What could and should I do for "the Greater Good"...?

Question

Could one man -like me- truly make differences?

Answer 1

"A major 2006 report by the United Nations summarized the devastation caused by the meat industry. Raising animals for food, the report said, is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. The findings of this report suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution and loss of biodiversity. Livestock’s contribution to environmental problems is on a massive scale."

Nearly half of the water consumed in America is used to raise livestock for human consumption. More than 70 percent of the wheat, corn, and other grains that we grow are fed to animals that we are raising simply to eat.

If we spent those precious resources on humans who are starving - instead of bulking up animals for consumption - there would be enough food and water to end world hunger.

You CAN make a difference. Every time someone goes veg, 90+ animals are spared (per year!) and that has a huge impact on the environment. It's far more valuable than using an energy efficiant light bulb or recycling your pop cans.

Visit these webistes for more information on why going vegetarian is one of the best things a person can do for the environment:

www.goveg.com/environment.asp

www.vegetariantimes.com/resources/why_...

www.gan.ca/lifestyle/vegetarian+guide/...

Answer 2

Ofcourse. History is replete with one man, or one woman, making a difference -- for another person, a family, a cause, a community, or even a nation.

What causes are most important to you? Follow that to find volunteering opportunities. Learn about all of the factors that affect the causes you believe in. Educate yourself about who is doing what regarding the causes you believe in.

For the USA, here are places to look for volunteering opportunities with thousands of different organizations:

VolunteerMatch, http://www.volunteermatch.org

Idealist, http://www.idealist.org

Change.org, http://www.change.org

CraigsList, http://www.craigslist.com

Network for Good, http://www.networkforgood.org

http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/

ServeNet, http://servenet.org/

Also, contact your local volunteer center; you can find this via the Points of Light Foundation web site, http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/

All list volunteering opportunities with thousands of organizations.

There's also this government sponsored site, http://volunteer.gov/gov/ which provides volunteer positions through USA federal land agencies like Fish & Wildlife, Forest Service, National Parks, etc.

If you want to be a volunteer to help with the consequences of a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina, you need to register and prepare NOW. Here's a web site where you can register and start your preparation so that you can help the next time disaster strikes:

http://www.helpindisaster.org/