Archive for the ‘Give Page’ Category

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More Competitive Than Harvard! 1.6 Million Chinese Grads Consider Applying To McDonald’s Hamburger University

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

“There’s a coffee machine in the corridor. There’s no cafeteria, although students and staff can order food delivered to the office pantry one floor down.

‘I’m thrilled and proud to attend Hamburger University,’ said Zhou, who in 2007 started as a management trainee in the central Chinese city of Changsha, a job for which she and seven others were among 1,000 applicants. That’s a selection rate of less than 1 percent, lower than Harvard University’s record low acceptance rate last year of about 7 percent, according to the school’s official newspaper.”

Best Quote

“Now my father has stopped trying to persuade me to work in banking.” – Sun Ying, McDonald’s Shanghai Store Manager

What do you think?

With college graduates fighting to get into Hamburger University, can a Chinese obesity crisis be far behind?

New 7-11 energy source? Wind. Source of rolling meat products? Still a mystery.

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

International mini-market chain 7-11 is greening up its act in 100 new eco-friendly stores in Japan.

These stores, which feature wind power and LED lights, cost up to 30% more than a traditional stores. But Sevs and other chain markets like it expect that the cost of “greening” buildings will go down as demand rises.

That would be pretty cool, huh?

Recycling Irony

Monday, February 7th, 2011

“All Danny Clark wanted was to leave an eco-friendly footprint for his children.

That and to ride the new wave of ‘green business’ startups by coming up with a way to make money and help the environment at the same time.

His idea was simple: If he could make plastic water bottles biodegradable, it would reduce the impact on landfills, curb roadside litter and reduce the amount of plastic garbage that eventually washes into the oceans.

Everybody wins. Well, not everybody.

The Mesa man’s small-business venture has run into opposition from a large and unexpected source: the $400 billion recycling industry, which fears that by making plastic bottles biodegradable, it will reduce the stream of plastic refuse used to make everything from carpet to clothing to new bottles. In addition, changing the makeup of plastic bottles could make it more difficult to recycle them, the industry fears.”

What do you think?

Chicken or egg? Should your old plastic junk be used to make new plastic junk, or should it biodegrade into the earth once its life is over? Which idea has a better business model?

Strategies for Change, Part 1: Activism

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Welcome to our new series, showing you how the changes you want to see in the world actually happen.

Check out our other SfC shorts:

Strategies for Change: Introduction
Strategies for Change, Part 2: Advocacy
Strategies for Change, Part 3: Direct Service
Strategies for Change, Part 4: Education

Redesigning The Arts

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

“In 1993, a group of prominent orchestra administrators issued a report predicting the obvious: doom and destruction unless the nation’s symphonies radically changed the way they did business. In the future, according to ‘Americanizing the American Orchestra,’ orchestras would have to consider ‘collaborative efforts with other art forms, interactive audience projects, the use and adaptation of technology, and other departures from business as usual.’

It was a badly written, sanctimonious, controversial document, and most American orchestras simply ignored it. To the extent that they adopted any of its recommendations, orchestras did so halfheartedly, amateurishly and without real faith in the underlying premise: that audiences craved a new kind of concert, updated for the 20th century. ”

What do you think?

Would you be more interested in visiting the symphony if it incorporated more modern design and technology? As a patron of the arts, would you think this was a good investment? What would you do to improve classical music?

Animal-Vehicle Accidents Cost $8 Billion A Year, But Designers Have Found A Sustainable Solution

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

“WASHINGTON – At a picturesque spot in the mountains near the ski resorts of Vail and Breckenridge, Colo., two streams of traffic converge: people driving east and west on Interstate 70, and animals – black bears, cougars, bobcats, elk and deer – headed north and south to feed and mate. When they collide, the animal is almost always killed and the vehicle badly damaged, even if the driver is lucky enough to escape injury.

The obvious solution is a bridge or a tunnel for the animals, but how do you build one they will use?”

What do you think?

Do you think wildlife bridges should be paid for by the government, or by nonprofit interest groups like the one that sponsored this design project? Have you ever been in an accident involving a wild animal?

Twilight Star Takes Runaway Role To Heart, Planning To Invest In Troubled Teens

Friday, January 21st, 2011

“Anytime I hear that somebody’s really rich, the first question is ‘Do you do anything with it? Or do you, like, chill? You just sit on it?’” She is thinking carefully, strategically, about how best to put her own contribution to use, and has a plan—inspired by her researches for the role of a runaway in the sex trade—to set up a network of halfway houses to help those who want to recover and get back on their feet. “That would be amazing,” she says. “Right now it’s the thing I feel most connected to.”

What do you think?

Does this impact your view of Stewart? Do you agree that having money obligates you to “do something with it?”

Mobile Banking Reaches Ravaged Port-au-Prince

Friday, January 14th, 2011

port-au-prince.jpg

credit: newbeatphoto

Effective humanitarian aid isn’t always about food and shelter. Find out how the Gates Foundation is pursuing some long-term solutions to Haiti’s problems…

  • Mobile technology is changing the world – especially in places where wireless technology can sidestep problems with a nation’s telecommunications infrastructure.
  • Now this technology is going to help Haiti in a different way, by making cell phone banking widely available.
  • After a natural disaster, local banks may be destroyed and Internet access nowhere to be found. Plus, mobile banking is safer. In the security crisis of post-earthquake Haiti, carrying cash has become a hazard.

Facts & Figures

  • Over $30 million was raised for humanitarian relief after the quake
  • Many of those donations came in via text message, $10 at a time
  • The Gates Foundation and USAID are donating a total of $10 million to companies that can bring mobile banking to Haiti
  • Fewer than 10% of Hatian citizens have ever used a commercial bank, but nearly every family has access to a cell phone

What Do You Think?

Would you donate to an organization that focused solely on bringing technology to people in need? Would you choose that over a traditional food-and-shelter humanitarian aid organization?

Who said this?

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

“A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.”

Who said it?

Jonathan-Swift.jpeg

Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels.

We couldn’t agree more, Mr. Swift. But what about putting a little heart into your money? There are all kinds of ways to use what you’ve got to make your values known. And today, while wacky hairdos will get you attention, your money is really what talks.

  • Support an organization that’s fighting for a cause you believe in
  • Help your friends do good by organizing a fundraiser (um, party?) where everyone can combine their donations to make an even bigger impact
  • Spend wisely – if you don’t believe in sweatshop labor, you definitely don’t have to give your money to companies that use it
  • Make sure your investments are in line with your values. If you don’t know what stocks you actually own, there’s probably someone you can ask. So ask.

(via moneyisnotimportant)

Segregation Resurfaces In The South… TILE Two-Liners 1.10.11 >> 1.14.11

Monday, January 10th, 2011

MONDAY

  • Southern Sudan is likely to become Africa’s newest country, wrapping up a bloody 20-year civil war with the north. One of the Southern Sudanese citizens voting for independence said, “My vote is for my mother and father, and my brothers and sisters who were murdered in the war.” (BBC News)

TUESDAY

  • China gets into carbon trading – an approach to global warming that requires carbon-producing companies to basically buy the right to pollute from other companies. Huge news for one of the world’s biggest economies – largely powered by coal. (The New York Times)

WEDNESDAY

  • The commission investigating BP’s giant oil spill confirms that mistakes by BP and others led to the spill. Oil industry: Prepare to be regulated. (The Wall Street Journal)

THURSDAY

  • North Carolina school board restores policy of economic segregation in public schools. (The Washington Post)

FRIDAY

  • Health care coverage is becoming unaffordable for more and more Americans. Even nonprofit health insurance provider Blue Shield of California has raised rates 59% over 5 months. And another 15% increase is on the way. (The Los Angeles Times)
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