Close your eyes and picture the mountainside of Guatemala. You probably see a verdant, lush expanse: thick undergrowth, deep streams, moist soil, and the quiet but steady advance of the trees. Now imagine you open your eyes, and the brush remains, but those trees- ficus, allspice, pine, ceiba- are a[...]
Archive for the ‘Good Ideas’ Category
April 6th, 2011 - 4:09 am § in Good Ideas, Guatemala
Spotlight: Payments for Nature’s Benefits in Guatemala
March 28th, 2011 - 6:14 am § in Good Ideas, Mexico
Just Dance!
After spending thirteen hours on an overnight bus from the border of Guatemala to Oaxaca, Mexico, you’d assume that the last thing I’d want to do is participate in a dance session in a public health fair. But this, in fact, is what I did. Wanting to explore a little before becoming too i[...]
February 3rd, 2011 - 10:56 am § in Good Ideas, Guatemala, In the Field, Nonprofit Spotlight, Uncategorized, Volunteer
All that Glitters is Not Gold (sometimes, it’s recycled bottles)
A development worker’s dream is a program that both reaches the immediate needs of the community, contributes to the long-term progress of the community, involves and gives ownership to the community itself, and in the best-case scenario, has benefits that expand beyond the community and gives bac[...]
An English Teacher’s Connections
English teachers learn that earning a living as an EFL teacher is challenging. But there is another option. Many EFL teachers use their skills to teach private classes. I know a few teachers who have gotten very lucky, and were able to lock down enough private students to earn a descent amount. The [...]
Eco-Friendliness is Next to Godliness
What strikes me most about Central America are the dumps. Yes, the dumps, those places with the trash. Where I grew up in the United States, trash was out-of-sight, out-of-mind once the garbage truck came by. But here, dumps are rarely hidden and hardly contained, and for miles around you can see re[...]
November 15th, 2010 - 12:16 pm § in Good Ideas, Mexico
From Triggers to Trees: Palas Por Pistolas
The other day I received an email from GOOD magazine about a Mexican artist named Pedro Reyes. What makes Reyes so special that he should show up in my inbox? A couple of years ago he turned guns into trees. And no, I’m not joking. The city of Culiacán in western Mexico is rife with gang [...][...]
September 29th, 2010 - 10:53 am § in Dominican Republic, Good Ideas, Looking for Opportunity, Tips & Resources
Making a Difference While Making a Living – But How?
Starting a grassroots nonprofit while still in college, and then running it after recently graduating is not easy for many reasons. This is what I have done with Project Esperanza. Wanting to make the most of our funds raised, I haven’t ever drawn a personal salary. Money is used to go directly [...]
September 1st, 2010 - 7:24 am § in Careers, Good Ideas, Looking for Opportunity, Nonprofit Spotlight, Tips & Resources
You Have to Walk Before You Can Run Away
The excerpt presents a highly self-analytical question to the internationally mobile population of dreamers and do-gooders: Are you running from or toward something? Only the delusional would argue that there is nothing personal about their flight. Just looking to make the world a better place by gi[...]
August 19th, 2010 - 7:49 am § in Around Town, Culture, Good Ideas, Guatemala, In the Field, Volunteer
Lessons in Purchasing Power and Investment
I have tried my hardest over the past few years to bury the key concepts and bold lettering that were force fed in business school, a process heavily aided by the acquisition of two new languages and ether-like Chinese rice wine. Last week, however, I was reminded of the purchasing power of American[...]
