Friday, February 19, 2010

365 Ways to Change the World
by Micheal Norton
I was given this book by a family friend about a year ago and started to complete the actions but quickly found myself forgetting to pick it back up each day and make a change to this world. After rediscovering it the other day, I have set this book as my challenge for the year. I am going to attempt to complete every task suggested whilst juggling the challenges of everyday life and the two final years in school.
The themes covered in this book include:
Community and neighbourhood- ways of brightening up your local neighbourhood, community and local life.
Culture and Creativity- connecting up with people and discussing new ideas for getting messages across regarding world issues.
Democracy and Human Rights- fighting for freedom of information and recognising the rights and wrongs performed by humans around this world.
Discrimination- fighting for disability rights, racism, abuse and sexism.
Employment and Enterprise- sharing skills and resources
Environment- make a change to climate change, pollution, pesticides and toxins, conversation of species and resources and conserving and protecting our native environment.
Globalisation and Consumerism- ethical consumption, fairer trade and responsible business practices.
Health- battling worldwide diseases such as HIV/AIDS and working to provide better sanitation and health facilities throughout the world.
International Development- achieving the Millenium Development Goals, and addressing inequality and social injustice throughout the world.
Peace- Ridding the world of weaponary and promoting peace.
Volunteering and Citzenship- getting your message across, being voluntarily active, donating and offering your time.
Young People- Improving education and educational oppotunities, supporting childrens' rights, dealing with child abuse and being a young activist.
The world's plagued with many problems including (directly from book):
-HIV/AIDS
- A widening North and South divide
- War and terror
- All the 'Isms'
- Environmental degration
- A scarcity of water
- Hunger
- A lack of universal primary education
- Abuse of human rights
- Global warming (climate change)
My quest is to make the largest positive impact in this world that I can achieve.
Day 1: 09/02/10
Organ Donation a gift of life
Today's task is to nominate myself as an Organ Donor:
1. Make known your wish to be an organ donor: I rang my mum and told her what I was doing and made her aware of my desires. Also for anyone who is reading this, I think I make it pretty clear: I want to donate my organs after I die, so I can save a life.
2. Join the Australia Organ Donation Register: I went to the government website (www.hic.gov.au/organ) but found out that I had to be 18 years or older to feel out the form independently. I have however already ticked the box to say that I was happy to give up my bodyparts when I died for donation or research when applying for my Learner's Permit about six months ago.
3. Get 9 of your friends and family to register too: I will not be able to complete this task today but I plan tomorrow to post a request on Facebook and encourage when I see my family next for them to take the same actions as me.
TASK COMPLETED: No
DATE:
Day 2: 10/02/10
collect your Small Change
Today's task is to accumulate my spare change each day for a year then donate the money to charity or something beneficial to the world:
So next year -on the 10/02/11- I will count up all my coins in my 'AID JAR' and decide something to do with it. No matter how large or small the sum ends up to be, my loose change will offer aid to someone, somewhere. For example, I could give:
TASK STARTED: Yes
STARTING BALANCE: 60 cents
ENDING BALANCE:
Day 3: 11/02/10
TOOLS in the right hands
"Giving a tool enables people to make a living for themselves and their family- it is the same principle as teaching a hungry person how to fis, rather than just handing out fish"
Micheal Norton
Tools for Self Reliance collect tools ever year from the UK and sends them over to 6 countries in Africa. TFSR also trains people on the use and care of tools.
There is two ways in which I can help this cause:
1. By organising a tool collection
2. By raising money for TFSR. It costs $70 to ship a carpentry kit to Tazania.
I decided that once it has been a year, I will use the small change in my AID JAR to send a carpentry kit to Tanzania. I would organise a tool collection but due to OHS reasons, I will not be able to involve the school in this, so I am looking for a good opportunity to organise this but it is yet to come up!
TASK COMPLETED: No
DATE:
Day 4: 12/02/10
organise a FLASHMOB
Today's task is to become a Flashmobster! A Flashmob occurs when a large group of peoplen assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse. I have researched this on google and it seems that the last Flashmob event has not appeared in Sydney for some time. I flicked a couple of pages ahead in the book and saw a page about Meetup.com, so I joined a flashmob group on there but it appears that I am the only willing Flashmob wannabe in Sydney.
I am going to have a look on Facebook tomorrow and see if there are any groups to join.
TASK COMPLETED: No
DATE:
Day 5: 13/02/10
ELECTRICITY time to switch
About 30% of carbon emissions are due to the burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity. Electricity generators in Australia are required by law to generate 2% of their electricikty from green (renewable) sources. Demand and supply. If the electricity generators produce more than their quota, they are allowed to sell certificates for the surplus to other electricity companies.
Today's task is to switch to green electricity.
I went to the website provided, www.originenergy.com.au which sells electricity direct to the user but unfortunately I'm not a homeowner so I have forwarded the information on to my mum and will have to get her approval and electricity consumption records before we can make the green switch.
I'm also going to try and reduce my electricity consumption thus reducing my carbon footprint left on this world through doing this:
  • buying organic and local (fair trade)
  • paying attention to packaging- buying loose tomatoes rather than plastic wraps, taking reusable bags grocery shopping, when it comes to resources- plastic is better than paper.
  • ditching bottled water- HUGE CARBON FOOTPRINT, bottled in one location and shipped all over
  • going native- only planting native flora (plants will grow better in a familiar environment and may get shipped a shorter distance) and use organice soil (made using more eco-friendly methods and uses less resources)
  • taking a direct flights via airplane.
  • unplug it!-
  • use cold water- not in the shower... but in the dishwasher or washing machine.
  • THE THREE Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
TASK COMPLETED:
DATE:
Day 6: 14/02/10
learn a new language SIGN UP
"Social inclusion is one of the dominant ideas of our age"- Today's task is to learn sign language to experience the different ways in which deaf people must communicate and understand the exclusion they suffer from. Luckily, I've already taken this move. My uncle is deaf and since I was little, he gradually taught me the BSL (British Sign Languae) alphabete plus some extra small phrases such as good night.
TASK COMPLETED: Yes
DATE: 14/02/10
Day 7: 15/02/10
KNITTING cast off
Peace Fleece is an organisation which started in 1985 buying wool from the Soviet Union to encourage international trade and help diffuse the threat of nucleur war. Links have since then been formed with shepherts in Russia, Kyrgzia, Israel, Palestine, Montana, Ohio, Texas and Maine.
Today's task is to order some Peace Fleece wool from the website to promote this organisation.
The Cast Off website provides some different ideas to make use of the yarn rather than making a scarf or beanie.
TASK COMPLETED: No
DATE:
Day 8: 16/02/10
the One-Straw REVOLUTION
Today's task is to list six books that I think can change the wiorld and encourage others to read them. It describes a book The One Straw Revolution by a Japanese farmer, Masanobu Fukuoka who has developed innovative method of farming based on a 'do nothing' principle.
The problem with this task is that I haven't read many world changing books so instead I looked up websites.
One book that I can recommend is actually a textbook 'Theory of Knowledge' by Richard van de Lagemaat for the senior IB diploma. 'TOK' is a critical thinking course that explores the fundamental question "How do you know what you know". It really makes you think and is very capturing with questions as confronting as "How do you know murder is wrong?". I recommend that you look into this book or others like it written specifically for the subject of TOK.
www.wspa.org.au- World Society for the Protection of Animals where there many different ideas to contribute to improving animal welfare and to stop animal cruelty through donations, petition signing and fundraising opportunities.
www.worldvision.com.au- World Vision, a chance to help people in need through donations, child sponsorship and to help with develop work in third world countries.
www.lentevent.com- A community movement committed to helping people in the privileged 'first world' empower our overseas neighbours who are enduring extreme poverty.
www.umc.org- The United Methodist Church focuses on improving the conditions of those in less fortunate places than ourselves.
http://www.ecolo.org/lovelock/what_is_Gaia.html-I also looked up the book Gaia by James Lovelock which is mentioned in 365 Ways to Change the World by Micheal Norton and came across this website which explains the theory of Gaia and what it is all about. I am encouraging you along with Micheal Norton to look further into this idea.
TASK COMPLETED: Yes
DATE: 17/02/10
Day 9: 17/02/10
MEETING UP is fun
Today's task focuses around the website www.meetup.com where people with similiar interests or are passionate about the same cause can 'Meet-up' and join a community group. I registered the other day when looking for a Flashmob group and added myself as a member for many different topics. So when a next session is coming up I will be emailed then go and Meetup! Another website provided is www.greendrinks.org where people who care about the environment and like drinking can meet, talk and do things together. I am going to recommend this to a couple of people I know who can legally drink and are eco-friendly
TASK COMPLETED: Yes
DATE: 12/02/10
Day 10: 18/02/10
stop eating PRAWNS
Did you know that over 4 tonnes of prawns each year are shipped for consumption? Shrimp fishing is a serious threat to ecosystems and marine life. Seventy-five percent of prawns are fished by using trawlers which scoop up whatever lies. For every prawn eaten, more that twenty fish, crabs, sponges, sea cucmbers or turtles are thrown back into the sea. Shrimp farming is not the answer either. When the ponds are built, chemicals strip the land leaving it infertile for agricultural purposes. An average shrimp farm provides 75 jobs, while displacing up to 50,000 people from their jobs of traditional fishing and agriculture.
Today's task is to stop eating prawns, something I have never participated in eating. For every 1000 people who stop eating prawns, 5.4 tonnes of marine life will be saved each year. I went to the website provided www.worldwatch.org/pubs/goodstuff/shrimp and signed the pledge online. Also I made up a info sheet and emailed it to 6 people who I know love their seafood, especially prawns. Even if this doesn't stop them from eating shrimp, hopefully it will convince them to cut down...
TASK COMPLETED: Yes
DATE: Long ago.
Day 11: 19/02/10

EMAIL Bill Gates

Spam is a major internet problem. Up to 80% of all email traffic is spam. Micheal Norton believes that as the biggest software company in the world, Microsoft is in a position to take action. He sets today's task to email Bill Gates and ask him to do something about spam.
I have sent an email to Bill Gates asking just that and outlining the reasons why.

TASK COMPLETED: Yes
DATE: 20/02/10

Day 12: 20/02/10

nonviolent DIRECT ACTION

"Nonviolent direct action is an effective way of getting things changed."
Today's task is to create change and join a movement concerned with the environment. A suggestion given is green peace, so I went to the website and have joined the group on facebook as is suggested.

TASK COMPLETED:
DATE:
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