How to Make the World a Better Place

Volunteer. Volunteering with a local charity is an excellent way to improve the world around you. You’ll have the opportunity to directly make a positive impact and witness the effects of your efforts on those you assist. If you have practical skills or are willing to learn, volunteering during evenings at your local Humanitarian Organization can make a huge difference. Using skills such as construction or healthcare can be incredibly rewarding.

• Tutor children in need
• Work at a local food bank
• Collaborate with a charity like Housing Assistance Organizations

Minimize Your Negative Impact. Another way to truly make the world a better place is by reducing the negative effects you have on the surrounding world. Being a good leader creates a significant positive impact on your environment and helps preserve the planet for future generations.

• Be consistent with recycling waste.
• Reduce the waste you generate and compost.
• Save water and grow some of your own food.
• If you’re truly passionate about protecting the local environment, consider purchasing and installing solar panels for your home, and switch to using public transport, a bicycle, or an electric car.
• Increase positive impacts. Understand that your health and happiness are connected to others and the natural world. Learn how you can leave behind a legacy of lasting happiness.

Engage in Civic Duties. Use your right to vote. Politicians and poor policies can have a severely negative impact on your community and environment. By not voting and letting your voice be heard, you allow poor policies and regulations to prevail. Get involved in your city, state, and local activities by voting, contacting the politicians you support, and educating others about important issues.

• For example, in the U.S., only about 50% to 60% of eligible voters actually vote in presidential elections. That number drops to around 35% to 40% in midterm elections. Imagine the change that could be made if 90% of the voters participated in presidential elections and 60% in midterm elections!

Be Clear About What You Buy. With companies, your money is incredibly important… so don’t hesitate to make your views known! Avoid purchasing products that harm animals or come from companies that mistreat animals. Whenever possible, buy local products to support those around you and your local economy. If a company makes a poor choice that negatively affects people, stop buying from them.

• Always, always feel comfortable contacting companies to let them know what you’re doing and why! Some, though not all, businesses genuinely care about what their customers want. They won’t know how to change if no one tells them.

Take Pride in Where You Live. Care for and take pride in your community. Preserving the area you live in is not just good for you, but for everyone in your community. If you have the opportunity to help, seize it, as not everyone will. You should also look for ways to improve your living environment. Here are a few ideas:

• Combine exemplary citizenship with environmental care by volunteering for your city to plant trees, maintain sidewalks, and keep your living spaces green.
• Never litter as you go about your day – always try to find an appropriate trash can or recycling bin to dispose of your waste! Clean up any trash you find, even if someone else dropped it.

Donate to the Right Charity. If you wish to assist people worldwide, it’s crucial to contribute to charities where the aid provided is appropriate and reaches the areas where the charity operates most effectively. Charities that create lasting benefits in areas of need are the best and will do the most good.

• You don’t necessarily have to donate money. Some non-profit organizations accept school supplies, clothes, or other items. It’s worth calling or emailing them to find out what they need. Some organizations simply want you to raise awareness in the community, so spreading information is helpful without having to contribute material items.
• Volunteer or participate in fundraising events for charities abroad. Organize a marathon or other fundraising activities for an international charity of your choice. Look for programs that let you get involved in social activities and volunteer. Consider other options such as consulting or providing tutoring services for smaller non-profits or organizations over the internet.

Buy Fair Trade Products. Fair Trade certified products are guaranteed to be produced under humane working conditions, ensuring fair wages for workers and sustainable production practices. By purchasing these products as much as possible, you demonstrate to companies that these actions are worth the extra cost and encourage others to invest in such practices.

• Fair Trade products are almost always clearly labeled. If you’re unsure, at least try to avoid products that are often sourced through unethical practices. Coffee, bananas, cocoa, many tropical fruits, wine (mainly from California), clothing (mainly from China, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia), and jewelry are often produced in unethical conditions.

Invest Your Money. Sometimes, the needs of a third-world country or struggling community represent an opportunity for their own economic development. One way to help people help themselves is by providing small business loans. This means you get your money back, and the small businesses get what they need to boost their economy and community. A simple way to do this is by visiting Kiva.org, a website that provides small business loans to people in underprivileged areas.

• This is a fantastic way to help women and other vulnerable groups become self-sufficient.

Protect the Environment. By doing so, you’ll improve the environment as a whole. A great way to protect the planet is to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and other energy sources that harm the environment. You can do this by using public transportation, a bicycle, or an electric vehicle. You can also use solar energy to heat your home instead of using things like natural gas (which puts pressure on the environment). Eating local food and using local products will also reduce fossil fuel usage globally.

• Conserve energy as much as possible. Energy production is a major burden on the planet, often requiring the burning of gas or nuclear energy generation. Any energy you don’t use can be repurposed for more important things, and reducing energy usage will benefit everything. Turn off lights when you leave a room, take cooler showers, switch to energy-efficient bulbs, turn off your computer when you’re not using it, and so on. There are plenty of ways to save electricity!

Reduce Waste. Don't eat more than you need, avoid buying a bunch of unnecessary items, and steer clear of purchasing new clothes each year. Buying secondhand clothing can help reduce the amount of waste generated. Eating a small, balanced, and healthy diet will also cut down on waste. If you have food scraps, compost them. You want to minimize the waste you produce before our planet ends up like a scene from the movie *Wall-E*!

• Compost your organic waste. Get or make a large bin to store outside, along with a small one for inside. Collect all leftover food scraps from meals and cooking, as well as yard waste, and place them in the outdoor bin. Stir and mix the compost regularly with a pitchfork or rake. You may need to add soil when necessary. Once it becomes a consistent mixture, it’s ready to be used in your garden space.
• Recycle more, and do so properly. Most urban areas will collect recyclables along with your trash, though they will be stored in separate bins. Items like plastic bottles, metal cans, and paper are recyclable.

Be an Animal Advocate. As the dominant species on Earth, it’s our responsibility to protect animals who can't defend themselves. Due to our current way of living, many species are endangered or even on the brink of extinction! If you want to improve the living conditions of animals, there are several ways to help.

• Support and advocate for animal protection laws.
• Only buy products that don’t contribute to animal cruelty.
• Donate to animal welfare organizations such as the Humane Society, The Marine Mammal Center, or the Performing Animal Welfare Society.

Donate Feminine Hygiene Products. In many impoverished countries, such as areas in India and Africa, women lack access to clean feminine hygiene products. This results in extreme embarrassment, isolation, and sometimes even life-threatening infections. By donating items and money to charities tackling this issue, you will help women stay healthy and empower them to pursue education and work for better opportunities in their lives.

• One such charity is Days for Girls.

Live Kindly. We often become so focused on improving the entire world that we forget there are small, positive impacts we can make right at home every day. One of the best things you can do daily is treat others the way you would want to be treated. Be kind to others as often as you can. This can be small acts like giving someone a birthday gift or larger gestures like driving someone around until their car is fixed. When we work together, things run more smoothly, and we can invest even more of these benefits to help others.

Be a good example for those around you. Show your friends and family the right way to act, and educate them on the issues that matter so they can make informed decisions. Help them understand why these things are important, motivating them to change their lives too. With just a shift in your mindset, you can multiply the positive impact you have on the world many times over.

Having a job can make a real difference. Almost any job you take on can positively impact the community. It creates employment opportunities for others and boosts the local economy, improving the lives of those around you. Moreover, it provides you with the means to donate to charities or fund small business loans!

Live with a positive attitude. When surrounded by negativity and pessimism, it's easy to become discouraged and face life's challenges with difficulty. Let your attitude show others that a smile and a hopeful outlook can genuinely improve everyone's life. By finding the positive aspects in tough situations and working to solve problems, you can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those you interact with.

Help others whenever you can. Each day offers countless chances to be kind and assist those in need. We often miss these opportunities, thinking we’re too busy or assuming someone else will step in. If you want to make the world better, simply do what’s right—help people instead of waiting for someone else to do it. For example, if someone is struggling to carry groceries to their car and drops a bag, help them pick it up. Small actions like this are always appreciated!

Assist homeless individuals. Homelessness is a vulnerable group often misunderstood. By helping the homeless both locally and globally, you contribute to improving people's lives and creating more sustainable and safer cities.

Support women. Traditionally, women have been a vulnerable group. While conditions have improved in many places, even in the countries most supportive of women's rights, you will still find unequal pay and disproportionate mistreatment. Do what you can to help women, not only in more obvious places like developing countries but also right in your own community. Remember, creating a gender-equal society opens up opportunities for everyone.

• Don’t be discouraged if you feel like you lack the energy to make a difference. Big changes often start with a simple conversation between two people and grow through the collective strength of like-minded individuals.
• Always do your research on the organizations you want to support or donate to. Some organizations, even those claiming to be 'genuine' charities, may not allocate the funds raised to the people who truly need help. Use resources like Charity Watch and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to gather more information about an organization.