Do Trees Talk to Each Other?
Don't trees only talk to each other in the movies? Professor Suzanne Simard of the University of British Columbia shares her latest research regarding forest ecosystems: amazingly, trees in a forest coexist in a synergistic web of interconnections, with the largest, oldest, "mother trees" serving as hubs. Because of the old trees linked into the network, the underground exchange of nutrients incre... posted on Dec 04 2011, 9,282 reads

Assuming Value Everywhere
"I noticed that there was one kid who no one was really talking to. He had a serious kind of disability, and some of the kids were kinda scared to approach him. So I went up and introduced myself. And you know what? He taught me some amazing dance moves!" Sharing his presence was a wonderful thing to do, in and of itself, but my 14-yr-old cousin's perspective was even more remarkable. We asked him... posted on Dec 03 2011, 24,860 reads

Inspiring a Life of Immersion
In this wide-ranging TED talk, Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of the Acumen Fund, shares stories of people who have immersed themselves in a cause, a community, a passion for change. Stories that remind us that our human inheritance is the capacity to live lives infused with courage, sacrifice, humility, and hard work - and the tremendous impact it can bring to others.... posted on Dec 02 2011, 4,532 reads

Honesty Paid Off For Dave
About a year ago, a homeless man in Arizona found a bag full of cash and made a fateful decision: he returned it. 49-year-old Dave Tally was in debt, unemployed, had lost his driver's license for DUI violations, sleeping on a mat when he found $3,300 at a local light-rail station. When he returned it to its owner, a college kid, the gratitude and kindness of the kid touched him. "He hadn't had... posted on Dec 01 2011, 5,601 reads

Learning Tranquility at Stanford
Sixty-four Stanford students escape from the campus hustle and find tranquility for two hours a week in the lower level of a campus library. There, they might start class by telling the person next to them about a positive experience from the day, or by updating their gratitude journals. Or, they might simply close their eyes and sit silently, concentrating on relaxing tense muscles and breathing ... posted on Nov 30 2011, 7,892 reads

If You Want to Be a Rebel, Be Kind
The night before, Pancho Ramos Stierle heard about growing tensions in the community and thought, "If police are stepping up their violence, we need to go and step up our nonviolence." So on that Monday morning at 3:30AM, Pancho and his housemate Adelaja went to the site of the Occupy Oakland raid. With an upright back and half-lotus posture, they started meditating. The photos of Pancho meditat... posted on Nov 29 2011, 166,493 reads

9 Ways to Serve through Communication
"As I continue along the path of giving, I'm learning of the constant opportunity to act from a space of service. A recent personal insight in this space is how communicating with an intention to serve leads to markedly different behaviors. The behaviors themselves are simply manifestations of the inner desire to serve. Behaviors without the intention may fool people for a while, but in the end ... posted on Nov 28 2011, 23,426 reads

Is This a Business or an Art Project?
"To call Robert Fogarty an accidental entrepreneur is a bit of an understatement. If you haven't heard of Fogarty's Dear World, a venture that grew out of a not-for-profit fundraiser called Dear New Orleans, it's likely to hit your radar screen soon. He's a photographer whose striking portraits feature people with heartfelt messages written on their hands, arms, and faces in black marker. The imag... posted on Nov 27 2011, 3,927 reads

Four Degrees of Separation
In 1929, Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy proposed that there were six degrees of separation between any two people in the world. The theory was made popular by a play, movie and later a trivia game in which players try to link the actor Kevin Bacon to another Hollywood star within six steps. Yesterday, Facebook announced that with its 721 million members, and 69 billion friendships between th... posted on Nov 26 2011, 6,452 reads

A 14-yr-old's Clothing Closet for All
Like many 14-year-olds, Katelyn Eystad has a lot of clothes in her closet -- but hers are to give away. In 2009, Katelyn founded a Clothing Closet to provide clothing, diapers, deodorant and more to people in need in her community. With the help of her sisters and mother, she has already served 1,500 families. "What a blessing this child has been to many. Katelyn is always volunteering and giving ... posted on Nov 25 2011, 8,992 reads