As they say: "Brooks merge - rivers, people will unite - force". And, indeed, every person in the world is an important link that can do a lot not only for his well-being, but for the world as a whole.
And in the whole world there are entire cities, which, having united their efforts, decided to take a step towards global civil responsibility and assistance. We offer you 6 inspirational stories in which the power of joint efforts of people created a miracle. Take note - you too can change the world!
1. Greensburg, Kansas. They use renewable energy sources.
In 2007, in Greensburg, a real catastrophe occurred: a monstrous tornado destroyed 95% of all urban structures, leaving complete ruins. When rebuilding their native city, local residents saw a unique opportunity - to completely redesign their city, making it as green as possible. By 2013, serious changes have taken place in Greensburg. The city, numbering 1,000 inhabitants, relied entirely on renewable energy sources, in which the "wind" - the culprit of all destruction - was one of the most used sources. Burlington followed suit and soon became the second city in the US, which completely switched to renewable energy resources with a population of more than 42,000 people.
2. Clarkston, USA. He greets the refugees with open arms.
The small quiet town of Clarkston in the US, with a population of 13,000 people, may seem like an unattractive place for refugees from around the world. But every year Clarkston opens its borders for 1500 refugees - and they are greeted with open arms. Over the past 25 years, "Alice Island" - as Clarkston is called - has received more than 40,000 refugees from all over the world, giving them the opportunity to start a new life. "Friends of refugees" - a local organization that provides services for newly arrived immigrants, calculated the percentage of volunteers willing to volunteer. You will not believe, but the number of applications has increased to 400%.
3. Dharnaya, India. Uses solar energy for life.
17 years ago a small village in India finally received a reliable and stable power supply. More than 300 million people lived in darkness for 33 years, using only kerosene lamps. The oldest resident of Dharnai pressed the button, which launched the process to the maximum, making the village the first municipality in India, working entirely on solar energy.
4. Kamikatsu, Japan. Sorts waste into 34 different categories.
Kamikatsu is considered a unique city, which does not leave garbage after itself. Encouraged by the idea of clearing the ecology, the inhabitants of a small town completely changed their view of the problem of garbage processing. All household waste is sorted into 34 categories by the residents themselves into special tanks and packages, and then brought to the processing center. Thus, the city uses garbage without harm to the environment. Kamikatsu has become a vivid example for cities such as San Francisco, California, New York, Buenos Aires and Argentina.
5. Salt Lake City, Utah. Reduces the number of homeless people to a minimum.
When the capital of Utah decided to reduce the number of poor people without housing, many residents decided that this is absolutely a failed idea. But, as it turned out, the measures taken have brought unprecedented success to this program. The program included 2 stages: first of all, homeless people were provided with housing to decriminalize the situation, then they engaged in social support. The method of combating the homeless was so effective that Utah became the first state to use this program and was able to achieve its goal. The result has surpassed all expectations - for 10 years of work the number of homeless people has decreased by 91%.
6. San Francisco, California. Provides free training in colleges for all comers.
San Francisco became the first municipality in the US, which proposed a plan to increase the level of education of citizens through free college education regardless of income. Students with low incomes receive additional services, which include even free textbooks. To achieve the goal, the city is ready to allocate to the City College annually 5.4 million dollars. Moreover, the Tax Code has already been amended to help educate everyone.
These 6 cities are wonderful examples for the whole world. Thanks to ordinary people who "caught fire" with the dream of making their city better, we can see such amazing changes. Just imagine for a moment what will happen in the world, if everyone at least a little thinks about their contribution to the cause. Even if this contribution is small. Act today to meet tomorrow in a different way!