Ah, the Bahamas.

So warm, so relaxing, so…. progressive?

Hey, I’m not just talking about their ever expanding drink menu, or the arguably the greatest invention ever – island time.  Nope, I’m talking about something even better, something that’s even got our environment-loving friends to the North beat, and it can be wrapped up in one word.

Sharks.

photo by Rob Stewart

No, really. It’s their sharks, or more importantly, the Bahamas approach to this long-feared fish of the deep that’s leaving countries around the world in its clear blue wake.

More specifically, it’s the July 2011 banning of shark fishing in the nation’s territorial waters that’s making everyone else look primitive in comparison.

What’s shark fishing anyway you wonder?

Feeding a Caribbean reef shark, Bahamas. Photo David Hannan.

Well, according to award-winning shark conservationist Rob Stewart, it involves the sale, import, and export of shark products that were acquired by fishing, most often Read more…

Nigeria is often a country that creates news because of its vast oil fields.  There have been countless negative effects from being one of the world’s largest oil producers.  Few Nigerians actually reap the benefits from being such an oil rich country while limitless violence and corruption haunts the Niger delta.

Last year I met Brittany Atchison in Rwanda.  After our human rights delegation in Kigali, she was going to Nigeria for nine months. I knew that she was going to learn and gain immeasurable life experiences but I didn’t know what a powerful impact she would have on the north-eastern community of Jalingo.

Brittany and her Nigerian counterparts, Hannatu Robinson and Yusuf Jatutu, with the assistance of a 20 year partnership between the Iowa United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church of Nigeria, started EmpowHER – a microfinance initiative that supports women to start their own businesses.

A little hope Read more…

According to several socioeconomic observations made by C.K. Prahalad and Stuart L. Hart, the real fortune for governments and companies to develop their services and products and to expand their prevalent businesses is at the bottom of the pyramid. But think about it – any big MNC would ponder twice before releasing a product for these ‘aspiring poor’, for the very reason that there is market uncertainty (because of the fluctuating wages of the poor).

Where’s the Growth?

Post-Cold War, what really happened is that the MNCs concluded through GDP, import and export trends that the emerging markets were China, India, Latin America, Soviet Union and their allies. They went ahead with the loaded idea that the middle-class consumers in these developing countries are the primary sources of business-return gold and market expansion. Of course, it was only obvious to think so, as the rich in the developed countries were only a Read more…

Imagine a normal day-in-life.

You probably wake up, get ready for work or school, you come home and do some chores around the house. Maybe you’ll hang out with friends in the evening or enjoy a night at home watching TV. As you reflect on your day, consider this—how much of your daily life somehow involves using the Internet?

Not Connected

You probably use the Internet throughout the day at work. For many it’s the first thing you do when you wake up. Now imagine your life without the Internet. Sound crazy? Well for many people—76% of the world’s population in fact—having no Internet access is a reality.

Two noteworthy organizations are hoping to change this fact. After all, the Internet has become indispensable not just in terms of making our lives easier, but for many developing countries, having Internet access can make the difference between a life of poverty and a life Read more…

What does climate change mean to you? In the UK it often feels like a series of scientific debates and middle class people wondering if we’ll have a thriving wine industry in 30 years.

For many children in the developing world, though, it means destruction, death, poverty and no chance to go to school. Climate change is happening now and it is the most vulnerable children in countries not responsible for messing with our climate that are paying the price.

UNICEF – Climate kid shows you how children will have to adapt if we do nothing.

The World’s governments know all about the challenge of climate change. At the Copenhagen climate conference in 2009 developed countries promised to raise an extra $100 billion a year by 2020 for developing countries for climate change. This money is to be evenly split between trying to prevent further rises in global temperatures and helping to adapt Read more…

A few months ago whilst catching up on the latest social media news I came across the “Social Good Summit” – an annual conference hosted by Mashable, 92nd Street Y, and the United Nations Foundation aimed at bringing together technologists, thought leaders and passionate activists to unlock the potential of new media and technology to make the world a better place.

Why not?

Since I was heading back to North America for a few months, and seeing that Ted Turner, Lance Armstrong and Doug Ulman were going to be amongst some of the notable speakers, I thought to myself, “Why not grab a couple of tickets and use this as a reason to visit New York?”.

Afterall, it’s an opportunity to connect with some amazing people and organizations involved in social good.

At first I thought it was just going to be a small event, however as the weeks rolled by more and more Read more…

In today’s time and age, there are countless social organizations that all tug at our heartstrings – how can we choose only a handful of charities when we’re pumped up and ready to save the world? It’s like going to a restaurant and choosing only one entree out of hundreds of other equally delectable dishes.

Well, fear not, those who are hungry for positive change: UNESCO (United Nations Educational and Scientific and Cultural Organization) is more like a buffet where you’re can find plenty of everything.

UNESCO is undoubtedly one of the largest charitable groups in the world, and no matter what your passion is, whether it’s marine preservation, sustainable education, or poverty eradication, this international mega-organization has it covered!

What Is UNESCO?

UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and has been active in perusing its missions since it was founded in 1945.

It covers five major fields of focus:

Read more…

The earthquake in Japan occurred months ago, but there are still many areas of the country that need support. Last month, American Express set out to reignite attention and support for the relief efforts by launching “Friends of Japan,” its first-ever global social media program on Facebook.

Friends of Japan is a social, word-of-mouth campaign that builds upon previous contributions and fundraising activities by Amex since the disaster struck.

The campaign encourages people from around the world to share messages of hope through the Amex Facebook page (facebook.com/americanexpressjapan). Visitors from around the world will receive a customized experience based on their location, as the “Friends of Japan” area on the page will be translated into Chinese, English, French, German, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.

Visitors can select one of four messages or create their own messages of hope for Japan, in the form of a virtual postcard. American Express will donate $1 for every Read more…