Project 002
Change your mind, change…

The OBJECTIVE
To change the world (eventually).
The ASSIGNMENT
Tell us what needs to change.
The PARAMETERS
One sentence.
The REQUIREMENTS
We'd like to hear about real, tangible things you'd like to change.
The SAMPLES
These were contributed by the staff of GOOD. (We hope you can do better.)
The DETAILS
Andy Warhol once said "they say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." That's true. Aside from the things that really do change on their own (the weather, the date), pretty much everything else that changes (the climate, the Congress) does so because someone decided it should. Or, more accurately, some people made some decisions, so some things changed. Every choice we make changes the world in some way or another. But to make the big changes we have to start with the small ones.
So for this issue's good Project we want you to tell us what you think should change. You don't need any special skills or software for this one—just a little time to think. So take a look around your house, your school or job, your town or city, your state, your country, and/or your planet and figure out what you want to be different than it is right now.
To PARTICIPATE
Leave a comment in the SPEAK UP section below. Like someone else's submission? Vote it up with the "It's Good" button. This GOOD Project has no deadline, because things keep changing all the time (or at least we hope so).
Like this article? Tell the world It's Good!



14 votes
read before you vote
People should stop voting on the basis of sound bites.
Posted on December 17, 2006 — by denisess
1 comment
6 votes
Teach well, or don't teach
Schools should stop employing teachers who aren't able to go a good job teaching.
Posted on December 17, 2006 — by moelbrain
1 comment
20 votes
Turn the box off.
We should all spend as much time per day continuing to educate ourselves as we do watching TV.
Posted on December 18, 2006 — by knb
1 comment
5 votes
time for yourSELF
We spend so much time learning about other things, why not spend time learning about ourselves.
Posted on December 18, 2006 — by badmalone
0 comments
7 votes
permaculture cities
we need to turn our cities into producers of food with fruits and veggies all over
Posted on December 20, 2006 — by benben
2 comments
5 votes
Substance, please!
Hollywood should stop producing remakes and sequels and base more new movies on amazing books such as "Catfish and Mandala" and "The Flamboya Tree".
Posted on December 20, 2006 — by looloo
0 comments
12 votes
Everything needs to be closer together.
We've learned just about all we need to know about how to make dense living comfortable. All we need to do is stop clinging to the idea that everyone is entitled to private open space. Open space, yes; private space, yes; but private open space, no.
Make the boundary between city/village and country/wilderness sharp again.
Make everyday life walkable again. Does anyone really think we can beat global warming under any scenario in which we depend on our cars to go anywhere?
Posted on December 20, 2006 — by anjiaoshi
1 comment
13 votes
adopt pets
There are too many cats and dogs euthanized and dumped in dumpsters. More Apartment landlords need to start allowing pets, to allow people who would otherwise want pets to own one. SPAY, NEUTER, ADOPT!
Posted on December 21, 2006 — by stellarkateszhot
0 comments
6 votes
how about paying attention?
Read directions, people.
Posted on December 21, 2006 — by caylawilkerson
2 comments
9 votes
Be nice.
Being nice feels GOOD, and if you need a a laugh: be nice to cranky people - they go nuts :)
Posted on December 22, 2006 — by tarak
0 comments
7 votes
turn off the lights
and switch to compact flourescents! http://www.eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm
this is one of the biggest things we can do do conserve energy
Posted on December 22, 2006 — by seabourneclouds
0 comments
5 votes
Think about what you're eating.
Does that steak taste good enough to warrant a lifetime of suffering for a thinking, feeling animal?
Posted on December 22, 2006 — by Markle
1 comment
10 votes
accountability is key
you make the decisions in your life, and you are where you want to be -- there needs to be more people who hold themselves accountable for their actions.....
Posted on December 22, 2006 — by dallasreign
1 comment
8 votes
Do the Right Thing Don't Smoke on the Streets
If you are going to smoke think about all the people you are going to smoke on. How many people will you wave your smoke in their face, throw your cigarette on their shoes, or actually burn them as you fling the cigarette in grand sweeps from mouth to hip. Stylish? Not. Change this!
Posted on December 23, 2006 — by Trendy
5 comments
6 votes
Help deliver global education
While it is okay to help feed and clothe the starving kids in Africa, can anybody care enough to go beyond those. Send them books; especially in the rural remote villages. In those villages, there are no electricity, no healthcare facility and no paved roads. In those villages there is a huge famine of books and educational materials.
Can anybody send them school supplies? If you care enough, can you help drill a water well? By so doing you could save the life of a little girl from water-borne diseases and also save her about seven hours each day of fetching contaminated water from infested communal river. Above all, send her books so she could learn how to read and be able to help herself.
Posted on December 23, 2006 — by chiesther3
1 comment
6 votes
Get tested
No one's immune from HIV and other STDs
Posted on December 23, 2006 — by Audbot
0 comments
4 votes
Caring beyond borders
We, in the United States, who have everything should help others who do not have the same opportunities in life. Help children to attend school, have better health care, and better options for the future. Improve lives in Africa and Latin America through education.
[url=http://www.goodmagazine.com]GOOD Magazine[/www.oneworldeducationproject.com]
Posted on December 24, 2006 — by oneworldeducatio
0 comments
6 votes
educate the youth
the end depends on the begining.
Posted on December 24, 2006 — by minus
0 comments
7 votes
Justice
Justice, like healthcare, should be accessible to all, regardless of ability to pay.
Posted on December 24, 2006 — by puzzlebox
2 comments
4 votes
WAKE UP YOUTH!!
How do we spark change in the future? The answer lies in the YOUTH of right now. We need to realize the immense power that lies in all of our hands!! We have access to this enormous virtual highway, and instead of using the Internet for creating more cliques and exclusive communities, we need to COME TOGETHER (on wonderful sites like this especially!) and then actually start working on proposed ideas. In the 60s, there was the restriction of the Draft that directly affected and mobilized the youth. Although we do not suffer from a comparable restriction, I think it's still possible to bring back that PASSION for change and meet up with likeminded people in our areas to get things done. Why not organize protests against the war? Why not start boycotting products that are made through child-labor and illegal sweatshops? Call me an idealist, but let's WAKE UP and start getting radical and vocal again! We've got the numbers..they'll hear us soon..
*ONE LOVE*
Posted on December 24, 2006 — by OneLove333
1 comment
5 votes
Choice
Everyone should be well informed to make smart decisions about what they do to their body whether it be what they put in it or what they take out of it!
Posted on December 25, 2006 — by mrallisozgmailzc
1 comment
10 votes
Good News!
We need real fair and balanced reporting on topics that actually matter and are not simply designed to get the ratings up!
Posted on December 25, 2006 — by kristawhipple
1 comment
8 votes
Use What You Got Right Now
Instead of waiting till the time is right, my skills are adequate, my situation is stable, or my life is better, I am going to just Use What I Got Right Now to improve my own environment and the relationships I am directly engaged in.
Posted on December 27, 2006 — by beaming
1 comment
8 votes
RECYCLE!!
Please recycle paper and anything you can. It's worth it.
Posted on December 28, 2006 — by debbs1130
2 comments
2 votes
its time
we all need to abolish the N word. It's time people stopped using that terrible word so casually.
"We're gonna stop using the n-word. I'm gonna stop using it. I'm not gonna use it again and I'm not gonna use the B word. And we're gonna put an end to the n-word. Just say no to the n-word. We want all human beings throughout the world to stop using the n-word." - Paul Mooney
Posted on December 30, 2006 — by littlebigman800
0 comments
2 votes
Re-Learning
How can we do a better job of bringing together people who know things with people who want to know them? And how can we redefine our sense of what is worth learning, expanding the walls of classrooms and universities to broaden our wonder at human life by learning from those who know things we don't?
Posted on January 1, 2007 — by cavafy
0 comments
7 votes
Eat less meat
Believe it or not, methane from livestock farmed for human consumption is the single biggest source of green house gases. Yes, even more than transport! Intensive animal production also drives deforestation, pollutes our water ways and is incredibly environmnetally inefficient: one acre of land produces 20 pounds of beef protein or alternatively 261 pounds of rice protein.
Recuing our consumption of meat can help ease the pressure on our environment and help safeguard food security in the developing world.
Posted on January 2, 2007 — by joseph
0 comments
9 votes
BCS + Electoral College
Abolish them both.
Posted on January 2, 2007 — by atleykins
1 comment
4 votes
How to help.
Help instead of isolate and/or ignore.
Posted on January 2, 2007 — by alitel
0 comments
4 votes
One Suggestion
You know what is right, so do the right thing.
-Even if it isn't the easy or cheap thing to do.
Posted on January 3, 2007 — by xnoxonex
1 comment
1 vote
change peoples behaviors
Change will only come when you can alter the individuals day-to-day behavior.
Posted on January 3, 2007 — by jcreson
0 comments
9 votes
Art
Bring more funding to arts programs in public schools and local arenas.
Posted on January 3, 2007 — by lcorr003
0 comments
6 votes
Stop whining & start working together
In our headlines, everybody claims to be under attack: USA, Palestine, Israel, white males, women, families, tax payers, the American middle class, the poor, Christianity, Islam, the Church, immigrants, smokers, non-smokers, French, English, etc. -- unless you are worse off than the children in Darfur, you are NOT a victim.
Posted on January 3, 2007 — by azgoodie
0 comments
3 votes
Think about the structures
Whether it's zoning restrictions, cultural assumptions in education, the management of global lending systems, or the arrangement of trade regulations, it's worth spending a little time working out how our actions connect with bigger systems and how they could be helping to transform them.
Posted on January 3, 2007 — by james
0 comments
3 votes
Take the Train
Instead of flying or driving, take the train on trips.
Posted on January 4, 2007 — by bhaluk
1 comment
7 votes
learn how to listen
Everybody on this planet should be able to understand our opposite's point of view.
Posted on January 5, 2007 — by bachcorrente
0 comments
4 votes
There needs to be more bike-friendly infrastructure.
Not just more bike lanes. Public air for tires, mechanics workshops in the park, monthly rides, local bike-focused maps, safety education, bike donation and recycling, tax incentives, better and safer places to park bikes, motorist education, urban trail systems and general bike celebration.
Read, write & ride yer bike!
Prosporo año 2007!
Posted on January 6, 2007 — by dirtyverbs
0 comments
2 votes
Get involved NOW!
It's important to speak our minds, but it's urgent to walk the talk!
Posted on January 7, 2007 — by orlanp
0 comments
5 votes
Where did this ______come from?
If we were all aware of where our products come from (food, clothing, etc..) many things would improve: the quality of life of the consumers and producers, the environment, international relations, health-- the list is endless..
Posted on January 7, 2007 — by nadiawilli
0 comments
5 votes
Stop killing trees
Companies should cut back on the daily mass junk mailings and save some trees.
Posted on January 8, 2007 — by jessblinn26
0 comments
3 votes
Clear your OWN Head
Most of us are walking, talking refuse points where social history has dumped its garbage. Conflicted, constricted, inflicted, pain-filled, pus-filled putridity that continues to breed its own mental bacteria across cultures, spreading faster and more virulantly than any disease. Truth is the only vaccine.
Clear away the BS (belief systems) where diseased ideas breed. Clear the space between your ears! THIS is the ONLY place where change can really take hold. And only YOU can change your own mind.
Posted on January 10, 2007 — by WillSea
1 comment
5 votes
Travel
And appreciate more the things you take for granted everyday.
Posted on January 10, 2007 — by burrowszjazgmail
0 comments
6 votes
Think
Think for yourself...
Posted on January 10, 2007 — by aaroncole
0 comments
4 votes
Live deliberately.
Too many people "diet", but won't skip their daily trip to the donut box at work. Or worse, they drive to the gym when it's only a mile away. They recycle the packaging for items they purchased on a whim. If we just took the time to determine the effects of our actions, or whether we're living in a way in congress with our moral and philosophical views, things should improve.
Posted on January 11, 2007 — by maxted8
0 comments
6 votes
PAY THE PEOPLE THAT DESERVE IT
movie stars and investment bankers should stop getting all the money. what about those that actually help society and our world run? the teachers, farmers, and maintenance workers that are actually the foundation of society? these people should be getting the most money, not the celebrities and people who manage rich people's money.
Posted on January 11, 2007 — by blablair
1 comment
5 votes
Serve Proud!
The United States military should not try to hide the gay and lesbian soldiers that risk their lives for this country. A dishonorable discharge for loving a person of the same sex needs to change.
Posted on January 12, 2007 — by tndcr
0 comments
1 vote
The Education NEEDS To Change
The American education system needs to be changed to an eye-opening experience where one learns about the world and how it works -not just how America works.
The world is becoming a smaller and smaller place and now -more than ever- it's important to have the ability, to relate to others who are different.
Posted on January 12, 2007 — by politik07
1 comment
9 votes
Coins First, Please
Cashiers should hand you coins *before* your bills, instead of attempting to balance the coins on top of the bills.
Posted on January 14, 2007 — by snilva
0 comments
8 votes
Get Comfortable With Your Looks
We should all stop striving to be (and judging others for not being) cookie-cutter humans built of plastic surgery and chemical procedures, and start seeing the beauty that exists in one another.
Posted on January 14, 2007 — by snilva
0 comments
1 vote
believe change is possible...
"The most important contribution any of us can make now is not to solve any particular problem, no matter how urgent energy or environment or financial regulation is. What we must do now is INCREASE THE PROPORTION OF HUMANS WHO KNOW THAT KNOW THEY CAN CAUSE CHANGE. And who, like smart white blood cells coursing through society, will stop with pleasure whenever they see that something is stuck or that an opportunity is ripe to be seized. Multiplying society's capacity to adapt and change intelligently and constructively and building the necessary underlying collaborative architecture, is the world's most critical opportunity now. Pattern-changing leading social entrepreneurs are the most critical single factor in catalyzing and engineering this transformation."
-Bill Drayton, EVERYONE A CHANGEMAKER: Social Entrepreneurship's Ultimate Goal (more @ mitpressjournals.org)
Posted on January 16, 2007 — by plyn4lf
0 comments
4 votes
Gandhi says..
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Posted on January 16, 2007 — by sykedelicminkus
0 comments
4 votes
Reading needs to come back.
This country needs to put a higher priority on reading and receiving an education as a means of growing and sustaining in this harsh world.
Posted on January 16, 2007 — by rj324
0 comments
5 votes
random acts of kindness
live to serve; serve to live
Posted on January 17, 2007 — by panamanium
0 comments
3 votes
Public schools today
Stop telling everyone what there supposed to think
Posted on January 18, 2007 — by charlesmorris
0 comments
4 votes
Take your comfort zone out of your ears
Leave your Ipod in your pocket when you could be having a conversation with a stranger. Make eye contact with the person sitting next to you. Say hello to your neighbors and get to know them. We've become a society that relies on peripherals to save us from interacting with one another. How about spending more time on advancing our human connections, rather than our digital ones?
Posted on January 19, 2007 — by civilfury
2 comments
4 votes
Keep Learning
Not just formal education but keep trying new things. Find a project of something, anything, and try it. Make homemade ginger ale. Bake a pie. Build a birdhouse. Tie-dye some bedsheets.
Posted on January 20, 2007 — by testsicles
0 comments
1 vote
Window to the Soul
Connect to your surroundings by sharing eye contact and keep breathing into your heart space to encourage your self to stay open. If you don't know, Ask...If you want to know, Listen.
Posted on January 21, 2007 — by DrCandice
0 comments
3 votes
Conserve Water
If it's yellow, let it mellow...If it's brown, flush it down.
Posted on January 22, 2007 — by DrCandice
0 comments
5 votes
Stop the Giants...
Give auto companies the message that we no longer want to see nor need to have giant, gas-gulping SUVs; stop buying them, and drive green. Unless you have a small army for a family, sell the giant and get a hybrid.
Posted on January 22, 2007 — by chaoticvirgo
0 comments
3 votes
Ride Your Bike
Remember how much fun it used to be? Ride to the market. Ride to a friend's house. Ride to work.
Posted on January 25, 2007 — by FriendlyToad
0 comments
1 vote
no more drive thrus!
Can you imagine how much fuel would be saved and much less emmisions would pollute our environment if everyone would just stop idling their cars?We need to make unneccessary idling as socially unacceptable as smoking in public.
Posted on January 26, 2007 — by mistamara1
0 comments
3 votes
switch to metric
commonsense evolution
Posted on January 26, 2007 — by loganmills
2 comments
1 vote
Walk in someone else's shoes
People need to try seeing things from someone else's perspective (your enemy, your co-worker, your spouse, your friend, your waiter, whatever).
Posted on January 30, 2007 — by jspage04
0 comments
not yet rated
Encourage Kindness
I am going to convince Time and Newsweek to design a cover that consists of a coupon. The coupon can be completed by the recipiant of an act of kindness. If the act is deemed sufficient, the kind person receives a free subscription. Just think of the publicity Time and Newsweek will garner. It is time for Good Deeds to be elevated to the front page !
Posted on January 30, 2007 — by BalanceandHarmony
0 comments
not yet rated
a "revolution" isn't that hard
Non-competitive districts and pay-to-play politics, the foundation of the two-party system, can be undermined and forced to collapse in 18-months.
Posted on February 1, 2007 — by jjcash
0 comments
7 votes
More pedestrian streets in American cities
They're better for the environment, they encourage interaction and they support local businesses. And they're pretty.
Posted on February 1, 2007 — by mbcurtinzgmailzc
1 comment
3 votes
Align words and actions
Hypocrisy sucks. Live your values.
Posted on February 2, 2007 — by markimzgmailzcom
0 comments
4 votes
Corporate intersts vs. public interests
We must change the current dynamic that allows corporations to maintain such a stranglehold on our government.
Posted on February 6, 2007 — by Dan
0 comments
not yet rated
Southern Illinois Univeristy Carbondale
My school should take better corrective action in dealing with the 150+ faculty who failed their ethics tests.
Posted on February 8, 2007 — by philistine
0 comments
1 vote
untitled democratic fascism
make littering a felony, marijuana legal, non-violent resistence a popular new sport, and end the embargo with Cuba.
Posted on February 8, 2007 — by Bristol Baughan
0 comments
2 votes
Education
Society needs to stop being okay with the fact that the educational expectations of the youth has deteriorated and continutes to do so.
Posted on February 9, 2007 — by Sanara
0 comments
1 vote
build up, not out
Our cities should be dense, and we should be using sustainable materials for all the new construction. The more demand there is, the more accessible these materials will be for everyone.
Posted on February 10, 2007 — by kpolem
0 comments
4 votes
Stop ignoring old people
You could learn a few things about history and make a new, smart friend.
Posted on February 10, 2007 — by sarabou1969
0 comments
2 votes
Start smiling at stangers
Too many of us avoid eye contact, or any gesture of kindness, to those we don't know. Try it next time you're in a big city - notice how many people don't smile back (but most definitely think about it after you've passed.)
Posted on February 10, 2007 — by sarabou1969
0 comments
1 vote
Playgrounds within walking distance of every house or apartment
No kid should have to take the bus to the sandbox.
Posted on February 10, 2007 — by sarabou1969
0 comments
1 vote
Stop all the plastic water bottles
Do we all really need to use that much plastic every day? Large reusable water cooler in your fridge would do the trick.
Posted on February 10, 2007 — by sarabou1969
0 comments
not yet rated
Hugs!
We all need to hug a little more and love a little more.
Posted on February 12, 2007 — by dancer090
0 comments
not yet rated
war on drugs
If everyone knew the rush of speeding along a narrow creek in a jetski, substance abuse would be a thing of the past.
Posted on February 12, 2007 — by pogoboypv
0 comments
not yet rated
Take Risks!
We have one live to live, one world, we need to take risks. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Posted on February 13, 2007 — by Sweetietat
0 comments
4 votes
Change your household products
Don't just recycle, but also only buy recycled products. What good is one thing without the other?
Posted on February 14, 2007 — by pixiefairydust
0 comments
3 votes
Cookie-cutter is just as easy green...
Contractors, builders, architects, and developers need to start incorporating sustainable, green-design practices into their developments.