The World Food Programme and local NGOs are helping Nepalese villagers grow herbs to supplement their incomes. Specifically, they are growing the chiretta plant, which is known for its medical qualities and can be exported for use in other South Asian countries like India. The herb is used to ward off fevers, skin diseases, intestinal worms, and bronchial asthma. It has also been used to heal burns, regulate the bowels and cure hiccups.

"The plant used to be plentiful in the nearby forests and we would pick it for our own consumption and to sell," said Sal Bahadur Rawal, supervisor of the nursery. It is a real income earner. While a kilo of millet costs 20 rupees (about 26 US cents), a kilo of chiretta costs 200 rupees (US$2.66), 10 times the amount.   Read more...

Kraft Foods has been warming up bellies for generations with their warm, delicious dishes. Now, they are warming up bus stops in Chicago to promote their new Stove Top Quick Cups.

Kraft has posted ads in 50 bus shelters that say, "Cold, provided by winter. Warmth, provided by us". It's a good night for Stove Top." Kraft hopes that residents of Chicago will first enter the heated bus stops to enjoy shelter from the cold, and then decide that eating a Stove Top Quick Cup would be a good idea.   Read more...

December 5th is International Volunteer Day, as designated by the United Nations beginning in 1985. The UN says the aim of this activity is to thank international volunteers for their efforts and increase public awareness of their contribution to society. International Volunteer Day is marked by many non-governmental organizations, including Red Cross, scouts and others. It is also marked and supported by United Nations Volunteers.

Organizations like Nabuur.com honored their volunteers. Nabuur is a website aimed at connecting people who want to make a difference all over the world from where they are. They explain that you do not have to travel abroad to be an international volunteer. Nabuur allows communities in need to sign up for the site. They then assign a volunteer facilitator who guides and coordinates efforts of volunteers all over the world.   Read more...

With the meltdown of the financial markets and millions of people in financial turmoil, it is increasingly clear that our collective money shadow has led us down a path that will take years to unfold and understand. It seems that in spite of great personal, social and technological advancements, we remain highly underdeveloped when it comes to money, which is proving to be hazardous to our collective financial health.

As we are learning daily, money is as mysterious as it is elusive. No matter what our attempts have been to control it, no civilization or country in the history of the world has ever truly succeeded. Money has an energy and life of its own. It has a duality about it that is not unlike our own nature as human beings. It is creative and destructive, loving and cruel. It has the capacity to bring forth the best and the worst in human nature.   Read more...

The World Economic Forum announced on Thursday that Lemnis Lighting is one of the visionary companies selected as Technology Pioneers 2009. The company is being recognized for its accomplishments in energy efficient and low carbon emission lighting as well as for its sustainable business model designed to solve global problems outperforming existing alternatives, while protecting and preserving the environment.

The Technology Pioneers award recognizes companies at the forefront of technology and innovation.  Lemnis Lighting’s inclusion as a Technology Pioneer recognizes their achievement in creating life-changing lighting alternatives that have the potential for long-term impact on business and society.     Read more...

Cancer is a reflection of the state of planet earth. When the organism is overstressed by chemicals, pollution and toxins, it's healing capacity are highly reduced.

Thank you for a very interesting article "How to help your body help itself" by David Servan Schreiber. I agree on everything except that conventional treatment is the only cure. I think he confirms this himself as the article develops.

Other friends and myself who have had cancer are a living examples. The problem is that nobody is interested to register us who have healed without conventional intervention, so there are no statistics.   Read more...

300,000 families in Paraguay lack adequate housing. Entrepreneur Elsa Zaldivar has decided to help those people with some unlikely materials. Recyclable homes are now being made from a mix of loofah, the cucumberlike vegetable that is often dried into scratchy sponge, and corn husks. Loofah, which are readily available in Paraguay, are used to make lightweight panels which can be used to build furniture as well.

The panels are extremely lightweight, which makes them easy to handle, and also gives the homes a better chance of withstanding earthquakes and other natural catastrophes. If they happen to be destroyed, the materials are fully recyclable.   Read more...

If North Korea is known for its self-imposed isolation and absence from the global economy, perhaps Sweden should be known for being peaceful and all inclusive because this past year, a group of young Swedes launched a project to forge connections with North Korea through a company that will be the first to produce jeans in North Korea and export them to the rest of the world.

The three young Swedes come from a PR background and are currently operating as Noko Jeans. They say the company is an attempt to approach and get closer to North Korea. They have met with North Korean government officials last summer and secured an manufacturer.   Read more...

The holiday season is now upon us. For Americans, this means that we are buying presents for our loved ones, spending time with family, and decking the halls. Outdoor home decorations have become louder, brighter and more obnoxious in the past few years, bu this holiday, instead of purchasing your seven-foot-tall, blinking, light-up Santa Claus from Wal-Mart take a moment to consider the implications.

Everything we do has an impact on the earth, even during the holidays. While some Christmas-light-enthusiasts might call you a Scrooge, the abuse is probably worth it when you're helping to save the planet.   Read more...

When Silicon Valley entrepreneur Heidi Roizen turned 50, she decided it was time to lose some weight, so she decided to do what she does best: start a company.   Read more...