What are you doing to make the world a better place?

I have (easily) sworn off the Toys R Us’s and other big chain toy stores in life.

I find they are only polluting our kids with commericalized crapola and really don’t care about our children as a whole. Walking into their stores is like being sucked into a Black Hole.

I support independent toy stores. ( That would be an awesome bumper sticker.)

Yes, the prices are a little bit more for games that inspire brain work, cooperation, conversation and interaction.

Yes, the toys are a bit more but they are made either by hand or possibly American Made ( or German Made, the Germans make some awesome stuff. And a hint from someone who loves Haba toys , Ravensberger puzzles and Kathy Kruse dolls, if you think you can get them cheaper on vacation in Germany, you would be wrong. It is the same price here -on line or at a toystore - as there. It would have saved me a buttload of hassle on our Big Fat German Vacation last year.)

They have gadets, games and loveys that inspire imagination and creative play. Something that is sorely lacking in our society.

So, before you walk out of Ye Olde Independant Toy Shoppe because they lack the primary colors and spiderman/spongebob/Disney/Strawberry shortcake/polly pockets explosion, take the time to just peruse each aisle slowly and recall your childhood and what you wanted to play with. I guarantee* that in each shelf, in each display there will be something…something cool something OH WOW , that catapults you back to being 8 or 9 years of age instantly and can see your younger self playing with it.

Toy Store owners care about your kids.

*This guarantee does not come with a money back offer.
I also buy fair trade coffee and support my local used book stores, which seem to be readily disappearing from the landscape of life.

I do my best to shop local first and buy American/Canadian or German (or any Euro country) before Chinese crap.

What am I doing to make the world a better place?

Not having children. Bah-dum-cha !

Trying to streamline my life. This will make me feel better, and also make things easier for my sister if I snuff it before she does.

Restoring a classic car. The world would be more interesting if objects from the past are restored. My unrestored Triumph Herald (I’m still debating whether I should sell it or restore it) makes people happy to see it. My '46 CJ2A jeep made people happy when they saw it driving round (and is still doing in San Diego in the care of its newest owner). I expect the MGB to similarly spread smiles.

Driving slower. By reducing my speed I am saving gas. This is good for me financially, and good for the environment as well.

Existing. :cool:

:smiley:

Very nice thread, thanks for posting it.

Right now, not much. I give about $30/month to charities that help developing countries like project hope.

I try to help people out with information. I usually have some kind of useful information people can use when they are wanting something.

Aside from that not much aside from trying to be a helpful, considerate person who isn’t a burden. I’ve thought about trying charity work but it just feels like I’d be doing $6/hour work and not getting paid for it. Opening boxes, putting things in boxes, etc.

I should retry my old idea of buying a bunch of coupons on ebay, getting a bunch of food for free at the grocery store with them and donating it to some a food pantry.

Does being in charge of 4 Toastmasters clubs count? 'Cause I’m, like, helping people talk better and be good leaders and stuff?

Yeah, I didn’t think so, either.

Being a cog in a wheel that exists to both make money and also do good. I’d rather we could do the second part without the first part but that doesn’t seem to be the case. When I am done with my wheel-related activities, I drink fair trade coffee and donate the nickel refund generated by bringing my own shopping bag to the store to a pre-designated charitable organization… in short, I assauge my liberal guilt. Oh, and I don’t drive, which has to be good for at least one non-gmo soy latte. We’re working on the small footprint thing but I don’t think we’re really there yet.

I volunteer at my local NPR affiliate during every pledge drive.

Hey…every bit helps, right?

Guys???

Delivering food boxes to the disabled elderly. Some of the folks on our route have pets, so we pick up pet food from time to time, as well.

I’m helping one person at a time.

I think you will find that the occasional carefully-targeted untraceable murder goes a long way.

Probably the most important thing I’m doing long-term is trying to raise my children the right way; which is to say that I’m trying to teach them not to judge people based on color, religion, income, sexual identity, what neighborhood they live in, etc. Also, I’m trying to teach them to think for themselves. In fact, sometimes I’ll take an OP from GD, and pose it to my 14-year-old daughter, ask her to think about it and come back and tell me what she thinks. I don’t tell her what I think about it beforehand, either, because I don’t want her just echoing what I say.

I’m as helpful and pleasant as I can be on a daily basis; there are several charities that are close to my heart that I donate to.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is “fair trade coffee”? As a coffee drinker, I feel like I’m missing something here.

I teach linguistics to undergraduates… probably I am just flattering myself, but what I do is teach orderly, logical thinking to students in majors that aren’t taught it anywhere else. I like to think this makes the world a little better.

I also knit. I think that every hand-knit item that comes into the world certainly isn’t hurting anything, and might make things a little nicer.

I live my life with discipline and ethics, in general. I am responsible, dependable, self-sufficient, capable, fair, hardworking, and well dressed. It would be nice if this was a baseline for everyone, but it just isn’t.

From Wikipedia:

Thanks, Johnny!

Mostly right now I concentrate on making my little corner of the world a better place. Recently, though, I did take to mixing my own cleaning products at home instead of buying commercial products (Fantasik, etc.). I confess that I did it primarily to save money (instead, it takes more time, which I have), but I found out that the products I now use to clean are considered far better for the environment, which I’m quite happy about.

I can’t get the homemade dishwasher detergent to work, though, without leaving nasty buildup on the dishes. If anyone has any suggestions …

I feed people in my little corner of the world.

For the past 15 years or so I have run a Food Box program in my county. It’s a real state and federal government recognized program, and we feed several hundred people a year. No one connected with the program is paid, (especially not me) so we have something like 98% of our revenue going to program expenses.

I also have started becoming really conscientious about clothing and the near slavery conditions where they are made.

This bothers me on so many different levels that I cannot properly speak and it looks like I suffer from Turret’s or something.

So, I have to say that 90% of my clothing for our family comes from the Salvation Army and Goodwill’s of life,where we are getting nearly new in great condition clothing at probably the cost it was made and paid at and the proceeds go to charity. (Much better selection there too.)

A sport climber fell off a route in the upper part of Boulder Canyon today and I helped to evacuate her off the mountain to a waiting Flight For Life helicopter.

I guess she appreciates it.

I give a big Yes to this and stuff.