Making the World a Better Place

There are so many things each and every one of us can do to help make the world a better place. Whether your goal is to improve the world for one person or to do your part to heal the planet as a whole, here are some lesser-known ideas that might be of interest.

This page is intended to be a continually evolving work, adding new ideas on an on-going basis. If you have unique ideas you would like to see reflected on this page, please send mail to suggestions@naturalhealthcare.ca

Sign a Petition · Write a Letter · Eat Better · Donate (Used) Goods· Donate Time· Donate money

Make the World a Better Place: Sign a Petition

• Help Save Coral - Write Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and urge them to protect B.C.'s deep sea corals. The Finding Coral Expedition has shown that there are areas of substantial deep sea coral abundance in Canada's Pacific waters, and that these corals are associated with a variety of fish and invertebrate species such as rockfish, crab and shrimp. Unfortunately, the expedition also brought to light yet more evidence that fishing activities can harm and destroy these corals.

Make the World a Better Place: Eat Kindly

• Take the twice annual Veggie Challenge.
  Go vegetarian (or vegan if you dare!) for one week. Share your experiences with other participants.

Make the World a Better Place: Donate your time to a worthy cause

• Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) - books to audio (cassette tape, digital)
  Reading a book so that it can be recorded for someone who can no longer read for themselves is a job that is always in demand. New books are released continually, and it can be an incredible amount of time between the paper version and an official audio version, if it happens at all.
  
  The position is a two-person operation - one to read, and one to record/monitor the levels. Both roles are filled by volunteers, and you can opt to do either task or both. for more information, see the CNIB recording studio webpage

Make the World a Better Place: We need your used goods

• Wildlife Centres of Ontario: your old blankets, towels, and bedding can all get a new lease on life helping orphaned and injured wildlife be rehabilitated and returned to the wild.
• "Freecycle" is a verb meaning to give an item away rather than throw it in the trash. If you have something that you no longer need, rather than add it to the already overloaded landfills, join one of these mailing lists or webgroups and post what you have. If you are seeking a specific item, you can also create a "wanted" post, to let people know that you are looking for it.
  
  The groups are created by geographic area to make it easier to transport objects. Get more info, or search for a local group now.

Sign a Petition · Write a Letter · Eat Better · Donate (Used) Goods· Donate Time· Donate money

Make the World a Better Place: Donate money

While this could be viewed as "taking the easy way out," the reality is that most organizations need the funds to further their efforts. Not every area of an individual organization's needs will be covered through donations. Supplies, know-how, testing, experiments, etc. all cost cold hard cash, and if this is what you can offer, trust that it will be appreciated.

• The Girl Effect

  The Girl Effect is the powerful social and economic change brought about when girls have the opportunity to participate.
  It’s an untapped force in the fight against poverty, and it’s driven by champions around the globe: the Nike Foundation, the NoVo Foundation, the UN Foundation, the Coalition for Adolescent Girls, CARE, Plan, the Population Council, ICRW and the Center for Global Development – and many others.

• Kiva Micro-loans

  Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur to help them lift themselves out of poverty. Multiple people can lend to reach the amount needed, so every little bit helps. When you invest, your money is returned to you, and you can opt to reinvest in other ventures.

• ICROSS Canada

  In many developing countries, health care workers are over-worked, under-supplied and even at times, unpaid. The many challenges facing nurses and doctors in Africa, are now expected and tolerated. Lack of supplies, and poor access to transportation are two of the major issues that hamper the work of these dedicated people.

  They continue to labour and refuse to lose hope. ICROSS Canada is assisting the health care staff at a number of different facilities by providing them with medical supplies and bicycles.

  The bicycles are often their only means of transport to get to the patients in remote areas. Please consider sponsoring a health care worker. $US 40 per month will keep a health care worker on the road for a month visiting suffering patients.

• The Children's Wish Foundation is currently celebrating its 25th year of operations. Their mission is to grant wishes for children living with life-threatening diseases.
  
  This can be an expensive proposition, considering that wishes that involve travel cover the entire family, not just the child. If you are looking for a good cause to donate cash to, visit the Children's Wish Foundation website.
• Spread The Net - Help prevent malaria with some basic technology. Your donation buys bed nets for children in malaria-ridden areas to prevent them from being bitten by mosquitoes at night. Simple, and effective.

Sign a Petition · Write a Letter · Eat Better · Donate (Used) Goods· Donate Time· Donate money

Remember, we want ideas. If you volunteer for an organization that helps make the world a better place, and think that it could use a little attention, write us at 2009inquiries@naturalhealthcare.ca. We'll be pleased to add any worthy cause to this list.

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Information on this website is for informational purposes only.
Please consult a qualified health practitioner before taking any course of action.