Green Bridge Growers: Finding Hope in the Ground
"Food is so much a part of the fabric of our lives, reflecting our health, lifestyle, time, and values." But with so much of the food in our markets and on our plates coming from afar, what does our food have to say about us? How can our food be a reflection of our values, and perhaps play a role in helping address other problems found in our society? Green Bridge Growers aims to answer this quest... posted on Mar 11, 13859 reads

Saving the Kind Barber and His Street Cats
With two hefty sacks of cat food in her arms, Manuela Wroblewski can't stop smiling as she whisks toward the familiar shop. Hussein, the Turkish barber, clasps his hands in gratitude as he eyes the bags of food and the two hurry over to the tiny food dishes lined up in the alley. Soon the sound of kibble clinks against the bowls and several stiff tailed cats begin to appear. But Hussein was in tro... posted on Dec 17, 187075 reads

A PhD Student Turned Fruit Picker For Her Community
"There's a lot of people who say the problem is so big, nothing we can ever do will fix it," Sarah Ramirez says. "Well, if we all took that position, nothing would ever get done." After getting her PhD from Stanford and becoming Tulare County's epidemiologist, Sarah noticed troubling trends of diabetes, obesity, and food insecurity in her community. She also noticed that much fruit in the region w... posted on Feb 20, 5788 reads

A Christmas Wish From Beyond The Grave
This Des Moines radio station had run a "Christmas Wish" program for over 20 years, but nothing had prepared them for Brenda Schmitz's request. The wife and mom of four lost her battle with ovarian cancer two years ago, at the age of 46. Then..."About a week and half ago we got [her] letter in the mail," shares station brand manager Scott Allen. Brenda wanted the station to do something wonderful ... posted on Dec 25, 45537 reads

An Artist's Healing Project In Rwanda
Lily Yeh is a global artist who is fueled by a belief that art is a human right, and that artists can create a foundation for profound social change. This film documents the design, building and impact of the Rugerero Genocide Memorial, a project that brought hope and healing to the traumatized survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The monument now serves as the official memorial site for the ... posted on Jan 4, 3316 reads

Mind & Mood On A Breathing Planet
The awareness that stirs within each of us is continuous with the wider awareness that moves all around us, bending the grasses and lofting the clouds. Every organism partakes of this awareness from its own angle and place within it, each of us imbibing it through our nostrils or through the stomata in our leaves, altering its chemistry and quality within us before we breathe it back into the surr... posted on Feb 9, 6118 reads

On Navigating Stuckness
Jonathan Harris spent much of his life creating small, beautiful things. Going from one project to the next wasn't always so lucid, and in this article, he recounts moments where it felt like he lost his flow -- and what he did about it. "We have these brief lives, and our only real choice is how we will fill them. Your attention is precious. Don't squander it. Don't throw it away. Don't let compa... posted on Mar 8, 35985 reads

Insights From Photographing Spiritual Giants
"I may not have the most wonderful bank account, but my spiritual bank account is overflowing," says Jane Feldman of her career as a social justice photojournalist and author. Working for the Peace and Justice Ministry of New York's Riverside Church led her to photograph Nelson Mandela. She's traveled with the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and met the Dalai Lama. Enjoy her words on earning the tru... posted on Feb 3, 18719 reads

12-Year Old Musician With A Big Heart
Aiden Hornaday was 8 years old when he picked up his brother's dusty harmonica with no idea of how to play it. The next day, waiting for his mother at a restaurant, he took off his cap and started playing, and got 80 unexpected dollars in tips "just for taking his hat off." That night, he decided to donate the $80 to fight intestinal parasites for African orphans, and the seeds of Aiden Cares was ... posted on Feb 22, 3719 reads

21 Technologies That Will Decentralize The World
"Across the planet new technologies and business models are decentralizing power and placing it in the hands of communities and individuals." Fred Wilson, venture capitalist and futurist speaks compellingly about this transition. Here is a list of 21 technologies that over the next ten years will spur this process of decentralization.... posted on Apr 7, 184196 reads

Truth & Journalism: Reflections From A Pulitzer Prize-winner
This is a piece for all the "independent seekers of the truth" out there. Paul Van Slambrouck, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former chief of the Christian Science Monitor converses with master interviewer Richard Whittaker. They discuss the pursuit of truth in journalism, the power and edges of modern-day mass media, and highlights from Paul's illustrious career, ranging from interviews wi... posted on Apr 18, 9224 reads

Timeless Wisdom From Marcus Aurelius
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius' most enduring legacy is not his external power, but his deeply held conviction that each one of us is endowed with the inner power to control our minds and responses to external events. In his extensive compilation of writings, collectively titled 'Meditations', Aurelius describes how to develop a mindset that can deal well with any experiences or emotions that arise... posted on Mar 29, 108058 reads

A 25-Year-Old's Stunning Talk On Selfless Service
Nipun Mehta gave his first public talk at a monastery. He was 25 years old and the subject was "The Spirit of Service" At the time Nipun was just a few years into running ServiceSpace, a non-profit whose global projects now touch millions and are designed to spark generosity and inner transformation. In this debut talk Nipun dives into the core of what selfless service is about. With compelling cl... posted on Mar 7, 46544 reads

An Invitation: Practicing Wonder
"Wonder is how we open 'the hand of thought.' It can lift our minds out of the mud of rational resignation and open them into wild relational cartwheels of insight. Wonder is the place where prejudices fall away and our capacity to notice life increases. You have known how to do it since you were a child." As deeply embedded and reflexive wonder is in our early life, somehow the capacity to be in ... posted on May 30, 25615 reads

How To Build Good Habits & Make Them Stick
We all strive to achieve goals, and developing daily habits of working toward those goals are vital to achieving them. This highly informative piece debunks myths of what it takes to develop good habits and summarizes some of the scientifically proven ways to help you form the habits you need to achieve your goals. Read on to learn why the belief that it takes 21 days to form a habit is misleading... posted on May 14, 29724 reads

The Happiness Index
Bhutan is a country roughly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, but with less than half the population, sandwiched between China and India. A Fulbright scholar on a visit there asks, is it demolition or progress for the country to move from an isolated, largely self-sustaining Buddhist kingdom to a modern democracy? As workers build a new road to a cliff temple and secret holy lake, h... posted on Jun 26, 8470 reads

Learning From Leonardo: Decoding The Notebooks Of A Genius
"As we recognize that our sciences and technologies have become increasingly narrow in their focus, unable to understand our multi-faceted problems from an interdisciplinary perspective, we urgently need a science and technology that honor and respect the unity of all life, recognize the fundamental interdependence of all natural phenomena, and reconnect us with the living Earth. What we need toda... posted on Apr 21, 20187 reads

Owen & Haatchi: A Boy And His Dog
"The day that Haachi met Owen was utterly incredible. It was electric. It was spiritual...they immediately understood they were going to work together as a team," Colleen Drummond, Owen's stepmother. Owen is a 7-year old boy with a rare syndrome that leaves his muscles in a constant state of tension. Haatchi is an Anatolian Shepherd that was left to die on the railroad tracks, but managed to escap... posted on Apr 12, 4708 reads

Sprouting Seeds of Compassion
"One day, visiting a friend's house in Malibu, I met an old man who had spent his life planting trees. As we talked through the afternoon, with the blue Pacific murmuring rumors of the world's vastness, and nearness, he explained how trees were the ecological equivalent of one-stop shopping: they could restore degraded soil, increase crops, feed livestock, provide building materials and firewood, ... posted on Apr 13, 13499 reads

Unleashing Empathy Through Emotional Learning
According to a recent Harvard study, cultivating empathy among students has been linked to a variety of desirable outcomes, including positive peer relationships, better communication skills, and fewer interpersonal conflicts. Author Lennon Flowers examines how it is part of a growing education trend broadly referred to as "social and emotional learning," where children, teachers and parents learn... posted on Jun 25, 18194 reads

Arianna Huffington: Can Gratitude Help You Thrive?
"Grace and gratitude have the same Latin root, gratus. Whenever we find ourselves in a stop-the-world-I-want-to-get-off mindset, we can remember that there is another way and open ourselves to grace. And it often starts with taking a moment to be grateful for this day, for being alive, for anything." In an excerpt from her new book, Arianna Huffington explores how gratitude helped her to find mean... posted on Jun 7, 21738 reads

The Hidden Joy of Waiting In Line
"Americans spend an estimated 37 billion hours waiting in line each year, much to our individual and collective distaste. Few things inspire as much universal frustration and ire as long queues and lengthy wait times -- many of us even struggle to wait for a sluggish web browser to load." Why do we dislike waiting so much -- and what can we do to transform that familiar feeling of frustration? Th... posted on Jun 6, 0 reads

Advocate of the Unwatched Life
"The matter of being alive is something to be investigated. I think we take it for granted too much. That we're going to wake up in the morning and just go on, do our stuff, run around, go to our jobs, have careers, and all that...In my work I'm trying to find the unmediated self. I think there are aspects of self that are unchanged, that echo the past, the present, and the future. I'm interested ... posted on Jul 17, 15560 reads

Three Young Activists & Their Causes
Olivia, Madison, and Xiuhtezcatl are fierce love warriors who are fighting for causes they believe in -- and none of them are older than 13 years of age! Learn about the stories behind these powerful beings who are taking charge and making a difference in the areas of habitat restoration, voting rights, and environmental protection.... posted on Jul 4, 14096 reads

Fritjof Capra On Life & Leadership
Sustainability is not an individual property, but is a property of an entire web of relationships. It is a community practice. This is the profound lesson we need to learn from nature. The way to sustain life is to build and nurture community. Because of the close connection between sustainability and community, basic principles of ecology can also be understood as principles of community. In part... posted on Jun 17, 18788 reads

Letters To A Young Artist
As artists and change makers, how can character be cultivated in such a way as to foster that prized form of personal dignity, along with its sibling qualities of confidence and self-esteem? Maria Popova gives us a quick overview of Letters to a Young Artist, a book by celebrated artist, actor, playwright, and educator Anna Deavere Smith, which aims to answer these questions and more.... posted on Jul 26, 11883 reads

Ten Things Creative People Know
Do you consider yourself creative? If you answer, "no," you are in the majority; most people don't think they are creative. It turns out, though, that you don't have to be a great artist to be creative. Creativity is simply our ability to dream things up and make them happen. Cooking breakfast, planting a garden, even developing a business plan are all creative acts. Creative expression boosts ser... posted on Jul 20, 20852 reads

1000 Cranes For 1000 Strangers
The world can seem like a cold place sometimes -- a place where you are completely disconnected from the people around you, even if you are sitting across from them on a bus. Designer and artist Marielle Coppes believes you have a tremendous power within you to do good. And once you discover this power, there are no boundaries. Watch this short, sweet video of how Coppes decided to brighten people... posted on Oct 11, 4240 reads

Music For Social Change
David France's passion for music changed his life. It took him to Venezuela where he met a mother of five who had moved out of her house so the kids on her street could form an orchestra. Children played classical music there seven days a week, transforming the barrios with music and positivity. "I was really moved by that and thought, 'When I go back to Boston when am I going to move out of my ho... posted on Jul 11, 21288 reads

Social Science's 10 Findings On Facebook
Social media has transformed our daily lives -- adding a brand new, and often much more complex, dimension to our interactions. And though it has facilitated the ease of our connections, there is a flip side. For example, studies have shown an inverse relationship between an individual's Facebook usage and their sense of self-worth. And, we are only just beginning to understand its true impact on ... posted on Nov 16, 29162 reads

An Icebox, A Live Heart And The Man Who Drove & Drove
In some ways, it was surprising that any good could ever come of a cadaver, a heart failure and a vehicle with a live heart in its trunk tearing through a crowded city. That it did on June 16, 2014 in Chennai, and that more than 50 people coordinated the whole thing with surreal precision to save a life, could tempt one to use words like 'miracle' or 'aberration'. But in truth, it was already the ... posted on Aug 11, 16292 reads

Elizabeth Gilbert On Big Magic
"Have you ever felt shivers on the back of your neck and goose bumps on your arms when you hear an idea that makes you want to follow it? Or felt as though something is laying a path for you? The sense that I have is that we live in a world that's constantly being swirled and encircled with ideas. Ideas are these non-embodied spirits that want nothing more than to be made manifest. And the only wa... posted on Sep 16, 24238 reads

Rethinking the Placebo Effect
Maria Popova of BrainPickings draws on the latest research in health and social science for this powerful piece on "the startling psychological effects of loneliness, optimism, and meditation." Read on to learn about the powerful new findings on the placebo effect, and why the secret of happiness is to "find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it."... posted on Sep 13, 27614 reads

College For All: Sebastian Thrun, Udacity
Most employers agree that new graduates lack the skills necessary to succeed. And yet, the cost of college tuition is rising far faster than the average family can afford. The frustration is clear; change is desperately needed. Now, thanks to innovators like Udacity and Coursera, and the advent of "massive open online courses" (MOOCs), both students and employers are being assured a much more pred... posted on Nov 26, 13387 reads

Casa De Paz: Oakland's House of Peace
36th Avenue in the Fruitvale district of East Oakland, California, is the turf of three major gangs. Yet the residents of Casa de Paz never lock their doors. Anchored by Pancho Ramos Stierle and Adelaja Simon, Casa de Paz is part of a group of several homes that form an intentional community of peace and nonviolence in an area rife with structural and physical violence. In order to serve their com... posted on Aug 23, 4089 reads

Mr. Wright's Law of Love
No one falls asleep in Jeffrey Wright's high school physics class. Exploding pumpkins, hovercrafts and an experiment involving a bed of nails, a cinder block and a sledgehammer, are some of the crazy stunts that keep the students enthralled. But it is Mr. Wright's experiences as a father of a special needs son, and his teachings about love, family, and the meaning of life that leave the deepest im... posted on Dec 1, 12090 reads

5 Ways Science Says Kindness Will Change Your Life
Is kindness just an old-fashioned value celebrated in kindergarten and then soon forgotten as one grows older and more ambitious --- or is there more to it? As increasing numbers of people look to live a purpose-driven life, research is beginning to reveal the tremendous rewards that come with living kindly. What follows are some of the most compelling recent studies on the topic of kindness, and ... posted on Sep 23, 143207 reads

Turning The Soup Kitchen Upside Down
If you've ever volunteered in a soup kitchen, you know the feeling of having served others. But what about those on the other side of the food line? Are they getting what they need most? Robert Egger, the founder of DC Central Kitchen, didn't think so. He set out to train homeless people on the streets of Washington, D.C. -- many of whom were drug addicts cycling in and out of a life of crime -- h... posted on Nov 7, 5286 reads

Building Peace One Teenager At A Time
At times, it seems as if world peace is an impossible dream. Every evening, our television screens bear witness to the violence that invades our societies. And yet, we never lose faith that someday we might once again find our way. Efforts like Seeds of Peace give us reason to believe we can still transform our world. This initiative brings children together from conflict zones across the globe an... posted on Jan 12, 5388 reads

The Pollination Project: Gifting A $1000 A Day
A 13-year-old collects items for animal shelters. An 88-year-old offers up land to community agriculture. A young man trains prisoners in nonviolence. For Ari Nessel, each story is just another day along his journey in giving. After making a fortune in Dallas real estate, Ari wanted to give back. Yet he noticed that modern-day philanthropy tends to hold a disconnect between the funders and those w... posted on Oct 15, 3132 reads

A Healing Poem From Haiti
Nobody should die from diseases we know how to treat, but over 50,000 people die daily from them. Two UCSF Physicians have started a project called the HEAL Initiative that aims to address health workforce in resource poor communities, from Navajo Nation in New Mexico to Liberia and Haiti and India. They attempt to improve the quality of care, support and train local health professionals. This art... posted on Oct 22, 21747 reads

Public Art: A Path To Safer, Stronger Neighborhoods
Art that merges with the landscape brings human presence, safety, and physical activity into the city's spaces. This kind of art triggers more than one sense: it is something you move in, touch, and, in some cases, even eat. In Detroit, a spread-out city of single-family homes that is difficult to traverse and pockmarked by vacancy, these artistic interventions are an uncommonly powerful nexus of ... posted on Nov 21, 13724 reads

Skipping Lunch To Feed The Hungry
For Anton Cobb, inspiration came in the form of an online article telling of a girl whose family had benefited from a local food bank. The 32-year-old salesman then decided to turn that inspiration into a simple and creative way to help raise awareness and support for the Oregon Food Bank. Each Wednesday afternoon Cobb sacrifices buying his own lunch to donate to those in need. And sitting alone a... posted on Nov 15, 19840 reads

Healthy Habits of Heart & Mind In Leadership
As the world rapidly transforms around us each day, there is a growing need for us to create sustainable human communities. And in that vision, great leadership is paramount --leadership that not only calls for clarity of vision, but also a healthy dose of empathy that allows us to identify with, and understand, one another's situations, feelings, and motives. This article shares some healthy hab... posted on Nov 17, 17262 reads

Micro Moments Of Love
"Love is an emotion, a momentary state that arises to infuse your mind and body alike," writes Barbara Frederickson. Yet this transient state holds much promise beyond feeling good; love can be poignant in shaping perceptions of who we are, how we relate to the world, and even our health. Far from being a private event, love is an experience shared between people when they connect in the spirit of... posted on Dec 13, 33757 reads

Critical Steps To Integrating Life & Work
Often times we can feel overwhelmed by what we see as competing values: how can I be a good family member, a loving spouse, a supportive friend, pursue my hobbies and interests and maintain my career? For many of us integrating all of these elements into a fulfilling and rewarding personal life and career is difficult. Stewart D. Friedman's book, "Leading the Life You Want", gives insight on how t... posted on Dec 23, 25350 reads

What It Really Means To Live Our Mission
"How are we so optimistic, so careful not to trip and yet do trip, and then get up and say OK?" Maira Kalman asked in pondering happiness and existence. What is it that propels us to get up after loss, after heartbreak, after failure? That's precisely what the Reverend Victoria Safford explores in her essay "The Small Work in the Great Work."... posted on Dec 15, 23317 reads

The Fear And Anxiety Solution
If you live with fear and anxiety, you are not alone. Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the U.S.-- more than 50 million people have been diagnosed with anxiety at some point throughout their lives. Thankfully, Friedemann Schaub gives anxiety sufferers a whole new way of looking at and addressing their condition in his book. He emphasizes that anxiety is the product of a limiting belief ... posted on Jan 14, 0 reads

Anne Lamott On Grief, Grace & Gratitude
In this sharp yet poignant piece, writer Anne Lamott reflects on mortality and what it means to be truly alive. She writes of her experience taking a walk with a friend who is dying, "First of all, friends like this may not even think of themselves as dying, although they clearly are, according to recent scans and gentle doctors' reports. But no, they see themselves as fully alive. They are living... posted on Dec 30, 37743 reads

The Art of Stillness
Giving up what seemed like an exhilarating life and a dream job in the heart of New York City, Pico Iyer made a pivotal decision by moving half way around the world and into the foothills of Kyoto, Japan. Gone was the hustle and bustle of a city that never sleeps, and found was a place that he felt afforded him a chance to find what he was looking for... stillness. For as Pico Iyer believes, it is... posted on Feb 25, 39833 reads