how to make the world better essay

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How to Make the World a Better Place Essay

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Topic: The Role of Education for A Better and Fairer Future

“Real education enhances the dignity of a human being and increases his or her self-respect. If only the real sense of education could be realized by each individual and carried forward in every field of human activity, the world will be so much a better place to live in.” D.R A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Much has been written about education, its importance and how the current system of education is not helping us get anywhere. So, to talk about this matter of significant value we need to understand what it truly means. Education is a process that doesn’t only facilitate learning, but above all focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and skills hoping, to change our beliefs and habits for the better.

The world we live in has no shortage of problems. These problems are complex, pervasive, and affect all of us. We all have legitimate ambitions for a happier, fairer and more humane life. Addressing these issues represents a major challenge that calls upon the active and collaborative effort of all sectors of society and a clear awareness of the central role of education.

Since the beginning of the history of man itself, the role of education has been unclear and in times like ours, its function has remained ambiguous. See when we talk about education we mainly observe that there are people divided on what it means. Some who believe that knowledge is more important while others who would argue that No, learning is the more important one. Engaged in these futile arguments we forget that we’re only seeing one side of the story, one piece of the puzzle. Education requires a perfect balance of both, learning and knowledge. A mix of the rigid and the flexible, the rigidity of concrete fact and the flexibility of creative imagination. A Yin and Yang if I would say. In fights like these, we have yet again proved the impossible (in a sinister way that is) we’ve managed to divide ourselves on another level.

These arguments have arisen over the current education system, dividing us into two groups, the people who support it, mainly teachers and the people who are against it, the students. We, as students need to realize the importance of time management for coping with huge amounts of portion and the parents and teachers should not pressure the students so much. And above all we all need to realize that true learning doesn’t only happen in the classroom.

Riddle me this, if we didn’t argue as much as we do and try to convince the other side to see the sense in ours, but instead put in an effort in working together, realizing that we all have our differences, but united on the simple fact that we’re all human, where do you think we would be right now?

Making the World a Better Place

Every individual’s life is influenced by the choices they make. When we’re concerned about matters like food, survival, shelter and other resources we’re making the most basic choices ever. Education helps us to make better choices. Education is a constructive way to provide answers to the questions we look for. It fulfills our curiosity, helping us learn. Consequently, we have a deeper understanding of the world around us than we did before. This deep understanding enables us to dive deeper, to be fearless and to ask questions that have never been asked before. That is the single, most fundamental reason we make progress.

I mean, think about it, we live in the most revolutionary period of man. Why? It’s mainly because education and facts are available to a large section of our society. When we look back at the history of man, we realize something We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?

In the long run, standards of living are determined by productivity. Without education, people are limited to poorly paid manual labor or even subsistence agriculture. Just to work in a modern factory today, you must be literate and numerate. Even agriculture today requires understanding which seed varieties to choose and how and when to apply water, fertilizer, and pesticides.

Furthermore, education is vital to understanding important life decisions such as understanding the importance of family planning and human life we all share. Sure, there are a lot of problems, but we can solve them, together.

We must understand that the importance of education cannot be measured. Its value is unmatchable. Without it stems from ignorance, frustration, anger, and demise. With it, solutions, alternatives, and new ideas can be brought forth to further improve the evolution of mankind. With each generation, we are taking one step forward in a direction that will further address world issues such as environmental awareness, famine, disease, and war. Education can help immensely in achieving this seemingly utopian future. From hunters and gatherers to people who can theorize how the universe works, building a peaceful, efficient, and growing species is all based on the evolution of our education. There is no purpose nobler than putting mind over matter and using our brain for the betterment of everyone.

Moreover, when we get educated we influence others in our life, directly or indirectly. We all know a man is a social being and craves the approval of her/his fellow beings. This has developed a sort of herd mentality and while it is true that we should “break the mold” and nothing ever good came from the following someone, we need to be aware what that mold is and how to break it. That and so much more can be achieved by education. It is our saving grace, which will lead us all to a brighter and bolder future.

And if history is any indicator, our present has been influenced by the choices of the past. And despite all its problems, modern society has hope and potential to grow.

So, let’s not squander this opportunity given to us by our forefathers and make a change in our demeanor for the better. One thing that we must do and do well is balance societal goals (curing diseases, building things, world peace, etc.) with the pursuit of material wealth. We need both; but, of course, traditionally people are too concerned with the latter. We need to create a society where we will be able to achieve this balance. For only then will we truly understand the importance of education because it isn’t a big fat paycheck or a promotion you get from your senior, it’s more than that.

Education is our passport for tomorrow, a better tomorrow.

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Education and Communications
Social Activism

13 Ways to Change the World

Last Updated: May 1, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Direct Relief and by wikiHow staff writer, Dev Murphy, MA . Direct Relief is an award-winning humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries. They focus on helping people affected by emergencies and natural disasters. Direct Relief has been highly rated by Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at University of Pennsylvania, for their effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 926,038 times.

The world may be big, but even small changes can make a major difference! Adopting a more sustainable and ethical lifestyle, being kind, and staying positive are key to changing the world around you. Wondering where to start? We've got it covered! Keep reading for tips to improving the planet, from the local to the global.

Things You Should Know

Making a difference starts at home: try to keep a positive attitude and be kind to the people around you.
Improve your local community by volunteering with a charity that’s meaningful to you or by getting involved in local politics.
Change the world by reducing your carbon footprint: minimize your waste as much as you can, conserve water, and try to buy fair trade.

Be an animal advocate.

Encourage and vote for legislation that protects animals.
Only buy products that do not contribute to animal abuse.
Donate to charities which help animals, such as the Humane Society, The Marine Mammal Center, or the Performing Animal Welfare Society.

Take action in your own life to protect the environment. "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

Donate menstrual products.

Providing tampons and pads to people who need them will make a huge difference.

Not having access to menstrual products leads to humiliation and isolation at best, and at worst discomfort and even life-threatening infections.
By donating items and money to charities that work to solve this problem, you'll be keeping menstruating people healthy and help them to do things like attend school and work so that they get the opportunity to better their own lives.
There are lots of organizations that help get menstrual products to people who need them and educate young people about menstruation, including Period and Days for Girls .

Donate to charities you believe in.

A little money could end up doing a lot of good for a lot of people.

Short on cash? You don't necessarily have to donate money. Some nonprofits accept educational materials, clothing, or other supplies. Call or email to ask what they need.
You could also volunteer or be part of fundraising efforts for charities that do good abroad. Run a half marathon or other fundraiser to raise funds for an international charity of your choice.

Be an ethical consumer.

Fair trade items will almost always be labeled as such. If you're unsure if something is fair trade, try to at least avoid items that are often unethically sourced. Coffee, bananas, cocoa, many tropical fruits, wine (mainly from California), clothing items (mainly from China, Bangladesh, and SE Asia) and jewelry are often unethically sourced.
By buying these products as much as possible, you can show companies that you think these practices are worth a few extra pennies and encourage other companies to invest in these practices as well.

Volunteering with a local charity is a great way to improve the world around you.

Tutoring disadvantaged kids, working at a local soup kitchen, or volunteering with a charity like Habitat for Humanity are just a few ways you can make a difference in your town.
Besides the obvious benefits of donating your time and energy to a cause you believe in, volunteering has been associated with improved physical and mental health and lower levels of loneliness. [4] X Research source

Be civically engaged.

In the United States, only about 50% to 60% of eligible voters actually vote during the presidential election, and 35% to 40% vote in midterm elections. [5] X Research source
Imagine the changes people might enact if 90% of people voted during presidential elections and 60% of people voted during midterms!

Invest in small businesses.

Invest your money where it’ll make a difference.

Because small businesses often have lower overhead costs than bigger businesses, you’ll likely get a higher return on your investment—more importantly, the small business will get what it needs to contribute to that economy and community. [6] X Research source
This is an especially good way to help women and other vulnerable groups to support themselves.

Promote awareness of important issues.

Educate others about the things that matter.

Be positive.

Be kind to others.

This can be small things like making someone a birthday present, or big things like driving someone around until they get their car fixed. When we work together, everything runs more smoothly and we're better able to further invest those gains in benefiting the rest of the globe.

Get to know your neighbors.

How well do you know the people who live right next to you?

Introducing yourself to your neighbors , chatting with them when you see them, or even inviting them over for a neighborhood gathering can increase morale in your community. Bonus: it'll make you feel great, too!

Minimize waste.

You can get an idea of how big your carbon footprint is by using the EPA’s carbon footprint calculator .
Not littering, and cleaning up trash that you do find, even if someone else dropped it
Reducing the waste you produce and composting
Conserving water and growing some of your own food
Cutting down on your electricity usage (or buying and installing solar panels for your home, if you’re able) [10] X Trustworthy Source U.S. Department of Energy Official site for the U.S. Department of Energy, which provides resources related to energy safety, conservation, and efficiency Go to source
Switching to public transit, a bike, or an electric vehicle
Not buying more food than you can eat
Buying used clothing instead of new clothes

Become an organ donor.

One donor can provide life-saving organs for up to 8 people.

You don't have to stop at becoming an organ donor: you can also sign up to donate blood . Every 2 seconds, someone in the country needs a blood transfusion. [12] X Trustworthy Source Red Cross Blood Donation Services Website run by the Red Cross Organization providing information about how and where to donate blood safely Go to source Check out the Red Cross's website to find out where to donate blood in your area.

Community Q&A

Tips from our Readers

Smile at a stranger. It may sound simple, but one of the best things you can do is spread happiness. Smiling has been proven to make the person doing it happier, so when you smile and someone smiles back, you just made yourself and another a little bit happier!
Donate blood, platelets, or plasma! By doing this, you can save lives. If you're apprehensive or afraid of needles, remember that it only pinches for a second, and that one little pinch can result in up to three lives being saved.
Helping animals may not seem important to many people, but it actually is important to take good care of them because they may not be able to take care of themselves, which causes an imbalance in the world's ecosystems.
Be kind everyday! A small act of kindness can change the whole world. It will change how you look at other people and how others see you!
Share this article on your social media platforms so that more and more people participate in making the world a better place.
Always research organizations you want to help or donate to. Some organizations, even if they're "real" charities, still spend almost none of the donated money on actually helping people. Use tools like Charity Watch and the BBB to get more information on an organization. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about humanitarian aid, check out our in-depth interview with Direct Relief .

↑ https://createthegood.aarp.org/volunteer-ideas/protect-wildlife.html
↑ https://hr.uw.edu/cfd/2023/06/27/menstrual-equity/
↑ https://www.fairtradecertified.org/why-fair-trade
↑ https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/3-health-benefits-of-volunteering
↑ https://fairvote.org/resources/voter-turnout/
↑ https://fastercapital.com/content/Reasons-to-Invest-in-Small-Businesses.html
↑ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/08/15/facts-about-neighbors-in-u-s/
↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happy-singlehood/202006/know-your-neighbor-especially-now
↑ https://www.derby.ac.uk/blog/seven-top-tips-reduce-environmental-impact/
↑ https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/10/f37/Energy_Saver_Guide-2017-en.pdf
↑ https://www.organdonor.gov/sign-up/why
↑ https://www.redcrossblood.org/local-homepage/news/article/blood-donation-importance.html

About This Article

To make the world a better place, start with small changes close to home like volunteering with a local charity, buying products that are made or grown locally, and voting in community elections. To make a global impact, donate to trustworthy international charities, buy fair trade certified products, and take measures to protect the environment, such as conserving energy, reducing waste, and composting organic waste. To learn how to make monetary investments that are globally positive, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Make the world a better place.

By NICHOLAS KRISTOF JAN. 31, 2019

If I Could Change the World Essay: Examples & Writing Guide

To write an engaging “If I Could Change the World” essay, you have to get a few crucial elements:

What? How? Whom? When? Where?
The essay structure that determines where each answer should be;
Some tips that can make your writing unique and original.

Let us help you a bit and give recommendations for “If I Could Change the World” essays with examples. And bookmark our writing company website for excellent academic assistance and study advice.

🗯 What Would You Change?
💁‍♂️ How Would You Do It?

👉 Whom Would Your Changes Affect?

⏱️ when would you change the world, 🌎 where would you make changes, 📦 out-of-the-box thinking, 🤔 deep understanding, 🧠 an intelligible structure, 🗣️ excellent language.

📝 Essay Example

✏️ Change the World Essay FAQ

🔗 references, 💡 if i could change the world essay: essential questions.

What do you think about the world we are all living in? The vast majority of people love their lives, being human, and living on the Earth. They may have no time to think about the world around them or notice that this world requires changes.

And do you have time to notice this? Do you believe that our world is no longer the best and safest place to live in? If you do and have some suggestions on how our world can be changed, you can write a good “If I Could Change the World” essay.

Start crafting your paper by considering these questions:

If I could change the world essay questions.

Answering them will boost your imagination and help with outlining your essay. Besides, you may find something new about yourself and your mind.

🗯 If You Could Change the World, What Would You Change?

What do I want to change in the world? Start this essay with those particular things that you believe require fixing. We are sure you will not have difficulties with this point because the problems we face these days seem endless.

We’ve gotten used to having such problems, and many people are sure that nothing can ever change. But what if millions of people became more conscious and decided to make even a minor effort to solve just one problem? In that case, we would already live in a better place.

For example:

Why not mention global warming or air pollution? There are plenty of problems common to humanity that require our intervention, so essay writing about global issues is also a great opportunity to narrow down your topic.

Use your imagination and describe your great ideas in your essay about changing the world for better. You could build up a fantastic paper—or maybe even change the world.

💁‍♂️ How Would You Change the World?

What ways do you think would be the most effective to make necessary changes? Whose help might you need? You have to speculate, “How can I change the world?” for the essay.

You’ll have to use your imagination here again:

Delve deeper into the topic. List the ways, methods, or strategies you’d utilize to help the world we live in.
Make a list of these people or organizations.
Explain how they could contribute to achieving your aim.

For instance, you could consider involving global charities or celebrities to assist you on your path to a better world.

Would your changes influence society in the world? Or some particular groups of people would need them more than all the others?

This is another exciting idea that you could develop in your essay. Give insight into whose lives your actions would change. For example, you could think of improving the lives of poor, hungry children in Africa or helping animals suffering from global warming.

Do you think that the problems you are talking about require immediate solutions? There are issues worldwide that can’t wait any longer and need to be changed urgently.

Why not discuss them?

Here’s an idea: Bring up a topic related to a pressing global health issue. For example, focus your main point on incurable diseases or infectious diseases that annually kill more than 17 million people .

In what part of the world would you change something?

It’s essential to touch on the location of your global changes. Are you audacious enough to implement your great ideas worldwide? Or would you be better off starting in a small area and eventually growing it into something on a larger scale?

Consider these ideas as well, and don’t forget to mention the location in your paper.

You can also read our article on world peace to learn more about current problems and issues that require changes.

✒️ If I Could Change the World Essay: Writing Guide

What are the criteria that guide your professor when evaluating your “If I Could Change the World” essay? Are there any one-size-fits-all characteristics you can safely incorporate to end up with a breathtaking paper?

There are! And knowing them will help you write more convincing essays that earn better grades.

Representing your original thinking as an author doesn’t mean that you have to invent something new or discover some unknown theory. Not to discourage you, but chances of doing that are pretty small.

Try writing a “changing the world” essay different from other students’ papers because of its original approach . You could look at things from an unusual angle or come up with a new hypothesis. Even the purpose of your writing can differ if you add creativity.

Your “If I Could Change the World” essay topic is a platform for unlimited imagination and original thinking. Go ahead and make the most of it!

A perfect essay about the world’s problems—just like any other essay—shows in-depth knowledge. Demonstrate the comprehension of all the facts, concepts, and issues you’re talking about. You also need to clearly understand why these ideas matter, both to you and your reader.

To end up with a fantastic “changing the world” essay, you should do the following:

Craft and polish a persuasive thesis, stating your position clearly.
Find credible sources to add quotes and value to your writing.
Use engaging, relevant facts for your arguments and central hypothesis.
Consider and analyze different viewpoints.
Summarize and synthesize data from various sources.
Double-check information that you’re uncertain about.
Write a reference list at the bottom of your essay.

Don’t forget to analyze and consider all points of view and include quotations from reputable sources.

The first and foremost thing to bear in mind when outlining your essay is that it should answer the following three questions:

Also, a high-quality essay contains all of the necessary parts of an academic paper:

Introduction : Starts with a hook that grabs the reader’s attention. Directs the reader, identifies the focus, and provides the context of the issue. Most importantly, it includes a thesis statement. If you struggle with this part, try to make use of a thesis statement generator .
Main body : Provides the argumentation for your thesis and supporting details. Includes quotes and other data that you’ve gathered. Every paragraph starts with a topic sentence and ends with a concluding one, tying the text together.
Conclusion : Restates and develops the thesis and summarizes the arguments. Gives the last impression on the reader, leaving the final thoughts in the concluding sentences. May include a call for action.

Your “If I Could Change the World” essay should have a consistent discussion and a balanced argument. Relevant facts and data should support all the points. The conclusion weighs your evidence and provides your final opinion about the paper’s central idea.

Your discussion should be smooth and effortless so that your readers feel like they are in safe hands. The sentences should be flowing naturally and logically from one to the other. The reader should understand everything from the first read. Do not deviate from your topic, or else the focus of your essay will be lost.

You should strive for flawless grammar, spelling, and punctuation, without mistakes or typos. To ensure its flawlessness, proofread your paper or ask someone to do it for you.

If I Could Change the World: Essay Topics

Can one person change the world?
What can we do to eliminate the global violence?
How I would change animal rights and welfare laws .
Helping homeless people is a critical task for humanity.
Becoming a social service assistant is the best way to change the world.
Creativity can change the world and make it a better place to live in.
If I could change the world, I would destroy nuclear weapons.
Can courage change the world when the cost is so great?
We need to stop climate change to save the world.
What I can do to save the world from global warming.
The things I would do to eliminate gaming addiction from the world.
I would save the Earth from destruction by making hanges in an energy crisis.
Why we should pay more attention to the overpopulation problem .
Fighting inflation and unemployment is a way to change the world.
What I can do today to help integration of children with special needs.
Elimination of smoking will change the population’s health for the better.
If we want to save the Earth, we should reduce air polution.
The best career choice to change the world.
If I could change the world, I would improve the humanity and nature relationship.
The most important thing I would change about this world is the disease prevention level.
Combat the growing trend of obesity to improve health in the community.
Should we ban consumable plastics to save oceans wildlife?
Using electric vehicles instead of gas cars will improve people’s life quality.
Removing domestic violence and abuse is the thing I would do to change the world.
What I would change to create an ideal society .
Becoming a teacher is my way of improving schooling for young learners .
How I would change the economic situation in modern Latin America.
My plans on banning experiments on animals .
Preparing effective tools to change the children’s world.
We need to change the system to remove health disparities .
What I would do to change the situation with alcohol abuse in the world.
Racism is the global issue that requires an immediate change.
The things that can be done to change the level of substance abuse among adolescents.
If I could change the world, I would remove gender inequality from it.
The solution to social problems within educational institutions is the change we should make in this world.
What changes can we make to overcome the world poverty?
Why it’s important to resolve the global water crisis .
The solution of immigrant problems is a step towards a better society.
How eliminating corruption will make this world better.
What can I do to help resolve the problems of older adults ?
Lowering crime rates will change the world.
How I would change the situation with indigenous Australians.
Preventing and curing breast cancer is one of the greatest concerns in modern society.
What can we do to prevent disease outbreaks?
Why the problem of school violence requires our immediate attention.
How I would change the food distribution to combat the issue of world hunger .
Why we should promote renewable energy sources.
Terrorism is the most urgent problem in modern society.
What would I do to change the situation with school bullying?
What should we change in the world to resolve the problems of LGBT people?

📝 If I Could Change the World: Essay Example

In this section, you’ll find an essay example on the topic. The downloadable PDF version is under the preview. Hope it will inspire you to write your own If I Could Change the World essay!

If I Could Change the World: Pros and Cons (Essay Example)

The idea of having a tremendous influence on the course of the world history is rather tempting since it implies huge power and the availability of any resource possible. Thus, the possibility of changing the world might be perceived solely as a positive concept at first. However, without the ability to encompass and understand the global implications of the changes that I would make, I would take the actions that would most likely result in the suffering of multiple people, which is why the described scenario is highly undesirable.

Now that you know a little more, it’s easy to come up with even more “If I Could Change the World” essay topics. Just think about them carefully or surf the web for some inspiration.

Thank you for reading till the end! Leave your comment in the section below. Share the article with friends who also have to write an “If I Could Change the World” essay.

55 Transcript — “How To Make the World a Better Place by 2030” (2015) + Update (2018)

Do you think the world is going to be a better place next year? In the next decade? Can we end hunger, achieve gender equality, halt climate change, all in the next 15 years?

Well, according to the governments of the world, yes we can. In the last few days, the leaders of the world, meeting at the UN in New York, agreed a new set of Global Goals for the development of the world to 2030. And here they are: these goals are the product of a massive consultation exercise. The Global Goals are who we, humanity, want to be.

Now that’s the plan, but can we get there? Can this vision for a better world really be achieved? Well, I’m here today because we’ve run the numbers, and the answer, shockingly, is that maybe we actually can. But not with business as usual.

Now, the idea that the world is going to get a better place may seem a little fanciful. Watch the news every day and the world seems to be going backwards, not forwards. And let’s be frank: it’s pretty easy to be skeptical about grand announcements coming out of the UN.

But please, I invite you to suspend your disbelief for just a moment. Because back in 2001, the UN agreed another set of goals, the Millennium Development Goals. And the flagship target there was to halve the proportion of people living in poverty by 2015. The target was to take from a baseline of 1990, when 36 percent of the world’s population lived in poverty, to get to 18 percent poverty this year.

Did we hit this target? Well, no, we didn’t. We exceeded it. This year, global poverty is going to fall to 12 percent. Now, that’s still not good enough, and the world does still have plenty of problems. But the pessimists and doomsayers who say that the world can’t get better are simply wrong.

So how did we achieve this success? Well, a lot of it was because of economic growth. Some of the biggest reductions in poverty were in countries such as China and India, which have seen rapid economic growth in recent years. So can we pull off the same trick again? Can economic growth get us to the Global Goals? Well, to answer that question, we need to benchmark where the world is today against the Global Goals and figure out how far we have to travel.

But that ain’t easy, because the Global Goals aren’t just ambitious, they’re also pretty complicated. Over 17 goals, there are then 169 targets and literally hundreds of indicators. Also, while some of the goals are pretty specific — end hunger — others are a lot vaguer — promote peaceful and tolerant societies.

So to help us with this benchmarking, I’m going to use a tool called the Social Progress Index. What this does is measures all the stuff the Global Goals are trying to achieve, but sums it up into a single number that we can use as our benchmark and track progress over time.

The Social Progress Index basically asks three fundamental questions about a society. First of all, does everyone have the basic needs of survival: food, water, shelter, safety? Secondly, does everyone have the building blocks of a better life: education, information, health and a sustainable environment? And does everyone have the opportunity to improve their lives, through rights, freedom of choice, freedom from discrimination, and access to the world’s most advanced knowledge?

The Social Progress Index sums all this together using 52 indicators to create an aggregate score on a scale of 0 to 100. And what we find is that there’s a wide diversity of performance in the world today. The highest performing country, Norway, scores 88. The lowest-performing country, Central African Republic, scores 31. And we can add up all the countries together, weighting for the different population sizes, and that global score is 61. In concrete terms, that means that the average human being is living on a level of social progress about the same of Cuba or Kazakhstan today.

That’s where we are today: 61 out of 100. What do we have to get to achieve the Global Goals?

Now, the Global Goals are certainly ambitious, but they’re not about turning the world into Norway in just 15 years. So having looked at the numbers, my estimate is that a score of 75 would not only be a giant leap forward in human well-being, it would also count as hitting the Global Goals target. So there’s our target, 75 out of 100. Can we get there?

Well, the Social Progress Index can help us calculate this, because as you might have noticed, there are no economic indicators in there; there’s no GDP or economic growth in the Social Progress Index model. And what that lets us do is understand the relationship between economic growth and social progress.

Let me show you on this chart. So here on the vertical axis, I’ve put social progress, the stuff the Global Goals are trying to achieve. Higher is better. And then on the horizontal axis, is GDP per capita. Further to the right means richer. And in there, I’m now going to put all the countries of the world, each one represented by a dot, and on top of that I’m going to put the regression line that shows the average relationship. And what this tells us is that as we get richer, social progress does tend to improve. However, as we get richer, each extra dollar of GDP is buying us less and less social progress. And now we can use this information to start building our forecast. So here is the world in 2015. We have a social progress score of 61 and a GDP per capita of $14,000. And the place we’re trying to get to, remember, is 75, that Global Goals target. So here we are today, $14,000 per capita GDP. How rich are we going to be in 2030? That’s what we need to know next. Well, the best forecast we can find comes from the US Department of Agriculture, which forecasts 3.1 percent average global economic growth over the next 15 years, which means that in 2030, if they’re right, per capita GDP will be about $23,000. So now the question is: if we get that much richer, how much social progress are we going to get? Well, we asked a team of economists at Deloitte who checked and crunched the numbers, and they came back and said, well, look: if the world’s average wealth goes from $14,000 a year to $23,000 a year, social progress is going to increase from 61 to 62.4.

Just 62.4. Just a tiny increase.

Now this seems a bit strange. Economic growth seems to have really helped in the fight against poverty, but it doesn’t seem to be having much impact on trying to get to the Global Goals. So what’s going on? Well, I think there are two things. The first is that in a way, we’re the victims of our own success. We’ve used up the easy wins from economic growth, and now we’re moving on to harder problems. And also, we know that economic growth comes with costs as well as benefits. There are costs to the environment, costs from new health problems like obesity.

So that’s the bad news. We’re not going to get to the Global Goals just by getting richer.

So are the pessimists right?

Well, maybe not. Because the Social Progress Index also has some very good news. Let me take you back to that regression line. So this is the average relationship between GDP and social progress, and this is what our last forecast was based on. But as you saw already, there is actually lots of noise around this trend line.

What that tells us, quite simply, is that GDP is not destiny. We have countries that are

underperforming on social progress, relative to their wealth. Russia has lots of natural resource wealth, but lots of social problems. China has boomed economically, but hasn’t made much headway on human rights or environmental issues. India has a space program and millions of people without toilets. Now, on the other hand, we have countries that are over-performing on social progress relative to their GDP. Costa Rica has prioritized education, health and environmental sustainability, and as a result, it’s achieving a very high level of social progress, despite only having a rather modest GDP. And Costa Rica’s not alone. From poor countries like Rwanda to richer countries like New Zealand, we see that it’s possible to get lots of social progress, even if your GDP is not so great.

And that’s really important, because it tells us two things. First of all, it tells us that we already in the world have the solutions to many of the problems that the Global Goals are trying to solve. It also tells us that we’re not slaves to GDP. Our choices matter: if we prioritize the well-being of people, then we can make a lot more progress than our GDP might expect.

How much? Enough to get us to the Global Goals? Well, let’s look at some numbers. What we know already: the world today is scoring 61 on social progress, and the place we want to get to is 75. If we rely on economic growth alone, we’re going to get to 62.4. So let’s assume now that we can get the countries that are currently underperforming on social progress — the Russia, China, Indias — just up to the average. How much social progress does that get us? Well, that takes us to 65. It’s a bit better, but still quite a long way to go. So let’s get a little bit more optimistic and say, what if every country gets a little bit better at turning its wealth into well-being? Well then, we get to 67. And now let’s be even bolder still. What if every country in the world chose to be like Costa Rica in prioritizing human well-being, using its wealth for the well-being of its citizens? Well then, we get to nearly 73, very close to the Global Goals.

Can we achieve the Global Goals? Certainly not with business as usual. Even a flood tide of economic growth is not going to get us there, if it just raises the mega-yachts and the super-wealthy and leaves the rest behind. If we’re going to achieve the Global Goals we have to do things differently. We have to prioritize social progress, and really scale solutions around the world. I believe the Global Goals are a historic opportunity, because the world’s leaders have promised to deliver them. Let’s not dismiss the goals or slide into pessimism; let’s hold them to that promise. And we need to hold them to that promise by holding them accountable, tracking their progress all the way through the next 15 years.

And I want to finish by showing you a way to do that, called the People’s Report Card. The People’s Report Card brings together all this data into a simple framework that we’ll all be familiar with from our school days, to hold them to account. It grades our performance on the Global Goals on a scale from F to A, where F is humanity at its worst, and A is humanity at its best. Our world today is scoring a C-. The Global Goals are all about getting to an A, and that’s why we’re going to be updating the People’s Report Card annually, for the world and for all the countries of the world, so we can hold our leaders to account to achieve this target and fulfill this promise. Because getting to the Global Goals will only happen if we do things differently, if our leaders do things differently, and for that to happen, that needs us to demand it.

So let’s reject business as usual. Let’s demand a different path. Let’s choose the world that we want.

Bruno Giussani: Thank you, Michael. Michael, just one question: the Millennium Development Goals established 15 years ago, they were kind of applying to every country but it turned out to be really a scorecard for emerging countries. Now the new Global Goals are explicitly universal. They ask for every country to show action and to show progress. How can I, as a private citizen, use the report card to create pressure for action?

Michael Green: This is a really important point; it’s a big shift in priorities — it’s no longer about poor countries and just poverty. It’s about every country. And every country is going to have challenges in getting to the Global Goals. Even, I’m sorry to say, Bruno, Switzerland has got to work to do. And so that’s why we’re going to produce these report cards in 2016 for every country in the world. Then we can really see, how are we doing? And it’s not going to be rich countries scoring straight A’s. And that, then, I think, is to provide a point of focus for people to start demanding action and start demanding progress.

BG: Thank you very much.

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In 2015, the leaders of the world made a big promise. A promise that over the next 15 years, the lives of billions of people are going to get better with no one left behind. That promise is the Sustainable Development Goals — the SDGs. We’re now three years in; a fifth of the way into the journey. The clock is ticking. If we offtrack now, it’s going to get harder and harder to hit those goals. So what I want to do for you today is give you a snapshot on where we are today, some projections on where we’re heading and some ideas on things we might need to do differently.

Now, the SDGs are of course spectacularly complicated. I would expect nothing less from the United Nations.

How many goals? Maybe something tried and tested, like three, seven or 10. No, let’s pick a prime number higher than 10. Seventeen goals. I congratulate those of you who’ve memorized them already. For the rest of us, here they are.

Seventeen goals ranging from ending poverty to inclusive cities to sustainable fisheries; all a comprehensive plan for the future of our world. But sadly, a plan without the data to measure it. So how are we going to track progress? Well, I’m going to use today the Social Progress Index. It’s a measure of the quality of life of countries, ranging from the basic needs of survival — food, water, shelter, safety — through to the foundations of well-being — education, information, health and the environment — and opportunity — rights, freedom of choice, inclusiveness and access to higher education.

Now, the Social Progress Index doesn’t look like the SDGs, but fundamentally, it’s measuring the same concepts, and the Social Progress Index has the advantage that we have the data. We have 51 indicators drawn from trusted sources to measure these concepts. And also, what we can do because it’s an index, is add together all those indicators to give us an aggregate score about how we’re performing against the total package of the SDGs. Now, one caveat. The Social Progress Index is a measure of quality of life. We’re not looking at whether this can be achieved within the planet’s environmental limits. You will need other tools to do that.

So how are we doing on the SDGs? Well, I’m going to put the SDGs on a scale of zero to 100. And zero is the absolute worst score on each of those 51 indicators: absolute social progress, zero. And then 100 is the minimum standard required to achieve those SDGs. A hundred is where we want to get to by 2030. So, where did we start on this journey? Fortunately, not at zero. In 2015, the world score against the SDGs was 69.1. Some way on the way there but quite a long way to go.

Now let me also emphasize that this world forecast, which is based on data from 180 countries, is population weighted. So China has more weight in than Comoros; India has more weight in than Iceland. But we could unpack this and see how the countries are doing. And the country today that is closest to achieving the SDGs is Denmark. And the country with the furthest to go is Central African Republic. And everyone else is somewhere in between. So the challenge for the SDGs is to try and sweep all these dots across to the right, to 100 by 2030. Can we get there? Well, with the Social Progress Index, we’ve got some time series data. So we have some idea of the trend that the countries are on, on which we can build some projections.

So let’s have a look. Let’s start with our top-performing country, Denmark. And yes, I’m pleased to say that Denmark is forecast to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Maybe not surprising, but I’ll take a win. Let’s look at some of the other richer countries of the world — the G7. And we find that Germany and Japan will get there or thereabouts. But Canada, France, the UK and Italy are all going to fall short. And the United States? Quite some way back. Now, this is sort of worrying news. But these are the richest countries in the world, not the most populous. So let’s take a look now at the biggest countries in the world, the ones that will most affect whether or not we achieve the SDGs.

And here they are — countries in the world with a population of higher than 100 million, ranging from China to Ethiopia. Obviously, the US and Japan would be in that list, but we’ve looked at them already. So here we are. The biggest countries in the world; the dealbreakers for the SDGs. And the country that’s going to make most progress towards the SDGs is Mexico. Mexico is going to get to about 87, so just shy of where the US is going to get but quite some way off our SDG target. Russia comes next. Then China and Indonesia. Then Brazil — might’ve expected Brazil to do a bit better. Philippines, and then a step down to India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, and then Ethiopia. So none of these countries are going to hit the SDGs. And we can then take these numbers in all the countries of the world to give ourselves a world forecast on achieving that total package of the SDGs. So remember, in 2015 we started at 69.1. I’m pleased to say that over the last three years, we have made some progress. In 2018, we’ve hit 70.5, and if we project that rate of progress forward to 2030, that’s going to get us to 75.2, which is obviously a long way short of our target. Indeed, on current trends, we won’t hit the 2030 targets until 2094. Now, I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to wait that long.

So what can we do about this? Well, the first thing to do is we’ve got to call out the rich countries. Here are the countries closest to the SDGs, with the greatest resources, and they’re falling short. Maybe they think that this is like the Old World where goals for the UN are just for poor countries and not for them. Well, you’re wrong. The SDGs are for every country, and it’s shameful that these wealthy countries are falling short. Every country needs a plan to implement the SDGs and deliver them for their citizens. G7, other rich countries — get your act together.

The second thing we can do is look a bit further into the data and see where there are opportunities to accelerate progress or there are negative trends that we can reverse. So I’m going to take you into three areas. One where we’re doing quite well, one where we really should be doing better and another where we’ve got some real problems.

Let’s start with the good news, and I want to talk about what we call nutrition and basic medical care. This covers SDG 2 on no hunger and the basic elements of SDG 3 on health, so maternal and child mortality, infectious diseases, etc … This is an area where most of the rich world has hit the SDGs. And we also find, looking at our big countries, that the most advanced have got pretty close. Here are our 11 big countries, and if you look at the top, Brazil and Russia are pretty close to the SDG target. But at the bottom — Ethiopia, Pakistan — a long way to go. That’s where we are in 2018. What’s our trajectory? On the current trajectory, how far are we going to get by 2030? Well, let’s have a look. Well, what we see is a lot of progress. See Bangladesh in the middle. If Bangladesh maintains its current rate of progress, it could get very close to that SDG target. And Ethiopia at the bottom is making a huge amount of progress at the moment. If that can be maintained, Ethiopia could get a long way. We add this all up for all the countries of the world and our projection is a score of 94.5 by 2030. And if countries like the Philippines, which have grown more slowly, could accelerate progress, then we could get a lot closer.

So there are reasons to be optimistic about SDGs 2 and 3. But there’s another very basic area of the SDGs where we’re doing less well, which is SDG 6, on water and sanitation. Again, it’s an SDG where most of the rich countries have already achieved the targets. And again, for our big countries — our big 11 emerging countries, we see that some of the countries, like Russia and Mexico, are very close to the target, but Nigeria and other countries are a very long way back. So how are we doing on this target? What progress are we going to make over the next 12 years based on the current direction of travel? Well, here we go … and yes, there is some progress. Our top four countries are all hitting the SDG targets — some are moving forward quite quickly. But it’s not enough to really move us forward significantly. What we see is that for the world as a whole, we’re forecasting a score of around 85, 86 by 2030 — not fast enough.

Now, obviously this is not good news, but I think what this data also shows is that we could be doing a lot better. Water and sanitation is a solved problem. It’s about scaling that solution everywhere. So if we could accelerate progress in some of those countries who are improving more slowly — Nigeria, the Philippines, etc. — then we could get a lot closer to the goal. Indeed, I think SDG 6 is probably the biggest opportunity of all the SDGs for a step change.

So that’s an area we could do better. Let’s look finally at an area where we are struggling, which is what we call personal rights and inclusiveness. This is covering concepts across a range of SDGs. SDG 1 on poverty, SDG 5 on gender equality, SDG 10 on inequality, SDG 11 on inclusive cities and SDG 16 on peace and justice. So across those SDGs there are themes around rights and inclusiveness, and those may seem less immediate or pressing than things like hunger and disease, but rights and inclusion are critical to an agenda of no one left behind. So how are we doing on those issues? Let’s start off with personal rights. What I’m going to do first is show you our big countries in 2015. So here they are, and I’ve put the USA and Japan back in, so it’s our 13 biggest countries in the world. And we see a wide range of scores. The United States at the top with Japan hitting the goals; China a long way behind. So what’s been our direction of travel on the rights agenda over the last three years? Let’s have a look. Well, what we see is actually pretty ugly. The majority of the countries are standing still or moving backwards, and big countries like Brazil, India, China, Bangladesh have all seen significant declines. This is worrying.

Let’s have a look now at inclusiveness. And inclusiveness is looking at things like violence and discrimination against minorities, gender equity, LGBT inclusion, etc… And as a result, we see that the scores for our big countries are generally lower. Every country, rich and poor alike, is struggling with building an inclusive society. But what’s our direction of travel? Are we building more inclusive countries? Let’s have a look — progress to 2018. And again we see the world moving backwards: most countries static, a lot of countries going backwards — Bangladesh moving backwards — but also, two of the countries that were leading — Brazil and the United States — have gone backwards significantly over the last three years.

Let’s sum this up now for the world as a whole. And what we see on personal rights for the whole world is we’re forecasting actually a decline in the score on personal rights to about 60, and then this decline in the score of inclusiveness to about 42. Now, obviously these things can change quite quickly with rights and with changes in law, changes in attitudes, but we have to accept that on current trends, this is probably the most worrying aspect of the SDGs. How I’ve depressed you …

I hope not because I think what we do see is that progress is happening in a lot of places and there are opportunities for accelerating progress. We are living in a world that is tantalizingly close to ensuring that no one need die of hunger or malaria or diarrhea. If we can focus our efforts, mobilize resources, galvanize the political will, that step change is possible.

But in focusing on those really basic, solvable SDGs, we mustn’t forget the whole package. The goals are an unwieldy set of indicators, goals and targets, but they also include the challenges our world faces. The fact that the SDGs are focusing attention on the fact that we face a crisis in personal rights and inclusiveness is a positive. If we forget that, if we choose to double down on the SDGs that we can solve, if we go for SDG à la carte and pick the most easy SDGs, then we will have missed the point of the SDGs, we will miss the goals and we will have failed on the promise of the SDGs.

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“As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.” ~Paul Shane Spear

I have always wanted to change the world .

I remember being four years old, sitting glued to the television on Sunday mornings, not watching cartoons, but utterly captivated by World Vision. I cried about the injustices in the world, and begged my mother to let me sponsor Maria, the girl with the large, sad eyes who was around my age.

My mom patiently tried to explain to me that we couldn’t afford to send her money. I couldn’t understand, since we seemed to live in luxury compared to Maria.

Having been raised in a middle-class community of about 800 people in rural Newfoundland, I had never seen a stark divide between the rich and the poor. We all seemed to be the same to my four-year-old eyes.

My heart broke for Maria, and all of the other children on the show. I vowed to myself that someday, I was going to help people like her.

Throughout my childhood, I told everyone that I wanted to change the world . Many didn’t take me seriously. They’d say, “One person can’t change anything.”

Still, I knew I wanted to make a positive difference by helping people, animals, and the environment.

I started volunteering in elementary school, and became a vegetarian at the age of 13.

People asked, “Why bother? You know, that cow isn’t going to come back to life because you aren’t going to eat it.” And they very often said, “It won’t make a difference.”

I tried to explain that every action counted, and that we all had to make small efforts or nothing would ever change.

As time went on, people around me began to criticize less, and many friends and family members decided to try some of the things I was advocating.

Each time I did something to make a positive impact, it left me wanting to do more.

You may think that you need to be a world leader or a billionaire in order to make a difference.

I always believed that being a good person is about the small things. It’s about how you treat other people, not how many people you have power over.

If you’d like to make the world a better place, but aren’t sure how to fit it into your busy life, these ideas may help:

1. Volunteer.

Volunteering doesn’t have to consume all of your free time. You can volunteer as few hours as you would like! You can find an organization within your community, or you can even volunteer online , through websites that will allow you to help for even a few minutes at a time.

2. Donate blood.

This can be one of the most satisfying ways to make a difference. You can literally save a life with just an hour of your time.

3. Donate used clothing.

There are so many places and ways you can donate your used clothing . Some organizations even offer pick up services, Donate them to a homeless shelter, or an organization that sells them to raise funds.

4. Foster an animal.

This can be such a rewarding experience. If you’re able to part with the foster animals, they leave a hole in your heart, but fostering your next pet helps fill it, and you will be making a difference in the lives of so many animals in need.

5. Spread the word about various causes in your community.

See an interesting fundraiser that an organization is hosting? Share it on Facebook! See an animal that’s up for adoption? Share it. There are so many ways you can help an organization with just the click of a mouse.

6. Donate something you made to an organization that can use it.

I make jewelry, hats, scarves, and other crafty things in my free time. I’ve donated many hats and scarves to homeless shelters, and donate jewelry to a cat rescue organization for them to sell or auction to raise funds. You have talents—use them!

7. Join a bone marrow registry.

It’s incredibly easy to sign up to donate bone marrow , and you never know when you could save a life.

8. Spread some kindness.

Small acts of kindness can go a long way in making the world a better place. Think about a time when someone did something unexpected for you that brightened your day. Weren’t you a nicer person for the rest of the day because of that?

I’m willing to bet that anyone who receives an act of kindness passes it on in some way, even if it’s just by being in a better mood, and therefore treating the people around them with more kindness than usual.

Send someone a kind message. Give a small gift. Make something for someone. Tell someone how much they mean to you. There are so many ways to brighten someone’s day.

9. Change your diet.

Many people will argue with the validity of this strategy to improve the world; however, what you buy reflects what you value.

If you don’t want to become a vegetarian, try having one meat-free day per week . If you don’t want to reduce your meat consumption, how about buying some free range meat or eggs? Or, buy organic food products. There are many ways you can change your diet to reflect your values.

10. Make your purchases support your values.

Every purchase you make supports something. You can either support a large business that exploits people, animals, and the environment, or you can buy items that are local, organic, or fair-trade. It’s hard to change this all at once, especially if you’re used to shopping for bargains, but try changing just a few of your purchases to make them better reflect the things you value.

These are just a handful of the thousands of ways you can make the world a better place! Just remember that every single thing you do makes a difference. Don’t ever let anyone—yourself included—discourage you from trying to be a better person and help others.

Photo by Dave Bezaire & Susi Havens-Bezaire

About Samantha Hodder

Samantha Hodder is a nonprofit worker, educator, animal rescuer, and jewellery maker. She discusses topics like this (and more) on her blog, which can be found here: http://hodderdesigns.blogspot.ca .

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How to make the world a better place

“The key question to keep asking is: are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have.” –Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

The perpetual struggle of an individual to achieve greatness in his lifetimes is palpable especially in today’s society. With such vast a platform as social media, any little triumph or mundanity in progress is posted online. However, in getting to such point, relevance must first be built upon the individual and what he considers a triumph.

In a world stricken by hardship, waking up to bad news is not unfamiliar. Climate change, gender inequality, criminal offenses, and worldwide poverty and hunger–these are all spread across various television networks, almost until they have become the new norm. It definitely should not be. Can the world get better? These are the same goals published by the United Nations after convening with our world’s leaders at the onset of the new millennium. They have re-instituted the same in the recent convention. Can the world get better in our lifetime?

The individual essentially is self-serving, however, because exactly of its self-interested nature, he becomes unpredictable when he goes beyond. We are blessed with the ability to immediately act upon instinct or impulse. The only thing stopping us from saving the world is ourselves. We have to first decide whether or not a better world is something we would want for ourselves. There is a purpose to us as people. Some people call it a profession, some people call it a vocation. It’s why and how we choose to spend our time.

In an attempt to marry both the individual and the world, a connection must be established between the goals of the former and the latter. We must strive not only to achieve our own personal goals but also that of the world as a whole. The world can remain without us, but we cannot live without it. Here are a few steps to start:

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Always respond with kindness. Kindness speaks volumes. No matter where you are in the world, good will always permeate through numerous social, political, cultural, and even religious barriers. There is a charm to kindness in that it does not need anything else to speak for it. Simple acts of holding the door for a stranger or flashing a smile to people you commute with to work. It goes without saying that these acts go a long way.

Walk with diversity. Say no to division and yes to diversity. A lot of hatred comes from what we do not understand. Racism and prejudice against other nations arises from the fact that we do not understand them and we refuse to learn their roots. The world is wide and beautiful, it is normal that it be filled with so many cultural peculiarities. Go spend time with people from different countries. Travel the world. Eat it up. Lessen the hate and break the stigma. Read a non-American novel once in a while. Build yourself a mosaic of knowledge and experience.

Maximize opportunities. Focus on the kind of person you want to be and how you are going to get there.Talk to people in the sector you’re keen in to learn more about what skills are required. Read more, learn more. Go to university. Get a job. Work your way up but always keep the world in your heart. Speak more to the people on the ground to get a better sense of reality. Be increasingly aware and remain conscious of what needs to be done and how you can help. Our goals are big–fight world hunger, attain zero poverty, be more tolerant–and it can be overwhelming. Know that you are not alone. This fight is a fight where all of us are warriors.

Make a difference. Build bridges by tapping on the expertise of others across culture barriers. Make the best of what you have. Explore the whole spectrum of what drives policy in society today. Fight social injustice and make a transformative change for the oppressed. Understand your own background and what you can offer. It is never easy to strive to make a difference but remember that it all starts with a single step.

Create a Better Future. Keep your core values strong but carry on with an open mind and an open heart. Always nurture new roots. Youths must work together to decide on the steps on working on a better economic reality for tomorrow. Be ambitious in wanting to make the world a better place. Never lose sight of the goals you set for yourself and for the world.

It is going to take time but time is all we have. Learn to live independently yet purposefully. Much of the problems that plague us originates from our inability to understand, ultimately, our own selves. The moment we work on overcoming the same is the moment we know we are moving on to greater things. Let us choose the world that we want.

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How to Make the World a Better Place

Updated 06 April 2023

Subject Sayings

Downloads 62

Category Life

Topic Making The World a Better Place

Making the world a better place

is something that many people want to do, but may not know how to get started. It is a daunting task, but the truth is that small and simple changes can make a big impact.

The first step: Set a goal

The first step is to think about what you would like to achieve in your life. Then write that goal down on paper. This will help you focus your energy on what matters most in your life, and inspire you to work towards that goal.

Helping others

One of the most effective ways to make the world a better place is by helping others. This can be in a variety of ways, including donating money to charities or volunteering your time.

Reduce waste and pollution

Another way to make the world a better place is to reduce your waste and pollution. This can be done by limiting the amount of garbage that you throw away, and by choosing to reuse or recycle whenever possible. This is not only good for the environment, but it also helps to reduce your own carbon footprint, which will save you money in the long run!

Buying less and using more locally produced goods is another great way to make the world a better place. This is a great way to support local businesses and will help reduce global environmental problems, such as pollution and overfishing.

Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community, and can be an excellent way to improve your own mental health by spending time with people who need your help. If you are looking to make the world a better place, consider giving your time to volunteer at an animal shelter, soup kitchen, or other charitable organization. You can help them out by bringing food, cleaning, or by giving them a listening ear. Doing these things is also a great way to spend your free time, and you will feel rewarded at the end of the day by knowing that you helped someone else.

Kindness matters

Treating other people with kindness is a great way to make the world a better and more beautiful place. This can be as simple as saying hello to a homeless person, or as serious as donating your time and skills to a charity. This is a great way to make the world better because you can actually see your impact. You can show other people what a difference you make, and it will inspire them to be more compassionate as well.

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The power of many

The world could use more people who are willing to give their time and resources to other causes. The more people who make the world a better place, the more we can do to change the world.

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Related Essays

How to Make Your Essay Better: 7 Tips for Stronger Essays

Krystal N. Craiker

Essay writing doesn’t have to be intimidating. With a few tips, you can improve your writing skills for any type of academic essay.

How to Write Better Essays

7 tips on how to make your essay better, how to become a better essay writer.

The best way to sum up how to write better essays is, “Make sure you’re answering the question.”

This sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how many students struggle with this.

From not understanding the prompt to poor research skills to off-topic body paragraphs, it’s easy for an essay to derail.

We’ve got seven tips for writing better essays that will help you avoid common mistakes and craft the best essays possible.

Here are our top tips for improving your essay writing skills.

Understand the Prompt or Research Question

The first step in your writing process is to fully understand the essay topic. If your professor gave you a prompt for your academic essay, spend some time analyzing it.

First, take note of whether you’re writing an expository or persuasive essay. The tone, structure, and word choice will differ between essay types.

Pay close attention to the wording of the prompt.

If your teacher wants you to “analyze” the effects of new technology in World War I, but you turn in a descriptive overview of the technology, you are not answering the question.

If they have given you a topic but no prompt, you’ll need to create a guiding question for your research.

Be specific in what you are trying to research, or you’ll end up overwhelmed with a topic that is too big in scope.

“Symbolism in modern literature” is too broad for a term paper, but “How does F. Scott Fitzgerald use symbolism in The Great Gatsby ?” is an achievable topic.

Take Excellent Notes

Once you understand exactly what your essay is about, you can begin the research phase. Create a strong note-taking system.

Write down any idea or quote you might want to use. Cite every note properly to save time on your citations and to avoid accidental plagiarism.

Once you have gathered your research, organize your notes into categories. This will help you plan the structure of your essay.

You’ll likely find that some of your research doesn’t fit into your essay once you start writing. That’s okay—it’s better to have too much information to support your argument than too little.

Write a Strong Thesis Statement

Possibly the most important step in essay writing is to craft a strong thesis statement. A thesis statement is a brief—usually single-sentence—explanation of what your essay is about.

The thesis statement guides the entire essay: every point you make should support your thesis.

A strong thesis is specific and long enough to address the major points of your essay.

In a persuasive or argumentative essay, your thesis should clearly establish the argument you are making.

Make an Outline

Once you have all your research, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. How do you turn the information into a cohesive essay?

Rather than writing an essay with no roadmap, an outline will keep you on track. An outline helps you organize your thoughts, plan your arguments, and sort your research.

A good outline saves you time, too! You can compile the relevant evidence in your notes before writing, so you don’t have to find that specific quote in the middle of essay writing.

An outline will also stop you from reading your finished essay and realizing you went completely off track.

With an outline, you can avoid finding paragraphs that don’t support your thesis right before you submit the essay.

Craft a Great Introduction

An academic essay needs a strong introductory paragraph.

The introduction is the first impression of your essay. It prepares the reader for what’s coming and gets them excited to read your paper.

A good introduction has three things:

A hook (e.g. insightful statement, quote, interesting fact)
Brief background information about the topic
A thesis statement

Using this formula will help you write a strong introduction for your essay.

Have Original Ideas and Interpretations

The best academic writing advice a professor ever gave me was, “You’ve shown me what other people have said about the topic. I want to know what you think about the topic.”

Even a fact-heavy or data-heavy essay needs original ideas and interpretations. For every piece of information you cite, whether you quote or paraphrase it , offer original commentary.

Focus on insights, new interpretations, or even questions that you have. These are all ways to provide original ideas in your essay.

Proofread for Readability

A good essay is a proofread essay.

Readability, or how easy something is to read, has many factors. Spelling and grammar are important, but so is sentence structure, word choice , and other stylistic features.

Academic essays should be readable without being too simple. In general, aim for a readability score that is close to your grade level in school.

There are several ways to check readability scores, including using ProWritingAid’s Readability Report.

The quickest way to increase readability is to fix grammar and spelling mistakes . You can also raise the readability score by using more complex and compound-complex sentences.

ProWritingAid can offer suggestions on how to improve your essay and take it to the next level.

Our free essay checker will check for spelling and grammar errors, plus several other types of writing mistakes.

The essay checker will offer you suggestions on sentence length and passive voice.

It will help you trim the excess words that bog down your writing by analyzing your sticky sentences and overused words.

The essay checker is here to help you turn in an error-free essay.

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Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Sayings / Making The World a Better Place

Making the World a Better Place Essay Examples

Presenting an idea of how to make the world a better place.

I strongly believe that the topic that I am writing about in “How to make the world a better place?” essay is the one you should mostly focus on. The topic I am writing about is the environment, the environment is the main source of...

How Can We Make This World a Better Place

The desire to make the world a better place is a shared aspiration that transcends cultural, geographical, and generational boundaries. It is a call to action that stems from a collective sense of responsibility to address the challenges facing our planet. In this comprehensive essay,...

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