Green Living: Spreading the word

It can be difficult to remember what we did before we could check the news headlines whenever we wanted, or chat to someone halfway around the world without running up an astronomical phone bill.

One of the many benefits is the speed with which a campaigning message can be brought to the public's attention. Don't like a planning proposal? You can start an online petition and let your MP know how you feel. Think your voice won't be heard? If you can create a groundswell of public opinion you may be able to change policy.

It's often the small stories which are the best examples of this, and that's precisely what the Guardian International Development Awards are all about. The awards are announced tonight by Natasha Kaplinsky at a ceremony at the Royal Academy of Arts. They celebrate amateur and professional writers who have written stories which bring an issue to life which might otherwise not have been recognised.

The awards offer the winning authors the chance to visit the places they have written about to carry out fresh research and continue to raise the profile of their subject.

So, for example, the author of a piece about deforestation in Guatemala will then have the opportunity to visit the worst affected areas to ask people what they need to help change lives.

It's an inspiring competition, and all of the winners share a commitment to bringing previously invisible problems to a global audience.

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