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TWO STORIES TO HELP RENEW OUR FAITH IN THE HUMANITY OF OTHERS:
STORY #1
A half century after founding the outdoor apparel maker Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, the eccentric rock climber who became a reluctant billionaire with his unconventional spin on capitalism, has given the company away.
Rather than selling the company or taking it public, Mr. Chouinard, his wife and two adult children have transferred their ownership of Patagonia, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed trust and a nonprofit organization. They were created to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all of its profits — some $100 million a year — are used to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe.
STORY #2
James Warren was walking in his Denver neighborhood when something gave him pause. "A woman was waiting for the bus, sitting in the dirt. And I was like, 'Oh man, that sucks.' That's not dignified at all. We need to be doing better by our fellow city members," Warren told CBS News. "And so, I thought, 'I could do something about that, I can build a bench.'" That moment led him on a mission to help his community.
Warren found some scrap wood, thanks to construction sites in his neighborhood with piles of discarded wood. And, because his dad builds homes, he grew up around tools — he knew he had the basic skills needed to build a bench.
He built one at the beginning of the year and put it back at that bus stop where he first got the idea. Since then, he's built eight custom benches and has placed them at bus stops around the area.
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