All People Making a Difference
- In drought-stressed regions, 'graywater' recycling gains attention
Some households and businesses are reusing graywater – water from bathroom sinks, showers, bathtubs, washing machines, and laundry sinks.
- Nepal turns to bamboo to rebuild after quakes
Bamboo grows widely in Nepal, is easier to transport than heavier materials, and is relatively cheap to use, experts say. Twin earthquakes last year destroyed nearly a million buildings in the Himalayan nation.
- Difference MakerIn slums of Romania, a Dutchman is drawn to help the Roma
Bert Looij aids ostracized Roma, who are also known as Gypsies – including those living at a rat-infested dump. 'I help them because nobody else is helping them,' he says.
- Reaping benefits beyond better prison menus, inmates grow their own food
From New York to Oregon, prison gardening programs are providing a cost-effective food source – and are giving inmates opportunities for personal growth.
- Mind Treasures helps adults and children take control of finances
The nonprofit group views 'treasures' as more than just material wealth.
- An artist tries to create a beautiful image for food waste
Aliza Eliazarov’s tableaux of rescued food highlight just how much Americans waste. Some of her projects, displayed for passersby, have encouraged them to think more about the subject.
- Difference MakerA retired lawyer opens first US slavery museum with $8.6 million of his money
John Cummings has redeveloped an antebellum plantation in Louisiana where more than 350 slaves labored. Americans must ‘take responsibility’ for the wrongs of slavery, he says.
- A television exec wears a new 'flat hat' – park ranger
After four decades in public TV, John Kerr found himself living his childhood dream, serving at Yellowstone National Park.
- Celebrate! RVA throws birthday parties for at risk children
Celebrate! RVA tells kids from challenging circumstances who may not get a birthday celebration at home that 'they matter.'
- Difference MakerA former gangster morphs into a lawyer who helps troubled kids
Once known as 'Red,' David Lee Windecher is now one of Atlanta’s hottest young lawyers. His message: Too many Americans buy into a myth that youths are a lost cause.
- In US, refugees cook to win over hearts, minds, and stomachs
Several kitchen-based initiatives, from New York to California, are giving refugees opportunities to make a living. The initiatives can serve as a counterpoint to anti-immigration sentiment, proponents say.
- Floating school on a lagoon brings hope to Nigeria's slum-on-stilts
Makoko Floating School, built with local wood and floating on hundreds of recycled plastic barrels, can adapt to changing water levels and withstand storms and floods.
- After losing her husband, this military wife laced up sneakers with others
Lisa Hallett co-founded the Wear Blue running club – now with 15,000 members – to commemorate soldiers who have died in action. Helping others cope with those losses has become her mission.
- An entrepreneur's mobile tech brings buying power to rural India
Akanksha Hazari's data company helps underserved communities earn rewards for water filters, tuition fees and more.
- Musicians in Kosovo fight anti-Roma prejudice
A growing movement is using music to challenge negative perceptions of the Roma, or gypsy, community in Kosovo.
- Difference MakerYuval Roth gives Palestinians a lift so they can get medical care in Israel
'These encounters break down barriers – everything the Palestinians knew about us, and everything we knew about them, simply disintegrates,' says the founder of The Road to Recovery.
- Is 'The 30 Year Sweatshirt' an antidote to 'fast fashion'?
Young British entrepreneur Tom Cridland is designing a line of practical, everyday clothing meant to last decades and be more eco-friendly.
- 16 women who are standing up to violence
Today (March 8) is International Women's Day. From Ukraine to Mexico, women across the world are finding creative ways to break cycles of violence in their communities.
- New satellite program to cut down on illegal logging in real time
The new mapping process uses an algorithm to analyze satellite images and send automatic alerts about questonable logging activity.
- In Kenya, a honey of a way to protect trees
An entrepreneur urges farmers to stop cutting down acacia trees for fuel and instead suspend bee hives from them, creating a perpetual – and higher – source of income.