Hser Gay Paw: A Hero for Karen Hill Tribe Women
Though her grandmother insisted that she not learn the skill, orphaned Hser Gay Paw couldn’t help but be enchanted with the colors and designs in Karen Hill Tribe weaving. Now she runs a project to help Karen women supplement their family’s income.
5 Kinds of Gifts that Give Back
Five ways you can give twice every time with gift ideas that give back. Resources, links and ideas for how you can support social and environmental causes and make a difference in the world with gifts that mean more.
From Living on the Street to Earning a Living Wage: Fair Trade at Work in Hanoi
Phan had never dared to dream of the stability promised by fair trade job. But when he became an artisan in Hanoi's Kids & Stone workshop, life began to change. Read how he went from living on the street to earning a living wage.
Buy Obama or Palin to Help Needy Kids
eBay auctions dolls in the likeness of Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin; Corey Feldman releases an album with his band Truth Movement; Hayden Panettiere's whale tale; Daryl Hannah's dhlovelife vlog.
Solar Cooking Saves Trees and Does Global Good
Solar cookers are helping families in remote areas of the world cook without firewood — helping reduce deforestation and carbon emissions from wood fires while offering solutions to health and social problems.
How to Give Back with a Volunteer Vacation
Get the scoop on your volunteer vacation options, including popular destinations, causes, prices, pitfalls, tips and resources to help you choose the right kind of volunteer vacation for you.
A Buffalo Helps a Mom in Nepal Pay It Forward
Half the population is unemployed in Nepal, and only one in three women is able to read. Yet, Sabitra overcame the odds and is now helping others in her community with help from Heifer International and a buffalo.
Volunteer’s Solar Know-How Lights Up Learning In Rwanda
Electrical engineer Brian Dempsey helps people turn sunlight into electricity every day. But he says his most brilliant work was turning sun power into power learning for 400 orphaned children in Rwanda.
30 Ways You Are Saving The Earth
Gaiam Life readers share what they're doing to reduce their impact on the environment and making a difference by fighting climate change, reducing their waste and helping others join the cause.
5 Best Ways to “Green Out” Your Town
Weekly recycling, home composting, grocery shopping at the farmer’s market – you’ve made some good changes to live greener. So what’s next? It’s time to take your eco-friendly inspirations out into your local community.
How Fair Trade Turned Life Around for a Family in India
A story of one woman artisan who's among the extraordinary survivors across Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and India, where livable wages from fair trade work offer a way out of the cycle of poverty.
Steve Peifer's 'Mission: Impossible' with Kenya Kids
He's feeding 11,000 kids in Kenya a school lunch every day, building solar-powered computer labs, and trying to 'break the back of poverty in Kenya in 15 years.' How he did it, and how you can help.
Ryan's Well: How a 6-Year-Old Started Changing the World
Ryan Hreljac was only 6 when he started saving his chores money to pay for a well for a Ugandan village. His can-do attitude grew into a nonprofit that's built more than 300 wells in developing countries.
Van Jones: Green Jobs Are His Mission
Yale Law grad Van Jones and his nonprofit catalyzed the Green Jobs Act, providing $120 million a year to train workers for jobs in solar and renewable energy.
5 Fair Trade FAQs + Buying Guide
A 101 on what makes something fair trade, and how to shop smart to ensure that the person who created that fabulous product is receiving a fair wage in return.
Climate Change: 25 Things You Can Do
An action-inspiring list from “An Inconvenient Truth” producer Laurie David. These 25 steps will help you reduce your carbon footprint and help mitigate climate change.
Making Cotton, Doing Good
A family-owned business, this manufacturer uses pure organic cotton, makes its own nonpolluting hydroelectricity, and gives a portion of all proceeds to the World Wildlife Fund.
Communities Win with Fair Trade: 3 Stories
Three artisan groups, worlds away from each other, are earning fair wages, rebuilding sustainable livelihoods for their families and communities, and reviving traditional local handcraft skills. The story behind three programs that supply a few of Gaiam's artisan-made and fair trade offerings, from clothing to quilts to unique contemporary iron bathroom fixtures.
Go Zero: One Simple Way Anyone Can Help Stop Global Warming
Feeling overwhelmed in the fight against global warming? This innovative carbon-offset program by Gaiam and The Conservation Fund makes you part of the solution.
Organic Farming Changes Everything: Part 2, Escaping the Chemicals
The local ecosystem and the religious beliefs of a community of cotton farming families in rural India called for unique solutions to some universal agricultural challenges. Organic farming methods proved to be the solution on all counts.
