SAVE THE WORLD

We Boomers once envisioned ourselves on a mission to save the world but instead are being blamed for making a mess of things. Much of the criticism rings true. So far, we did not turn out to be the custodians of the planet we imagined. But we still have a chance to redeem ourselves. Though we may leave the work force in the near future, we need not stop working. In fact this next phase of life can be our greatest opportunity to make our early conviction to save the world a reality. Once we are free from the constrains of striving for personal and financial gain, we can concentrate the real legacy we want to leave behind. There certainly is plenty of work to do.

Every night, the evening news brings a flood of human suffering into our living rooms. Images of babies with bloated bellies, flies buzzing around their eyes, fellow Americans made homeless by tragedy, old men and women struggling to care for grandchildren orphaned by AIDS, victims of war or natural disaster waiting in long lines with tin cans raised in the hopes of a few grains of rice or fresh water to get through another day, pass across our screen. Continual stories of violence, genocide, corruption, financial upheavals and environmental destruction undermine our sense of security. We watch helplessly before turning to our ample meal. What can we do?

Half the world goes to bed hungry. Twenty four people will die of hunger while you read this page. Heifer International helps millions of hungry families in the US and around the world solve the problem of hunger one family at a time. Needy farmers are supplied with food producing animals, including dairy and beef cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, fish, honeybees, poultry, buffalo, camels and yaks. They are taught to care for and manage these animals. In return they are required to pass on the gift by providing a needy neighbor with an offspring.

Share Our Strength is among the leaders in creating grass roots solutions to hunger. They believe that fighting hunger takes more than food. Long term solutions such as job training, economic development, education and advocacy are equally important. Share Our Strength began in 1984 in a basement in Capitol Hill. Today it administers a wide range of programs including Taste of the Nation, where America’s top chefs and restaurants host fund raising events, and the Great American Bake Sale where communities across the country sponsor bake sales to fight childhood hunger. Operation Frontline conducts classes in nutrition, cooking and budgeting skills.

America's housing crisis may be our most pressing issue of the day. While middle class Americans struggle against the threat of foreclosure, millions of working poor live in overcrowded or inadequate housing lacking hot water, electricity, toilet, or bath facilities. In most states, the average cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment is beyond the means of a minimum wage earner. In much of the developing world the situation is even more drastic. Millions confront poverty and squalor on a daily basis.

Habitat For Humanity builds a decent, affordable house every twenty six minutes. With the help of the individual homeowner families, Habitat houses are built through volunteer labor and donations. The houses are sold at no profit and financed with affordable no interest mortgages. The homeowner’s investment includes a down payment, monthly mortgage payments and the sweat equity of hundreds of hours of their own labor. These mortgage payments then go on to build more Habitat houses. Jimmy Carter is the most famous Habitat volunteer, but volunteers come from all walks of life. You too can make the dream of home ownership a reality for a needy family in your community or around the world.

Homelessness continues to confront and frustrate us. Such a thing should not exist in America. Why does it persist despite increased public awareness? What can be done? According to the National Coalition for the Homeless a network of advocates for homeless people, the growing shortage of affordable housing and simultaneous increase in poverty is the root of the problem. Given the rising cost of living and continuing job loss, this problem will not go away quickly or easily. Who are the homeless? Forty percent are families and twenty five percent are children under eighteen. Others are victims of domestic violence, veterans and people suffering from mental illness and addictions.

The National Coalition for the Homeless can direct you to the many ways you can work to eliminate homelessness, from preparing food and sorting clothes in a local shelter, petitioning local legislators, running clothing drive, to hosting parties to raise awareness and funds.

Saving the planet from environmental destruction may be the ultimate challenge of our lifetime. Some scientists believe, given our present direction, the earth will become barren in less than one hundred years. Others say, through innovation and concerted effort we can eliminate the main sources of our problems in one generation.

Through the activism of its members, The Sierra Club has been an effective champion of environmental issues for over a century. It can be credited with The Clean Water Act and The Endangered Species Act. It only takes one minute to become an activist. You can take action on issues such as forests, toxins and human rights, by sending a letter, fax, Email or making a phone call.

You don’t have to look beyond your own backyard to become an environmentalist. Anyone with a bird feeder can join The Great Backyard Bird Count and become a part of the world’s largest research team. Count the birds that visit your feeder and share your observations with lab researchers. Log on and see what other citizen scientists have observed or observe what is going on at the lab’s feeder cam.

Nor do you need to look beyond your back yard to find animal life in need of care. There are an estimated sixty to one hundred million homeless cats roaming our cities, towns and country sides. They are the offspring of lost or abandoned pets called feral, because they have reverted to their wild nature to survive. They exist on handouts from kind neighbors or what they can scavenge from garbage cans and dumpsters.

They are very prolific. While they continue to breed, local authorities and humane groups struggle with an already overwhelming problem. Shelters and sanctuaries overflow with homeless animals. Every day 17,000 healthy, feral and domestic cats are killed in America.

Trap Neuter Return (TNR) proves to be the most effective and humane method of solving the problem. Trained volunteers trap all cats in a colony, sterilize them and return them to their original environment. Friendly cats and kittens are found homes. Caretakers continue to provide food and shelter for the remaining colony. Any new cats that join the colony are trapped and sterilized. By stopping the breeding process and providing food and shelter, these cats can live a healthy, happy ten years or more.

In just a few short years TNR has made tremendous inroads in the US. After six years of a city wide TNR program in San Francisco the number of cats euthanized dropped by seventy percent.

When it comes to saving the world the opportunities are limitless.