Categories
Wildlife Heros

Saving Valentina

On Valentine’s Day 2011 Michael Fishbach, co-founder of the The Great Whale Conservancy, and his family and a few friends came across a young humpback whale entangled in a type of gillnet that is used by local fishermen.

Valentina gives an amazing show to her rescuers

Michael Fishbach spends two months in the Sea of Cortez every winter photographing blue, finback and humpback whales to help track of these magnificent animals across our oceans while observing their complex behaviors in the wild.

After a heroic and exhausting effort they were finally able to successfully free her. As a show of shear joy, and possibly a display of gratitude to her rescuers, the young Valentina danced along side their boat for the next hour.

You can donate to the The Great Whale Conservancy to support their amazing work.

Categories
Documentary

Happy – A Documentary

Academy Award® nominated director Roko Belic has spent the last 5 years filming and working on a new feature-length documentary called Happy that takes us on a trip around the globe — visiting 5 continents and 14 countries — exploring the power and mystery of happiness and searching for “a deeper understanding of why and how we can pursue more fulfilling, healthier and happier lives.”

HAPPY takes us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real life stories of people from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading scientists in happiness research, HAPPY explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion.

Happy is screening with showings last month in Spokane, WA, and is now playing this month in San Francisco, CA. Keep an eye out for it playing in a theater near you. You can also host your own screening or request that a specific theater schedule some dates.

We hope that the lessons learned through the film can not only help individuals find more peace and contentment in their own lives, but that the shift toward happiness will lead us to be more compassionate, less destructive and better citizens of the world.

via Roxie Theater & The Wall Street Journal

Categories
Kindness

A Good Idea

Jared Paul left a career in the corporate world to use his skills of building relationships to create some positive change in the world and to help people in need. In June 2008 he founded A Good Idea in San Francisco and has since expanded to open a second chapter in New Jersey.

Jared organizing a group of A Good Idea volunteers in San Francisco.

A Good Idea is a vehicle for positive social change ideas that connect people in need with people who want to help to alleviate homelessness and poverty. We build these connections for positive social change through service, education, and technology.

One of their most ambitious and inspirational proposed projects is to create a full-scale accredited residential charter high-school for homeless teens called Hope Academy of Arts & Sciences (HAAS), which would be the first of its kind in San Francisco.

“You never know what one little act… how that can effect the rest of a person’s day [or] the rest of a person’s life.” So, what’s your Good Idea?

via Storytellers for Good