The Changemakers community has big ideas for supporting positive rural development around the globe. From farming “affinity groups” in India to technologically connected health care providers in remote corners of the United States, solutions abound. See some of the best initiatives here

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How does your bank use your money after you deposit it? Most of us have no idea. But at one Vermont bank, customers know it goes to worthy projects right in their own backyard that make the local economy stronger.

At Chittenden Bank, the largest bank in the state, anyone can choose to put their deposits into a multi-million dollar Socially Responsible Banking (SRB) fund that invests in community projects in education, affordable housing, and sustainable agriculture.

The global financial crisis is opening eyes to creative ways to bank with the world's poorest borrowers, a move that could actually help struggling financial institutions generate more profit in difficult times.

While traditional investment markets freeze up or melt away, microfinance institutions (MFIs) that make small loans to poor people are now being appreciated as - ironically - a relatively safe investment in a potentially huge and largely untapped market. 

Eric Glustrom and Ashley Shuyler are firm believers in the liberating powers of education.