More »

“All Corners of the Earth”: Volunteer Travel with Kiva’s Fellows Program

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Kiva.org needs your help to make the micro finance revolution a reality.   More »

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