I would not over complicate this. My personal four part plan for this is:

1. Donate a portion of my income to charitable causes I find worthy. I would like to target 10% of my net income.

2. Volunteer at a local organization that you care about. There are usually ample opportunities for committed volunteers if you look for them.

3. Have children. Try to raise them to be responsible, caring citizens. That way I can extend my efforts to the next generation.

4. In the near future, I intend to attempt to get involved with local politics somehow. I am still figuring out the specifics, but I am thinking that running for the local school board would be beneficial.

People want to feel loved, safe, respected and happy. To make the world a better place start with yourself and make sure you make those things a priority with whoever you interact with.

Pick up trash you see on the ground. Does not need to be a huge “adopt a highway” style thing. Just pick up that bag on the ground near the bin and put it in the bin.

Not only does this make the place cleaner, people watching this may get the warm fuzzies that someone else actually cares.

Another thing is to ask employees at stores how their day is. You don’t need to have a full conversation, sometimes people just have nobody ask them this question and it helps.

Recently posted here on HN and well worth a look:

Underrated ways to change the world, part II

https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-ch...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46873494

Part I is at

https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-ch...

Go vegan. You will no longer be apart of horrific animal abuse, the leading cause of biodiversity loss and deforestation, and if done correctly, will likely improve your health. You won't be able to get so much good from doing one thing.

Give way to people crossing the street.

I come from Mexico, where millions of people walk and take public transport every day. Unfortunately, poor infrastructure and our mobility culture hurt pedestrians the most. Sometimes people have to wait several minutes just to cross a street. Years ago, a teacher told me that giving way to pedestrians was a simple action to make the world better. It makes a real difference for those who don't have the privilege of being in a car. This stuck with me, and I try to do it whenever possible. It might not apply everywhere with better infrastructure, but I find it to be a small yet meaningful action.

Give at least one person per day — whom you otherwise wouldn’t — a few words of genuine and specific appreciation. Friend, family, coworker, stranger. Doesn’t matter.

Being vocal in local politics. Volunteer in schools to teach children about history, democracy and technology. IMO there are two criteria’s to be a true citizen: 1) not afraid to speak out in public and push back, and 2) be a scientific person

If you drive, drive safely. Slow down in neighborhoods.

Work and take care of your family.

This is a great idea!Like I move around a lot in various online communities, I always Encountering all kinds of comments.Please support the comments you think are right, I think this can increase the confidence of the publisher and also makePlease support the comments you think are right, I think this can increase the confidence of the publisher and also make yourself feel happy.When more and more excellent speeches are encouraged, the world will become a little bit better.

Just be the change you want to see in the world.

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best is now.*

*But also make sure you water, stake and prune it for the first 3-5 years.

Be an organ donor. Donate blood on a regular basis. Skeptoid had a podcast today that talks about blood donation with some interesting tidbits about shelf life of platelets and whole blood. (5 days vs 42 days)

(Disclaimer: the site I hacked for myself to help me consume podcasts) https://spokengoods.com/podcasts/385078-skeptoid/mic-d-up-br...

Just talk to strangers and be kind. Compliment people. Let service workers know when they’ve done a good job. Walk around your neighborhood and meet your neighbors.

Just making the world better is the simplest thing that might work.

highest return-on-efforts ways to make the world a better place for as many people as possible?

“Return” is for your ego. So is “as many people as possible.” Good luck.

Be kind. Create beauty.

Plant trees.

Donate to causes you care about.

Volunteer your time.

Adopt an animal that otherwise might be euthanized.

Pick up litter.

Be nice to strangers.

https://www.effectivealtruism.org/ at scale. Kindness, listening, time, and financial charity to those around you at the microcosm level.

This has been quality answered many times by smartest people but nobody cares.

Take Kant for example and go improve yourself, as the only part of the world you can really change.

I make the world better for myself everyday.

Trying to make the world better for others has been a losing battle and one not worth fighting either. People are automatons. They have their own desires and irrational behaviors.

So I just focus on my own happiness.

Global warming? I’ll optimize to live on coastal California. It should be 60-75F beautiful sunny days until the day I die.

Insane politics? I’ll live 2800 miles away around hippies and liberals. I don’t need to watch the news.

Things getting expensive? Make more money so it doesn’t affect me.

People are suffering everywhere? Dawg I’m suffering too, so I’ll believe in something irrational so it doesn’t affect me.

Maybe not what you wanted to hear. But I’m a realist and wasted a few years of my life trying to think of those things. Ultimately, it’s not worth it. I’ll support things that make sense and I don’t eat meat or drive a gas guzzler. What more do you want?

When you ask your titular question you’re already in a minority of the population.

Many people continue to make dumbass decisions that affect everyone else in negative ways. I would love to slap them back to their senses, but that’s not allowed.