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In the United States, we are given a birth certificate and an official identification number when we are born. We become official citizens. When I turned 16 I got a driver’s license. Many of us will travel overseas and need to apply for a passport. As we live our lives, go to school, visit a doctor, or register to vote, we are able to do these things because we have been given a number that recognizes us as a member of society.

Flowers are beautiful. Chocolates are delicious. But really, what gift is better than helping brighten someone’s day?

At the end of January, we were taught a lesson in the power of social media in global health as a striking interactive map of vaccine preventable outbreaks since 2008 went, well, viral on Twitter.

The United Nations’ Kakuma refugee camp sits near the South Sudan border in neighboring Kenya. If that feels a world away, consider this: It is home for more than 100,000 individuals — a population roughly the total size of Charleston, South Carolina.

Cooking often brings families together and contributes to far more than just our physical sustenance. Yet every year 4 million people die from the health impacts of toxic smoke from cooking over traditional open fires or inefficient cookstoves.

Every four years, we all get to celebrate the best in winter sports, and this week in Sochi, the Olympics will host some of the most incredible winter athletes in the world on the biggest stage in sports. It’s going to be amazing.

The Olympic Winter Games in Sochi are set to begin on February 7th. The athletes have spent years – sometimes almost their entire lives – preparing for their chance to compete in the Olympics.

Athletes from 88 countries have gathered in Sochi to compete. As a long-time runner, triathlete, and bike racer, I appreciate the spirit of competitiveness these individuals bring with them. But the Olympics are about more than competition. They’re about building understanding between people of different cultures and countries – understanding that must be based on respect for human rights.

Turmoil in South Sudan has forced thousands to flee their homes and seek safety in refugee camps. As families flee from violence, they face another threat: malaria.

Gardening columnist Henry Mitchell once wrote: “No gardener needs reminding that life depends on plants. No plants, no life. Very simple.” Yet it is very easy for biodiversity and ecosystems to get lost in the debate about eliminating poverty and reducing inequity.