Here at Nicequest we like to talk about the value of coming together, helping others and contributing to society. This can take on different shapes. Small acts of kindness, like helping out a neighbor or giving unused clothes to charity can go a long way in making our world a nicer place to live in. And some small acts and ideas develop into projects in the way that everyday people can truly make a big impact. In this article, we present 5 inspirational examples of people who went the extra mile.

Making a change 

More and more people are aware of how our daily habits affect the environment – and want to do something about it. A good way to start is to reduce the amount of waste we produce every day. A woman from the US is leading the way: Kathryn Kellogg, who runs the website Going Zero Waste, was inspired to pay better attention to her behavior as a consumer after she survived breast cancer. She started checking the ingredients of pre-cooked foods, cleaning products and cosmetics, since many contain elements that can interfere with your hormones. Then she noticed how much damage these kinds of everyday household products and foods do on the environment and how much waste she produced every day. So she decided to go even further and rethink all her habits. On her website and Instagram profile she now shares useful tips on how to reduce waste in your life, for example where to switch from single-use to reusable items.

Doing it yourself 

Alfredo Moser found a way of recycling plastic and lighting up homes without electricity: He makes lamps out of water bottles! Because of the frequent power outages in his city in southern Brazil, he tried to find alternative light sources. After experimenting for a while he came up with the idea of cutting a hole into the ceiling and sticking a bottle filled with water in it. The water refracts the sunlight which is then spread out around the room. One lamp gives around 50-60 Watts. Now his invention is used around the world and many people are able to save or simply not depend on electricity to have light in their homes during the day.

Starting a business

What will inspire a 4-year-old kid to dedicate her time to saving the bees? A book, a documentary, the parents? Well, in Mikaila’s case it was getting stung by one! This painful moment turned into a keen interest in these endangered animals. And when her parents encouraged her to enter a children’s business competition she created Me & the Bees Lemonade. It is made with honey from local producers and part of the profits go to organizations that fight to save the honeybee. 10 years in the business, she sells her lemonade in supermarkets like Whole Foods and along with other products on her website.

Following your calling

We will never get tired of applauding Marc, the founder of Health us Nepal. At the age of 28, he built a Health Center in Humla, his birthplace and one of the most remote regions in the Himalaya. After being adopted he grew up in Spain and went on to study medicine. With his knowledge and degree, he went back to Nepal to offer medical treatment to the people of Humla and surrounding villages and to educate on healthy habits. In 2018 we were happy to support his efforts in a Nicequest donation campaign. Read more about Health us Nepal here and find out about other charity projects Nicequest is supporting right now.

Joining a movement

One of the most positive internet trends of 2019 was people posting photos of trash bags. It doesn’t sound like much, but next to it they posted pictures of the area they had just cleaned up: public parks, beaches, roads. You can see these photos on social media with the hashtag #trashtag. This was and is more than just an internet meme, it’s a movement that hopefully keeps going and that deserves all the “Likes” online and offline.

What do you think of these stories? Do you try to make a positive impact with acts of kindness or have you ever participated in a bigger charitable project? Tell us in the comments!