Is the next “green revolution” going to happen in cities? There are two main reasons that explain the increased interest in urban agriculture in the recent years. One of them is the increasing concerns about health and environmental impacts of large-scale industrial agriculture. On the other hand, urban agriculture is growing because it is becoming …
Tag: social innovation
Nov 09
Is America in Decline?
Have you ever thought about a declining American culture? To think that a “culture” or a way of life can systematically change or decline is not something that average citizens typically thinks about. Yes, we have heard the “When I was your age” tales reminiscing over the past, but do these actually bear any weight …
Nov 07
Networks and Connections at the IS Conference
It is always fascinating to be in a room full of people focused on changing the issues that plague society. For some it will be improving education, for others it is funding that next great social innovation. For others it may be researching and determining the best way to address a community health crisis. Though …
Nov 02
Screen Shot
More Children Under 8 are Spending Time Looking at Screens Almost every major human achievement that is discussed in today’s society has something to do with technology and computers. The iPad, iPhone, Xbox, Wii, and countless other pieces of technology are in the hands of adults and children. A common thread between all these innovative …
Oct 25
Información y consumo
Pocas veces tienes una idea clara de dónde viene el producto que nos obtenemos en el supermercado del vecindario. No sabemos lo que implica la cadena de producción o cómo el producto llegó hasta tus manos. La mayoría de nosotros somos consumidores extremadamente ignorantes, ciegos a lo que pasa en la cadena de producción. Como …
Oct 18
China’s Clean City: More Than A One Hit Wonder?
Last year I spent some time backpacking through China, and I came away with some great memories from the trip. Apart from just memories, I also came home with a bag full of incredibly dirty clothes. Being in an urban city, I could not figure out why my shirts were always so dark by the …
Oct 13
Do We Need A New Measure of Development?
When it comes to development, is GDP the only thing that matters? The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) says no. The OECD released a new report that looks at a variety of statistics with the hope of finding new measures for assessing well-being that go beyond Gross Domestic Product. The authors of the …
Oct 11
Successes in Sustainability: Green Mountain Coffee
In my last post I discussed the Global Conference for Social Change that I attended last week here in New York. With one day focusing on women and girls, the second day was all about leaders of change. Guests ranged from business to business (B2B) organizations such as DSM, to the department store Marks and …
Oct 04
Free, online education
Nowadays, Internet is our main source of information. We use the Internet to read the news, to communicate, but most of all, to learn. It is a powerful learning resource that is taking over the use we give to libraries and other onsite research sites. This week I was introduced to an interesting website that …
Sep 23
Social Good Summit Recap Day 4 and Final Thoughts
What a week! This summit provided a great opportunity for networking with social change leaders, social media gurus and others interested in social issues. The connections made through social media and the opportunity to connect activities happening around New York at the United Nations and the Clinton Global Initiative provided a holistic view of global …