Ask HN: Ideas for small ways to make the world a better place

I’m looking for some good, specific ideas on small ways to have a positive impact on the world on a daily basis.

What do you consider to be the highest return-on-efforts ways to make the world a better place for as many people as possible?

People want to feel loved, safe, respected and happy. To make the world a better place start with yourself and make sure you make those things a priority with whoever you interact with.

9 hours agoby beardyw

Give at least one person per day — whom you otherwise wouldn’t — a few words of genuine and specific appreciation. Friend, family, coworker, stranger. Doesn’t matter.

1 hour agoby apothegm

Pick up trash you see on the ground. Does not need to be a huge “adopt a highway” style thing. Just pick up that bag on the ground near the bin and put it in the bin.

Not only does this make the place cleaner, people watching this may get the warm fuzzies that someone else actually cares.

Another thing is to ask employees at stores how their day is. You don’t need to have a full conversation, sometimes people just have nobody ask them this question and it helps.

6 hours agoby galleywest200

Recently posted here on HN and well worth a look:

Underrated ways to change the world, part II

https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-ch...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46873494

Part I is at

https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-ch...

8 hours agoby mitchbob

Go vegan. You will no longer be apart of horrific animal abuse, the leading cause of biodiversity loss and deforestation, and if done correctly, will likely improve your health. You won't be able to get so much good from doing one thing.

7 hours agoby valgor

Be an organ donor. Donate blood on a regular basis. Skeptoid had a podcast today that talks about blood donation with some interesting tidbits about shelf life of platelets and whole blood. (5 days vs 42 days)

(Disclaimer: the site I hacked for myself to help me consume podcasts) https://spokengoods.com/podcasts/385078-skeptoid/mic-d-up-br...

7 hours agoby yef

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best is now.*

*But also make sure you water, stake and prune it for the first 3-5 years.

7 hours agoby onlypassingthru

This is a great idea!Like I move around a lot in various online communities, I always Encountering all kinds of comments.Please support the comments you think are right, I think this can increase the confidence of the publisher and also makePlease support the comments you think are right, I think this can increase the confidence of the publisher and also make yourself feel happy.When more and more excellent speeches are encouraged, the world will become a little bit better.

9 hours agoby tizzzzz

Work and take care of your family.

7 hours agoby Blackstrat

Just talk to strangers and be kind. Compliment people. Let service workers know when they’ve done a good job. Walk around your neighborhood and meet your neighbors.

7 hours agoby idontwantthis

Be kind. Create beauty.

8 hours agoby wanderingpixel

This has been quality answered many times by smartest people but nobody cares.

Take Kant for example and go improve yourself, as the only part of the world you can really change.

7 hours agoby aristofun

https://www.effectivealtruism.org/ at scale. Kindness, listening, time, and financial charity to those around you at the microcosm level.

9 hours agoby toomuchtodo