March 2014 Blog Posts (130)

This past week has been an eye opening experience to learn about food security and the future of our world. It’s heartbreaking to think about that more than one billion people go hungry every day. That is why I really like the goals of food security, especially the sustainability aspect. I think it is really important to understand where food comes from and how to produce it. When thinking about what my meal in 2020 will look like, I have a couple of ideas.

I hope that by March 10,…

The hero I chose is a lady named Emily Pilloton. There were a few ways I kept up with her which was Facebook and Twitter. Emily is the founder of Project H Design which is a group that was created to mobilize product design ingenuity for social good. They have nine chapters, some are here and others over seas. They added over 300 committed designers is just over a year. They have over 20 projects in 6 countries which is aimed to having quick and real impact on people's lives. The reason I…

I recently read a book called The Good Food Revolution, which focuses on the concept of food security. Will Allen wrote the book and it follows his actions of trying to provide residents in an urban area with healthy food. One of the main challenges that Allen faces in his book is the concept of food security and the "farm to table" concept. The book is centered in an urban area of Milwaukee, where the residents do not have access to fresh fruit or vegetables. A majority of the places that…

After reading about how many people were facing food security in my area, I decided to go out and try to make a difference. I have some experience gardening and know of a few families on the east side of town that have room in their back yards for one. I went and bought their seeds, gloves, gardening tools, etc. I've known these two families for about four years now so I was very excited to help them feed themselves and their children. I spent one weekend showing both families the proper…

When asked to research about food security in my area, I was really surprised at what I found. I had no idea that there were so many people in my area (Alachua County) that had little or no access to food. About 17% of the people in my area are facing this problem. An innovation solution that I found that was working on this problem was two food banks called Gainesville Harvest and Bread of the Mighty. These two assistance organizations help collect on average 800,000 pounds of food…

My favorite secret states "Understand by observing the environment, infrastructure, culture and lives of people by being there." I'm a firm believer in this because you have to actually see and understand a problem before you can fix/work on it.

The women helped in Pakistan will have opportunities they have never had before. They will be able to get educated and have independence that they would not have imagined. They will be able to create their own initiatives to help those in need.

For my mission, I donated $20 to an organization called "Giving Women Wings In Pakistan." This organization provides social and economic empowerment to rural women in Pakistan through creating Women Learning and Skill Development Centers in rural communities.

Gender inequality was real life back in 2014. During this time , the country ranked 96th out of 148 in the 2013 Human Development Report's Gender Inequality Index. Often girls did not finish their formal education, being forced to drop out or miss school days to care for siblings or work to provide income for the family.

The global program to provide higher education for the women in Cambodia has helped women to become more independent and decrease disparity in the country. One young…

WHO is launching a new guidance on how to provide contraceptive protection for women in honor of national women’s day (March 8.) Research has estimated that 222 million girls who do not want to get pregnant are not using any method of contraception because of access and planning. The plan will provide guidance and accurate information to a variety of services for women. Other measures consist of sex education programs for young people.

I purchased an iPhone case awhile back that had recently broke. The iPhone case has a soft inner shell and a hard outer shell. Although I could go re-buy the same case, I only needed the outer shell so I looked on the company's website to see what my options were. In order to replace my outer case I had to: send a photo of the damaged part, my receipt, my shipping address and paypal e-mail address to the company to pay for shipping and I could get my hard case. I had to register for paypal…

I think that Bitcoin the virtual, no middle man currency is slowly changing the world. Bitcoins are very pivotal to the future of money due to the fact that there are no additional fees tied to using them. Transactions are also anonymous. No matter what your currency is there are several marketplaces called “bitcoin exchanges” allow people to buy or sell bitcoins using different currencies. It is so convenient that you can send bitcoins digitally. Bitcoins can be mined/earned by solving…

On World Water Day in 2020, I would ask the wh*** planet to drastically conserve water by not using it. The frequently used mantra "you don't know what you've got until it is gone" applies perfectly to this situation. You really appreciate things when you can't use them. Imagine all the uses the world has for water such as cooking, sanitation, consumption and many other uses. A day without using water for all of its purposes would really puts into perspective how important water is, and it…

I would make an alliance with water 1st international. In order to further their water security effort I would not only donate to the cause but I would also help organize a 5K, like their Carry5 Walk for Water in Seattle. During the Carry5 Walk for Water, a participant has to experience what millions of people around the world have to do everyday, which is carry water for 5 kilometers. This occurs due to a lack of clean water locally. Participants in the 5k will know the taxing work of…

My favorite inspiring clean water project is water 1st International. What stood out to me is water 1st International's goal to create permanent solutions. Many organizations that provide water to areas in need typically create solutions that only last for a year or two. Water 1st International has found that in order for their efforts of providing water to last the projects must be independently owned and operated by community members themselves, place women in key leadership roles, and…

On the 4th of July in 2020, everyone will be using a energy efficient gas grill for their BBQs. These grills are called the Cook Number Gas Grills which reduce energy consumption. Their energy consumption is half, or less than the average gas grill. If the US market shifted to Cook Number Gas Grills using just 30,000 BTUs/hour or equally efficient ones, we would save 30 Million barrels of crude oil/year.

Little changes in your day to day life can go a long way. Everyday I use a calculator and a TV remote that require AAA batteries. A new way to power my calculator and TV remote, in a more efficient fashion, is to use rechargeable batteries. Not only are these batteries a new better way to power, they also are less harmful to the environment.When taken to landfills, most normal batteries release harmful metals like mercury and lead into the environment. Since I will be reusing the…

This week I found out how to use a cashiers check!! Before I never really understood what the difference was between a Cashier's check and a normal check, but my apartment needed a cashier's check for something instead of a normal check. So I had to go into my bank and get a cashiers check for the earnest money used in my home purchase. I didn't know how to do it, but luckily one of the teller's was willing to help out. The bank takes the amount of money you put on your cashiers check out of…

I would not come to the EVOKE network for another season. The set up of the website can be confusing at times. Also, the assignments for this site can seem like busy work. Some don't seem like they are accomplishing anything or making the world a better place. The EVOKE network was a nice idea, but it needs a lot of changes.

I really like the idea of community currencies. If most people in the community use their specialized currency, it makes sure that the town or city's economy is not guaranteed to collapse if the national currency system breaks down. Particularly in underdeveloped communities I think this would be great because of the instability of the governments. Its a way to create a sense of monetary security within the town. Since there is one particular group using it, this system would also make sure…