The easier something is, the more likely people are to participate in it. At least, this seems to be the underlying philosophy behind several Internet ventures designed to effect change and save the world, enabling people to make a difference without stepping out their front door.

Websites like www.bettertheworld.com allow individuals to choose a cause – anything from climate change to child poverty – and take simple online action to aid their chosen cause.

Likewise, www.kiva.org allows you to make micro-loans online to entrepreneurs worldwide in an attempt to alleviate poverty. Celebrity favourite Heifer.org allows you to donate livestock to various projects with the hope of eradicating hunger.

This new mode of humanitarianism involves everything from downloading a charity sidebar, creating a Facebook badge or Tweeting about your charitable accomplishments.

All of these easy-as-pie options appeal to people who may not have the time – or the inclination – to participate in more traditional modes of making a difference, but they also beg the question whether or not taking the “lazy” way out sends the wrong message.

“It is a nice thing, but we can’t assume that it’s enough,” said Alex Cox, a co-ordinator for Ecological People in Action (EcoPIA), a student group at the University of Winnipeg. “You can’t just recycle a used paper cup and say you’ve saved the world ... You have to make holistic life changes that have a lasting impact and involve others.”

That said, change needs to start somewhere.

“Micro-loans are really positive, as they actually go into sustainable development. It’s a great thing to do as something little changes someone else’s life in a big way,” said Cox.

“It’s better than people not doing anything,” said EcoPIA member Seren Gagne. “You have to praise people’s actions in order to get them to do more in the future.”

While the Internet may seem like an impersonal medium of charity, it is being used by groups looking to promote sustainable development as a way of reaching as many people as possible in an affordable, dynamic way.

“While a lot of this is symbolic of effecting change, we need to reach people where they are,” said Josh Brandon, Living Green, Living Well co-ordinator for Resource Conservation Manitoba. “Like our online Green Driver calculator, which allows you to figure out the cost of your commute. Tools like this are useful because it shows people what their current behaviour is costing them. It personalizes things, but people also have to be aware of the global impact of their behaviour.”

Published in Volume 64, Number 8 of The Uniter (October 22, 2009)