Real World Examples of Solutions to Problems
Menlo's Own "Dude, That's Right!" Creators! |
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Ms. Bowen was worried about the environment and wondered how she could help lessen pollution caused by the production of clothes and furniture. Her solution? Create a company that sells products made from sustainable materials.
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Check out Be the Change Elements Be sure to look for pictures of Mr. and Ms. Bowen! |
Sydney, a current 10th grader, was concerned about health care in America, and she wanted to inspire people to help hospitals raise necessary funds to provide services for the sick. Her solution? Create a "crane campaign" in which 1,000 paper cranes enliven hospitals and patients' spirits while raising awareness about the need to donate funds to hospitals.
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Check out CraneCampaign.org Look for the pictures of the colored cranes! |
Solutions by Other People |
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Yvon Chouinard, environmental activist and founder of Patagonia, Inc., and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, were concerned about the environment and the government's ability to pay for environmental protections. Their solution? Form an alliance of businesses that pledge to donate one percent of their sales to environmental organizations.
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Check out 1% For the Planet Click on "about us" to read the history of this organization |
A group of people was worried that increased development in the rain forest was taking away land from orangutans and making their population decrease. They asked, "How can we protect orangutans from extinction?" Their solution? Create an orangutan conservatory to preserve their natural habitat.
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Check out the Orangutan Conservatory |
Rebar, a collective of activists and designers, was worried that there is too much stress in the normal working day, and people don't have any time to sit back and think, especially in the city. How can we bring back the ability to rest and reflect during the day to ease stress? Their solution? Create a "green parking space" to provide a place for quiet thinking.
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Check out Park(ing): a temporary urban park |
A group of people was concerned that people don't know how to find a good community service project, even if they want to help out. Their solution? Plan a Make a Difference Day to match people with community service activities, and thus increase people's likelihood of doing service.
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Check out Make a Difference Day |
| How can we encourage teens to help homeless people in their community? | |
Collections of "Dude, That's Right!" Stories |
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So many people have amazing ideas about making a positive change in the world. There's a book that tries to collect them together: 500 Ways to Change the World.
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Check out the Global Ideas Bank |
Here are some stories of young men and women who have tried to change the world.
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Check out YouthActivism.org |