Would you bike to work or recycle more often if it meant you got free stuff at stores? Recyclebank offers rewards for recycling, and gives London commuters fresh incentives to walk or ride.
Recyclebank has reached millions of people with its environmental social platform, awarding points that can be exchanged for deals and discounts at nearby stores.
After surviving a storm of slings and arrows over the course of her life, Amanda Boxtel could never have imagined that a paralyzing skiing accident would change her life… for the better.
As a motivational speaker and author, Amanda is now helping others overcome similar challenges, having founded her own successful non-profit, Challenge Aspen. She even returned to the slopes, becoming a ski instructor using special adaptive equipment.
Best of all, thanks to new technology, Amanda is walking again, with the use of eLEGS, a wearable, battery-powered exoskeleton walking device.
“To take my first step in the eLEGS was just astounding because I bent my knee for the first time in 18 years…it was so natural,” said Boxtell, the new spokesperson for eLEGS. “I’m not meant to be in my wheelchair, sitting down and rolling, I want to be tall in my body.”
After surviving a storm of slings and arrows over the course of her life, Amanda Boxtel could never have imagined that a paralyzing skiing accident would change her life… for the better.
As a motivational speaker and author, Amanda is now helping others overcome similar challenges, having founded her own successful non-profit, Challenge Aspen. She even returned to the slopes, becoming a ski instructor using special adaptive equipment.
Best of all, thanks to new technology, Amanda is walking again, with the use of eLEGS, a wearable, battery-powered exoskeleton walking device.
“To take my first step in the eLEGS was just astounding because I bent my knee for the first time in 18 years…it was so natural,” said Boxtell, the new spokesperson for eLEGS. “I’m not meant to be in my wheelchair, sitting down and rolling, I want to be tall in my body.”
Thousands attended the formal dedication Sunday of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall – an emotional day for those, including President Obama, who came to honor the slain civil rights leader.
There were tears on the faces of some in the crowd.
“For this day, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s return to the National Mall,” President Obama said. “In this place, he will stand for all time, among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it; a black preacher with no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideals, a man who stirred our conscience and thereby helped make our union more perfect.”
Congressman John Lewis attended the dedication. As the last surviving speaker who appeared on stage with King during his “I Have A Dream” speech on the National Mall in 1963, Lewis welcomed him home:
“King’s aspirations for this nation were “deeply rooted in the American dream.” And it is because of his unwavering commitment to the cause of justice, the principles of peace and non-violent activism, because of his insistence on the equal dignity of all humanity that he has found his place on the National Mall. Martin Luther King Jr. represents the very best in America. It was his moral voice that helped this nation turn the corner and lay down the burden of a grave injustice.”
“Thus it is fitting and so appropriate that we honor Martin Luther King Jr. in what I like to call “the frontyard of America”. He must be looked upon as one of the founders of the New America. He must be looked upon as one of the founders of a nation more prepared to meet its highest destiny. And that is why the image of this humble Baptist minister from Atlanta, Georgia, a man who was never elected to any public office, can be seen today standing on the National Mall between the monuments to two great presidents—Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson.”
(LISTEN to — or READ — an article from NPR)
Last weekend, folks in Nova Scotia hauled their giant pumpkins from the pumpkin patch into the water, carving them into boats for the annual Pumpkin Regatta competition.
The tiny town of Windsor proclaims itself the World Pumpkin Capital. Each year 50 to 60 pumpkin boats — designed, carved, and decorated by each contestant — race across the 500-meter Lake Pisiquid to the delight of onlookers lining the shore.
(WATCH a video below, or Read more from CBC News) – Photo by Wendy Schotsmans, CC
Click to SHARE the Autumnal Fun…
Last weekend, folks in Nova Scotia hauled their giant pumpkins from the pumpkin patch into the water, carving them into boats for the annual Pumpkin Regatta competition.
The tiny town of Windsor proclaims itself the World Pumpkin Capital. Each year 50 to 60 pumpkin boats — designed, carved, and decorated by each contestant — race across the 500-meter Lake Pisiquid to the delight of onlookers lining the shore.
The percentage of Americans with the nation’s number one killer, heart disease, continues to fall, according to new research from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Overall, 6 percent of adults had heart disease in 2010, down from 6.7 percent in 2006. Better treatments for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as declines in smoking, may explain the trend, experts said.
For most of the last century, the United States dominated global manufacturing. Recently though, the nation has lost many factories to cheaper labor markets overseas. But there are heroic holdouts.
There are still US manufacturing plants scrappy enough to compete in the face of overseas competition. From compact disks to bowling balls, from sparklers to pianos, and even sneakers, here’s a look at 10 companies worth celebrating.
The Elders, a group of notable statesmen brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007 and currently chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has decided to elevate the problem of child marriage, a harmful tradition that robs 10 million girls every year of their childhood.
As Desmond Tutu says, we know from our own experience that great change can happen in a single generation. That’s why The Elders were inspired to launch Girls Not Brides, a new global partnership that brings together grassroots, national and international organizations committed to ending child marriage.
There was positive corporate news reported Friday alongside U.S. retail sales gains.
Consumers spent more on autos, clothing, and furniture last month to boost consumer spending 1.1 per cent — the largest gain in seven months, the Commerce Department said.
The news indicated to some that the world’s largest economy might not be in as much trouble as feared earlier.
Business inventories also increased suggesting companies were confident enough in the economy to keep stocking their shelves.
(READ the AP story in NPR)
At her Stanford commencement ceremony in 2005, Kamael Sugrim listened intently to Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
A year after he was first diagnosed with cancer, Jobs told the graduates that death is life’s change agent.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
Sugrim, a business grad, had her future life of prosperity assured, but Jobs’ words never left her. She took them to heart and changed her life to follow her bliss and help poor kids excel in Asia.
WATCH the video from MSNBC…
(You can see the inspiring commencement address at bottom, or read it at the Guardian)
At her Stanford commencement ceremony in 2005, Kamael Sugrim listened intently to Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
A year after he was first diagnosed with cancer, Jobs told the graduates that death is life’s change agent.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
Young Indonesians are breathing new life into their polluted concrete capital city with little more than buckets of soil and seeds.
A group of mostly young professionals, known as Gardening Indonesia, has joined the global urban farming movement, converting vacant patches of land between Jakarta’s skyscrapers into lush green vegetable gardens.
On Hugh Jackman’s 43rd birthday Wednesday, the actor followed in the footsteps of Paul Newman launching a food and beverage company with 100% of profits going to charity.
It was the Australian actor’s visit to Ethiopia with World Vision that planted the seed for a new coffee/chocoalate import business.
He struck up a friendship with Dukale, a local coffee farmer, after meeting his family and friends and working on the farm. Jackman saw how a community could benefit from the growth of a single entrepreneur.
On Hugh Jackman’s 43rd birthday Wednesday, the actor followed in the footsteps of Paul Newman launching a food and beverage company with 100% of profits going to charity.
It was the Australian actor’s visit to Ethiopia with World Vision that planted the seed for a new coffee/chocoalate import business.
He struck up a friendship with Dukale, a local coffee farmer, after meeting his family and friends and working on the farm. Jackman saw how a community could benefit from the growth of a single entrepreneur.
Sean (Diddy) Combs has given an emergency $60,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, which was on the brink of going broke until the hip-hop mogul came through with the cash.
The nonprofit was debating whether to close one of its four sites uptown or cut back on sports and tutoring programs throughout Harlem.
Virgin Atlantic Airways and LanzaTech are developing an aviation fuel that will cut in half the carbon footprint of conventional flights.
Instead of using plant stock for the fuel, waste gases are being captured from steel mills. The gases, which would otherwise burn up in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, are fermented and chemically converted into jet fuel.
A test facility is already in operation in New Zealand.
Virgin, the first commercial airline to test a bio-fuel in flight, plans to begin using this new fuel in two to three years, with a ‘demo’ flight planned in 12-18 months.
The months of the year have never looked so good as in this glorious calendar with outdoor photos of 12 life-saving firemen. The best part is, their shirts came off for charity: 12 charities chosen by the firemen, including one heart-warming camp for child burn victims, will receive all the profits sales of the 2012 calendars.
Lieutenant Jeremy Finney is inspired by the benefits coming from this calendar of muscle-bound fire fighters. Finney became director recently for a camp that brings joy to children and teens who have been burned in fires. An article in the Tampa Tribune yesterday, Kids Get Shirt Off His Back, gave Jeremy a chance to tout his camp, along with the fundraising calendar.
“Let’s face it, kids can be cruel,” he says. “Camp Hopetake gives them a chance to socialize where they’re not outcasts. After all the physical pain, which I can’t even fathom, they have to endure the physical, emotional and psychological scars.
“I’m sorry, I tear up when I talk about it. I’m extremely passionate about this camp. When the kids come together, you can just watch them flourish.”
Finney and other firefighters take the children on a weeklong whirlwind tour each June, with trips to the beach, Adventure Island, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios and more. It costs more than $1,000 a child, and that’s where the calendar comes in.
If you live in the Tampa, Fla area, stop by the firemen’s museum tonight (Oct. 13) for an all-you-can-eat 3-hour event featuring music, drinks and autographs from Mr. July. Tickets are $25 each and calendars will be available.
The calendars, called Nation’s Bravest: Firefighters Unite 2012, are purchased at cost by firefighters unions, then sold for $19.95, with the profits all going to the charities.
Please support the effort by purchasing (perhaps a few Christmas gifts?) at the website: www.nationsbravest.com.
(WATCH Mr. Tampa’s visit with the local Fox morning show)
The months of the year have never looked so good as in this glorious calendar with outdoor photos of 12 life-saving firemen. The best part is, their shirts came off for charity: 12 charities chosen by the firemen, including one heart-warming camp for child burn victims, will receive all the profits sales of the 2012 calendars.
Lieutenant Jeremy Finney is inspired by the benefits coming from this calendar of muscle-bound fire fighters. Finney became director recently for a camp that brings joy to children and teens who have been burned in fires. An article in the Tampa Tribune yesterday, Kids Get Shirt Off His Back, gave Jeremy a chance to tout his camp, along with the fundraising calendar.
“Let’s face it, kids can be cruel,” he says. “Camp Hopetake gives them a chance to socialize where they’re not outcasts. After all the physical pain, which I can’t even fathom, they have to endure the physical, emotional and psychological scars.
“I’m sorry, I tear up when I talk about it. I’m extremely passionate about this camp. When the kids come together, you can just watch them flourish.”
Finney and other firefighters take the children on a weeklong whirlwind tour each June, with trips to the beach, Adventure Island, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios and more. It costs more than $1,000 a child, and that’s where the calendar comes in.
If you live in the Tampa, Fla area, stop by the firemen’s museum tonight (Oct. 13) for an all-you-can-eat 3-hour event featuring music, drinks and autographs from Mr. July. Tickets are $25 each and calendars will be available.
The calendars, called Nation’s Bravest: Firefighters Unite 2012, are purchased at cost by firefighters unions, then sold for $19.95, with the profits all going to the charities.
Please support the effort by purchasing (perhaps a few Christmas gifts?) at the website: www.nationsbravest.com.
(WATCH Mr. Tampa’s visit with the local Fox morning show)
Bertie County, North Carolina is the poorest county in the state, with residents who are largely obese and have no access to fresh food. It’s also home to some students whose motto might be, “Build it and they will come.”
The students who came up with the idea of building a pavilion in which farmers could sell produce had no design or building experience. “Some had never even held a hammer.”
But a high school teacher taught the students how to lay out projects, how to use shop equipment–essentially, everything they needed to know to go out and build.
And, the pavilion turned out to be quite beautiful.
(WATCH time lapse construction video – READ the story from Fast Company)
