Telling the stories of movers and shakers around the world and inspiring action for positive change. 

What happens when you commit your life to making real change?

Ask Julio Solis, a sea turtle conservationist in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California, Mexico. In his youth, Julio poached sea turtles until a life-changing mentor shifted his perspective about his relationship with the ocean. Julio is now working to protect the sea turtles by running a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Magdalena Bayʼs natural resources, becoming a role model for his community and conservationists around the world.

Inspired yet?

Changing the world can appear a daunting task, but often it’s as simple as identifying the one thing that you are passionate about. In Solis’ case, it’s sea turtles, but we all have an issue or a cause that we identify with, a place that we can make a difference. That is the motivator behind MoveShake, a new character based film series that gives an inside look into the lives of people dedicating themselves to their cause and the personal struggles and successes that come with their journey.

Solis’ story premieres on June 7, 2012 from 7-9pm MDT as part of an online screening that also includes a Q&A with EcoSalon friend Shannon Galpin of Mountain2Mountain, another MoveShake story screening during the online premiere. Joining director Allie Bombach and Galpin in the Q&A session is Wallace J. Nichols, co-founder and director of SeeTurtles and founder of LiVEBLUE. A mentor in Solis’ life, Nichols was the man who originally inspired him to protect endangered sea turtles instead of poaching them.

Inspiring people to be movers and shakers in their own community, over the next few months MoveShake will continue to share the stories of individuals who are making a difference. They are not super heroes or billionaires or politicians, they are simply people that have found a cause that they are passionate about and committed to making a difference.

Want to take part in the MoveShake community? Check out MoveShake Unite, a place to share the positive change you see in your world everyday. Whether it’s an organic farm in your backyard or a community beach clean up, MoveShake is collecting visuals of positive change and posting them on the website. All you have to do is snap a photo on Instagram and tag it with #moveshake when you see:

• Something you want to make change in
• Someone making positive change
• Change already being made

Easy.

Now go forth and be the change that you want to see in the world.

Images: Allie Bombach

The post The Power of Individuals: MoveShake Launches to Tell Stories of Change appeared first on EcoSalon.

10 women making positive strides worldwide.

It is clear that the more power women have, the more positive change we will see on a global level.

“If you empower women, you can change the world,” said actress-activist Meg Ryan while trekking across northern India on a third world humanitarian mission with representatives from the international aid organization CARE. The goal is to break through barriers keeping so many women in poverty and without rights.  Like Ryan, the women on our list tap their armories to confront, protest and articulate what it takes to improve lives and the planet at large.

1. Kavita Ramdas

Leader of The Global Fund for Women, Ramdas has garnered unprecedented support for international human rights for her sisters by tripling grant assets during her tenure from $6 million to $21 million. Fluent in Hindi/Urdu, English, German and conversational Tamil, Spanish and French, she speaks the language most activists care about today: The wide ranging exportation of good will. The Fund’s grants have ranged from several hundred to kick start a business to $800,000 to halt human trafficking of females and sexual  abuse. In an interview with journalist Lynn Sherr, Ramdas says this is the moment for women in making a difference and an impact on poverty, ongoing war and militarization, which perpetuates a culture of violence against women: “Violence against women continues to be condoned on some level,” she shared. “Why is it that you have statistics like a woman being raped every six minutes in this country, in the United States?”

 2. Hillary Clinton

“Obviously, we and many other nations are quite hopeful that these ‘flickers of progress’ as President Obama called them will be ignited into a movement for change that will benefit the people of the country,” the 67th Secretary of State Clinton articulated upon arriving in reform-ready Burma as the first senior American diplomat to visit in 50 years. Taking the high road in standing by her man-boss, Clinton’s brilliance and measurable experience makes many wonder what if she had been elected president? Hillary-speak ranges from talking gay rights at the UN to gauging parliamentary elections in Russia and passionately seeking an end to the horrendous treatment of women in post-revolution Egypt. The always eloquent and former first lady proves resourcefulness and resiliency are DNA advantages which allow women like her to lead, shine and earn their very own spots in history.

3. Rachel Maddow

Demonstrating the growing popularity of the MSNBC talk show host was her edging out Michael Moore in an Alternet poll of the Most Influential Progressive Media Figures of the year. A charismatic, somewhat androgynous counterpart to the neo-conservative women of Fox News, Maddow clearly holds her own sans the biting wit and sarcasm of John Stewart or shameless flirtatious fluttering of a Piers Morgan. She’s real – the Christiane Amanpour of her time who doesn’t need to risk life and limb in wartime to gain worldwide attention. The Rachel Maddow Show is the second highest-rated program in its time slot ahead of Larry King Live, behind only Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity Show. Whether or not they dig the liberal pundit, viewers who tune in certainly are enlightened on why crucial change in jobs, healthcare, housing and hunger are occurring so slowly – with a mirror held up to the GOP.

4. Asmaa Mahfouz

Call it the vlog that sparked a revolution – and it was delivered by one Egyptian woman who had had enough. Thousands fled to Tahrir Square, the Egyptian government tried to block Facebook and you know the rest. One of  five recipients awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2011, Asmaa Mahfouz went from relative obscurity to overnight becoming a hero, credited with spurring on that mass uprising. So many who watched her on YouTube were moved by her bravery. As one wrote: “Asmaa, you have inspired the whole world with your strength of spirit and courage. As you know, governments don’t speak for the people; Governments usually speak only for the rich and powerful. ” Hopefully, she can lend the same courage to combating the systematic violence against women in post-revolution Egypt – where journalists and protesters are stripped and brutalized in the same streets where women risked their lives to effect change.

5. Maude Barlow

“Do not listen to those who say there is nothing you can do to the very real and large social and environmental issues of our time,” warns Maude Barlow, a charismatic Canadian who serves as national chairperson of the Council of Canadians and the Washington-based Food and Water Watch. She also founded the San Francisco-based International Forum on Globalization and a Councilor with the Hamburg-based World Future Council. Barlow practices what she preaches when it comes to water woes and climate change issues – earning 11 honorary doctorates and countless awards including the 2005 Right Livelihood Award (alternative Nobel) and the 2009 Earth Day Canada Outstanding Environmental Achievement Award. More recently, she was named the U.N Senior Advisor on Water Issues – the ideal person to convince governments that clean water is a fundamental legal human right that must be preserved through laws and immediate action.

6. Meg Ryan

It would be cliche to describe this former “Sally” as the quintessential girl next door (since it has been done repeatedly) as now she is a full fledged woman, who seeks to empower the disadvantaged – exporting good will to the third world. Ryan’s four-day trip across northern India with CARE signaled she has entered another phase of stardom, getting comfortable in her own skin to “hold hands” with some of the world’s most disadvantaged women. Ryan, like other Hollywood do-gooders (Oprah, Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, Christina Applegate, Isabella Rossellini) has the gift of visibility; wherever she goes the cameras follow and that leads to public awareness.

7. Michelle Goldberg
 

Former Senior writer for Salon and current author and Senior Contributing Writer for The Daily Beast and Newsweek, Goldberg counters the radical extremism of the Michelle Bachmann’s of the world in pushing for reproductive freedom for women and affordable healthcare for all – in addition to other progressive platforms. Her first book, Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the 2007 New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism. More recently she made a solid platform in her Feminist Case for Flawed Reform – penning a manifesto of sorts  which puts forth the inequities of the health-insurance system and how legislation will further erode abortion coverage for women – a major step backward for reproductive rights. Yet feminists should support it anyway, she argues: “More than 17 million women are uninsured, and millions more are under-insured. Women are more likely to rely on their spouse’s insurance coverage leaving them vulnerable if they’re divorced or widowed, if their husband becomes old enough to qualify for Medicare or if their partner’s employer decides to drop dependent coverage, which is happening with increasing frequency.”

8. Kate Stohr

Grassroots design for the greater good is what Architecture For Humanity envisions. So with that, Stohr and co-founder, Cameron Sinclair, endeavored to direct $4 million in disaster relief and rebuilding in post-Katrina New Orleans and tsunami ravaged Southeast Asia. What started as a humanitarian non-profit has expanded into an international force with 40 chapters on five continents which networks with local partners to develop innovative models in sustainable and humanitarian design solutions. No wonder she was named one of the great green giants by Tree Hugger as well as being honored as the recipient of Wired magazine’s 2006 Rave Award for Architecture. A former journalist, she has tapped her background in project management, website development and deep understanding of urban planning issues as managing director of AFH. Smart urban planning might be the very thing that saves cities, as well as denizens who will be facing increasing shortages in resources as the U.S. continues to be late to the plate when it comes to taking action.

9. Anita Acevedo

Warm healing hands as insight into the body over western meds and cutting? Acevedo is booked months in advance as word has spread that this rolfer and former family therapist offers the integrated alternative approach to modern medicine with a track record of healing patients with herniated disks, pinched nerves, drop foot injuries, and all other debilitating neurological and physical impairments brought on by activity or age. She also has aided infants suffering from chronic earaches and colic and children with ADD, scoliosis and autism as well as teens dealing with anxiety and hormonal shifts. The fact the southerner practices in Marin County is further testament to her positioning herself in the hub of the naturopathic and homeopathic revolution in health care – teaming with psychotherapists and other well known practitioners like Dr. Todd Maderis to take away acute pain. It all was born of her own healing when she was an endurance athlete in Alaska competing in 100 mile adventure races that took a toll. “My body was compressed, achy, tight and off balance with chronic pain in my low back and my jaw was so tight I was experiencing migraines,” she recalls. “Through Dr. Rolf’s life study of manipulating and organizing connective tissue, I became taller, more flexible and graceful. Many of the unresolved childhood traumas I had been processing began to be uncovered as my body unfolded and opened.”

10. Laura Kimpton

Her mammoth Burning Man installations  go beyond her highly collected montages and encaustic works to spread messages such as “MOM” and “LOVE” and “OINK.” Her book Who Gave Birth that came out in 2010 was described by the Northern California artist as “a celebration of all MOMS and the feminine energy that comprises the true understanding that the original MOM is the earth.” Kimpton salvages recycled objects for her mixed media – found objects, bird skulls, original photos, picture frames, books and resin to let her creativity take flight. If you consider art to be effective communication, then you can see how one persuasive Kimpton picture is worth a thousand words.

Image: Perfecto Insecto, Lilianwagdy, Laura Kimpton, CARE, Architect, Council of Canadians, Paulagordon, RolfingMarin, NYDailyNews

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They’re out there competing for dollars and attention and making a big difference.

As the troops prepare to come back home we face the daunting task of absorbing their return. Housing, health care, jobs and schooling – not to mention how to treat PTSD which we now know plagues scads of combat units when settling into civilian life. It brings to mind non profits – the other army of good soldiers – with countless missions. The staffer and volunteers running these organizations deal with these hard  issues and so much more in aiding people daily while often relying on deeper souls than pockets.

Lagging behind in the economic recovery and tapping social networking opportunities like Facebook to garner desperately needed support, nonprofits deal in everyday drama that disrupts everyday lives. And some of our favorites are designed to motivate the nation’s youth to pitch in with incentives that go beyond community service credits at school.

The frigid winds of December bring even more disruption, upping the demand for shelter from the cold, provisions for soup kitchens, and support for those finding it challenging to get through holiday cheer emotionally unscathed. With all this in mind, here are ten nonprofits to put on your radar – ones covering urgent needs as well as going to bat for long range ideals.

San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention

Mural artist Susan Mack decks the halls of the Talk Line treatment center in the Haight where this agency’s approach is to stop the cycle of violence by treating the entire family. This resource which sets a national standard, treats the entire family to a holiday party every year while also packaging toys and necessities on the wish list. As a testament to director/attorney Katie Albright – daughter of former secretary of state Madeline – and the other staffers at this welcoming hub – the decorative murals are usually kept up the rest of the year or as long as possible to lift spirits.

Does art heal what is hurting these children? It’s all part of the entire package, one that relies on charitable gifts and volunteerism to break the cycle while teaching struggling families how to cope with stress, poverty, drugs and challenges that can put us over the edge.

 Spark

Spark seeks to ignite global change by building a community of young, global citizens invested in changing inequality towards women throughout the world. The strategy – as described in its mission statement – is to cultivate a community of young professionals actively involved in women’s issues on a grassroots level and to educate through forums, volunteer opportunities and international delegation trips to countries where women and girls are prevented to lead the lives they deserve. What ignited Spark? In 2004 Maya Garcia read an article about Sanaa Abu Bhkeet, a young Palestinian runner who overcame great adversities  for the Olympics. She joined forces with the co-founders and in five years, raised over $350,000 for grassroots women organizations in Rwanda, Mexico, Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and the U.S.

Peer Health Exchange

Since students living at or below the poverty line experience more than their share of serious health risks from teenage pregnancy to obesity, this agency recruits, selects and trains college student volunteers to go into high school classrooms and teach a comprehensive health curriculum that ranges from sexual health to substance abuse and nutrition. The key? PHE takes the cue from research showing teens process and absorb health info better when delivered by educators of a similar age. Workshops conducted by these volunteer “role models” help students practice skills such as effective communication, risk evaluation and prevention, setting limits and making important decisions in role-play scenarios that resemble difficult, real-life crises. Anyone who has had sex ed taught by a 60-something teacher can appreciate how teenagers feel less awkward discussing this stuff with peers.

Environmental Career Center

The Environmental Career Center with an active job board is considered one of the most experienced recruiting and resource firms for matching the public with green jobs in environmental, building and energy sectors. Seeking to connect leading employers with top candidates for a sustainable future, the staff boasts one of the largest environmental databases around containing 34,000 resumes and over 60,000 hungry visitors to its web site per month. The focus is on green building (LEED®), energy efficiency and environmental compliance, renewable energy and sustainable businesses. Its services cover PASE Corps (training and staffing program), contract staffing for its clients, recruitment/outsourcing and contingency searches (finding the best option for filling  mid-level management, sales and tech positions).

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Throwing out a line to bullied or stressed out teens, veterans and victims of holiday blues, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline networks with 132 crisis centers in the U.S., offering a 24-hour toll-free hotline to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Callers are routed to the nearest crisis center for immediate counseling and local mental health referrals. In addition, it provides preventative educational tools at an online library for schools in helping to train teachers and other employees to recognize kids in pain and how to treat them. The nonprofit recognizes suicide often effects an entire community so it takes the community approach to prevention.

Medical Teams International

The goal of Medical Teams International is to export international good will and services to aid people stricken by disaster, conflict and poverty through effective programs meeting guidelines of the global health community. Volunteers bring their expertise to Africa, East Asia, Eurasia, Latin America and the U.S. with cores set up to address community health issues (including HIV, child survival, water and sanitation and clinic construction and rehab), dental programs, disaster response, emergency medical services, medical services and training and medical supply distribution.

Trust for Public Land

Mapping land worth conserving nationwide, the Trust helps agencies and communities to set aside precious property as well as lending a hand in the design and development of parks and playgrounds. Posting their lively photos on Facebook to spur involvement, it’s all about open spaces for play, relaxation, good health and connection with nature. “Our goal is to ensure that every American has access to a park within a ten-minute walk from home,” says the agency, adding the need for more parks has never been greater. The group has set a $250,000 goal to meet that need for humans as well as their four legged friends.

Reading Partners

If you ask friends about their favorite nonprofits, chances are they will cite some type of literacy program such as Reading Partners, which strives for all the nation’s children to acquire the skills they need to reach full potential – and of course that involves becoming lifelong readers. Focusing on individualized instruction with measurable results, the group reaches out to children from low-income communities with fewer opportunities. Partnering with schools (hence the name), the agency offers one-on-one tutoring with a caring volunteer. Once enrolled, English-speaking students in grades K-5 who have fallen behind six months to two years in reading receive two 45-minute tutoring sessions a week. As educators know, reading is the gateway skill tied to succeeding in every subject in school.

Philly Friendship Circle: Friends for a Caring World

Pairing teen volunteers with special needs children, this caring organization based in Philadelphia schedules excellent activities from weekly play dates at home to structured weekend programs and holiday blow outs. Established a little over six years ago, the eye is on fun and recreation as well as building bridges of community spirit. Teen volunteers find personal satisfaction from giving and are trained by staff therapists to be friendly, giving and attentive to the children partaking in the programs that reach the Jewish community and beyond: Among them: Sunday Circle Respite Sessions to celebrate culture and customs; Sports and Cooking Circles; Sibling Support and Drop Off programs (kids dropped at Saturday Night Parties or Sunday Afternoon Carnivals).

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

It’s almost inconceivable that those who have fought to protect homelands have no place to call home, yet the Veteran’s Administration estimates one-third of the homeless population are veterans – 107,000 homeless on any given night. Most are male and single and come from urban areas and suffer from mental illness, alcohol/substance abuse or co-occurring disorders. Nearly half served during the Vietnam era while others served in Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq. Among them, 56 percent are said to be African American or Hispanic and reasons for being on the street are linked to poverty, lack of support networks and overcrowded or substandard housing. How does the NCHV help? The most comprehensive source for restoring lives, it is governed by a 17-member board and serves as the resource and tech assistance center for a national network of community based service providers and local, state and federal agencies. The group also provides emergency and supportive housing, food, health services,job training, placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for hundreds of thousands of homeless vets each year.

Kids Against Hunger

Founded in 1999, the organization’s mission is to reduce the number of hungry children in the USA while feeding starving children throughout the world. This huge endeavor is done by packaging nutritious, vitamin-fortified, soy-rice casserole by volunteers at locations within the U.S. and Canada. The meals are distributed to over 60 countries through partnerships with humanitarian organizations worldwide. Volunteers boast packing over 48 million meals for children and their families in 2009 alone. Does the food get in the right hands? The organization does not look to governments to ensure people are getting fed.

“We rely on the expertise of trustworthy feeding partners whom we have long-standing relations with and whom we can count on for getting food safely to its destination,” they say.

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Image: Ed Yourdon

The post 10 More Noteworthy Nonprofits You’ve Never Heard Of appeared first on EcoSalon.

What you should know about collaborative hands moving mountains  – one volunteer, festival and tweet at a time.

As Japan’s global relief missions move quickly to aid the mind boggling earthquake and tsunami recovery, school students throughout the U.S. are holding bake sales to swap lopsided muffins and chewy brownies for the feeling of being part of the giant cog of good will.

In many respects, this is how the little guns that run lesser known nonprofits make a dent, using what fuel and funding they have to reach out and stir passions. In essence, it’s about changing the world via one dougnut, app or Tweet at a time.

Here are some of the little engines that could make a significant dent in aiding women, children and the planet at large.

1. Halting the Recruitment of Underage Killers

Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers

If war is hell for adults, you can imagine its toll on children. That’s what we’re up against in Uganda, Lebanon, Bosnia and elsewhere, where kids are forced under extreme duress to shoot weapons, plant mines or explosives and live under horrendous conditions without adequate food or healthcare. Despite global condemnation, hundreds of thousands of children have battled and died in world conflicts, and as many young girls have been subjected to rape and sexual enslavement. Desertion is often punishable by death.

Mission: Headquartered in London, its goal is to promote international and regional legal standards halting the military recruitment or engagement of any young person under 18 in hostilities. Through advocacy, research and monitoring, the coalition pushes for enforcement of the standard by all armed groups, governmental and non-governmental, and humanitarian organizations.

2. Power to the People

Ms. Foundation for Women

What has Ms. and Gloria Steinem done for you lately? While this foundation was started in 1972 at the height of the feminist movement, it has expanded by leaps over 35 years, growing seed funding from $87,000 in start-up grants to an endowment of $24 million. If money talks, then this effort is screaming about ending discrimination and inequity once and for all by giving women the collective power – and funds – to ignite change for generations to come.

Mission: Imbuing women with wisdom and tools to solve on their own problems of poverty, violence, discrimination and other forms of injustice; delivering strategic support to over 150 trailblazing organizations that are advancing women’s solutions for change at decision-making tables across the country.

3. Sew and Dress for Green Success

Clothing Matters

Founded by Martha Swain, who runs sustainability workshops to further her mission from a shop in Grand Rapids, Mich. which she opened with $400 to sell both apparel and ideas to a global community. The nonprofit connects companies and customers working to shift what we wear – from plastic materials cranked out in sweat shops to natural fibers of the highest quality and sustainability – amounting to one of the world’s best examples of socially and environmentally responsible manufacturing.

Mission: Work with domestic and overseas partners whose policies and practices exceed Fair Labor Organization standards. Commit to supporting practices that conserve natural resources, reduce pollution and promote social justice.

4. Food for Thoughtful Consumption

Food and Water Watch

Not so puny with 12 offices in the U.S., but not a household name either, this nonprofit cares about food, water and fish being safe, accessible and sustainably produced – in addition to monitoring abuses of farm workers such as the so-called “serfs or Arkansas” flocking to the poultry industry. The goal is to keep clean and affordable water flowing to homes, protect the quality of oceans and force governments to protect and educate their citizens.

Mission: Encourage a world where all people have access to affordable, healthy and wholesome food and clean water to meet basic needs – a world in which leaders take responsibility to manage essential resources sustainably.

5. Wind in Our Sails, Lower Utility Bills

American Wind Energy Association

They’re not just blowing hot air when it comes to this clearinghouse for communicating facts and ideas about alternative energy. The AWEA considers itself the hub of the wind energy industry with 2,500 members looking to promote, build and buy wind power technology around the world. Working with Congress, industry leaders and small businesses, the goal is to further U.S. leadership in the production of small wind turbines (100 kilowatts and less), generating power that reduces energy bills while protecting the environment.

Mission:Focusing on our economy, environment and energy security, AWEA seeks to power a cleaner America by promoting wind power growth through advocacy, communication and education.

6. Walk the Line

Rails to Trails Conservancy

Included in a read as one of the best 100 nonprofits to work for, this Washington, D.C.-based body promotes the development of thousands of miles of beneficial trails where old defunct rail lines once meandered through the national landscape. In doing so, it seeks to create a nationwide network of trails to connect corridors and build healthier places for healthier humans.

Mission: Attracting 150,000 members since its start in 1986, it looks to 9,000 miles of potential rail trails waiting to be built to span communities, regions, states and the entire country.

7. Stir a Cure

The Cancer Project

As we struggle to find holistic approaches to combating the disease that reaches one million more people each year, the project advances prevention and survival through nutrition education and research. Taking this new direction in the battle, the project provides classes, books, video programs, fact sheets and other educational materials on prevention and the value of health diet changes. Its hands-on nutrition classes are gaining increased popularity and helping survivors and families adapt to diets that have proven results.

Mission: Make cancer prevention a top priority and improve survival after a diagnosis by providing comprehensive information about the role of dietary factors in keeping people healthy.

8. Pleasure Principle

Clitoraid

If we have come a long way, then how does Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) affects some 130 million women in the world today? This horrific practice in Africa, Asia and the Middle East carries lifelong psychological and physical effects – and truly is a barbaric way to keep women down.   Clitoraid aims to correct the wrong through surgery while completing a $200,000 Pleasure Hospital in Burkina Faso, West Africa, offering free medical services for physical restoration and rehab for FGM victims.

Mission: Training and education for clitoral repair surgery for victims and empowering them to reach their first orgasms as a way of celebrating sexual freedom and pleasure for all women in the world. Promoting campaigns against female excision and sharing pleasure, hope, kindness and femininity.

9. Compassionate Nesting

Housing Works

The double whammy of AIDS and homelessness is too much for a civilized society to take. Housing Works is made up of a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS with advocacy offices in NYC, Albany, Washington D.C. Mississippi, Haiti and Puerto Rico. Through grassroots efforts it fights for funding and legislation to ensure people with HIV/AIDS have homes, healthcare and other life-sustaining services, and legal protections from discrimination.

Mission: To end the dual crisis of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, provision of lifesaving services and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain its efforts.

10. The Race to Somewhere Happy

Project Appleseed

Its website poses the poignant question: Why wait for Superman? When it comes to improving our dismal public school offerings, parents are now taking the initiative, spurred on by disturbing documentaries like Race to Nowhere, which bashes the daily grind with a refocus on the thriving child who is educated for the current age and allowed an elusive childhood in the process.

Mission: For parents, grandparents, schools, faculty or any other caring adult to pledge to help our community’s children achieve a truly independent future by reforming public schools, including district evaluations, fitness and nutrition, funding, green schools and technology and six slices of parent involvement and engagement.

Tell us about a nonprofit that deserves to be heard: tips@ecosalon.com.

Images:  Pink Sherbet Photography, Warchild; Saltysoul; Food & Water Watch; AWEA; The Cancer Project; Housing Works; Project Appleseed; Clitoraid; Black Sexual Politics

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