All People Making a Difference
- A visionary's quest: a city filled with gardens
Orion Kriegman wants Boston to burst with food-producing parcels tended by the community.
- Small island states ditch diesel for cheaper, cleaner energy
The Marshall Islands is cutting diesel use dramatically with small-scale wind power, solar power, and energy efficiency moves.
- Difference MakerMelissa Fink turned a struggling grade school into a national model
The principal of Jones Elementary School in Springdale, Ark., begins by addressing the needs of the 'whole child.'
- Old tires faithfully protect Yellowstone’s most famous geyser
A new pathway in Yellowstone National Park is made from repurposed rubber, allowing more water to flow into the ground and recharge the Old Faithful geyser.
- These Black Mambas protect African wildlife from poachers
The United Nations has honored the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit, comprised mostly of women, which has dramatically reduced poaching in a South African national park.
- Two decades after the genocide, a Rwanda wildlife park recovers
Akagera National Park was devastated during Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Now wildlife, including hippos, crocodiles, and even lions, is coming back.
- Interest-free loans don't make sense: But they do make a difference
In a low-income area of Seattle, neighbors help to crowdfund the dreams of local entrepreneurs by providing interest-free loans.
- Difference MakerMel King has spent a lifetime as an advocate for Boston families
Today his South End Technology Center is helping the city's youths prepare for the future.
- Solar network 'in a box' brings phone service to disaster zones
A small Rescue Base Station will allow people to call, send messages, and even browse the Internet for help when regular phone service is disrupted by a natural disaster.
- Build a solar-powered school in rural Kenya – in 48 hours
The flat-packed building kit from Aleutia, a British tech company, includes computers preloaded with educational resources.
- Tanzania cooks up a sweet potato fix for its drought
Farmers are switching to hardy orange sweet potato to cope with drought and improve food security.
- Barron Prize encourages youths who 'make the world better'
In the 15 years since its founding, the Barron Prize has awarded more than $540,000 to some 364 young leaders who have collectively raised more than $15 million for their causes.
- A farm grows in Philadelphia's Chinatown
Set between a Shell station and a Catholic school, this small, corner-store-sized farm has big ambitions: to provide food to the homeless, purpose to the aimless, and satisfaction to everyone willing to get their hands dirty.
- Difference MakerErik de Buhr builds huts for the homeless – but eventually gives them a 'loving shove'
The 6-by-10-foot dwellings provide people who have been living on the streets a safe place to sleep and put together a plan.
- NASA engineer repairs bikes – and young lives
An astrophysicist at NASA uses his engineering skills to help children in his neighborhood with free bike repairs.
- Men are stepping up to oppose child marriage in Pakistan
Men make up the majority of a nonprofit human rights group working to protect girls and women.
- On reality TV in Tanzania women win fame, fortune – and farm tools
The series provides meatier content than the average TV reality show, but it resonates with viewers. The goal is to promote better agricultural practices and give a greater voice to women farmers.
- Own a home in just four years? This program does it.
In Cleveland, worker-owners at Evergreen Cooperatives can buy homes without a loan, keeping workers near their jobs and helping revitalize neighborhoods.
- On former battlefields, Vietnam's pepper crop yields a brighter future
Roots of Peace provides Vietnamese farmers with training, seeds, and tools that have helped their pepper orchards to thrive.
- Difference MakerPeg Hacskaylo created a haven for survivors of domestic abuse
The District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) in Washington, D.C., provides a launching pad for restarting women's lives.