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For more recent updates, please see this page at the Signposts blog.
A simple but insightful
quiz that tells you how your current
lifestyle impacts Earth and what you can do to reduce your impact. Take the
quiz. Share it with your family and friends as well.
A blog by Colin Beavan
about what each of us can do to end our environmental crisis, make a better
place to live for ourselves and everyone else, and hopefully come up with a
happier way of life along the way.
Earth friendly advice for
going green. Reducing costs, consumption & impact on the environment!
An excellent site from the
Centre for Science and Environment, covering everything from water policy in
India to the design and maintenance of rainwater harvesting systems.
A Bangalore based organization that focuses on eco-friendly
design principles in architecture and that encourages the shift to rainwater
harvesting and grey water use. Useful site.
Hong Kong to Cape Town
overland: An adventure in environment and development…
An excellent website on
sustainable living with links to many other such websites.
Big Picture TV streams free video clips
of leading experts, thinkers and activists in environmental and social sustainability.
Another useful website to
calculate your personal impact on Planet Earth. Get your family and friends to
check their carbon footprint.
Great site on how you can
keep your carbon footprint low by sourcing and consuming food that is grown
within a 100 mile radius of your home.
“… it seems to me that we desperately need another way of
knowing the world before charging off to design yet another vision of how human
life on earth should be lived. This web site therefore takes another approach,
that of looking for guidance about how humans should know the world and live
their lives from the example of how the rest of life on earth lives, as well as
the millions of years of human existence on earth during which we managed to
not lay waste to the environment.”
Online Magazines
An excellent site that beautifully
counters the negativity of the mainstream media. It has loads of positive
stories about India and the exciting and inspiring initiatives that people are
working on. Hasn’t been updated in a while but only because D V Sridharan, the
man behind the website, is busy with another project called Point Return. Look
for it below in the Intentional Communities section.
India Together (IT) is an
electronic publication devoted to coverage of public affairs, policy, and
development in India, providing news in proportion to the country's broad
development experiences. The publication is edited and published from Bangalore
by two lead editors, Subramaniam
Vincent and Ashwin
Mahesh who are also the cofounders. Mahesh and Vincent work with a team of
35-40 freelance writers, who range from reporters and commentators to
development professionals and scholars. India Together has been in publication
since 1998. Over 2300 articles have been published, as of mid-2007.
Brilliant magazine! Do
check it out to get the real stories of India, the ones the mainstream media
never talks about.
YES! Magazine is an award-winning, ad-free, nonprofit publication that
supports people’s
active engagement in building a just and sustainable world.
The heart of our work is to
spotlight practical possibilities for deep shifts in our society.
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We
inspire people to say YES!
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We
support and connect individuals and communities working for a just and
sustainable world.
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We
reframe issues, reflect diverse human-scale stories, and offer tools for people
to use and to pass along.
The Resurgence Trust publishes
Resurgence magazine to promote ecological sustainability,
social justice and spiritual values.
Orion Magazine is a treasure trove of insightful
articles on a range of issues relating to sustainability. And as their website
says, “Orion
publishes six thoughtful, inspiring, and beautiful issues a year, supported
entirely by our readers – we're completely ad-free!”
Definitely worth supporting, don’t you think?
Ode is a print and online publication about positive news,
about the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better.
Greater Good highlights ground breaking
scientific research into the roots of compassion and altruism. It fuses this
science with inspiring stories of compassion in action, providing a bridge
between social scientists and parents, educators, community leaders, and policy
makers.
At EnlightenNext we call ourselves “the magazine for Evolutionaries.” We are a niche publication
for those “Evolutionaries,” for people who are passionate about the evolution
of consciousness and culture. We are the place that leading thinkers in
science, spirituality, politics, ecology, and business look to for an in-depth
perspective on these many areas of life.
At LIME, we built a place
where you can find all the ideas, information and resources to inspire you to
live healthier and help make our planet greener - and have some fun while
you're at it.
Common Ground is a part of LIME, a Gaiam company.
Conversations.org is a
collection of in-depth interviews with artists from all walks of life. We also
offer a monthly newsletter highlighting recent articles and a gift-economy print magazine.
A theme based magazine on
sustainable living whose editor has this to say about the magazine… “The bookstores and newsstands that used to
sell IN CONTEXT never quite knew where to put us. Our scope was too broad and
too whole. Our approach was too unclassifiable. Our fabric included
environmental and social concerns, but we weren't simply activists. There were
always spiritual threads, but they were worn lightly and we just didn't' fit in
the New Age box. Many of the articles had scholarly sophistication, but we
weren't an intellectual publication. We were whole people engaged with all the
dimensions of life -- and there just wasn't a category for that!”
Has excellent articles.
Navadarshanam ("New
Vision") is a small organization, a registered charitable Trust operating
near a small village 50 km south of Bangalore, India. It investigates
ecological and spiritual alternatives to the modern way of living and thinking.
Vanashree, an 8 acre farm, organically
and naturally cultivated over last 3 years, is our "Discovery
Lab". Located at Maralwadi, 50 kms from Bangalore, is very close to
Bannerghatta forest range and surrounded by gently wooded hills.
Anuragam originated as
an attempt to find ones earthy moorings at the culmination of a period of inner
search, replete with inner struggles and wanderings. It was also a phase of
dwelling on the teachings of J. Krishnamurti, Ramana Maharshi, and Ramakrishna.
Anuragam as an organic farm has been evolving into sustainability for nearly a
decades now. We have various crops like paddy, vegetables, groundnut, sesame,
coconut, mangos, gooseberry etc.
"Auroville wants to be
a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace
and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.
The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity."
pointReturn is the solo
effort of D V Sridharan, Publisher of goodnewsindia.com. Its primary objective
is to restore a tiny corner of abandoned India into a sustainable resource for
water, energy, food, and cash. When plants, ponds, birds and small game have
made it their home, say in about five years, it will be time to ponder how
human activity can further add to its relevance.
The Timbaktu Collective is
a registered Voluntary Organisation that was initiated in 1990, to work for
sustainable development in the drought prone Anantapur district of Andhra
Pradesh (A.P.) INDIA.
Today
the Collective has a team of 60 members and works in about 100 villages of
Chennekothapalli, Roddam and Ramagiri mandals of Anantapur district, serving
about 30,000 marginalised people.
It is our experiment in
laying a new path on an old road that leads to simplicity, sustainability and
dare we say, spirituality.
Vanastree is a small
collective dedicated to promoting forest garden biodiversity and food
security through the conservation of traditional seeds.
Our
main objectives:
1.
promote
cultivated and wild biodiversity in farms and forest home gardens
2.
encourage
seed saving and conservation of traditional crop varieties
3.
provide
networking and extension services
Seva Café is an experiment
in the shared joy that comes from humble giving and selfless service. Our
wholesome meals are cooked and served with love by volunteers and offered to
our guests as a genuine gift, paid for in full by previous guests.
As more participate in the
joy of giving, the more the experiment thrives. It begins with a single gift:
first given, then received... multiplied, and given again, in a growing chain
of kindness and care. We hope this Circle of Giving leaves you feeling more
nourished, and inspired to carry the experiment forward.
All costs and income are
made transparent, and 100% of any profits are used to support social service
projects!
Imagine a restaurant where
there are no prices on the menu and where the check reads $0.00 with only this
footnote: "Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you. We hope
you will pay-it-forward however you wish."
That's Karma Kitchen, a
volunteer-driven experiment in generosity.
CouchSurfing is a worldwide
network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they
visit.
GlobalFreeloaders.com is an
online community, bringing people together to offer you free accommodation all
over the world. Save money and make new friends whilst seeing the world from a
local's perspective!
Come onboard - join the
largest online hospitality exchange organization! You will meet friendly people
and find free accommodation when you travel to any corner of the world. There
are no obligations (you do not have to host anyone at your home!), membership
is free and we would love to have you in our world wide web of friendly people!
- what the website says
WWOOF is a world wide
network - It started in the UK in 1971 and has since become an international
movement that is helping people share more sustainable ways of living.
WWOOF is an exchange - In
return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and
opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.
WWOOF organisations link
people who want to volunteer on organic farms or smallholdings with people who
are looking for volunteer help.
Workaway.info holds a
database of families, individuals or organizations in a variety of different
countries who have registered with us and are looking for volunteer help in a
whole range of different fields. From painting to planting, building to
babysitting or shopping to shearing, Workaway.info aims to introduce working
travellers and language learners to like minded hosts, without having to pay
expensive agency fees.
Frustrated by the
"volunteer in Asia, volunteer in Africa, volunteer in South or Central
America, but first pay us lots of money" opportunities? We are too.
Our organization is a
network of individuals that share information about no or minimal fee
meaningful travel and volunteer travel opportunities around the globe. These
opportunities can include anything from volunteering at an orphanage, to a
festival, to wildlife conservation to you name it.
Interested?
Please join us. Membership is absolutely free but the
information shared is priceless.
Welcome to Help Exchange
(HelpX), an online listing of host organic farms, non-organic farms, farmstays,
homestays, ranches, lodges, B&Bs, backpackers hostels and even sailing
boats who invite volunteer helpers to stay with them short-term in exchange for
food and accommodation.
HelpX is provided primarily
as a cultural exchange for working holiday makers who would like the
opportunity during their travels abroad, to stay with local people and gain
practical experience.
CharityFocus is an
experiment in the joy of giving. Our services enable inspired people to
contribute in meaningful ways to the world around them. Together, we hope to
"be the change we wish to see in the world."
Excellent free tutorials on
guitar playing… “You will find lots of useful guitar lessons and information
here - it works on an "honour system". If you can afford to pay for
the lessons then please donate for what you use - imagine it was a pay site. If
you can't afford to donate it is no problem at all - the site is free for you
:). Updates and new material is pretty much donation dependant. Donations give
me more time away from paid work to develop this site and make new lessons and
features.”
Do you want to get involved
in volunteer work without having to pay a large sum of money?
Do you want to meet like-minded
independent travelers and get involved in social / environmental projects
around the world?
This website was set up by
a group that met while involved in volunteer work abroad. The various members
of the group found many similar difficulties when searching for and getting
involved in independent volunteer work and decided to set up this website to
act as a "hub" for the network of independent groups that are
involved in wonderful projects around the world.
The difference between us
and other websites is that we only list projects and organizations that charge no
fees (other than reasonable food and accommodation costs).
An online gathering of environmentally
and spiritually conscious people
What the
website says…
Our vision is of a world where each of us is
supported in realizing our highest selves, discovering our own individual gifts
and strengths, and each contributing, in our own way, to a harmonious, diverse,
creative, and collaborative future.
And so, we started this community with the intent of creating a space where people could come not just to remind each other to continue to follow our hearts, but to practice it. Our dream is for Gaia Community to be a sanctuary for individuals around the world who've committed to follow their deepest calling, and who will support each other in that commitment—offering encouragement and enthusiasm for each unique path.
Freedom Gardens is an online social
community of gardening enthusiasts who are
fed up
with foreign oil, frequent food miles and high food prices.
Gardeners of all types of gardens are
welcomed. From the acreage farmer to the apartment windowsill herb cultivator. And from
the classroom gardens, to community gardens.
Not a gardener? Not a problem! Join anyway. This site is
also for people interested in sustainable, local, and organic food or those
just dreaming and scheming for a garden of their own.
What the website says…
Kitchen Gardeners
International is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in Maine, USA with friends from
around the world. Our mission is to empower individuals, families, and
communities to achieve greater levels of food self-reliance through the
promotion of kitchen gardening, home-cooking, and sustainable local food
systems. In doing so, KGI seeks to connect, serve, and expand the global
community of people who grow some of their own food.
What the website says…
The Development
CAFE is an interactive website for development professionals. This is a platform for minds from all over
the world to meet and interact and share info and resources based on the development sector.
What
the website says…
Join the largest online
community of youth interested in global issues and creating positive change
A Mumbai based global network
of filmmakers and artists, offering their talents and work as gifts to the
world.
HelpOthers.org -- kindness
is contagious. Welcome to a portal dedicated to small acts of kindness.
DailyGood is an inspiring
quote, a related good-news story, and a simple action -- delivered to your
inbox for free by volunteers every day. Just a ripple a day, simply to spread
the good.
KarmaTube is a collection
of short, "do something" videos coupled with simple actions that
every viewer can take. Our mission is to spread the good. Thank you for your
partnership in service.
The Random Acts of
Kindness™ Foundation inspires people to practice kindness and to “pass it on”
to others. We provide free educational and community ideas, guidance, and other
resources to kindness participants through our website at www.actsofkindness.org.
The Global Oneness Project
is exploring how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived
in our increasingly complex world. Since 2006, we've been traveling the globe
gathering stories from creative and courageous people who base their lives and
work on the understanding that we bear great responsibility for each other and
our shared world.
Our living library of films
is available for free from our website, through select broadcast outlets, and
on DVD. Through events and educational materials we offer opportunities for
people to deepen their experience with the different facets of oneness we are
exploring.
We hope that by showing the
diverse ways oneness is expressed - in the fields of sustainability, conflict
resolution, spirituality, art, economics, indigenous culture, and social
justice - others will be inspired to create solutions to personal and community
challenges from their own lived understanding of oneness.
For more
recent updates, please see this page at the Signposts blog.
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