Small Actions to Change the World #2 (Carnival)
Welcome to the second edition of the "Small Actions to Change the World" Carnival! After a short absence (more on that in a later post) I will present to you an exciting array of posts on how small actions do make a difference! It's not just about small changes to save the environment (although that will form the majority of this post) but it is also about other things that make our world a worthwhile place to live.
Here's a nice tip on how to save water, Dean presents How to Save the World One Flush at a Time posted at Mr. Cheap Stuff, saying, "Save up to 15% off your water bill while helping save the Earth." It's another example on how helping the environment actually saves money.
Tupelo Kenyon has a very interesting post called Meaningful Spiritual Relationships – Namaste Matters posted at Tupelo Kenyon saying "How we interact with people we meet every day has a ripple effect, and you'll never know what a difference your kindness makes. This small action of regarding others with kindness and respect can make a difference in people's lives and therefore the world."
This is a really interesting post by Frugal Panda. I learned some new things, and I will be sure to look into Habit 8 (I've never tried that before). The Beginner's Guide to Going Green: 8 Painless New Habits posted at Frugal Panda.
I like this short post, it's about a nice way on how to confront a person who has gotten into trouble (through drugs or so). Praveen presents The Anti-Intervention posted at Tao of Simplicity.
Scott presents 6 Ways College Students Can Help Save The Environment posted at College and Finance.
Neil Ransom presents Country Count 139 and Falling posted at Kate and Neil's Official Website. His comment: "Sometimes all it takes to make a difference is changing the way you talk about things." This post put a smile on my face, because I have had some discussions on this as well, especially with my girlfriend (who was a tour guide at the UN).
Sometimes it's the small thing that make people happy. Samir Bharadwaj demonstrates this in his post Rediscover The Pure Pleasure Of Paper Crafts And Pop Up Cards posted at SamirBharadwaj.com.
Josh Brady presents What The Dr Ordered posted at Green Bag Blog. This is an update post on his campaign to reduce the number of plastic bags used in his community. Take a look at the whole blog, you might just get inspired.
Mary Jo Manzanares presents the post Backyard Sanctuary Program Helps Keep Washington one of the Best Places to Live. Read it and maybe you can start something similar in your community!
Alvaro Fernandez presents Mental Training for Gratitude and Altruism posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, "on why, and how, we can become more altruistic and more thankful for the gifts we receive. For example: what about writing every day a quick list of 5 good things that happened to us that day?"
That's it for this edition. Thanks for reading and I hope this edition of the carnival makes a small difference in the world!
If you want to submit a post to the next edition of the carnival, use our carnival submission form.
Past posts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Just like the first edition, I want to end this post with an inspiring story (which I've found here):
Gandhi went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh. During one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhi was sitting. "I must see him," she insisted and going up to Gandhi touched his feet. Then from the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhi picked up the copper coin and put it away carefully.
The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhi for the coin but Gandhi refused. "I keep cheque worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh," Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly "yet you won't trust me with a copper coin."
"This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands," Gandhi said.
"If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees."
