Happy Wednesday 👋

Here are the impactful insights that I have for you today:

• How to alleviate poverty with shoes that grow and accelerate businesses in the process too 👟
• How leadership changes in Brazil and Colombia are combating deforestation 🌳
• The 5 cities aiming to make the world a more sustainable place 🏙️
• And more… 💚

Sometimes, providing the most basic things can make the biggest impact.

For example: shoes. We all take them for granted… 

But did you know that over 1.5 billion people suffer from soil-transmitted diseases worldwide?

And without shoes, especially children are vulnerable to diseases and parasites that can cause illness (and even death)—and children who get sick miss school, can’t help their families, and suffer needlessly…

Let me introduce you to one organization with the mission to change just that!

👟 How the Shoe That Grows Can Help Alleviate Poverty

When donating shoes to kids in poverty, did you know that we can have about five times the positive impact when donating a shoe that grows?

🎥 We’ve just launched a new podcast episode with Andrew Kroes from Because International. Andrew holds a B.A. in Business Management from Northwest Nazarene University, a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), and held leadership roles in operations, relationship management, and sales. Then, in 2015, he joined Because International as president. Over the years, Andrew’s favorite part about Because International has been the never-ending journey of wrestling over what it means to “help” and partner with communities.

💚 Because International‘s mission is to use products as solutions to alleviate poverty. For example, their flagship product, The Shoe That Grows, grows five sizes and lasts for years, created for kids impacted by poverty. They have since learned lots of lessons in the creation, production, and distribution of The Shoe That Grows, and are sharing their experience via their Because Accelerator program, which is designed to help entrepreneurs take their innovative products to the next level.

Here are three key points that you’ll learn from this episode:

✅ How their founder got the idea for a shoe that grows when he worked at an orphanage in rural Kenya…

✅ How their shoes are different and more impactful over a longer period of time…

✅ How they started a business accelerator program to help locals make a positive impact in their community…

📢 More Good News…

🧱 Why Lego is investing in direct air capture technology:

• Lego Group, maker of Lego toys, has signed a 9-year deal worth $2.4 million with Swiss direct air capture company Climeworks.
• Climeworks operates the world’s largest direct air capture facility, Orca, which can capture and store up to 4,000 metric tons of CO₂ annually. 
• Lego has pledged to produce all of its products from renewable or recycled materials by 2032 and aims to reduce absolute carbon emissions by 37% by 2032 across its operations and supply chain.

🏙️ The 5 cities aiming to make the world a more sustainable place:

• The Global Destination Sustainability Index has revealed the 5 cities that are making strides toward a more sustainable and lower-carbon future. 

• Gothenburg (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Glasgow (Scotland), Bordeaux (France), and Goyang (South Korea) have all established initiatives targeting transportation, green spaces, and/or eco-certifications.
• These cities show the potential for major urban cities to lead the fight against climate change and create more environmentally-friendly communities. 

🌳 How leadership changes in Brazil and Colombia are combating deforestation:

• Primary forest loss fell by 36% in Brazil and 49% in Colombia from 2022-2023, according to data from the University of Maryland’s GLAD Lab.
• Governmental changes in both Brazil and Colombia have led to elected leaders prioritizing rural and environmental reform to reduce deforestation.
• These countries demonstrate the impact leadership change can have on forest conservation efforts and highlight the need to address deforestation globally.

🤝 Three Important Awareness Events

🌎 Earth Month:

• Earth Month was founded in 1990 to expand the celebration of Earth Day (April 22) which began in the US, to celebrate the progress made towards protecting our environment. 
• Today, events and activities are held in 190 countries around the world to raise awareness of the threats facing our planet and encourage individuals to make personal changes in their lives to address the climate crisis and the environmental challenges that still remain. 

⚡ April 11, World Parkinson’s Day: 

• Parkinson’s Disease is the world’s fastest-growing brain disease, yet there has not been a breakthrough in treatment since the 1960s. 
• Celebrated on April 11 to commemorate the doctor who first identified the disease, World Parkinson’s Day is a time for organizations to bring awareness to the disease and increase funding to advance research.

🪴 April 13, International Plant Appreciation Day: 

• International Plant Appreciation Day is dedicated to recognizing the beauty, diversity, and importance of plants. 
• Occurring during Earth Month, organizations utilize this day to highlight the many benefits plants provide to the environment, including improving air quality and supporting wildlife habitats.

Related: You can discover all the 109 most important awareness events (for the month, days, weeks) in our awareness calendar for April 2024!

📜 This Week in History

🐎 April 10, 1866: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded in New York City by philanthropist Henry Bergh. The organization laid the groundwork for the humane movement, inspiring 25 other humane organizations, including the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

🚀 April 12, 1961: Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space and orbit the planet. His flight lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes and launched Gagarin into instant worldwide fame.

💭 Quote of the Week

“Looking at the earth from afar you realize it is too small for conflict and just big enough for co-operation.”

― Yuri Gagarin; Soviet pilot and cosmonaut

Share the news with your friends to make a bigger positive impact on the world and society!

Stay impactful 💚