Build It and They Will Come: The Wall Against Hunger

You’ve heard of the Berlin Wall and it’s infamous “iron curtain.” You can see the actual Great Wall of China from outer space. So what could possibly be more powerful and influential than these historical and colossal monuments? How about a wall that breaks barriers rather than creates them. We are talking about the great food wall that hails from the grand state of Kentucky.

In Elizabethtown, Kentucky, local food-aid organizers are striving to give their somewhat unknown city a chance to make world-record headlines by constructing a massive wall made of canned goods.

At 100,000 cans already stacked with some 20,000 waiting to be added, the Wall Against Hunger is on track to pommel the past record of 115,527 cans while simultaneously stocking needy food pantries for many months (or years) to come!

With the collaboration of philanthropic groups such as Feeding America, North Hardin HOPE, Helping Hand of the Heartland and local chambers of commerce, organizers of each group are hoping to reach their goal of 198,000 cans which would fill two local food pantries for up to two years!

Aside from the obvious, the Wall Against Hunger has another paramount purpose: becoming a replica of the 164-foot Vietnam War memorial in Washington, D.C to honor the veterans.

With it’s massive size and meaning behind its structure, the Wall Against Hunger is sure to leave a mark not only in hungry people’s lives, but in history itself. In it’s quest to leave a mark in the world records, Elizabethtown, Kentucky is demonstrating that a even a small rural town, can make a world of difference. Kind of makes the “world’s tallest woman” record seem a bit frivolous, doesn't it? Have YOU helped save the world today?


For more information, visit: takepart.com

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APCH Adds New Meaning To “Saved By the Bell”

Keeping kids out of trouble has been a problem that many concerned parents have often failed to tackle. Now take one parent out of the equation, and more times than not, the problem has exponentially increased. In many situations where the parent is away working to make ends meet, idle kids at home seek stimulation from their peers which can sometimes result in gangs, violence, and drug-use.

To help battle the war on young idle minds, a charitable program was developed in hopes to guide these kids in a better, more productive direction. In 1993, Founder and President Debrah Constance, created A Place Called Home (APCH) which was designed to give the gang affected youth of the impoverished inner-city a place where they could come after school, get a snack, do their homework, watch TV, play with their friends, and be around people that care for their well-being aside from their parent(s). In other words, APCH is trying to provide normality in a troubled teen’s life.

From their fundamental concept of providing care for the kids, APCH grew at an alarming rate and now is proud to offer its youth members many programs including a day-long school in collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Additionally, the APCH offers a computer lab, music and art classes, dance studios, tutoring and mentoring to students who seek extracurricular activities when the last bell of the day rings.

Aside from its obvious single-parent fans, APCH boasts a vast roster of high profile celebrities such as Brian McKnight, Jamie Lee Curtis, Orlando Jones, and Monique who support their cause. However, probably the most important supporters are the very ones who the charity directs its efforts: our nation’s youth. Have YOU helped save the world today?


For more information, visit: apch.org

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Stimulating the Senses One Angle at a Time

Our society is filled with contraptions and products that ensure a longer and healthier life span. Additionally, Americans spend hundreds of millions of dollars per year on cosmetic surgery to keep the over-cherished appearance of their youth. But what if we could avoid spending absurd amounts of money on these promising youth serums and doctors, and opt for something more practical to lengthen our lifespans...something else like...a house? That’s right, I said a HOUSE!

The New York based architects Arakawa & Gins, whose motto is “We have chose not to die,” say that their bizarre homes offer their inhabitants ways to stay sharp and young. However, the so-called methodology behind their homes may seem rather unorthodox to some.

The circular and obscure angles the home offers would appear to leave people thinking they’re a mouse in a maze rather than a king in a castle. However, Arakawa & Gins explains that their units will ensure youthfulness by taking away people’s stability and encourage them to keep on their toes with the unexpected level changes, unusually small door openings, iridescent and luminous color schemes, and inconsistently bumpy flooring.

So what is the cost for this modern-day Mcdonald’s playground for the elderly? With just two rentals up for grabs thus far, the units are available for 220,000 to 250,000 yen (near $2,000 to $2,400) per month, which in retrospect, is a pittance to pay for everlasting youth. Have YOU helped save the world today?


For more information, visit: inhabitat.com

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How One Small Person Can Made a World of a Difference

Remaining on the same air travel trend as the previous post, today we will delve a bit deeper to highlight one of the employees of Continental (what a coincidence!) who has made a mark on the international scene of giving.

Continental flight attendant, Mary Beth Lavin, discovered that tremendous effects and events can unfurl simply from performing a daily act of which every one of us are guilty; opening our email (both on and off the job). That particular email happened to be from a friend who desperately needed formula for thirty-five infants in her Ethiopian orphanage. Because formula is a black market commodity in Africa, finding it is obviously extremely hard to come by. What would come next would surprise not only Lanvin herself, but the rest of the country as well.

Upon receiving the email, Lanvin quickly reached out to friends, family, and her church in her hometown of Orlando, Florida. The response and engagement spread like a brushfire...Soon Lanvin found herself on an international flight to Africa, and using her benefits as a flight attendant, delivered over $1,000 worth of formula and cash donations to her friend’s orphanage.

One would think that this philanthropic effort would have stopped at that point. However, as soon as she returned stateside, Lanvin began building support for her mission, which is now dubbed, Formula One Life. “It just seemed right because Formula One car racing has a sense of urgency that we certainly have on our mission.”

Having sent aid to Haiti and collaborated with other charitable foundations and organizations, Formula One Life has now delivered more than $25,000 worth of formula and powdered milk to those in need abroad. Although Lanvin is simply a Continental flight attendant, her actions are paralleling that of the United States President. How is that for a little dose of perspective? Have YOU helped save the world today?


For more information, visit: formulaonelife.org

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Continental is Piloting Their Way To The Top

Being that the airline industry has taken a huge hit with our current economy, travelers seem to hold the upper hand when it comes to flying the friendly skies. So, aside from price and accommodations, what else influences your decision to fly on a certain airline? If you answered “eco-friendliness,” then we know exactly whose aircrafts that you’re boarding.

Continental airlines is striving to separate itself from the rest of its competition by paying more attention to making our earth happy, in addition to its customers.

One small change that has made a vast difference from its competitors is Continental’s recycling efforts. Between 2006 and 2009, the airline collected more than 16.6 million pounds of recyclable materials from its hub airports. By placing designated “EcoSkies” recycling bins throughout various terminals in addition to the airplanes themselves, Continental has managed to blow past its competition in recycling efforts throughout the nation.

Continental also works with contract caterers at the non-hub airports it serves in order to encourage further recycling. Today, more than ninety one percent of Continental’s domestic catering partners and more than eighty seven of their international caterers recycle. To top it off, proceeds from Continental’s recycling program are donated to We Care, a nonprofit organization that provides financial aid to Continental employees facing tough times.

Lastly, but possibly most important, Continental Airlines became the first US carrier to perform a flight demonstration using biofuel, back in 2009. To keep this green momentum rolling along the tarmac, Continental has partnered with Boeing, GE Aviation/CFM International, and Honeywell’s UOP to select algae and jatropha-sources that do not compete with food crops for water resources or contribute to deforestation-as sustainable biofuel resources.

This partnership comes at the most opportune of times as studies have shown that this new biofuel is responsible for an approximate 1.1 percent increase in fuel efficiency and reduces green house emissions by sixty to eighty percent!

With it’s uber-efficient recycling program accompanied with its active studies in biofuel usage, Continental is jet-setting its way past the competition. Add to the fact that Continental actually serves in-flight meals that are completely complimentary, well my friends, they’ve just made those blue skies a whole lot friendlier. Have YOU helped save the world today?


For more information, visit: www.continental.com

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The City of Lights Goes Electric!

Ahh, the unforgettable city of love...the most romantic city of them all: the one, the only, Paris. While the Parisians are busy loving each other, their cars are busy loving our earth through the new innovative electric car sharing program soon to be launched.

Come September of next year, Paris hopes to capitalize on the success of its bike sharing program with a similar plan called Autolib, which would replace bicycles with electric vehicles.

How it will work is that available electric cars will be stored in both parking garages as well as the street as part of a partnership between Autolib and the city of Paris. Although prices on the program have yet to be set, the company promises that it will cost significantly less per year than owning a car in the city.

With over four thousand cars currently being manufactured, Parisians all around their enchanting city will be loving themselves, each other and, above all, our earth. Have YOU helped save the world today?

For more information, visit: inhabitat.com

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Don’t Be Profane, Please Abstain!

From MTV to TLC, television networks are beaming from the buzz in which teen pregnancy is creating world-wide, and simultaneously profiting off of it. From the hit series 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, people everywhere have become astounded by the drama and strength in which these teens endure. The fact is that by the end of this year, over 750,000 teens will become pregnant. Which leads us to question that although the troubled youth gives us hours of relentless entertainment, perhaps we should stop and think of who is really helping them out?

The Candie’s Foundation is the answer. It works to help formulate the way in which young people in America think about teen pregnancy and parenthood. Since it’s beginning in 2001, the foundation has been set up to educate our youth not only about the acts that can cause a pregnancy, but the consequences in which it entails.

What makes this foundation so riveting is its highly controversial and engaging ad campaigns. From young celebrities who have endured the strains of pregnancy, like Bristol Palin, to others who share a promise of abstinence until marriage, such as Hillary Duff, the Candie’s Foundation is constantly searching for ways to relate to teens nationwide and spread their powerful message.

Although it may promote a formidable ideal, The Candie’s Foundation has got the star power to back it up. The foundation boasts over twenty four A-listers who endorse its campaign...and counting. Now that should make any starry-eyed teenager take a second and “pause for the cause.” Have YOU helped save the world today?


For more information, visit: candiesfoundation.org

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