Never in history have so many people had so much information, so many tools at their disposal, so many ways of making good ideas come to life. Yet at the same time, so many people, of all walks of life, could use so much help, in both little ways and big.
In the midst of this, new studies are reinforcing the simple wisdom that beyond a certain very basic level of material wealth, the only thing that increases individual happiness over time is helping other people.
In other words, helping helps everybody, helper and helped alike.
The question is: what would help? And help most?
At Google, we don’t believe we have the answers, but we do believe the answers are out there. Maybe in a lab, or a company, or a university — but maybe not.
Maybe the answer that helps somebody is in your head, in something you’ve observed, some notion that you’ve been fiddling with, some small connection you’ve noticed, some old thing you have seen with new eyes.
If you have an idea that you believe would help somebody, we want to hear about it. We’re looking for ideas that help as many people as possible, in any way, and we’re committing the funding to launch them. You can submit your ideas and help vote on ideas from others. Final idea selections will be made by an advisory board.
Good luck, and may those who help the most win.
Highlights from the first event of the Pen World Voices Festival of International Literature on April 24th, 2007. This event is “Green Thoughts: Writers on the Environment” with readings by Jonathan Franzen, Billy Collins, Salmun Rushdie, and others. Not all participants in the event are on the video.
SmartTrips™ programs have one goal: to help you travel as often as possible by means other than driving alone in a car. We provide resources, information and incentives to help you do that. The result? Less road stress for you – more money in your pocket and less traffic congestion for everyone.
Watch the Blue Man Group video featured on “Earth To America!”
The Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth.
Please join PolicyLink and more than a thousand participants from around the country at Regional Equity ‘08: The Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth in New Orleans, March 5-7, 2008. Summit participants include diverse leaders and advocates from the nonprofit, public policy, philanthropic, business, and academic arenas who share a commitment to full economic and social inclusion and the belief that everyone in a democratic society should have the opportunity to participate and prosper.
A video created for the SCA/Mazda Conservation in Action Multimedia Contest.
by Arin
I’ve been thinking a lot about clothing lately. I think there is a big potential for the whole clothing experience to be re-invented so we don’t have to hurt the environment and humanity so much. Instead of always using new fabric and shipping clothes made in sweat shops by little kids all over the world a very different approach can be taken. One major step in the right direction is what a friend of a friends clothing line is up to.
Mandate of Heaven makes their clothes from recycled fabric. And they distribute their clothes primarily locally which cuts down on shipping and packaging pollution. They’re also all very expressive clothes which gives the person wearing them a strong individuality and uniqueness which helps break out of the manufactured mindset of manufactured clothes.
Inspired by Anthony Gormleys ‘Blind Light’ a cloud in a large glass box, this video project is displayed on a LCD monitor built into a pictue frame to look like a moving still. No audio. Shot with a Canon HV20
A trailer of the upcoming film, Burning the Future. The film takes a hard look at the environmental and human effects of strip mining coal in the US. Please see burningthefuture.org/
What’s so funny about silver mining? Solar power? Condoms? Well, condoms can be funny. But the fact is, Seth Herzog, Jason Sudeikis and Nick Kroll of, among other shows,Saturday Night Live and Best Week Ever, will make you bust a gut, straight outta Sundance. Host: Jennifer Prediger. Video by Brit Liggett
The first ever Carrotmob campaign!