|
Happy 10th Anniversary to Design for Social Impact! DfSI is an inspiring socially conscious design firm in Philly that has been doing great works for the past decade and I had the good fortune of attending their anniversary celebration a few weeks back. One of the high points of which was the highly informative Activist Trolley Tour (pictured at left).
A few weeks back I finally got a chance to visit the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. A simple storefront on a small neighborhood shopping street that just happens to offer Hero Quality Capes, Sidekick Placement Services, and Hideout Maps among other things. The inviting and entertaining staff will not only let you explore and shop to your heart's content, but they'll also show you the secret lair behind a false wall that contains...a writing/tutoring program for local kids. The store is a front for 826NYC which is a non-profit that is part of a national group of 826's which originated with the Pirate Store at 826 Valencia in San Francisco which was founded in part by writer Dave Eggers. There are now other 826 locations as well!
...MoveOn.org thinks so. If you have 15 minutes to spare they'd like you to sign up to do some phonebanking from your home and mobilize voters in key races across the country.
These striking images are currently on display at the Centre Pompidou as part of the Fabrica: Les Yeux Ouverts [open eyes] exhibition.
These posters are part of a the Objectif Respect campaign by RATP, the company that runs the Paris public transportation. It encourages people to act like "Homo Modernus" (rather than one of our earlier relatives) when it comes to respecting the rules and fellow users of the system.
Read the entire article here.Lesotho's textile business began in the early 1980s, when South African companies set up factories here to avoid apartheid-era sanctions. In recent years, the industry boomed because of international incentives and subsidies - in particular the World Trade Organization's Multi-Fibre Arrangement's quotas on China and other countries, and the US African Growth and Opportunity Act. By the early 2000s, Lesotho's economy was dependent on its textile industry, which at its height employed 53,000 workers, around 85 percent of whom are women. According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, textiles account for about 40 percent of Lesotho's GDP.
Then, at the beginning of 2005, the Multi-Fibre Arrangement's quotas expired. Analysts from around the world predicted the demise of textile industries in countries such as Lesotho since brands could make all of their clothes in cheaper, more productive Chinese factories. And true to those predictions, in 2005, a number of brands closed or reduced their operations in Lesotho. Textile employment dipped to around 40,000. That's when Tsoeu lost her job.
But at the same time, an alliance of companies, NGOs, government representatives, and others were trying to find ways to protect the country's industry. Already, some brands had improved working conditions in Lesotho to answer concerns about sweatshop labor. The group realized that if Lesotho could start aggressively marketing itself as an ethical source of clothing, it could retain and even grow business.
I have volunteered to serve the American people in this military capacity. Thus, I am not complaining in any way. However, the two people of the U.S. that are the most important to me are the two that must suffer the greatest for my service to others. Therefore, I have formulated a plan that I may transition from military service onto another path in life; in hopes that I might be able to devote as much time to my family as my country has expected of me.Read the details here.
I'm proud to announce that The Red Flag Campaign, a project my company, along with Dupont Circle Communications, has been working on for the last several months, has just gone live. The campaign is a statewide domestic violence prevention program from the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance that focuses on college students in Virginia. The pilot program began last week on 10 campuses and features six two-sided posters . A teaser campagin featuring actual red flags is being tested as well. The full program will roll out to 30 campuses in August 2007.
