Archives / 173 post/s found

Using crowdfunding to ethically bribe companies to make social changes

by Iyas A
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Interesting take on crowdfunding. If there’s a company you’d like to see make an ethical change, you promise to spend cash there if they do it. If enough people pledging enough spending join you, and the company makes the change, you then spend your pledge and reward the company for ‘doing the right thing’. Ethical bribery! See original article …

How A Mexican Startup is Turning Mango Scraps Into Nutritional Gold

by Iyas A
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EatLimmo is making a success of recycling Mango waste to a nutritious powder that it sells to bakeries and others. An act of food alchemy, taking waste, turning it into something nutritious, and developing a profitable company along the way. Mango is just the start – they are looking at other foodwaste. Based in Mexico, there must be an opportunity to contact them to license the technology to use elsewhere and help their mission profitably? See original article …

How a Kenyan health startup is transforming the lives of families — one SMS at a time

by Iyas A
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Magnificent. Totohealth starts its SMS diagnostics while women are still pregnant, and carries on through the first few years of a child’s life. It doesn’t replace a doctor, clearly, but is a heck of a lot more than nothing at all as is often the case in rural Kenya where they operate. Not a charity, but a company which sells its service to parents, they typify what it can mean to do good while building a sustainable business. See more here.

Boston startups fight homelessness and offer a free year’s rent in Cambridge

by Iyas A
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Flutter is an interesting charity. It matchmakes between companies and local charities, allowing the companies to donate experiences as fundraising prizes for the charities. Interesting and simple model to allow companies to give more than a cash donation. See more here.

Moving the UAE’s Philanthropy from Handouts to Enterprise

by Iyas A
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The UAE adopts a catalytic approach to philanthropy – moving from cheque-writing to enterprise. Hopefully this is more than gesture politics: the money is there, it would be great to see it have impact at scale. See more here.

Reflow turns plastic waste into 3D print filament to lift waste pickers out of poverty

by Iyas A
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Amazing idea. Waste mountains are a growing issue in many developing countries. Reflow, a Dutch company, has created a process to turn plastic waste into ethical filament for 3D printing. Place this in, say, Tanzania where shanty towns spring up around waste with poorly paid waste pickers, and a virtuous cycle is created where pickers are better paid to find plastic that can be recycled into ethical filament, the waste mountains reduce, demand for imported material for filament goes down, and local…

The Landmine Boys: Canadian startup aims to defuse deadly bombs

by Iyas A
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The Landmine Boys have set up a company that makes robots which detonate landmines. You’d at once wish them success, and a diminishing market! See more here.

With Dirt And A Vision, Palestinian Architects Break The Mold

by Iyas A
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Sustainable houses with recycled furniture in Jericho. Love what these Palestinian architects are doing. Mud, vision, history and necessity. See more here.

Seoul mayor awarded for sustainable development

by Iyas A
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Here’s a great role model for city mayors. Seoul’s mayor provides funding for no less than 72 startups focused on sustainability for the city. See more here.

“I was meant to do this”: The man behind the Uber-for-women startup talks female empowerment

by Iyas A
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Entrepreneur sets up Uber-style cab company with female cab drivers for female passengers. See more here.