Entrepreneur and philanthropist Lawrence Keenan knows how to live. Lawrence and his wife Lori-Ann are icons in Canada’s ESL community, and their successful Vancouver-based school CSLI has given birth to Uniting The World, the school’s charitable foundation. CSLI has hosted students from almost every country in the world so, if his school is about uniting the world through English, his Mediazoic station is a soundtrack for uniting the world through music from more than 40 countries. To tune in, just click on the Play button in the tuner below.

Within hours of hearing of the 2004 Asian Tsunami, Lawrence was on a plane for Sri Lanka, with a Vancouver medical relief team to administer emergency aid and a television crew from Global TV’s local affiliate to record the devastation. From this direct experience came Rose Charities Micro Credit (2006), established to provide low interest small loans to families needing to (re)start small home-based businesses after the destruction by the tsunami. Many people wanted and needed to work but had no access to money. Micro-Credit runs like a small community bank, lending out small amounts for 6-8 months, helping farmers, small shops, craftspeople and tradespeople get back on their feet. Most loans are given to women and all participants become members of this community bank, where profits go to growing their economy and helping with training and education of their children.

Lawrence recently started biking across Canada along the Trans Canada Trail (coast to coast) to create greater awareness as to the benefits of micro credit in creating true sustainability for communities in economic need. Traveling on unsealed trails with little more than a bike and a day’s provisions (more than what half of the world’s population has to sustain themselves), he plans to cross the country in 100 days, broken up into three or four legs. You can follow his progress here.