Wednesday, 07 November 2007 @ 3:00pm.
I have been thinking about social change a lot lately (probably because of my research topics in Indonesia) and recent mass media reports have got me thinking even more about how individuals can make a difference, both big and small. Take today, for example. The United States Humane Society just released information about their undercover investigation into puppy mills in Virginia. It’s a very sad problem, but one that average folks can do something about. The Humane Society’s main advice is to avoid purchasing puppies from pet stores (even if you have altruistic intentions, the purchase just continues the bad cycle), refrain from buying puppies online, and certainly don’t get a pet from an actual puppy mill. There are literally millions of great animals available through adoption. You would be saving a life, adding a special pet to your household, and making a dent in the awful puppy mill business.
Another way to make a difference is by going vegetarian or being a part-time vegetarian. 
Some call the latter “flexitarian.” Check out a fabulous blog called “Vegetarian Wednesday” by a father-daughter team who are generally meat-eaters, but wanted to make a difference for animals, the environment, and their health in general. The website address is http://vegetarian-wednesday.blogspot.com/. According to the Humane Society website, “Every hour in the United States, one million animals are killed for our dinner plates. If each one of us cut back on meat by only 10 percent, about one billion animals would be spared a lifetime of suffering each year.” What a difference! (By the way, “Go Blue!” The dad who started the aforementioned blog is a University of Michigan medical student.)
For other ways to make a difference, check out the links I compiled at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jepley/ycmadl.html. I would like to especially highlight the Probini Foundation. Probini helps children in need, particularly orphans, in India and Bangladesh. The Chair and Co-Founder of Probini is Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar, who is a Distinguished Professor at the State University of New York, Old Westbury, and the other Co-Founder is Dr. Shefali S. Dastidar, who is a planner for the City of New York. They happen to be the parents of a college friend of mine. They are good people doing their part in this world. Helping Probini and its fantastic projects is as easy as a PayPal donation online or sending a check or money order - any amounts are helpful!
Finally, if you are click-happy and on your computer quite a bit, head to The Hunger Site, where one click is the equivalent of a cup of food. Clicking is free and there are related sites that focus on helping child health, literacy, rainforests, animal rescue, and breast cancer.
