MicroEmpowering Blog

The Good News from Cleveland's Evergreen Cooperatives

Posted by Editor on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 In : Must read

To repair the planet, business must go further than simply doing less harm. In the second of a series of posts examining investment models that help restore the resiliency of business, society and the earth, Capital Institute's Susan Arterian highlights the efforts of Cleveland's Evergreen Cooperatives.

Inspired by the Mondragon group of cooperatives in Spain, the Evergreen Cooperative members are attempting to "build resiliency and redefine wealth through hands-on ownership of capital, a mo...
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Will Social Impact Bonds Work in the U.S.?

Posted by Guest Editor, SOCAP news on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 In : News

As state and local governments consider a new financing mechanism to scale proven preventive solutions to social problems, research shows the potential and challenges.

There is considerable buzz in the United States about whether a new “pay for success” model of financing social solutions currently being piloted across the Atlantic could work on American soil. It’s called a social impact bond (SIB), and the first—in fact, the only so far—was launched in September 2010 by an organiz...
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Africa's collective GDP is now roughly equal to Brazil's or Russia's

Posted by Guest Editor on Friday, April 6, 2012 In : News

Africa's collective GDP, at $1.7 trillion in 2010, is now roughly equal to Brazil's or Russia's. While Africa's increased economic momentum is widely recognized, less known are its sources and likely staying power. By 2020, it could be $ 2.6 trillion dollars.

Among the key findings:

Africa's growth acceleration was widespread, with 27 of its 30 largest economies expanding more rapidly after 2000.

All sectors contributed, including resources, finance, retail, agriculture, transportation and telec...
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Interesting Event - Photovoltaics Summit 2012 - April 17-18, 2012

Posted by Guest Editor on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 In : Must read

The 7th annual Photovoltaics Summit will take place April 17-18, 2012, in San Diego, California. The conference will address the issues, markets and technological advancements that will drive PV developments in 2012 and beyond. This year's event will examine all of the successes and challenges the industry has faced over the past decade, and provide attendees with the knowledge they need to compete and succeed in the coming years.

Location: The Westin, San Diego, CA, United States
Summary: T...
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Learn about one of our favorite Social Entrepreneurs!

Posted by Guest Editor on Saturday, March 24, 2012 In : News

Take a look at our latest novelty, It all started with an innocent, curiosity-driven question: “What about a for-profit company based in Honduras that would create a positive social impact through its business?”

Chris posed that question during a work trip to Honduras in May 2006 where he reconnected in Tegucigalpa with friends dedicated to an impactful humanitarian project; seeking an answer to the question sparked the idea that became Tegu—a creative business founded to address unem...
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Poland rejects EU carbon emission targets

Posted by Guest Editor on Friday, March 9, 2012 In : Must read

Poland has signalled its opposition to an EU plan for deeper carbon emission cuts, which environment ministers will discuss on Friday.

Denmark, currently steering EU negotiations, is backed by the UK in calling for a 25% cut in CO2 emissions by 2020. Previously the target was 20%.

But Poland, reliant on coal for more than 90% of its electric power, fears the move would make energy more costly. Coal and other fossil fuels emit CO2, seen as a catalyst for climate change.

Poland's Gazeta Wyborc...
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A UK scientist studying volcanic vents in the ocean says they hold a grave warning for future marine ecosystems

Posted by Guest Editor, BBC on Sunday, February 19, 2012 In : Must read

These vents have naturally acidified waters that hint at how our seas might change if atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise. They are conditions that would make it harder for corals and similar organisms to make the hard parts in their bodies.

Dr Jason Hall-Spencer's work suggests our oceans could lose perhaps 30% of their biodiversity this century. The Plymouth University researcher has been presenting his latest findings to a major conference in Vancouver, Canada.

"I am inves...
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Interesting events for March/April

Posted by Guest Editor on Friday, February 17, 2012 In : News

Fireside Chat: Canadian Corporate Leaders To Share Culture Building Strategies In The Green Economy

Event Date & Time:
March 7, 2012 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Location: Toronto, Ontario and LIVE Webcast . Bennett Jones, 1st Canadian Place, 100 King St. W. (King & Bay), 34th Floor, Toronto, Canada. Toronto, Ontario and FREE LIVE Webcast

During the discussion you will learn:
• The value of communicating a clear vision throughout your organization
• Specific examples of culture building strategies
�...
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Laser radar spots quake changes

Posted by Guest Editor, BBC on Friday, February 10, 2012 In : News

Source: BBC

An international team of scientists has released a laser-radar image of the area surrounding the site of a Magnitude 7.2 earthquake that occurred in Mexicali, Mexico, in 2010. The technique can spot surface changes of just a few centimetres; here blue represents a post-quake reduction in height and red indicates an increase.

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Science Thursday, Taking Paper Airplanes To The Next Level...

Posted by Guest Editor, NPR on Thursday, January 12, 2012 In : Must read

Leif Ristroph and colleagues at NYU are designing tiny paper aircraft and making them fly using a pot, a speaker and a bunch of straws. When the subwoofer plays a low-frequency tone, it pushes the air above it up and down, which is funneled through the pot and straws, creating a flow of pulsing air.

The system simulates flapping flight by taking the flap out of the wing and putting it into the air. Ristroph explains what his aircraft are teaching him about stable flight.

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Trends in Cross-Border Funding

Posted by Guest Editor, via CGAP authors Barbara Gähwiler and Alice Nègre on Thursday, January 5, 2012 In : News

Microfinance funding is becoming more transparent. More than 60 microfinance funders regularly report information on their microfinance portfolio to CGAP, and extensive data are available on microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs) through Symbiotics and MicroRate.

In 2011, CGAP surveyed the 20 largest microfinance funders, which represented over 85% of commitments reported in the previous survey year. Based on the findings of that survey and previous surveys, this Brief describes global trend...
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Looking for last minute Holiday Gifts?

Posted by MicroEmpowering Editor on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 In : Must read

Visit our on line store, 92% of the profits are reverted to fund our Educational Workshops

On Dec 21, if you order FREE Two-Day Shipping before 8 p.m. PST (which varies by item) item gets to location before Christmas. Dec 21 is the last full day to order One-Day Shipping ($3.99/item)

On Dec 22, if you order One-Day Shipping ($3.99/item) before 4:30 p.m. PST (which varies by item) item gets to location before Christmas.

Smithsonian Motor-Works

Smithsonian Diggin' Up T-Rex

Smithsonian C...
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Findings from Randomized Evaluations of Microfinance

Posted by Guest Editor, via CGAP on Monday, December 5, 2011 In : News

In 2009, the results from two microcredit impact studies in Hyderabad, India, and Manila, the Philippines were released to mixed responses (Banerjee, Duflo, Glennerster, and Kinnan 2010; Karlan and Zinman 2011). Some media declared microfinance a failure (Bennett 2009). Many in the microfinance community dismissed these randomized studies as too limited to be a true reflection of the entire sector.

These first randomized studies caused a sensation because they challenged the dominant impact n...
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We are extremely grateful for having you in our lives. Happy Holidays!

Posted by The Empowering Team on Thursday, December 1, 2011 In : News

Dear Friends,

We at MicroEmpowering are very thankful for a productive and successful 2011. We are extremely grateful for having you in our lives!

This is our first quarterly update and we will do our best to keep things simple and objective. Since our incorporation in September of 2009, we:

Provided workshops for over 250 students in the US and Brazil
Participated in the reforestation drive for almost 400 rare species of Pau Brasil# trees with our social entrepreneurship partner organizat...

Brazil is temporarily banning Chevron from drilling for oil in its territory

Posted by Guest Editor, BBC on Sunday, November 27, 2011 In : News

The National Petroleum Agency (ANP) said it would suspend Chevron's activities in Brazil until it had established the cause of an oil spill off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

Source: BBC and AFP

Chevron has apologised for the leak, but has stressed it acted as rapidly and safely as possible to contain it. The Brazilian government has fined Chevron US$28m (£18m) for the spill. Brazilian Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira said Chevron could face further fines if an investigation into the ...
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UK Environmental Audit Committee publishes report on air quality

Posted by Guest Editor from www.WhereisMyNewCar.com on Thursday, November 17, 2011 In : Guest Blogger

The Environmental Audit Committee considers the extent to which the policies and programmes of government departments and non-departmental public bodies contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development, and it audits their performance against any sustainable development and environmental protection targets. Unlike most select committees, the Committee’s remit cuts across government rather than focuses on the work of a particular department.

According to the report, the G...
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Bisphenol A: Should there be laws?

Posted by Editor, via greenspace on Monday, October 17, 2011 In : Must read

The Food and Drug Administration's about-face on the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which is used to harden the plastic of sippy cups and baby bottles and to seal the inside of tin cans, could spur the adoption of bills in the California Legislature and U.S. Congress to restrict the chemical.

Despite a 2008 determination under President George W. Bush that the chemical was safe, the Obama administration said Friday that it would spend $30 million to study the effects of BPA. which has been lin...
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Sustainable Houses, The Key to Our Future?

Posted by Editor, via CNET on Sunday, October 9, 2011 In : Must read

What do you think of sustainable houses?
The technology used for building is improving every day, but if it's a super energy-efficient dwelling you're after, the tools are already well at hand. Once a year, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association organizes a green buildings open house where energy nerds like us can see the latest in home efficiency.

Source: CNET

On the other hand, if you want to built a different house, to be in harmony with nature. You might want to consider these inexpen...
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Changing Forests and Climate Change - New York Times

Posted by Volunteer on Sunday, October 2, 2011 In : Must read

The world’s 9.9 billion acres of forest absorb roughly a quarter of human emissions of carbon dioxide, and help limit the increase of the gas in the atmosphere. While many healthy forests are robustly absorbing carbon, others are threatened by a warming climate.

Visit their page to experience the data and research in a interactive manner.
NYT map http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/01/science/earth/forests.html?ref=earth
Additional coverage http://www.h2brasil.com/artigos-publicados/o...
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Top Stealth Home Energy Hogs

Posted by Editor on Friday, September 9, 2011 In : News

The relentless rise of electricity prices over the past decade has made many consumers more conscientious about how they use electric power. Many of those conscientious people may find it frustrating — to put it mildly — that their daily or even hourly efforts to turn off devices they're not using hasn't delivered the results they'd expected.

The blame belongs to the growing number of "vampire" or "phantom" electronic products that populate today's typical home. An alarmingly large numbe...
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New Words Every Small Business Owner Should Know!

Posted by Editor, via entrepreneur.com on Sunday, September 4, 2011 In : Must read

Do you have a "bajillion" things to do? Have you ever had a "light-bulb moment"?

Entrepreneurs need to keep up with the new business-related words and lingo that pop up almost every day. The publishers of the Concise Oxford Dictionary have added 400 new words to the 12th edition of the publication, so we thought it might be useful to take a look at the new terms. Turns out several apply to business.

We've selected the 10 need-to-know new words. Whether or not you start using them in your own bu...

Funding for Nationwide Student-Focused Clean Energy Business Competitions

Posted by Editor via DOE on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 In : Must read

DOE Announces Funding for Nationwide Student-Focused Clean Energy Business Competitions

Washington, D.C. - As part of the Obama Administration's effort to support and empower the next generation of American clean energy entrepreneurs, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced $2 million in available funding for the National University Clean Energy Business Challenge. This nationwide initiative will create a network of regional student-focused clean energy business creation competitions ...
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How innovative thinking can turn a mistake into a great product?

Posted by Via news wire on Friday, July 29, 2011 In : News

According to a recent article, the discovery of DeconGel was accidental. Late one night in 2006, the researchers of Skai Ventures, a Honolulu-based venture capital firm and technology accelerator got a little sloppy with one of their experiments. They were working with a gel that dripped from the lab table onto the floor.

Source: Courtesy of DeaconGel.

When they peeled it off, the floor beneath was "absolutely pristine, completely clean and white," recalls Wuh, the company CEO. "That's when...

Social Innovation for Undergrads

Posted by Editor CM on Monday, July 18, 2011 In : News

LOS ANGELES, Jul. 18 /CSRwire/ - For undergraduates interested in social innovation and developing well thought-out solutions to the world's problems, the Society and Business Lab (SBL) at the USC Marshall School of Business in conjunction with the School of Policy, Planning and Development has announced a social entrepreneurship minor that will begin in fall 2011.

The interdisciplinary minor will be open to all USC undergraduate students who are seeking to understand the global context of soc...

An Environmental Disaster Unfolding in Front of US...

Posted by Editor, with quotes from the Associated Press report on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 In : Must read

Prime Minister Naoto Kan reiterated in a speech to parliament that Japan was grappling with its worst problems since World War II."This quake, tsunami and the nuclear accident are the biggest crises for Japan" in decades, said Kan, dressed in one of the blue work jackets that have become ubiquitous among bureaucrats since the tsunami. He said the crises remained unpredictable, but added: "We will continue to handle it in a state of maximum alert."

Source: NASA (Picture1 red = previously popula...
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Great initiative - Boston University - Center for Corporate Citizenship

Posted by Editor C on Friday, March 11, 2011 In : Must read

This is a great idea, kudos to Katherine V. Smith and her team at The Center for Corporate Citizenship (at Boston University). We hope other Universities will do the same.

"Dear MicroEmpowering,

As the world begins to comprehend the devastating impact of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the Center extends its deepest sympathies to the people and businesses struggling against extraordinary circumstances. Our community of companies includes several headquartered in Japan and hundreds of othe...

Market Acceptance of Smart Growth (via EPA)

Posted by Editor on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 In : Must read

For decades, developers have been creating smart growth communities—places with a mix of land uses and housing types, built compactly to make walking and biking easier—throughout the county in urban, suburban, and rural locations. Some communities structure their approval and entitlement process to encourage construction of this type of neighborhood. Other communities are less familiar with these neighborhoods and may present more hurdles in the approval process because the design and lay...
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Torrential summer rains in the mountain areas in Rio de Janeiro State, created the third largest flood related disaster in the history of Brazil

Posted by Editor on Friday, January 14, 2011 In : Must read

CHECK BELOW FOR DONATIONS:

Headquarters INVESTS RIO - Rua Mexico, 125 - Centro Rio (in the shop of the Tourism Department in front of elevators)

HemoRio - The organ of the State Department of Health and Civil Defense is urging the population to donate blood. The blood center needs to send 300 bags of blood to the mountain region. The address is HemoRio at Rua Frei Caneca, No. 8, in downtown Rio The agency operates daily from 7am to 18 hours, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. To be a ...
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Was Cancun a Watershed for Business and Climate Change? (via CEF)

Posted by Editor on Monday, December 20, 2010 In : News

By Maryann Jones Thompson (via CEF)

The Cancun international climate negotiations defied low expectations by producing a set of modest “Cancun Agreements,” which delegates argue provide a strong base for a comprehensive agreement next year. Key outcomes included:

Creation of a new “Green Climate Fund” (with the The World Bank as “Trustee”) that aims to disburse $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poor countries adapt to climate change impacts and assist with low-carbon developme...

The World Climate Summit 2010

Posted by Editor on Monday, November 29, 2010 In : News

LONDON, BRUSSELS, COPENHAGEN, WASHINGTON, D.C. and CANCUN, Mexico, Nov. 24 /CSRwire/ - The most important and influential business, finance and government leaders in the climate change arena are coming together with more than 100 high-level speakers, and the largest coalition of financiers at the inaugural World Climate Summit, December 4-5, at The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, Mexico, in parallel to the UNFCCC COP 16.

The World Climate Summit 2010 is the beginning of a new, open and collaborative ...