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World-Change Technology

At one time technology meant machinery, but with the advent of computers, we are more aware of how software, information, activity, and ideas are also technology. When it comes to things that change the world, this is especially true. Some changes are global in scale and take millennia. Jared Diamond has discussed the prehistoric agricultural technologies that made migration across the grain-belts of the planet possible. Some are more local, and have a more direct personal effect, such as the Milwaukee Urban Ecology Center listed on this page.

We will focus here on new technologies that have the potential to improve the lives of many people while preserving the ecosystems that support us all.

The following links lead to some world-changing technologies of the new millennium.

Ashoka
Ashoka searches around the world to find individuals who have demonstrated an unusual ability to help improve the lives of children, farmers, disabled people, homeless people, and families, and encourages these individuals in their efforts.

How to Change the World
David Bornstein writes about some of the people Ashoka has found and supported, as well as other "social entrepreneurs" who now or in the past have significantly helped improve lives.

Web-building Skills for Social Entrepreneurs
There are a variety of avenues to Social Entrepreneurship. Many current ones involve using the internet at some stage to publicize, teach, advertise, and gather like-minded people.

Ryan Nagy and Bill O'Hanlon have recently made a big effort to use websites, subscriptions, online stores, user groups and a wide variety of other web technologies to bring their expertise in training, psychotherapy, bodywork, and coaching to the world.

They are now teaching others how to do it, what works, what not to bother with, and how people have reacted to things they have tried. They offer both online and in-person tutorials and workshops, broken into useful chunks for busy people. This can be a good way to get started for the budding eco capitalist or social entrepreneur.

Urban Ecology Center Milwaukee
A time-honored way of changing the world is to act locally. This ecology center in inner-city Milwaukee is an example of a small start that has grown to make a big difference in the lives of children, families, and a whole neighborhood. It is an interesting combination of ecology and social entrepreneurship, such that each facilitates the other.

www.brieftherapy.com
Sometimes the world-changing technology is less tangible and very individual. Several decades ago the young struggling Bill O'Hanlon decided he wanted to travel around the world teaching therapists how to do therapy in a more respectful and effective manner. After doing extensive research, he developed a new approach to therapy, has taught tens of thousands of people in dozens of countries how to improve their practice, and produced a variety of books and training materials on active non-pathologizing therapy.

www.csmonitor.com/marketplace/recruit/index.html
Sometimes the current employment situation can seem discouraging. We may feel we have to choose between what we care about and a corporate job that is at odds with our values. Here is one link to the increasing employment possibilities in human and environmental service careers.

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