There's nothing like immediacy and a sense of personal connection to motivate people to help those in need, as charitable organizations like Family-to-Family, Rosa Loves and DonorsChoose.org are increasingly recognizing. Adding to that list, SmallCanBeBig.org is a new, donated venture that aims to make it easy for people to help local families on the verge of losing their homes.

Launched last fall, SmallCanBeBig was formed on the premise that small donations can add up to a big difference for many families on the brink of disaster. The Massachusetts-based organization has partnered with a variety of longstanding charities in the state, and those groups recommend cases where a relatively modest one-time donation could save a family's home—typically situations where a single, urgent payment for mortgage or utilities is needed. Visitors to the site can then browse the stories of the families in need and donate as little as USD 1 toward helping one of them through Google Checkout. The entire amount of any donation goes directly to helping the selected family, and once that family's one-time need is met, its story is removed from the site. Donors, meanwhile, can track their donations online and check back on the status of the families they've helped.

Much like Bushfire Housing—the donated effort we wrote about last month that aims to help the victims of Australia's recent devastating fires—SmallCanBeBig was created an agency. Boston-area Boathouse Group launched the site as a volunteer effort to help those endangered by the current economic crisis. And indeed, given the prevalence of hard times these days, there's no shortage of opportunities for companies to display the corporate generosity that's now expected of them by Generation G. Check out our sister site's briefing on the topic, and start giving back! (Related: Helping travellers help local organisations.)

Website: www.smallcanbebig.org
Contact: info@smallcanbebig.org

Spotted by: Alexandra Eurdolian

Back in 2006 we wrote about iscape, a British company that manufactured stand-alone offices for installation in the user's home garden. The company since merged with rival Garden Lodges and has begun offering an expanded line, but now it's also gained a new competitor: the OfficePOD.

Whereas Garden Lodges aims its offices and other structures primarily at consumers, the OfficePOD focuses on employers who want to give their staff the option of working at home. The unit is a 2.1-by-2.1-metre structure that can be installed in less than a day and typically requires no planning consent. Designed to maximize efficiency in its use of space, the OfficePOD features innovative storage and desktop solutions using high-quality materials chosen for their visual, physical and environmental characteristics. Recycled and recyclable products have been used wherever possible and natural materials chosen over man-made. Power is provided via a protected connection to the house or garage; IT and phone connectivity are generally wireless but can be similarly cabled. The POD satisfies the most stringent energy performance benchmarks with its low energy consumption, high levels of insulation and innovative cooling system. Also included on the OfficePOD is a secure locking system. The OfficePOD is available to employers through a flexible leasing arrangement with full service including all surveys, enabling work, installation, help-desk support, health and safety assessments, repairs and removal. Pricing is GBP 5,000 per POD per year, and general availability will begin January 2010.

There's no shortage of arguments in favour of flexible work arrangements, ranging from financial and environmental considerations to workers' quality of life. For employers, the OfficePOD can even create demonstrable property cost savings of GBP 9,000 or more per employee per year, its maker says. The OfficePOD will be officially debuted in London later this month; one to check out, partner with, or otherwise get in on early....?

Website: www.officepod.co.uk
Contact: enquiries@officepod.co.uk

We've already featured bike-sharing schemes in Paris and other cities in Europe and North America, and recently we spotted a few like-minded efforts popping up in Asia.

First, at the start of this month Taiwan's Kaohsiung City launched its first self-service bicycle rental system, with 1,500 bikes available for rent at 20 transit points around the city. Operated by Tung Li Development Co., the service is accessible via membership—members pay a lump-sum fee in advance and use their membership cards to rent bikes—as well as to nonmembers, who can pay via credit card. Bikes are free to members for the first 30 minutes and TWD 10 for each subsequent 30 minutes, with a maximum of TWD 230 for 12 hours or more; for nonmembers, renting a bike costs TWD 30 for the first 30 minutes and TWD 15 for each half-hour thereafter, with a maximum of TWD 375. Ultimately, the service will be expanded to 50 rental sites along Kaohsiung City's mass-transit route, offering 4,500 bicycles for rent.

In Taipei, meanwhile, the city's YouBike effort kicked off just a week or so ago with a fleet of Giant-manufactured bicycles available at bicycle parking meters in five areas around the city. Six more rental spots will be added beginning next month, the China Post reported. Sponsored in part by Cardif Assurance Vie and its parent company, BNP Paribas Group, the YouBike Public Bicycle System uses the city's EasyCard as its membership card. Users simply place their EasyCard on the sensor zone of the bicycle parking meter; a green 'Take Bicycle' light then switches on, allowing the user to pull the RFID-equipped bike from the rack. The first 30 minutes of each rental session is free; after that, each additional 15 minutes costs TWD 10. Google Maps technology on the official YouBike website allows users to check availability in advance.

Similar programs have also recently launched in Changwon, Korea, and in Hangzhou, China, according to reports in The Daily Transit and the Bike-Sharing Blog. And no wonder, given the respite they offer from urban congestion, rising fuel costs and environmental concerns. There's no end in sight to the continuing spread of bike-sharing programs—or to the opportunities for potential sponsors. One to support in a two-wheeling city near you?

Websites: www.tinyurl.com/kaohsiungbikes — www.youbike.com.tw — www.hzzxc.com.cn

From unused parking spaces to extra beds to arable land suitable for gardening, consumers are increasingly finding new, recession-busting ways to make the most of what they have. While we've covered several examples of marketplaces that focus on one of those sharable assets, we hadn't yet seen Spareground, a UK-based contender that aims to cover them all.

Spareground bills itself as "the one-stop shop for finding somewhere to store your sports equipment, keep your caravan for the winter, park your car, graze your horse, find somewhere to display your art or find somewhere to stay near that sports event or festival." In essence, it's a place to advertise or look for just about any kind of unused space, including accommodations, parking spaces, driveways, garages, storage facilities such as attics or sheds, unused land, spare rooms or car share spaces. The site is free to use by both businesses and individuals, and space is organised by category: property, land, parking, storage or other. Consumers with space to share simply create a listing with its description, location and price; those seeking space search by category or keyword and then contact the owner directly to arrange the terms. "Space wanted" ads are also available.

Launched last summer, ad-supported Spareground hopes to expand beyond the UK in the near future. Given the current economic woes around the globe, it's fairly sure there will be healthy demand. One to get in on early in a market near you...?

Website: www.spareground.com
Contact: mail@spareground.com

Spotted by: Rachael Mallender

Fitness gyms have been nichefying for some time now, as we noted in a post back in 2005. Adding a new twist to workouts for women, however, is a class from Reebok and Cirque du Soleil that simulates the feeling of flying.

Jukari Fit to Fly is a group exercise experience based on a new piece of equipment called the FlySet. Much like a free-hanging trapeze, the FlySet can be used for swinging, jumping, hanging, kicking, pulling up and strengthening. The equipment consists of a durable, three-stranded rope fixed to the ceiling with a 360-degree swivel point and an attachable FlyBar. Using that equipment, Fit to Fly classes offer an hour-long total body workout of cardio, strength, balance and core training for up to 12 people that's designed to provide a cure for the "workout blues." Reebok explains: "You'll flex and flutter, sweat and stretch, and swing from a FlySet. It's all about moving your body in a fun new way." Jukari Fit to Fly is named from a world dialect word meaning "to play" and is just the first in a series of special projects to result from Reebok's new partnership with Cirque du Soleil, the company says. The program is already available at Pure Fitness in Krakow, Poland, and Equinox in New York City, and will be opening soon in Hong Kong, Mexico City, Madrid, London, Munich, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Montreal and Los Angeles. Coming later this month is also a collection of workout clothing for women tailored to the Jukari Fit to Fly experience.

More than half of all women feel exercise is a chore, and nearly two-thirds would work out more if it was more fun, according to Reebok's research. How else could a dose of fun be added to the workout experience—for women, men or kids? (Related: Gyms for kids use gaming to keep them hooked.)

Website: www.reebok.com/US/#/womens?view=jukariHome
Contact: www.reebok.com/US/customer-service/contact-us

Spotted by: Adverlab via Raymond Kollau