Playing Catch-up: Articles of Note

It’s tough running a blog about social enterprise and sustainability! Fortunately, it’s an issue of excess; there are plenty of stories to share every single day, it’s just a matter of sifting through and finding the best ones to share. So in the interest of getting up to speed on the most current events, I want to share some articles that have been on the backburner that I think are very interesting and very relevant:

• The TED Blog has a video up that they’ve dubbed ‘unforgettable’ which shows the faces of the Pakistan floods.

• Great news. India’s rural farmers are set to trade on Multi Commodity Exchange. Which means farmers will go from “producers to informed marketers who trade their products on the MCX platform.””producers to informed marketers who trade their products on the MCX platform.”

Maker Faire Africa

• Maker Faire Africa took place over a month ago and Niti Bahn guestblogged some of her favorite inventions from ordinary Africans. For more on MFA, check here.

• A grassroots project harnesses data mining and infographics to improve life in Indonesian cities.

• Kiva, everyone’s favorite micro financier, expands to include student loans in Paraguay, Lebanon, and Bolivia. They plan on expanding the service to 15 countries.

• We’re excited to see the results of this: Gray Matters Capital is funding a contest to design low-cost learning tools for affordable private schools in India. The best ideas will become reality through for-profit businesses there. OpenIDEO.

Now you’re up to speed! We might do this regularly to keep up and keep you informed. I also want to do a weekly (I’m thinking Thursdays) cause marketing or slacktivist post where we highlight a campaign that you readers can help out with, whether  through a click, a purchase, or something else.

Lastly, go to our fundraiser!

-Drew