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One-third of the world's population today has no access to any form of modern energy, relying instead on highly polluting fuels like wood and kerosene. Working on the premise that reliable energy is a key to fighting poverty — and that it needs to be clean — Energy in Common is a New York-based nonprofit dedicated to facilitating microloans to bring green energy to people in need. Potential lenders begin by browsing EIC's list of “entrepreneurs”--its term for anyone in a developing nation who needs a new source of energy for a better future. Several African street vendors are currently featured there, for example, as are a baker, a restaurant owner and various people seeking more reliable energy for home use. Solar lanterns and clean-burning stoves are the primary energy sources being requested, with corresponding loan amounts of between USD 26 and USD 500. Listed for each individual is not just the loan amount and term, however, but also the projected reduction in emissions that will be achieved through the new energy. Lenders pick someone they'd like to help, and make the loan of their choice through the site. Once an individual's request is fully funded, the money gets dispersed through one of EIC's trusted field partners, which also provide training and oversight. From there, the energy helps fight both emissions and poverty, enabling the individual to repay the loan over time. When that happens, the money is put back in the lender's account while the associated reduction in carbon emissions is calculated and made available to the lender in the form of carbon offsets. P2P loans to help fight poverty in the developing world are no longer uncommon, but incorporating clean energy into the bargain promises to set EIC's model apart. One to partner with, emulate, or otherwise get involved in...? (Related: Fighting poverty through microloan guarantees — P2P student loans for the developing world — Donation-microloan hybrid helps rural Chinese.) Website: www.energyincommon.org |
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We've seen myriad tech-enabled lost and found services in recent years, most of them aimed at protecting expensive and hard-to-replace gear. Bringing the concept into a realm where the goods may be less valuable but the losses more frequent, Canadian Oliver's Labels offers labels for kids' items along with an online lost and found. Toronto-based Oliver's Labels sells a wide variety of name labels in multiple colourful styles, designs, formats and sizes. As an alternative to including personal information like phone numbers or addresses, however, Oliver's gives its customers the free option of printing a 9-digit tracking system code on their labels that links them with the labeled item via the company's “Found-it” system. For customers who choose to include it, the Found-it system allows finders of lost items to go to a special page on the Oliver's website and enter the code printed on the label. Oliver's then matches the code with the owner of the item and sends an email notification to that person, thereby acting as an intermediary between the owner and the finder so personal details need never be shared. A package of 60 Oliver's iron-on clothing labels is priced at USD 19.99. As anyone who's ever spent any time with children knows, lost items are a recurring fact of life--as is the need to protect personal information. With benefits toward both ends, Oliver's Labels seeks agents to sell its products, which are also available for fundraising purposes. One to get involved in... or to emulate in your part of the world? (Related: Global search engine for items lost and found, rewards included — Worldwide bicycle registration scheme — Lost & found in the 21st century.) Website: www.oliverslabels.com Spotted by: Bill McMahon |
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Fueled by the need for both economy and sustainability, deconstruction increasingly makes sense as a solution for old, vacant buildings. We've already seen Buffalo ReUse's approach to that topic, and recently we came across another example that tracks and highlights the story behind each reclaimed piece. Based in Syracuse, NY, D-Build does not deconstruct buildings itself; rather, it provides a place to track the stories of buildings and reclaimed materials as well as a marketplace to sell those materials and products made from them. A variety of local deconstruction projects are profiled on the site, as are myriad products made from the materials reclaimed as a result; QR codes help link the materials to their histories. Users are encouraged to add their own personal stories and historic records to the store of information recorded on the site, including details on who lived or worked in a given building, for example; they can also buy and sell associated products and materials. One product currently featured on the ad-supported site, for instance, is a limited-edition platform bed crafted out of floor joists reclaimed from Syracuse's Lincoln Supply Warehouse. “There’s only so much of these materials,” D-Build founder Rob Englert told Syracuse.com. “We’re trying to tell that story. Don’t throw this stuff away, because it has value.” There are currently some 14 million vacant homes in the United States alone, containing materials valued at USD 75 billion; meanwhile, the market for green building materials is expected to exceed USD 31 billion in the U.S. by 2014, Syracuse.com reported. Who will help spread architectural sustainability and stories to other parts of the world? (Related: Furniture with a story, crafted from salvaged sailing dhows — Hyperlocal museum made of salvaged objects — Old cast-iron radiators, transformed for electric heat — Service helps product designers find sustainable new materials.) Website: www.d-build.org Spotted by: Post Standard via Pamela Brewer |
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Much the way Meet Joe uses an offline approach to help users find people to hang out with on the weekend, so Companion Tree helps forge platonic friendships among like-minded consumers. Also steering far clear of the overcrowded dating space, Seattle-based Companion Tree offers a variety of simple tools to help find people with similar interests, make a connection and meet up as friends. Users begin by creating a personal profile with up to three photos and searching the member directory for others with similar interests or hobbies. They can also start or join groups dedicated to a particular hobby, location or event. Either way, once they find someone who seems like a good candidate for friendship, members can tap the site's secure messaging capabilities to make contact. Companion Tree is currently free for life for charter members; thereafter, it will be USD 4.95 per month. Ten percent of membership fees are donated to Save the Children. Given all the competitors in the online dating world—and Facebook's focus on reconnecting old acquaintances—it's refreshing to see new social networking contenders focusing on the relatively wide open platonic space instead. A new twist to bring to the mass-mingling crowds in your part of the world...? (Related: Five online services for getting together offline — Online network for tweens requires offline introductions.) Website: www.companiontree.com Spotted by: Troy Thrall |
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In most fundraising schemes, the group raising the money buys something to sell at a profit—wrapping paper, for example, or chocolate bars. California-based Newhall Coffee, however, now offers a program that lets groups sell custom, branded java blends on an ongoing basis and receive quarterly donations in return. Launched last month, Newhall Coffee for a Cause allows qualified nonprofits to sell the blends of their choice from the microroaster and receive a significant percentage of the proceeds from every purchase in return. Nonprofits begin by signing up with Newhall; if it approves their request, it then sends login information. From there, they can use Newhall's easy-to-use marketing platform to launch a custom web page, complete with a unique web address. Newhall has customizable fliers, brochures, postcards and other marketing materials to help promote sales of its custom-branded and -blended coffees. Each time someone buys coffee from the nonprofit, the order is processed on its site and then filled and shipped directly by Newhall, which contributes between USD 3 and USD 6 per bag as a donation on a quarterly basis. Besides all the many benefits for the nonprofits involved, of course, there's no denying the generosity benefits that accrue to Newhall itself, not to mention all those increased sales. It's similar in some ways to a “buy one, donate one” scheme, but adjusted to make room for the nonprofits involved. One to emulate in your own, generosity-minded brand...? (Related: Fitness club replaces dues with charitable fundraising — Online auction site benefits Belgian nonprofits.) Website: www.newhallcoffeeforacause.com Spotted by: Ryan Barton |
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With supply outstripping demand, competition is intense in the hotel industry, so hoteliers are always on the lookout for a distinctive new feature or promotional scheme to attract travellers to their accommodation rather than elsewhere. And it's not always just a case of making the rooms look nice. Here are five examples we spotted recently: 1. PLANET TRAVELER — The Planet Traveler hostel in Toronto will appeal to eco-conscious travellers with its dedication to energy efficiency. The heating and cooling systems are geothermal; solar panels heat water and offset the hostel's electricity needs; and waste hot water goes through a heat recapture system to pre-heat the water used in showers. Dorm rooms are USD 30; private rooms are USD 75. 2. COPENHAGEN TOWERS — Another hotel promoting its green credentials is the Crowne Plaza in Copenhagen. It uses groundwater heating and cooling systems and the building is almost entirely covered with solar panels. The hotel's latest innovation is to plug in to the energy created by its guests: the stationary bikes in the gym will produce electricity for the hotel. Anyone generating 10 watt-hours gets a free meal made from local produce. 3. WELCOME REWARDS — Loyal rewards schemes are common in the hotel business, but each scheme tends to be operated by, and therefore only applicable to, a single chain. Booking website Hotels.com offers an alternative: travellers who book accommodation through their site—be it at a giant chain or an independent B&B—will get a free night's stay for every ten nights they pay for. The freebie can be redeemed at any of the 120,000 participating hotels, subject to certain conditions. 4. STASH HOTEL REWARDS — Stash Hotel Rewards is another rewards scheme, but this time targeting the high-end and boutique hotel market in the US. The system is much the same as many other rewards schemes—earn points for free nights—but all participating hotels are independently run. The aim is to attract frequent travellers who usually stay at chains because of the loyalty schemes, but yearn for something more distinctive. 5. BOLTON HOTEL — Hotels are, of course, also used as venues for conventions and other business events. Aiming to keep attendees focused, the Bolton Hotel in Wellington, New Zealand has devised a "Brainfood" menu that purports to increase mental attention, engagement and concentration levels. The chefs will even help organisers customise a menu to suit the event itinerary. Spotters: Renee Kung, RP, Ron Levin, St John Craner
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There's nothing like the conversion of a big brand to prove that a trend has taken hold. Case in point: Frito-Lay, which apparently aims to boost its chips' (still) made here appeal with an online Chip Tracker that lets customers see where their snacks originated. “Lay's chips are made from potatoes grown by farmers across America,” the brand explains. More than 80 farms from 27 states across the country, in fact, grow the potatoes that become Lay’s potato chips. With that idea in mind, Frito-Lay last year launched a campaign featuring the farmers that grow them. The “Lay's Mobile Farm” Tour — which wraps up this week — has been part of that effort, as is the Chip Tracker, which lets consumers trace where a particular bag of chips was made. All they need do is enter their ZIP code along with the first three digits of the bag's product code; in return, the site gives them the specific location along with its annual output. An associated map, meanwhile, highlights both growing and production facilities. Frito-Lay's comprehensive marketing effort to celebrate the brand's many local connections has also included on-pack messaging, local event sponsorships and 24,000 in-store displays customized for each participating state. How's the (still) made here message shaping up at *your* local brand... ? (Related: Local wines, professionally made from amateurs' grapes — A status story for spinach — Coffee life stories.) Website: www.fritolay.com/lays/chip-tracker.html Spotted by: Katherine Noyes |
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We've seen a few different planners that help families keep track of their kids' activities — either online or off — but the fact remains that finding those activities in the first place can be difficult. New York's BusyBeesNYC approaches that problem with a customized service that finds and schedules classes and activities for its clients, but in San Francisco, there's now a central place for parents with kids to find fun and enriching things to do. Now in beta, ad-supported PlayPlanit aims to help parents find local happenings while allowing local businesses to reach a larger audience. Currently focusing on the five-and-younger crowd, the site gives parents a central view of all the kid-friendly events happening in San Francisco each day, week or month. They can search by age, location, availability, tag words and price; when a listing catches their eye, they simply click on it for more information, including contact information and a link to the organizer's website. Event organizers can list their activities for free, with the option of paying USD 5 to have them featured. Launched in January, PlayPlanit currently focuses on the San Francisco Bay Area, but it hopes eventually to expand. One to partner with or emulate locally for parents and kids in your part of the global playground...? (Related: Directory brings transparency to playgrounds.) Website: www.playplanit.com |
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Digital photography may have advanced considerably in recent years, but the fact remains that most group photos still lack the person holding the camera. Enter the fotopol, a camera mount for tourist spots that lets visitors get everyone in the picture. Australian fotopol sells two models of its camera mounts. The fotopol stand (USD 2,350) is a permanently fixed, freestanding camera mount that's made from anodized aluminum with a galvanized steel base and stainless steel hardware; six colour options are available, as are etched and screen-printed designs. Local information and advertising can be displayed on the front panel as well. The fotopol balcony series, on the other hand, targets cruise ships and hotels with a permanent camera mount that gets attached either inside or outside the door frame of the balcony. Using the mount, passengers and guests can secure their camera, compose the shot, set the time delay and capture a memorable group photo. The balcony series comes in white; custom branding is available. Fotopol is also working on an interface that can make the balcony camera mount a rental option for passengers and visitors. Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say. Time to start scratching this particular itch for visitors to your own tourist attraction or hospitality locale? Alternatively, for photography and other consumer brands, time to investigate the advertising and sponsorship possibilities? Website: www.fotopol.biz Spotted by: Keith Sutter |
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Launched in April, Libre Clothing produces garments with hidden zipper access points specifically designed to make it easier and more comfortable for patients to undergo chemotherapy, dialysis or other treatments requiring intravenous lines, catheters or infusion tubes. The clothing range includes men's half-zip pullover sweaters priced at USD 54.99 and unisex half-zip pullover lightweight sweatshirts priced at USD 34.99. Men's and women's button-up shirts will be available soon, and a line of clothing for children who regularly receive dialysis or insulin injections is on the drawing board. One dollar from every sale goes to kidney research. Libre Clothing is working closely with key strategic partners in the US including hospitals, dialysis clinics and the National Kidney Foundation. With minimal competition in the growing market of dialysis and chemotherapy patients, there's plenty of room for innovative products and services that will make life easier for this group of consumers. (Related: Designer bags for glucose testers — Graphic decals turn casts into works of art.) Website: www.libreclothing.com Spotted by: Meagan Skaff |
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Fair trade coffee is no longer uncommon; what's unusual about Canadian AGRO Café is that it went so far as to create its own NGO arm to make sure it serves only coffee that's ethically and environmentally sound. With two Vancouver, British Columbia, locations, AGRO Café sources its coffee direct from small-scale farmers in Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia and Uganda through AGRODEV, its nonprofit NGO established specifically for that purpose. Through AGRODEV—short for Agricultural Growers Resource Organization Developing Economic Viability—the café encourages farmers to adopt ecologically sound methods, and supports them during the transition; it also ensures that they are paid fair wages. Samples of each crop are sent to the café for approval before harvesting; once they're picked, AGRO Café roasts the beans in-house so as to provide the shortest distance possible between producer and consumer. Hand in hand with all the ethical and sustainability benefits of sourcing its coffee in this way, of course, are myriad storytelling possibilities on the consumer end, as we've already seen in the Crop to Cup effort we featured back in 2008. It sounds like AGRO does feature photos of its farmers on its café walls, but we'd expect to see it go even further to track and highlight the stories of the individual farmers behind each and every cup, bringing home for consumers in a vivid way its ethical and (still) made here underpinnings. (Related: Online farmers' market for small wine producers.) Website: www.agrocafe.org Spotted by: Connor Brown |
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We've been following for some time now the need for a little extra coaching to get some older consumers up to speed on now-ubiquitous technologies such as the smartphone. That's the raison d'être for Dutch Bellendoejezo, for example, and it's also the impetus behind the FloH Club, a new service innovated by actress Florence Henderson. Targeting seniors, the FloH Club offers telephone computer support around the clock. Users begin by signing up with one of the FloH Club's three membership plans—prices range from USD 24.99 per month to USD 249.99 per year. Any time a technology issue arises, support staff members in the United States or Canada are on hand to help. Whether it's a problem on Facebook, Skype, instant messaging or an e-commerce site, FloH's North America-based technicians can access the computer remotely and make the technology work, with or without personalized training along the way. Powered by Support.com, the FloH Club’s services cover Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP, as well as most standard Microsoft applications and Mozilla Firefox version 2 or later. Not supported are Mac OS, Linux or older versions of Windows; internet access must be available. Currently, the FloH Club offers support only to residents of the United States and Canada; one to partner with or emulate in other parts of the world....? Website: www.flohclub.com Spotted by: Bill McMahon |
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