30 Small Acts to Change the World

(ref: Be the Change, by Michelle Nunn pg. 243-270)

1. If someone says they need money to get on the subway, I will swipe my subway pass for them and pay for their ride that way. (Allan Sih – NY, NY)
2. So what if your Dumpster is closer than Goodwill? Put that stuff in your car and drive it over there. It’s one of the easiest, quickest ways people can make a change. (Tamika Brown – Atlanta, GA)
3. Help the elderly who live in your community with their house-hold chores, or take them to doctor’s appointments. (Yolanda Hilaire – Houston, TX)
4. If you work in the Internet industry and you see that a nonprofit’s Web site needs work, call them up and offer to fix it for free. That’s a huge help that doesn’t involve you ever leaving your chair. (Joel Kunkler – Rochester, NY)
5. Coach a local youth sports team. (Luke Higginbotham – Buchanan, VA)
6. Talk to those no one else is talking to. Allow no one to be alone. (Zaid Jilani – Kennesaw, GA)
7. Plant a tree. (Rachel Higginbotham – Buchanan, VA)
8. When you are driving, let someone in if they’re trying to merge. (Janice Myers – Tampa Bay, FL)
9. Be kind to animals. (Melanie Mantenieks – Chicago, IL)
10. Pick up after your dog when you go on walks. (Susan Bowman – Charlotte, NC)
11. I’m tall, so whenever I’m at the store and see someone who needs something off the top shelf, I get it for them. (Julia Clark – Worcester, MA)
12. Ever day on my way to school I bring a trash bag and pick up all the trash on the path. It keeps the environment safe, and it’s a good habit to get into. (Becka MacDonald – Mission Viejo, CA)
13. Offer directions to people who look lost. Be an ambassador in your city. (Melissa Bieri – NY, NY)
14. Welcome someone new to your neighborhood. (Mickey Paxton – Buchanan, VA)
15. Take care of the people around you, and they’ll take care of others. (Eric Silverstein, Los Angeles, CA)
16. Plant flowers at your park. (Jessica Marshall – New Windsor, NY)
17. Join a service-oriented civic club or start your own. (Amber Smith – Raleigh, NC)
18. Listen. Take time to get to know the people around you. How many people do you really know? (Kim Wolfinger – Columbus, OH)
19. Learn the first names of your acquaintances – neighbors, shop owners, servers, people who work for the same company … (Brad Kane – Sandusky, OH)
20. I got in the habit of paying the toll of the person behind me … It’s fun to look at their reactions in the rearview mirror! (Liv Faris – Seattle, WA)
21. Recycle everything possible, buy and eat organic as much as possible, use nontoxic dish and clothing detergent,… take your own bag to the market. (Stephanie Hisler – Tampa, FL)
22. Tip a little extra when you go out. (Shannon Chettle – San Francisco, CA)
23. Give a child a book. If I had all the money in the world, I’d buy every kid a book … (Sue Franzen – Tampa Bay, FL)
24. Shake hands with and thank any veteran, of any war, that you happen to meet. (Corey Clark – Suwannee, GA)
25. I’m a member of Amnesty International. They have a freedom writer’s component, where all you have to do is write a quick letter to someone about a political prisoner. So simple … and yet how meaningful and important it is for the prisoner to know that they are not forgotten. (Dr. Rachel McClement – Glendale CA)
26. I am a member of Freecycle community, where you can post things you want and things you have to give away. It’s a great way to acquire things for free and give new homes to your unwanted possessions. (Amy Woidtke – Seattle, WA)
27. Just giving a person a compliment can make their overall attitude change. This, in turn, might even make them treat others better. (Ann Munson – Pequot Lakes, MN)
28. Adopt a dog, don’t buy one from a pet store. (Jen Alltop – Bay Area, CA)
29. Look past uniforms and let people — the guy who’s repairing something in your home, or the woman who’s emptying your office’s wastebaskets — know that you see them as human beings. Thank them for their work. Look them in the eye. It makes people feel less like wallpaper. (Brenda Tran – Atlanta, GA)
30. Help with a stranger’s flat tire. (Arielle Kass – Lawrenceville, GA)

This is an edited subset of the lists, other stories, and quotations contributed by hundreds of people across the United States that can be found in Be the Change! Change the world, Change yourself edited by Michelle Nunn, Cofounder and CEO, Hands On Network.