Zaterdag 3 oktober

Hoe kun je als ondernemer maatschappelijk toegevoegde waarde creëren, wat is het belang en de meerwaarde van samenwerking? Welke inspirerende best practices kennen we? Hoe kun je ervoor zorgen dat je als gezamenlijke ondernemers je invloed positief kunt gebruiken bij ontwikkelingen waar je direct of indirect mee te maken hebt?   Read more...

I want to tell you about a project a friend of mine is putting together. So, many of us acknowledge that we have a consumption problem: we consume too much, and we often don’t know the origins of the stuff we consume.

Is your T-shirt assembled in a sweatshop?   Read more...

In deze aflevering van Voor de Wereld van Morgen, op Het Gesprek:

Ruud Koornstra is oprichter van Tendris, het bedrijf waar de miljonair zijn duurzame initiatieven - zoals de o zo zuinige Pharoxlamp - onderbrengt. Natasja van den Berg is praktisch idealist (ze bedacht de term zelf) en publiciste. In de studio discussieren zij met Dorine Putman en Max Christern over de vraag of duurzaam en aangenaam leven samengaan.   Read more...

In het bijzonder in de eerste jaren na de geboorte is het onze taak als ouders onze kinderen te beschermen, verzorgen en op te laten groeien in een zo natuurlijk en veilig mogelijke omgeving. Ouders zijn steeds meer bewust opzoek naar kwaliteit en producten vrij van schadelijke stoffen. Graag stellen wij voor "Naturkind kinderwagen", het gezonde alternatief uit Oostenrijk en de enige kinderwagen met een IVN certificaat.

De afkorting staat voor Internationaler Verband der Naturtextilwirtschaft. Om het keurmerk te krijgen moet je aan strenge eisen voldoen. Het product moet huid- en milieuvriendelijk zijn, en gemaakt van natuurlijke grondstoffen. De Naturkind kinderwagen is gemaakt met materialen zoals gecertificeerd biologisch katoen, een 100% wollen vulling, een Öko-Tex gecertificeerd kokos-latex matras, hout en kurk. Uit deze wagen zal je baby geen chemische stofjes opsnuiven!   Read more...

In het bijzonder in de eerste jaren na de geboorte is het onze taak als ouders onze kinderen te beschermen, verzorgen en op te laten groeien in een zo natuurlijk en veilig mogelijke omgeving. Ouders zijn steeds meer bewust opzoek naar kwaliteit en producten vrij van schadelijke stoffen. Juist om deze redenen werkt ekobebe alleen samen met producenten die natuur als inspiratie en basis hanteren voor het ontwikkelen van haar babyproducten.

Naturkind kinderwagen het gezonde alternatief uit Oostenrijk is absoluut uniek door het gebruik van natuurlijke stoffen en natuurlijk vullingsmateriaal zodat we zeker weten dat wat er in de kinderwagen zit er ook echt in hoort.   Read more...

Often our weekend plans include or necessitate the purchase or addition of something new in our lives. Maybe you need an outfit for a wedding, a new refrigerator or something smaller like cleaning products or shampoo. Whether it be toys or gadgets for your kids, a gift, or necessities like toilet paper and food, how environmentally sound and healthy of a purchase we are making is often the last thing on our minds during hectic weekend errands. We go to the store, pick up what we need and then move on to the fun stuff we wait for all week. A few minutes of thoughtful consideration before running errands can add up to big changes toward reducing our consumption.

Reducing our carbon footprint is a big task. Where to start? What makes the most difference? Tackling one thing at a time can be a manageable way to get to a greener place, so here is a challenge for all of us: Find something we have already or that you need/want that isn't green and replace it with a greener version, or better yet, get rid of it all together (in an environmentally-friendly way of course).   Read more...

Energy technology company Jetstream Wind recently announced plans that it will develop the world's first sustainable zero-emissions power plant. The plant will use power from renewable resources such as wind and solar power, which will then be converted into hydrogen and transferred back to the grid as available power, according to the New Mexico-based company.

The process is completely sustainable, doesn't create any greenhouse gasses and produces distilled water as a byproduct, a promising prospect for parts of the world without access to freshwater.   Read more...

On a recent afternoon, I went to a pottery shop outside of Tokyo and happened to meet the head potter who had stopped by to check on her staff.

After looking around the shop, I asked the potter if she had a few minutes to chat and explain her work to me. The first thing she talked about was how a potter never knew what was going to wind up coming out of the kiln. "Each kiln opening," she said, "was somewhat like Christmas morning. Sometimes you got many wonderful gifts, and sometimes you wound up with coal in your stocking, like when most of the pieces explode in the kiln due to severe changes in atmospheric weather conditions."   Read more...

Very few services exist for those who live without shelter in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. I want to change that! Prosperity House, a project of Many Paths World Service, is a high-quality, unique soup kitchen to serve the only evening meal to those who live without permanent shelter in the San Fernando Valley.

We believe that the whole being must receive attention, spirit, mind and body. We have just launched our largest campaign to raise $250,000 within 1 year to serve our first meal. This will allow us to build and sustain Prosperity House for these citizens who go hungry each night. Until there's not a need, we need to feed.   Read more...

The Great Kindness Challenge is one day where kids around the world dedicate themselves to performing as many acts of kindness as possible, using the checklist of 50 suggestions published on our web site.

On Saturday, August 8, we aim to have over one million youth participate in this one-of-a-kind global event. The Great Kindness Challenge is presented by Kids for Peace, whose mission is to cultivate every child’s innate ability to foster peace through cross-cultural experiences and hands-on arts, service and environmental projects.   Read more...

Our greatest asset is also our greatest challenge. How can that be? The answer is actually very simple. It is a single word that makes all the difference in the world. That little, powerful word is choice.

Every minute of every hour of every day, we make choices. Even choosing not to make a choice is a choice. How we respond to all of life’s occurrences is a choice. So make good choices. End of story.

Or is it?   Read more...

In onze Westerse maatschappij ligt de nadruk vaak eenzijdig op onze ratio. De Shaolin kunsten bieden een bijzondere kans om het leven te ervaren vanuit al haar aspecten; hoofd, lichaam, hart en ziel. Door de beoefening van Kungfu en Chi Kung leer je op een simpele, directe en effectieve manier het leven te waarderen en ervan te genieten. Respect voor jezelf, anderen en je omgeving staat centraal. In de lessen leer je je hart te openen, grenzen te stellen en je geest te zuiveren.

Het Shaolin Wahnam instituut, met wortels in het zesde-eeuwse China, is opgericht door Grootmeester Wong Kiew Kit om de authentieke Shaolin kunsten wereldwijd te verspreiden. Sinds 2007 is Shaolin Wahnam actief Nederland, met lessen in Amsterdam en Den Haag.   Read more...

The Novato Charter School is a tiny public elementary school in Novato, California, built and run by a small group of administrators and faculty with the help of a highly involved parent body. Absolutely everything that has happened at this small school (a Waldorf methods/best educational practices amalgam) is the result of individual dedication and vision. In 2001 the Novato School District offered the school a site. It was nothing more than a chunk of asphalt, the desolate former Hamilton Air Force base landing pad.   Read more...

Wanneer ik even mijn ogen sluit en stop met denken, stop met vragen, stop met zoeken, STOP   Read more...

Stichting DHO (Duurzaam Hoger Onderwijs) organiseert op 7 oktober het symposium ‘Koop de Toekomst’ op Kasteel Nyenrode. Sprekers als dr. Helen Walker, associate professor of operations management aan de University of Warwick (UK), winnares van de Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management Best Paper Award 2009, praten over duurzaam inkopen als thema binnen opleidingen van het hoger onderwijs.

Voor meer informatie over het programma en inschrijving: www.dho.nl   Read more...

Vrijdag 25 september houdt Deepak Chopra op uitnodiging van Inspirerend Leven een publieke lezing in RAI Amsterdam. Onderwerp is je lichaam als reflectie van hoe je over jezelf denkt. Kaarten voor dit bijzondere evenement zijn te koop via www.heartmedia.nl.

Deepak Chopra (62), door TIME Magazine uitgeroepen tot een van de grootste helden van de twintigste eeuw, is een geliefde schrijver en spreker over zingeving, spiritualiteit en wetenschap. Chopra, die werd geboren in India en woont en werkt in de Verenigde Staten, schreef ruim veertig boeken, die in 35 talen zijn vertaald en alle bestsellers werden.   Read more...

Gelukzalige gevoelens over hoe mooi het leven is, afgewisseld met tirades over hoe we dat vergeten zijn en onze maatschappij anders moeten inrichten, vielen ineens helemaal op zijn plek toen ik kennismaakte met Hanny Kusters en haar droom Spirare. Eindelijk iemand, was mijn eerste gedachte, die niet alleen praat maar ook doet. Zij zag dat veel kinderen buiten ons onderwijssysteem vallen. Tegen deze kinderen wordt alleen maar gezegd wat ze allemaal niet goed doen en er wordt niet uitgezocht wat ze wel goed kunnen. Door alle negativiteit kunnen die kinderen of jongeren uiteindelijk doodongelukkig, depressief of zelfs suïcidaal zijn. Eigenlijk werkt de volwassen wereld vaak niet veel anders; denk en/of doe je anders dan men gewend is, dan pas je niet binnen het systeem en wordt je vriendelijk doch dwingend verzocht je aan te passen en dus je eigen ik te onderdrukken. Hanny ontwikkelde een nieuwe onderwijsmethode en gaf jongeren daarbij weer hun passie voor het leven terug door ze in contact te brengen met hun eigen drijfveren en van daar uit te leren en leven. Vervolgens schreef Marinus Knoope een boek over de Creatiespiraal en ontdekte hij en Hanny samen het interne navigatiesysteem van de mens. Haar ontwikkelde methodes hadden eindelijk een naam en nu lag het vast; iedereen heeft precies dat in zich wat nodig is om de eigen wensen te realiseren. Parallel hieraan raakte ze ervan overtuigd dat haar missie breder is dan het onderwijs. Je kunt jongeren wel leren om vanuit hun drijfveren te leren, leven en werken maar als de maatschappij hen vervolgens geen plek biedt om dit uit te voeren, zijn ze zo weer terug bij af. Daarom ging ze in het bedrijfsleven lezingen geven bij het management van grote bedrijven en inspireerde ze hen om te leren, leven en ook daadwerkelijk werken vanuit hun drijfveren. Maar ook dat was niet voldoende. De maatschappij zit vast in een oud systeem waarmee het zichzelf blijft beperken. Bedrijven waren wel geïnspireerd maar de regelgeving en structuur van deze bedrijven lieten vaak zo’n verandering niet toe waardoor het maar weinig tot echte uitvoering kwam.

Het mooie is dat deze spannende crisistijd waar we nu in leven de perfecte voedingsbodem creëert voor de roeping die ze toen ontdekt heeft.   Read more...

Do you think others see you quite differently than you see yourself? As time has past I know I view myself as my much younger self. In my mind I am still that 20 year old that danced on SoulTrain, so many years ago. My children cannot imagine me ever being that cool. I wish I had pictures of it.

As children we looked at everything with wonderment and awe. Perhaps we just need to give ourselves permission to release those dreams we once had, the hopes and desires that so often get waylaid by what life tosses in our path. Who or what is in our way, those limitations self-imposed or constraints we allow to define us, we can change those things. It only demands an active choice.   Read more...

KEEN Inc., a leader in hybrid outdoor performance products, including footwear, socks and bags - is running an exciting contest with the chance to win a week-long volunteer vacation at an animal rescue society near Cape Town, South Africa. Entries are being accepted until August 21, 2009, at keenfootwear.com/southafrica.

The trip is organized by i-to-i, a U.K.-based volunteer travel company which has sent more than 20,000 people to volunteer in Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America since 1996.   Read more...

With the vast amount of "green" information out there it's easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to knowing what you should be doing. Just remember that every little bit counts, and making a few small choices this weekend can make a big difference. Making green choices helps us create a healthy environment for our planet and our bodies, something we can all get on board for. Here are a few tips to help you have a green weekend and save you some cash at the same time.   Read more...

Nine shark attack survivors gathered in Washington D.C. this week to lobby Congress to pass a Senate bill outlawing shark "finning" in U.S. waters. Shark finning, the practice of slicing off a shark's fins and throwing the body back into the ocean to die, is mainly practiced in other parts of the world where shark fin soup is considered a delicacy. The bill, which already passed in the House of Representatives last March and is supported by federal fisheries, will make existing shark-protection laws easier to enforce and help close loopholes in the existing U.S. shark-finning ban. A firmer stance by the U.S. will bring global awareness to shark conservation and help to influence policy on a global scale.   Read more...

Why is it ‘news’ when someone applies the laws of nature to architecture, climate change, or even national energy policies?

Common sense is returning. Recently The Economist profiled the new U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu in the July 2, 2009 issue. Secretary Chu being a Nobel Prize winner in physics is a rare commodity in national policy making. He is a scientist in a leadership policy-making position. For a little perspective, there are 535 members in the U.S. Congress - only 11 have a science background.   Read more...

Double your philanthropic power at LavishGiving.com, an online shop where you can purchase a gift for a loved one and receive 20% back on purchases of $100 or more to donate to your charity of choice. The site features products from top designers, including home and kitchen items, clothing, accessories and jewelry as well as gifts for children and pets.

LavishGiving.com, started by a Cincinatti boutique owner who was inspired to create a retail experience that gives back after losing her brother and a dear friend to cancer, gives online shoppers an opportunity to purchase gifts and products they would buy anyway and make a substantial donation to a cause that is meaningful to them.   Read more...

By the year 2020, The U.S. will make up only four percent of the world's population, according to a 2001 CIA report. The Global Corner International Learning Center is spreading awareness of the world to elementary students along the Florida panhandle. Every year a different country is highlighted and brought into classrooms for children to learn that country's culture and spark international curiosity.   Read more...

Save Your Logo, a creative new French non-profit committed to biodiversity and the preservation of plant and animal species, is asking companies who use a plant or animal's likeness in their logo to make a commitment to preserve and protect the species they profit from.

The first companies to step up and commit to joining preservation efforts of their logos are international clothing brand Lacoste, committing to the preservation of crocodiles and alligators, and the French insurance company MAAF, whose efforts will go toward saving their companies animal representation, the dolphin. Lacoste says, "The brand will actively support projects selected by the GEF to safeguard or protect the endangered crocodile, alligator, caiman or gavial species, whose loss would jeopardize the biological balance of their natural habitats."   Read more...

I always believed happiness was contagious. Now, like so many other things I feel innately but tend to doubt without external verification; I can say I know it to be true.

We now have scientific proof that happiness spreads. James Fowler (University of California, San Diego) and Nicholas Christakis (Harvard) recently released the results of a 20-year study showing the “dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network.”   Read more...

I would like to plead for a free newspaper that posts only optimistic, educational, smart and green articles.

Today's newspapers tend to post more negative messages than positive because these shock. And they believe shocking will bring them more readers. Well, I don't want to go against the brilliant minds in the newspaper business, but here is my view on negativity.   Read more...

World Bicycle Relief, founded in 2005 in response to the December 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean by SRAM Corporation and Trek Bicycle, empowers people in area of extreme poverty and those suffering in the wake of natural disasters with the gift of transportation.

According to worldbicyclerelief.org, "Simple, sustainable transportation is an essential element in disaster assistance and poverty relief. Bicycles fulfill basic needs by providing access to healthcare, education and economic development. Bicycles empower individuals, their families, and their communities."   Read more...

I recently got a bar of Sea Hag Soap. Yeah I know the name is weird, but the product is great.

I have very sensitive skin and need all natural type products. Sea Hag Soap (I use Got Your Goat Lavender; made with essential oils and goat milk as well as an all natural olive oil base with glycerin). These soaps (and there are a lot of choices; there even even some that work on your hair, skin and clothes) last an amazingly long time, are good for your skin and have very little impact on the environment as they are made in an old converted barn in northern Pennsylvania, not a big factory.   Read more...

Sick or healthy. Rich or poor. Thin or fat. Tall or short. Curly haired or bald. None of it matters when it comes to waking up happy everyday. What does matter is gratitude and perspective.

What makes a man rich? It is not money. There are plenty of poor people - “economically challenged” - that feel wealthy in ways that are beyond their wildest dreams. They are ‘loaded’ with family and friends, rich in experiences and participate in life like tycoons. They are showered in immeasurable riches of making a difference to someone and to the world in which they live. These are the people whose vocabulary does not include phrases like “I will be happy when...”, or I would be happy if...”   Read more...

Deze zomer organiseert WISE een Summerschool voor jong volwassenen met een bovengemiddelde interesse voor het maatschappelijk debat over klimaatverandering en de toekomstige energievoorziening. Gedurende een week worden de deelnemers bijgeschoold op het gebied van klimaatverandering en kernenergie. Je praat actief mee over de problemen en de oplossingen. Er is input van gerenommeerde en interessante sprekers.   Read more...

Welvaarders, pioniers van de nieuwe wereld is gelanceerd. Welvaarders is een uniek interactief spel: een getekende comic afgewisseld met bewegend beeld, een spannende verhaallijn en interactieve puzzels. De virtuele wereld in Welvaarders kent dezelfde vraagstukken als in onze wereld op het gebied van economie en handel, arm en rijk. Het spel is ontwikkeld door Little Chicken Game Company in samenwerking met de Wereldwinkels. www.welvaarders.nl

In Welvaarders strijden drie jonge hoofdpersonen, Kyan, Liara en Zato voor een betere wereld. Ze strijden tegen het regime van de onderdrukker, zodat producenten een beter leven op kunnen bouwen. De inzet van producten in het spel, maakt het fairtrade principe voor de speler toegankelijk. Handel je in fairtrade producten, dan kan armoede wél bestreden worden. De hoofdpersonen zijn mensen in een prikkelende omgeving, allen hebben zij een sterke eigen identiteit.   Read more...

Woensdag 9 september is de Dag van de Duurzaamheid. Op 9.9.9 bruist het van de grote en kleine duurzame activiteiten door het hele land, op allerlei locaties. De actie-organisatie Urgenda wil op deze dag laten zien dat er al een brede duurzaamheidsbeweging is en nodigt iedereen uit om mee te doen door een activiteit aan te melden op www.dagvandeduurzaamheid.nu Je mag zelf bepalen wat voor activiteit je rondom het thema organiseert. Van een biologisch diner met vrienden tot een groen evenement, een duurzame recordpoging, de lanceringen van duurzame producten of ambities, alles is welkom. Ook een activiteit die nog niet helemaal rond is verwelkomen wij graag op de site. Je kunt hem namelijk te allen tijde aanpassen. Urgenda wil laten zien dat het kan, dat duurzaamheid niet alleen hard nodig, maar ook leuk en inspirerend is. Doe mee!   Read more...

TakePart.com wants you to get involved in the causes you care about and have the tools to make a difference. Covering issues from climate change to the industrialization of the food chain and how clean our drinking water is, the site allows you to explore issues that concern you or that you want to learn more about. You can share your ideas with others sharing your concerns and learn about ways to participate in your cause and take action to change something you don't think is right.   Read more...

Architecture for Humanity spans the globe working as a benevolent tour de force with a network of over 40,000 professionals who lend their time and services such as design, construction and development skills to those who would otherwise not be able to afford their services in places where people are critically in need. With 80 chapters in 25 countries, Architecture for Humanity is a nonprofit design services firm and a network for people who care about sustainable development.

Legendary architect Frank Gehry is a former advisory board member, and David de Rothschild, British adventurer and environmentalist and actress Cameron Diaz have both served as former competition jurors and project reviewers.   Read more...

Ken Thaiday Senior, respected artist from the Torres Strait Island, presents his visions and art with grace and eloquence. With his wife Liz by his side, they have been transported from one world to another to be honored in Washington, D.C. during NAIDOC Week, which celebrates the achievements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Mr. Thaiday reveals a perspective into a world of dreams, faith, nature, fishing, dancing and art all the while connecting ancient spiritual traditions to contemporary times.   Read more...

Whole Foods Market has joined the Non-GMO Project, committing to the third-party system that verifies food does not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The store's private label brands, 365 Every Day Value and Whole Foods Market, will carry the "Non-GMO Project Verified" seal beginning this fall.

GMOs are plants whose DNA have been altered to create an organism that did not previously exist in nature. According to WholeFoodsMarket.com, the GMO crops currently approved and marketed in the United States do one of two things: make their own pesticides or resist herbicides, so that farmers can spray an entire field with a strong chemical herbicide and kill everything but the GMO crop.   Read more...

Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of microcredit said, "If you want to solve poverty, you have to put people in a position to build their own life."

Allowing two families to build their own lives in new homes is the goal of ING's Huis voor een huis (Home for a home) program, which offers Dutch borrowers taking out a mortgage an option to donate 300 Euros (about 424 U.S. dollars) which will then be matched by the bank and used as microloans for families in Bangladesh and India to use toward building their own homes.   Read more...

The Mubarak Prize for Arts recipient this year is artist professor Muhammad Taha Hussein, a contemporary artist who illustrates the fine balance between modern and tradition.

Mr. Hussein is a gentle giant of a man who stands tall in height, with encompassing hands and has a large vision for the arts and life in general. His enthusiasm for new designs, new technique and new ideas is appealing. Especially when he recognizes his roots in historical neighborhoods in Cairo contrasted by his time in Germany. This constant balance between new and old is reflected in his work.   Read more...

People thought we were crazy. Absolutely nuts for building a service that would enable people to create their own memorial sites. To do that, people would have to admit they are one day going to die... and who wants to do that? We were told we were insane, morbid, out of our minds. But build it we did.

Now www.bcelebrated.com exists and even though some people raise an eyebrow when we describe it, those who use it describe it as profound, soothing, inspiring. The service also allows users to create private password-protected messages for loved ones. They can also prepare a notification system for when they pass away, so loved ones won't have to go searching for their contacts.   Read more...

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You never were alone. You were always part of a larger whole. Now you can experience the power of the collective. - Lynne McTaggart

Een complete gereedschapskist om je gedachten te gebruiken om je leven, je gemeenschap en planeet te helen.   Read more...

Finding a clean and safe swimming spot in Europe this summer is at your fingertips with the Eye on Earth World Watch map, a user-friendly resource resulting from a partnership between Microsoft and the European Environment Agency (EEA). Beaches, rivers and lakes are marked by icons which are color coded (greens are safe, reds warn against swimming areas where the water is unhealthy and swimming is prohibited) and many are marked by a thumbs up or thumbs down, indicating other map-users rated a particular area as good, bad or average.   Read more...

Aanstaande zaterdag 4 juli is het weer internationale 'Free Hug Day'. De Australier Juan Mann startte zijn Free Hugs Campaign vijf jaar geleden en kreeg wereldwijd veel respons. Inmiddels worden in meer dan 80 landen campagnes georganiseerd, waaronder Nederland.   Read more...

Ode's hoofdredacteur Max Christern presenteert wekelijks op dinsdagavond op Het Gesprek het programma Voor de Wereld van Morgen. Aan tafel schuift deze week onder andere aan architect Paul de Ruiter: 'Duurzaam wonen is slim wonen.' Heeft u de uitzending gemist? Bekijk hem dan hier.   Read more...

A fund raising Zumbathon™, a dance marathon combining fitness and philanthropy, on one of the hottest days on record this year in Pensacola, brought together a diverse group of over 70 supporters who raised $851 dollars for The Global Corner International Learning Center.   Read more...

The International Ecotourism Society unites conservation, communities and sustainable travel while promoting responsible travel to natural areas while conserving the environment and improving the well-being of local people.

According to ecotourism.org, TIES works by creating an international network of individuals, institutions and the tourism industry, educating tourists and tourism professionals and influencing the tourism industry. Public institutions and donors integrate the principles of ecotourism into their operations and policies. As the world's oldest and largest international ecotourism association, TIES seeks to be the global source of knowledge and advocacy uniting communities, conservation, and sustainable travel.   Read more...

Dreamshield wordt geïnterviewd op Indigo Soulstation (www.indigosoulstation.nl) i.v.m. haar boek Running Deer en de liefde van de Tweede Werkelijkheid.

Zij was in de leer bij een Noord Amerikaanse medicijnman in de kunst van het dromen en ondervond de lessen en de liefde van de magische paddestoelen (paddo’s).   Read more...