All Change Agent
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.
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 – 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 – and improve their lives.
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 – and some cash – in Chicago's west side teenagers.
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 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.
'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.
Disaster prevention: Combine short- and long-term benefitsAround the world, cities threatened by increasingly severe floods and droughts are looking for ways to cope – and finding innovative solutions.
Horse powerOn a farm in Virginia, rescued horses teach young people to take the reins of their own lives.
Teens start Mission MAD to make a differenceTwo Kentucky teenagers launched Mission Make A Difference, an effort that's resulted in projects from helping a town in Uganda to gathering food, clothing, and hygiene products for those in need nearby.
Youths should oppose violence using #ShowyourselfieInternational Women's Day March 8 is a time to put a spotlight on ending violence and harmful practices against youths, especially adolescent girls, says actress and activist Bonnie Wright.
Biking across America to teach pop-up science classesTwo young women have started Cycle for Science, a plan to bicycle across the US and drop into schools to teach kids quick lessons in physics, solar power, and renewable energy.
