This year, economists have concluded that there has been a generational change in business. New startups only start thinking about money when they suddenly start getting it. And before that, they have a different goal – just saving the world.
Humanity means unconditional love for each living being on Earth whether it is humans, plants or animals. Serving poor and disabled is the greatest humanitarian help, which an individual can provide in his or her lifetime. Serving the needy also means that you are thinking of others more than yourself. And you can read more about the meaning of this concept in different spheres of life in the humanity essay topics.
I present to you seven projects aimed at making the world a better place and people happier. Their authors are less than 35 years old: they do not believe in miracles, but make them and inspire others to do so.
1) The Indian company Sarvajal only sells water. Clean water for the villagers. Its founders are also selling the franchise to other companies that install ATMs with H2O in the villages of India. The drink is cleaned inside these ATMs, and the Indians come with plastic bottles and pay for the needed amount of water. So simple – no extra staff needed. The idea turned out to be salutary for a country having not so many sources of fresh water, and treatment systems, even in large cities, leave much to be desired.
“For the Indian government, the need to provide people with clean water is always at the bottom of the to-do list,” said Anand Shah, CEO of Sarvajal. “We thought that if we find a few more smart and desperate entrepreneurs, then the problem would be partially solved.”
Sarvajal now has over 150 franchise partners;
2) Engineers at the California Institute of Technology have created a toilet that, using solar energy, converts waste into hydrogen and fertilizer – that is, it cleans itself.
Two and a half billion people today do not have access to a clean bathroom. This means that it is almost impossible to defeat measles, malaria, and gastrointestinal diseases (of which one person dies every 20 seconds). Therefore, the whole world had to tackle the problem.
Bill Gates has allocated millions of dollars for manufacturing this eco-friendly invention of Californian scientists.
3) Sebastian Lindstrom with his studio What Took You So Long makes guerrilla films about people and projects that change life in third world countries for the better. Focusing on the invisible heroes of the deserts, they show that charity brings pleasure to those who do it. Their short films that can be watched on Lindstrom’s studio YouTube channel inspire small but significant deeds.
Now the project is making money, as it does not shy away from a healthy share of advertising in films.
4) Maria Rodriguez saves the economy of her homeland – Guatemala. She has bred a special kind of worms that feed on waste. And the waste produced by the worms themselves is a powerful fertilizer, ideal for the soils of Central America.
In addition, her worm farms create many jobs for women below the poverty line.
“If you invest in women, you invest in society,” says Maria.
5) A resident of the United States, Indian Kavita Shukla patented her idea of ”magic paper to protect food from rot” while in high school.
We have refrigerators, but we still throw out fruits and vegetables after a week if we don’t have time to eat them. Imagine what it is like for people who simply cannot afford a freezer? Every banana counts. The paper made from spices will naturally keep food from rotting for a long time.
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Kavita invented paper during a brainstorming session at her school when she remembered her visit to her grandmother in India. During that visit she accidentally drank tap water, which has notorious chemical composition. “I was really scared that I would get sick,” she says. “My grandmother went to the kitchen and mixed a few herbs and spices in a glass of clean water, and then gave it to me to drink. I was skeptical about her idea, but she assured me that everything would be fine. And I really didn’t get sick. “
The exact recipe for paper made from this solution is intellectual property, but one ingredient is known for sure: it is fenugreek, a plant that is used in Indian cooking.
6) We all love buying things, the proceeds from which go to charity. I bought a sweater – dozens of poor Africans got their sweaters, I bought shampoo – and kids from third world countries got personal hygiene products. There must be such a product, the purchase of which in developed countries will solve the problem of unsanitary conditions in African countries – Australians Simon Griffiths, Jehan Ratnatunga, and Danny Alexandery thought. And then they created toilet paper with a diplomatic mission.
Half of the profits from the sale of a batch of a product called WhoGivesaCrap? (Crap can mean both waste and money) goes to the construction of toilets in Africa. The paper is made from recycled materials and contains no ink, dye, fragrance, or glue. The simplest, 100% eco-friendly rolls that are completely recyclable after use.
7) Not only African people face difficulties. A group of people from the University of California have decided to help street artists all over the world, releasing the shoes they have invented. That is, anyone can send them a sketch of the painted sneakers. The founders of the company will pay the author a fee, and in addition, a decent interest from each pair sold will go to the creator’s account.
This idea does not seem too significant against the background of the rest. But in fact, most of talented street artists live in very poor conditions, residing in poor neighborhoods in South American cities, and have little chance of getting a university degree. And making sneakers is a great way to make some money.