Book ‘Change the World for Ten Bucks’ proposes simple, effective actions
The organization We Are What We Do offers simple ideas for improving the world – and a recipe for Gingerbread Men!
June 2009
Courtesy of: Chronicle Books and Family Features
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BOOK OF IDEAS: The book ‘Change the World for Ten Bucks,’ edited by Eugenie Harvey, proposes 50 everyday actions that can have a big impact.
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The book “Change the World for Ten Bucks” (Chronicle Books 2009) proposes simple actions that everyone can undertake to make a global impact.
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It makes sense then, that the site promoting the title, http://ChangeTheWorldForTenBucks.com features a handy tool that lets visitors find volunteer opportunities in their own communities (via VolunteerMatch.org, a Web site that lists volunteer opportunities).
The book itself offers simple, often whimsical ideas that can be done any day. Not all of them are suited for everyone, nor do all the ideas seem equally valuable. Taken as a whole though, the collection provides some polite reminders of good behavior, a few novel ideas for bettering the world, and some idiosyncratic fun.
Inspired by the public
The idea behind the book took shape after the British organization We Are What We Do asked people to answer the question, “What would you ask one million people to do to change the world?” The responses weren’t sweeping policy changes, but small, everyday actions:
• Keep a promise.
• Read a story to a child.
• Learn something new.
• Run an errand for an elderly neighbor or single parent.
Fifty of the best suggestions are included in the book, which came out in the United States this spring after selling well overseas and in Canada.
“This project carries a much-needed message of hope for people everywhere,” said Eugenie Harvey, co-founder of We Are What We Do and the book’s editor. “Love yourself, cherish life, protect our future.”
She said, “We are about bringing the kinds of lasting change which will positively affect our environment, our local, national and international communities and ourselves.”
For example, the book includes a postcard to send to someone who inspires you (Action 35), two pages stuck together as a reminder not to throw gum in the street (Action 24), tear-out tabs to make introductions to the neighbors (Action 45), and dozens of other creative prompts for positive change.