I have been a long time donor to Kiva, networking generous people with lenders to entrepreneurs of third world countries through their website. After receiving rewarding personal notes from the people you help, you get the feeling that your donations are going straight into their hands to help them with their business. You can monitor your donations being fully repaid in small increments, Kiva will then take the money that is repaid in form of credits, allowing you to re-lend your $25+ to new projects. Now, you can also donate a % of the funds to the Kiva administration for each loan your process. I have made over 9 loans in the past couple years, some of them repaid in full, some still owing money.

When you process a loan you also have the option to count each loan you make towards the overall impact of one of your teams, recently I’m supporting the TEDxOttawa Kiva Team, which has a goal to raise up to $1,500 in Kiva loans. I makes me happy to know that my minimal loans can make a difference in people’s lives.

Kiva has grown in the developer community as well, check out KivaPedia and Build.Kiva, they’re independent websites which aggregates Kiva’s lending data.

Food Inc.’s Official site

For the past few years, I’ve always tried looking out for healthier alternatives to what we’re use to. Picking out the organic fruits and vegetables, free range eggs… After watching this story we’re boosting up our attention to where our food comes from, before scanning it at our local grocery store’s the cash register ;) It certainly takes more time and heavier for the pockets — but… alternatives? Just need to find a good local butcher shop now.

Simple rules, by following where your cards have been played forward you can then read-up on the story behind the exchange and see where your card might end up, it’d be fun to see it reach someone on the other side of the globe :)

Karma Points?!? was one of my first questions… here’s the 101 on it from their site:

Each time you play a mission (card) you earn “karma points”. Earn enough karma and you’ll be able to “level-up” to the next level. (You can think of karma points as experience points from other role playing games). You can also earn karma for helping others play their missions forward.

Adding videos, photos and stories to your missions earns you extra karma points. Your missions continue to earn points for you as long as they keep traveling (that way you’ll be earning karma in your sleep!)

If you’re feeling creative, you can also create your own missions at Mission HQ and track their progress as others play them around the world.

Levels

There are 15 levels in all and you’ll need to earn a increasing level of karma to reach the next higher level. As you reach higher levels you’ll also need confirmations from others before you’ll be able to level-up.

Now what you get as you level up? Not sure yet! Check it out for yourself and “Play it Forward with Us” by getting your own deck!

“The power of play can make the world a better place.” – Akoha

“The act of playing music with people of different cultures, religions, economics and politics is a powerful statement. It shows that we can find ways of working together and sharing our experiences with one another in a positive way. Music has the power to break down the walls between cultures, to raise the level of human understanding.” — Mark Johnson, Playing for Change

An amazing example of the simplest and yet powerful music, understanding how it came together and listening to it, brings the best feelings of hope and happiness in each of us. Utilizing innovative mobile audio/video techniques, Playing for Change (PFC) records musicians outdoors in cities and townships worldwide. Their performances are subsequently combined in allowing them to collaborate even when separated by hundreds, or even thousands, of miles.

A great CD/DVD gift for my dad. Just plain revolutionary!

Playing for Change’s official site

Little over a year ago this clever video was produced by/for Craig from Devshop by some of the guys in town: Scott from ThinkSM, Tobi and Cody from JadedPixel, Mark from Axionic, Sonny from Ramius.

The initial idea of “Free Hugs” came about from the controversial story of Juan Mann, a man who’s sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives. Make sure to watch his video. In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal. As this symbol of human hope spread across the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring. Join the Ottawa Chapter Facebook Group or the Global Free Hug Facebook Group.

In the Spirit of the free hugs campaign, PASS THIS TO A FRIEND and HUG A STRANGER! After all, if you can reach just one person.

Kudos on the video guys! It’s been re-posted on YouTube by a number of users with a total today of little over 100,000 views :)

MAXED OUT’s official site

Who Killed the Electric Car? is Chris Paine’s first feature documentary as director. We’re a long way to 0 emission main stream vehicles and closing down on traditional motor oil bucket factories, but we finally are made some awareness and industry changes in the right direction. Sony Pictures’ official site

Every time I watch this movie (or stumble upon a clip of it), I ask myself if we’re ever going to have time to leave this planet before we kill it. Let’s change our ways to sustainable living.

An Inconvenient Truth’s official site
Also check out: WeCanSolveIt.org