Photo: Thinkstock

Living in a big city, I enjoy lots of enriching interactions with wildlife. For example, an intrepid squirrel likes to tap on our window pane and mean-mug the dog, which leads to National Geographic-worthy theatrics. But, while I would like to say I love all species equally, it doesn't exactly stir my soul to watch a flock of pigeons descend on a chicken bone in the park. Good thing I discovered explore.org, which features tons of animal videos, photos, and live cams, starring endangered animals, adventurous dogs, and even wise bipedals.

Wonderfully, there is an entire wall devoted to polar bears. Here you can play explorer with actual live web cams, view cute polar bear pic after cute polar bear pic, and enjoy the zen stroll of a polar bear loping across a snowy terrain. Just watch this bear's peaceful walk: And best of all, explore.org is more than just another repository of blood-pressure-lowering videos. The organization describes themselves as "philanthropic based media to champion the selfless acts of others, create a portal into the soul of humanity and inspire lifelong learning." The site serves as a kind of gathering place for the documentation of all manner of community-minded and good-doing organizations and projects. Which is all well and good, of course it is. But also, how nice, to find another happy place online, devoted to media that actually makes you feel better, that focuses on the beauty of the world—and the peaceful ambling of polar bears.



More Blood-Pressure-Lowering Videos:
A Surfer Ponders His Place in the World
The Gorgeousness of the Aurora Borealis

Photo: Thinkstock

When my brother and I were snotty, entitled tweens, our parents got the idea that volunteering one Friday night a month at a homeless shelter might lend us some perspective or something. In the end, surprise surprise, we did actually learn more about the world than had we been vegged out in front of "Perfect Strangers," and though we were both glad to have done it, today neither of us continues the tradition. 

Rachel Chong has an interesting piece at co.EXIST about volunteerism, and the quandary of how to make it relevant to people.  Chong points out that most volunteer opportunities involve things like painting houses and serving food, but these activities don't play to most American's professional skills.  In other words, if you're an accountant, why not devote a few hours not to ladling soup but to offering pro bono accounting work for your local shelter? As Chong writes, "When volunteering doesn’t result in an impactful outcome, people volunteer halfheartedly or they don’t volunteer at all." Sharing your professional skills can not only be more helpful, will probably be more satisfying to you as well. Since MLK Day has been designated a national day of service, there's no time like now to start. Read Rachel Chong's piece to learn about how her organization, Catchafire, can help you to help others —their website can match you with pro bono opportunities that match your skill set in a manner of minutes.

Read More:
Ways for Kids to Volunteer
How to Be a Hero in Hard Times
What Kind of Volunteer Are You?

Photo: Van Tucker

Eight years ago Andy Keller was an unfulfilled software salesman living in Chico, California. After doing some landscaping in his yard, he visited his local landfill, where the thousands of plastic bags hanging off barbed wire and blowing across mounds of trash changed the course of his life. "The landfill struck me at this core level," Keller says. "It was disgusting." That same day, he bought a sewing machine and made his first colorful, washable ChicoBag, which folded into a convenient pocket-size pouch. "The reusable totes I'd seen were grungy, bulky, and stained with blueberries," he explains. He began selling his more stylish versions—made from materials like recycled plastic—at farmers' markets and eventually in stores across North America, and now ships via his Web site to more than 80 countries.

But Keller didn't stop there. Determined to halt plastic bag gluttony, which he says imperils about 267 marine species, he created an alter ego, "Bag Monster." Dressed in 500 flimsy single-use plastic bags—the number the average American discards each year (he affixes them to a jumpsuit with Velcro)—Keller protests lax environmental policies at city halls, festivals, and political events. "I usually get one of two responses," he says. "It's either, 'Oh my God, I had no idea I was using that many plastic bags' or 'Oh honey, I use more plastic bags than that!'"

© Virginia McKenna/bornfree.org.uk

A lion cub is purchased from a London department store, raised in a furniture shop, successfully introduced into the wilds of Kenya, and recognizes his human friends when he's reunited with them a year later. Tens of millions of people have viewed the sensational video, but lesser known is the story of Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, the husband-and-wife stars of the 1966 film Born Free, who facilitated Christian's move to Africa—and housed the lion in their Surrey garden while the details were worked out.

Travers and McKenna met the lion by chance, but the friendship they'd built with George Adamson, the legendary gamekeeper and subject of Born Free, while shooting the film proved essential to finding Christian a home in Kenya. These days, McKenna spends her time working on the foundation she helped found in 1984, also called Born Free, rehabilitating animals that have suffered in captivity and returning them to the wild. She took some time out between tending to the organization's rescue centers in South Africa, India, Malawi and Ethiopia to tell us what she remembers about the lion's journey from cramped London quarters to East African bush.

See the pictures and learn the rest of the story, and tune in to check out episode 14 of Oprah's Lifeclass for more lessons animals have taught us.

What would it take to change your life for the better? It may be less than you think—we’ve got mini-makeovers to help you upgrade everything from your workout to your weekend.  #21: Giving back has never been easier.

Photo: Thinkstock

Figuring out where to put your philanthropic energy can be surprisingly daunting. Enter All for Good, a service-based Web site that does the sifting for you. Inspired in part by Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and developed with the help of Google engineers, the smartly designed site is a centralized search engine for volunteer opportunities, culling more than 150,000 postings from matching sites like Idealist, Catchafire, Truist, AARP's Create the Good, and United Way. Filter listings according to your interests, skills, neighborhood, and time frame, whether you're seeking a one-day project building a playground or a weekly soup kitchen gig. (allforgood.org)
Keep Reading
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Skip the beach for a volunteer vacation
5 ways to use your professional skills to give back
Ways for children to volunteer

What would it take to change your life for the better? It may be less than you think—we’ve got mini-makeovers to help you upgrade everything from your workout to your weekend. #7: Cheeky stationery provides a fun new way to communicate.

Photo: Gregor Halenda

Say it with...elephant dung. Seriously: Green-minded stationer Haathi Chaap collects the stuff from elephant stables, then dries it and boils it with salt water to eliminate odor and bacteria. The remaining fibrous material—digested sugarcane and leafy tree stalks—is beaten into pulp, diluted with water, and pressed into hygienic sheets. The paper's light brown color varies depending on the elephant's diet.

Available at elephantpoopaper.com

Keep Reading

What would it take to change your life for the better? It may be less than you think—we’ve got mini-makeovers to help you upgrade everything from your workout to your weekend. #7: Cheeky stationery provides a fun new way to communicate.

Photo: Gregor Halenda

Say it with...elephant dung. Seriously: Green-minded stationer Haathi Chaap collects the stuff from elephant stables, then dries it and boils it with salt water to eliminate odor and bacteria. The remaining fibrous material—digested sugarcane and leafy tree stalks—is beaten into pulp, diluted with water, and pressed into hygienic sheets. The paper's light brown color varies depending on the elephant's diet.

Available at elephantpoopaper.com


Keep Reading:
30 days of makeovers
What "green" means
17 ways to save money—and the planet

What would it take to change your life for the better? It may be less than you think—we've got mini makeovers to help you upgrade everything from your workout to your weekend. #5: The changeup that will make hosting a snap.

Photo: Gregor Halenda

Who knew the humble paper plate could bring both class and consciousness to the table? A Japanese brand called Wasara, that's who. Designer and restaurateur Shinichiro Ogata sculpted the curvaceous plates (and bowls, and cups and saucers) for easy balancing while you're deep in conversation, then molded their creamy surfaces from rapidly renewing materials like bamboo, reed pulp and sugarcane fibers. When the party's over, the dishes go straight into the compost bin. (BranchHome.com)

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