Michiyo Yoshida is a prime example of that green mantra, "Think globally, act locally." But the nonprofit organization she cofounded to send used wheelchairs to developing countries has also enabled members to "think globally and act globally."
To date, in fact, the Sapporo-based volunteer group Go! Fly! Wheelchairs, which Yoshida, a 58-year-old university lecturer, was instrumental in starting nine years ago, has sent 1,441 wheelchairs to 59 countries. But what makes this initiative unique is the way it enlists outbound travelers who volunteer as "mules" to check in the wheelchairs at airports as part of their luggage.
On arrival at their destinations, the travelers then deliver the wheelchairs directly to the people and facilities in need of such life-changing castoffs. This way, weighty wheelchairs — even those for children tip the scales at 12 to 15 kg — become affordable to recipients as all air-cargo fees are avoided.