Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Habitat JAM

Unprecedented Global Event:
Tens of Thousands of World Citizens Unite Online
to Debate Urban Sustainability Issues
Habitat JAM

www.habitatjam.com

Thursday, December 1 - Saturday, December 3, 2005
Open to everyone interested in creating a better world.
Come for an hour or stay online for three days

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Triple Bottom Line Conference 2005

Money Flows: Triple Bottom Line Conference 2005

Nicole-Anne Boyer


money.500.jpg
from Worldchanging.com:

Of all of the big hairy systemic issues out there these days, I keep bumping into the question of sustainable finance. From whatever lens one takes -- macro or micro, public sector or private sector financing, driven by ODA or ROI -- the task of understanding money flows is critical for a more sustainable future. 'Cause like it or not, money flows frame the parameters of possibilities in our era.
With this in mind, I found myself at the TBLI Conference in Frankfurt, Germany early November (2-4th). The labour of love of Robert Rubinstein, this was the seventh Brooklyn Bridge TBLI event, which is practically middle age for a conference, not to mention testimony to Robert's ability to consistently attract leaders in the SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) sectors. The next conference will be held in Bangkok, an encouraging signal that this field is spreading beyond the Western markets.


Read entire article.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

MicroVC

At this year's Pop!Tech, we heard from the Director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, Neil Gershenfeld.

His unique laboratory investigates the relationship between the content of information and its physical representation, from molecular quantum computers to virtuosic musical instruments. Technology from his lab has been seen and used in settings including New York's Museum of Modern Art and rural Indian villages, the White House/Smithsonian Millennium celebration and automobile safety systems, the World Economic Forum and inner-city community centers, Las Vegas shows and Sami herds.

In a post at Worldchanging.org, Jamais Cascio writes of Gershenfeld's call for a more robust system for lending capital for "micro VCs".
By and large, people working to improve conditions in the poorer parts of the world consider microcredit -- the practice of offering very small loans to individuals starting small businesses -- to be a successful tool. But microcredit isn't as well-suited for people starting up riskier ventures; the funds needed are often substantially higher, and the more significant risk involved in the startup would inevitably lead to a greater default rate. MIT's Neal Gershenfeld, of Fab Lab fame, described in his book Fab the need for "micro-venture" services in the developing world to support the greater risk and greater upside of local innovation. It turns out that he wasn't alone in seeing that need.

Visit MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Has corporate architecture doomed the city?

Over the last century, corporate headquarters -- as well as churches, universities and government institutions -- have been pillars of the urban environment, embodying the culture, values and aspirations of their societies.

Yet today's corporations -- competing in global, open-market economies; distanced and disassociated from the means of production — have increasingly situated themselves on the suburban periphery, replacing civic engagement with simple displays of technological prowess, such as the ubiquitous glass curtain wall.

As a result, "corporations must be seen as potential 'dissolving agents' of the cities in which they have chosen to locate," argues Peter MacKeith, associate director of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also serves as associate dean of Architecture.

read full article>>