Holland Goes Green!

Holland takes steps to preserve the planet and improve air quality by covering hundreds of bus stops with plants to attract bees!

Utrecht, a city in the Netherlands, has covered the roofs of 316 bus stops in sedum plants. Not only does this look beautiful, but it helps to support the city’s biodiversity by attracting honeybees and bumble bees. These plants also store rainwater and capture dust, which counts as one of many measures that Utrecht has put in place in a mission to improve air quality. This forward-thinking city in Holland plans to introduce 55 new electric buses by the end of this year and have “completely clean public transport” by 2028, a scheme that is already being implemented. Utrecht also runs a scheme which allows residents to apply for funding to transform their own roofs into green roofs.

This wonderful idea also helps to employ people, too! The roofs are cared for by workers who drive to and from each place in electric vehicles, and the bus stops have all been fitted with energy-efficient LED lights and bamboo benches to make the entire operation eco-friendly. To top all of that off, the electricity used to power the buses will be sourced from Dutch windmills.

This story reinforces how accessible an environmentally-friendly lifestyle can be for all and challenges us to find more ways that we can go green. People are now being encouraged to refuse plastic straws when they are not needed, as well as carry a reusable water bottle and coffee cup (like these from mybyta.com) to eliminate as many single-use plastics as possible. 

Help Children With Usher Syndrome Keep Their Sight And Hearing

Medicine has infinitely improved countless lives. We can find cures, and we can find comfort. But we can’t make these miracles without coming together. Here is a message from Stacey Ashlund about how you can help.

“My son was born with Usher Syndrome, meaning he was born deaf and is going blind. Right now there is no cure–but researchers are close to finding one–so all the families that share this are working together to fundraise for medical research to find the cure. It is possible! We’re holding our big fundraiser in cities across the US — called Sight.Sound.Cycle — and people can join spin classes and/or donate, and spread the word here. I hope you can help us get the word out!”

Support this cause or share this link to help Stacey’s son and others with Usher Syndrome.

This was an Uplifting Causes submission. Thank you Stacey for submitting this cause to the Uplifting Content Community and doing your part in helping make the world a better place.

Learn more about how to have your Uplifting Cause featured here.

How You Can Use Your Skills, Talent Or Resources To Help Disadvantaged Girls Around The World

If you would like to give the huge gift of helping a girl pursue education and elevate her life, The Global Give Back Circle has a variety of ways you can, no matter what part of the world you’re in. Here are the three main ways you can help:

Mentor

The Global Give Back Circle is looking for females to mentor girls in Kenya, India, China, South Africa and Rwanda. Just fill out a short form on their website.

Educate

65 million girls around the world are not getting an education; if you’ve been looking for a personal way to make a difference, you can by providing a scholarship for high school, vocational training or college for an at risk girl in Africa or Asia.

Support

Use your talents and skills, such as technical support, programming support, and fundraising to help make a difference.  

This video gives you a look into the happiness and future growth you can bring to marginalized girls in Africa.

Share this with anyone you think might be able to help!

This was a My Uplifting Content Submission. Thank you “The Global Give Back Circle” for submitting your work to the Uplifting Content Community. We are so grateful to you for making a difference and uplifting people in your own special way.

Learn more about how to have your Uplifting Content featured here.


Girls: No Matter How Down You Feel, You’re Not Alone

A Bold Girl is Who I Am! is a beautiful marriage of inspiring content, clever design, and witty insight. This 3-in-1 book series is written to explore the vast landscape of emotions that adolescent girls experience – from tragedy and despair to joy and elatement. Though it touches on the hardships many young women face, it more importantly provides a heartfelt look at the other side, the light at the end of the tunnel. This approach was carefully chosen in order to help reduce the allure of suicide attempts, suicides and self-harm so many adolescent girls experience.

Nkechie Ilori explains, “I want the world to see the pain, the beauty, the reality of growing up female. I want people to understand a young woman’s powerlessness AND unwavering strength. A Bold Girl is Who I Am! is my way of speaking out on their behalf, and to them.”

The three books were written after careful analysis of teen girls age 12 to 19. In a survey of 333 young women from 11 global ethnicities, the following was determined:

1. Well over half of the respondents wish to change their physical appearance, namely their physique;

2. A staggering 56% of the girls report that they do not love themselves; 25% said they do love themselves; and the remaining 19% weren’t sure;

3. Nearly 2/3 of the respondents (71%) indicated that they do not talk to their parents about how they feel.

Ilori has defined three current action steps you can take to help bring healing love and acceptance to girls everywhere:

1. I would very much like support from REAL LIFE STORIES of girls who had it tough, but came out strong by confronting the status quo.

2. People can also kindly share the Kickstarter link

3. Thirdly, I’d like service provision, such as printing out the A1 fliers and spreading the word in their communities

This was an Uplifting Causes submission. Thank you Nkechi for submitting this cause to the Uplifting Content Community and doing your part in helping make the world a better place.

Learn more about how to have your Uplifting Cause featured here.

Free Breastforms For Women!

Sometimes the physical and psychological effects of illness and surgery can be long-lasting, affecting self-identity and self-confidence. Whether you’ve had operations to treat breast cancer or were born with breast malformation, Awesome Breastforms can help you feel confident and like yourself again. Major bonus: they are free and made with love! Read on for more details.

The Product

Awesome Breastforms makes hand knitted or crocheted breastforms for all women who have had mastectomy or lumpectomy surgery, or who have experienced less than great reconstruction or developmental complications. Our breastforms are cooler to wear, softer and much lighter to wear than traditional silicone prosthetics. They are made of the softest cotton yarns available and are also washable. We also make swimforms! Our breastforms are free to all women who order, anywhere in the world. Our breastforms are all made by volunteers who pay for all supplies and postage themselves. Doctors and professional offices can also order Sample Packs for their offices at no charge. We have hundreds of Sample Packs in offices across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, and England.

Place your orders here.

Volunteer

Volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization. Apply to volunteer now!

We also have a wishlist on Amazon where purchases can be made for supplies.

Visit our Facebook page too!

This was an Uplifting Causes submission. Thank you “Awesome Breastforms” for submitting this cause to the Uplifting Content Community and doing your part in helping make the world a better place.

Learn more about how to have your Uplifting Cause featured here.

How To Join A Community Of Young Peacemakers

Building and maintaining functioning, peaceful communities starts with our youth. With the Serve 2 Unite organization behind them, children are developing the skills and mindsets that make up a peaceful world as peacemakers. They lead, they collaborate and they engage. Just take a look at some of these student projects! https://serve2unite.org/s2u-schools/

These students could really benefit from your help too. Here’s some information from Serve 2 Unite’s Arno Michaelis:

In the wake of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin shooting on August 5th, 2012, Serve 2 Unite emerged in a spirit of defiance. The hate behind the murders was met with an ongoing practice of fearless, creative, compassion. Rooted in the principles of service to others, and relentless optimism in the face of adversity, Serve 2 Unite today engages young people of all backgrounds to value humanity and the aspiration of living a genuine, honest life as a peacemaker.

The S2U school program delivers creative service learning and global engagement, all stitched together with the arts. Our students conceive and carry out service projects that help people in need and overcome challenges in our communities, with guidance and inspiration from a magnificent cast of global mentors. This work is arts-driven and documented by the students themselves via all sorts of fearless creative expression.

We encourage you to suggest ways people can support that does not just include giving money, such as volunteering, providing resources, services or skills: Sharing the inspirational work our young people do amplifies their voices while it cultivates peace in our society.

Please share S2U content in your social networks! Organize a creative service project in your area and we’ll be happy to help make it successful! Contact us with your idea.

This was an Uplifting Causes submission. Thank you “Serve 2 Unite” for submitting this cause to the Uplifting Content Community and doing your part in helping make the world a better place.

Learn more about how to have your Uplifting Cause featured here.

peacemakers peacemakers peacemakers

Help Save Africa’s Endangered Species!

All living organisms are precious. They all contribute to the exquisitely balanced ecosystem we call Earth. As humans, such an advanced and conscious species, we have a role too, and part of it is to protect and peacefully coexist. We have developed the technology-fueled power to steal the ivory from elephants and the horns from rhinos, leaving them to die. But that doesn’t mean that we’ve acquired the right to inflict this unnecessary harm and endangered entire species’ existence.

Fortunately, our collective humanity also has the ability to restore equilibrium when it shifts out of balance. You may not have known it, but you can help too–right now. One great way to pitch in is with Over and Above Africa, an organization with a mission to end poaching for good. Here’s a message from the founder, Kerry David:

We raise funds from a global community and give to the people and projects we know to be effective in the fight to end poaching and the wildlife trafficking of Africa’s endangered species.

Check out our latest mini-doc about elephant relocation & de-horning rhino in Africa.

Three things make us unique; we use micro-financing (small donations from multiple countries), we are a membership site ($5 a month) and we are fully transparent; we film the funds we give away in action and then bring these mini-docs back to our members to SEE and EXPERIENCE the effect of their contributions in action.

We are always looking for help in spreading our messaging so that everyone can be aware of the crisis for endangered animals in Africa. We need help in growing our membership base ($5 a month to save a species!). The more people who join us, the more ground initiatives we can support.

We would love help in creating a game app, and an app for our site – we are entirely volunteer run, nobody takes a salary so volunteers would be incredibly helpful with this. We are also always looking for ways to improve our website. Any feedback would be most welcome! Thank you so much!

Kerry David Founder – Over and Above Africa Kerry@OverAndAboveAfrica.com

Please visit the following links to stand up for all those animals who need us. And pass this along to anyone you know who wants to keep the animal kingdom alive and well! .

Website

CrowdRise –  Raising funds to help meet the needs of the men and women on the front lines of Africa’s tragic poaching crisis

GoFundMe – Raising funds for a new anti-poaching unit in Africa

Facebook (Huge reveal coming soon!)

Instagram

Twitter

Press and Media

Boots for Rangers Fundraiser

This was an Uplifting Causes submission. Thank you Kerry for submitting this cause to the Uplifting Content Community and doing your part in helping make the world a better place.

Learn more about how to have your Uplifting Cause featured here.