Kickstarter for Neighborhoods Brings Crowdfunding’s Potential to Urban Renewal

Read the full story at GOOD.

As the crowdfunding bug continues to spread, the fund-raising strategy has radiated outward from Kickstarter‘s domain of art and video, to health expenses, to support for local business. Now a new website called Spacehive proposes a way for neighbors to fund public works projects for the betterment of their local communities.

Spacehive’s goal is “to make it as easy to fund a new park or playground for your area as buying a book online.” While that’s a bit ambitious—no matter how great a site’s user interface is, it won’t negate the slow, bureaucratic process of urban planning approvals—the site does proposal a straightforward way to build awareness about a project and get it funded.

 

Rethink, respect water and there will be plenty, author says

Read the full post at Great Lakes Echo.

Author Charles Fishman remembers when bottled water was sold only for use in steam irons.

“When I was young, they sold a gallon of water in the laundry aisle … that’s it,” said Fishman, who is 51 years old. “And it was covered in dust and no one ever bought it.”

Things have changed. Bottled water has lined store shelves and checkout counters for decades now.

But it was an exotic, upscale brand that caught Fishman’s attention about five years ago – Fiji Water.

Fishman traveled to Fiji – the water is actually from Fiji – to the bottled water maker for an article he was writing for Fast Company magazine. He also went to San Pellegrino. And Poland Springs.

The trips became the impetus for his new book, The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water, which goes beyond bottled water and examines humans’ relationship to the resource.

 

Going green pays off for Vancouver print firm

Read the full story in the Vancouver Sun.

Nikos Kallas believes green is the printing industry’s most striking colour.

The president of Vancouver’s family-owned MET Fine Printers has been a longtime believer that a zero-waste policy, including environmentally friendly inks and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-approved paper, is not only right but profitable.