want to change the world?

In much of the world more than three quarters of the energy used goes to cooking.  This is often very inefficient destroying local trees, creating a lot of pollution including extreme levels of indoor pollution, and creating a huge amount of work for women and children.

Many people are working on more efficient stoves and other cookers.  One size does not fit all and there is a lot of room for innovation.  Bioenergylists is a good source for information.

There are a lot of issues beyond design - a very interesting problem, but one that can be solved.  Some of this is rocket science , some of it is just clever engineering and much of it is understanding the local society and their needs.  

Moving away from a specific problem, microfinance sites claim to match your money (and not talents) with projects and people that might interest you.  It turns out it isn't what you might think - a quick survey of several microfinance organizations might be enough to let you make a choice.

We all want to connect with people and have deep experiences - 4 Generations documents this beautifully, but few of us will ever have such an experience.  It is wonderful to share some of your monetary wealth and that of your expertise, but matching resources with needs is not easy.