Social Advocacy Toolkit A special section on resources for social causes & campaigns By the editors of Socialbrite Socialbrite has created a toolkit for social and political advocacy — an evergreen resource for the social media workshop we’re putting on as part of Internet at Liberty, the conference on Internet freedom of expression organized by Google in Washington, D.C., on May 23-24, 2012. Consider this a good starting point for activists, change agents and political reformers who want to bring positive change to their countries, their communities and the world at large. We also realize this is a very U.S.-centric directory, so please email us with your submissions or leave your pointers and tips in the comments below. Also see: • Resources for social activists ... Continue reading →
Join NYC for Shop Your Values Week May 3 – 10. Take the pledge here, and remember to share on Facebook and Twitter so friends can join. By Michelle Hardy Shop Your Values Week has arrived, meaning hundreds of conscious consumers will gather May 3 – 10 to enjoy some of New York City’s most ethical dining and shopping outlets selected by ethikus.com. If you haven’t already taken the SYVW pledge, it isn’t too late to introduce yourself to some of the city’s most impressive small businesses – as well as the like-minded shoppers who frequent them. Ethikus formed earlier this year in hopes of guiding both consumers and businesses toward responsible commerce. Already, they’ve done an excellent job of building a well-informed, ever-growing community. ... Continue reading →
As we previously discussed, Massive Health stumbled upon a goldmine of data about the world’s eating habits (or at least the eating habits of iPhone users) with the Eatery, an app that allows people to snap photos of their food and rate other people’s pictures based on their perceived healthiness. In the infographic below, we can see just how off base our perceptions are about what we eat. Based on data from Massive Health’s hundreds of thousands of users, we now know what we probably all realized anyway: All that bacon and pizza you eat is worse for you than you’re willing to admit. The data shows that 72% of foods on the Eatery are rated as being healthier by the user that’s eating them ... Continue reading →
Today, April 10, thousands of people will go barefoot around the world for the second annual “One Day Without Shoes.” It’s an event organized by Toms Shoes--the company that built a brand around the buy-one-give-one charity model--to raise awareness about the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. But the day will also shine a light on the Toms model, which is facing two existential flaws that threaten to undo the company’s social impact and business success. The Toms buy-one-give-one model does not actually solve a social problem.First, the Toms buy-one-give-one model does not actually solve a social problem. Rather, the charitable act of donating a free pair of shoes serves as little more than a short-term fix in a system ... Continue reading →
