Money may not be able to buy you happiness but offering a large enough cash reward to anyone who can find a way to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere could be the answer to solving the problem of catastrophic climate change. Virgin’s Richard Branson is ready to hand over $25 million to anyone who can do just that. "For $25 million, people will do extraordinary things." The New Scientist has the announcement from London…
$25 Million Prize for Greenhouse Gas Removal
New HP Ink, Toner Packaging Reduces Greenhouse Gases
Hewlett-Packard today announced that its redesigned print cartridge packaging for North America will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 37 million pounds in 2007 — the equivalent of taking 3,600 cars off the road for one year…
Palestinian Factions Form Unity Government
"Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have signed a deal to form a national unity government after almost three days of negotiations in the Saudi city of Mecca… The two sides, faced with an embargo against the Hamas government, have been trying to reach such a deal for months." (BBC) Thanks to MJ Allen for submitting the link!
US Soldiers Volunteer Helping Iraqi Families
U.S. soldiers help to create goodwill within the hearts of Iraqis by volunteering their spare time to help families in need who are faced with chaos and hardship every day. The Civil Military Operation Center in Baghdad helps 1,000 Iraqis each month mostly with medical treatment, dental assistance or legal aid. When visitors leave the center they are carrying packages donated with food, clothes, toys, hygiene products and school supplies.
Located on the grounds of one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces, the center is highly secure, which is one reason it is frequented by Iraqis. Children can play freely in the courtyard’s playground, while their parents seek treatment or advice. This is where you’d likely find 1st Lt. Christine Anouchian, 24, of Glendale, Calif, (right) who visits the center at least once a month…
Ex-rebel Becomes Aceh Governor
"A former separatist rebel has been sworn in as the first directly elected governor of Indonesia’s Aceh province," reports the BBC. He won last December’s elections after a peace deal between the government and rebels from the Free Aceh Movement ended nearly 30 years of civil conflict that had killed 15,000 people. This cooperation between former foes blossomed as a direct result of the disasterous tsunami of 2004…
NYC Cabbie Returns Bag of Diamond Rings
A New York City cab driver from Bangladesh spent hours laboring to track down a rider so he could return a bag of diamond rings that she’d left in his trunk. The jeweler had given Osman Chowdhury only a 30 cent tip on an eleven dollar fare… (CBS)
Amazing Snow Sculptures Compete in Contest
First place was awarded to the home state team of David Andrews, Chris Andrews and Scott Pauli for their vegetarian sculpture called, Veg-Head. Second place and the Spirit Award was bestowed on this creation (right) portraying a roller coaster ride.
The weather at the 14th annual contest made it almost “too cold to sculpt,” but that didn’t stop the 15 three-member teams from across the U.S. from competing… (continue for more photos)
Singles Get Together and Make a Difference for Valentine’s Day
Singles are being inspired across the nation to “get engaged” through volunteering this Valentine’s Day. Recognizing the power of community service to bring people together, the “Get Engaged” campaign wants to provide meaningful ways singles can make a difference in their communities while getting to know others, having fun and sharing their passions.
“We are excited to offer singles a memorable experience this Valentine’s Day,” said Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation, which is partnering with Perfectmatch.com, OrganicBouquet.com and the Hands On Network…
“It is our hope that this Valentine’s Day and throughout the year, singles everywhere will get involved, meet new people and share the love through a volunteer service experience.”
This Saturday’s events in Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco will range from beautifying a zoo to celebrating the day with disabled adults and children.
RELATED: Volunteer to build kids’ playgrounds with KaBOOM!
Flickr photo by id-iom
Three Million Muslims Pray for Peace
In Bangladesh, some 3 million Muslims "raised their hands in prayer for global peace at one of the world’s largest religious gatherings." (AP Reports via CNN)
Wellspring House Gives Homeless Hope
Wellspring bed and breakfast for the homeless has been around for 25 years, since Nancy Schwoyer and a group of friends at church decided to buy a historic residence to share with homeless families. They support the families with whatever they need to get on their feet, even helping them to find jobs.
“Perhaps because Wellspring is so comprehensive, its success rate is phenomenal: 80 percent of people who come to the homeless shelter are never homeless again.”
(Read full text or watch Video by Steve Hartman at CBS News)
Crash Victim Says Dog Saved her Life
A stray German Shepherd dragged a bloodied woman up to the highway so drivers would be able to stop and help after her car careened down an embankment 50 yards distant. (AP)
Dog and Family Reunited After Six Years
Lost a pet? Don’t give up hope. This golden retriever was recovered six years after he wandered away from his family, thus the miracle of Web sites for adoptable and lost pets. (AP photo/story)
Whey Remedy Saves Hemlock from Devastating Pest
A beautiful Eastern Hemlock tree in my backyard died years ago, infested with an invasive species of aphid that has devastated trees throughout the eastern U.S. since 1924, the noxious "woolly adelgid," which was accidentally introduced from Asia. Now, a University of Vermont researcher has discovered an ecologically safe spray made of cheese whey and bacteria, that effectively controls the pest and its sticky white egg masses. (AP Story)
College Students Compete to Conserve Energy in Residence Halls
The University of Central Florida is using friendly competition between residence halls to encourage more students to turn off lights when they leave the room, turn off computers and other electrical equipment when not in use and take other steps to conserve energy. Throughout February, residence halls on campus will compete to determine which building can reduce its electrical consumption by the greatest percentage compared to the consumption during the same month of previous years… (right, Shaina Duffey turns off lights in Lake Claire residence hall – photo by Jerry Klein)
Rottweiler Raises Two New-Born Lambs
A Rottweiler named Molly is "showing her softer side, using her maternal instincts to help rear two lambs" that had been born with complications on an English farm — and she is fiercely protective… (photos and story by BBC) Thanks to member MJ Allen for the link!
Inventor Donates $1M and His Innovative Water Purifying System to Native Bangladesh
A man from Bangladesh who is now a chemistry professor in Virginia spent years trying to find a solution to the arsenic problem infecting drinking water throughout his homeland. On Thursday the National Academy of Engineering awarded him a prize of $1million for his ultimate invention — a simple filter that removes most traces of the poison. He is using the prize money to make sure the filters are distributed to the poor in Bangladesh at risk of cancer because of the tainted well water… (AP photos and story via AOL) Thanks to new GNN member, Meyer, for submitting the link!
MidEast Youths Use Amazing Video to Tell Leaders, ‘Enough!’ (Video)
Ordinary young Palestinian and Israeli citizens were given an unprecedented opportunity last week to present an impassioned video expressing their views to world leaders at the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni listened as leaders of the youth movement, OneVoice, told them, "Enough!" (Read more to see video)
Oil Giant Injects Biofuel Hopes with $500 Million
"Oil giant BP will give $500 million to a partnership led by UC Berkeley to develop new biofuels and reduce environmental harm caused by the use of fossil fuels, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and company officials announced Thursday. (They) will team up with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign… to develop fuel from plants, improve the extraction of oil from existing reserves and find ways to keep carbon from entering the atmosphere." (LA Times)
Green Mutual Fund Names Top 10 Performing Stocks of 2006
Looking for a place to invest some money? Global mutual fund Portfolio 21 has named its Top 10 financial performers among environmentally responsible companies. The top performers in the fund posted returns ranging from 41% to 131% in 2006 besting 88 other companies in the fund… Focused on earning for customers a "Healthy Return" on their investment, Portfolio 21, based in Portland, has been identifying companies that save natural resources and create a sustainable society since 1999…
The Most Important Quality to Have in Tough Times
In part 8 of our series on Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitiude, Harry Tucker explores the quality of character perhaps most needed for expressing gratitude in tough times.
The D in GRATITUDE stands for Diligence. In the fast-paced world we live in, it’s not easy to live a life of gratitude without effort. Every one of us, no matter how enlightened we are and how grateful we are, experience moments when our belief system is challenged and we question why we should be grateful for something that we are not particularly happy about…