Rethos.com - focusthenation's Global Feed

ChicoBag founder Andy Keller on landfills, Bikram Yoga and his beef with plastic

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:32:45 -0400

There is no shortage of entrepreneurs inspired by the movie Wall Street or the stories of Sam Walton or Steve Jobs. I recently had the opportunity to interview Andy Keller, whose inspiration is a little more, shall we say, down to Earth.

CA -- Tell us about the origins of ChicoBag.

AK -- I used to sell software for an enterprise software company down in the Bay Area. I ended up getting laid off when the company was bought out by a company in the UK. The community and lifestyle in Chico (California) really appealed to me, so it was important...

Treehuggers to descend on Montreal

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:43:44 -0400

More than 165 exhibitors and 35,000 visitors are expected to descend on Montreal's Old Port for three days beginning June 13th, to share ideas about living more sustainably.

The "Salon national de l'environnement" (SNE) was developed out of a citizens’ initiative in 2006. The event looks at the current challenges to the environment and offers visitors concrete solutions. The event describes as its objective "to make visitors aware of today’s environmental challenges, while proposing solutions and tools for people to have a better understanding and to encourage beha...

Quebec and Ontario showing leadership with cap-and-trade program

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:47:50 -0400

The provinces of Quebec and Ontario have shown great leadership by working together to institute a bilateral "cap-and-trade" system in an attempt to curb green house gas emissions. When the Canadian federal government is dragging its heels on what most consider the most important issue curretnly facing humanity, bilateral initiatives between provinces or municipalities makes a good deal of sense.

This kind of autonomy and leadership at the provincial level is refreshing. A similar dynamic has existed for many years in the U.S., where despite an administration nearl...

What Gets Seventh Generationâ€™s â€œDirector of Corporate Consciousnessâ€ Out of Bed in the Morning?

Tue, 27 May 2008 10:41:01 -0400

What Gets Seventh Generation’s “Director of Corporate Consciousness” Out of Bed in the Morning?

An exclusive interview with Gregor Barnum, senior executive of Vermont-based Seventh Generation, one of the sustainability movement’s most innovative companies.

By Alex Salzman
May 19, 2008

Don’t let the altruistic job title fool you – Gregor Barnum and his cohorts at Seventh Generation are relentlessly pragmatic about building a sustainable company. I recently caught up with Barnum, who is part ethics s...

Justin Nozuka helps give voice to socially conscious youth

Wed, 21 May 2008 16:12:42 -0400

Singer/Songwriter, Justin Nozuka helps provide voice to socially conscious youth. Visit www.milliondollaryouth.ca for more information.

Ally Request - Raging Bull

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:47:12 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Chris Advansun

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:29:01 -0500

Youth Rising Los Angeles Summit

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:03:22 -0500

Evening event as well! A fundraiser for the youth projects created during the day...

Facebook Underutilized as a Tool Kit for Activism

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 04:35:57 -0500

Despite Facebook’s vast, international audience and best-of-breed viral features, the site has yet to realize its potential to advance social change. My two co-founders and I conceived of Rethos.com out of criticism of the landscape of mainstream social networking websites and their apparent obsession with superficial content. Indeed, it remains doubtful that Facebook’s 60+ million members are going to super-poke their way to a more just and sustainable world.

But the...

Doing Philanthropy the Google Way

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:27:07 -0500

This is a great article about the changing landscape of philanthropy. As it has the worlds of search, advertising and online media, Google is disrupting and evolving the nature of corporate philanthropy by taking an entrepreneurial approach as opposed to a charitable approach to solving societal problems. Says Susan Raymond, senior managing director for research and chief analyst at OnPhilanthropy, about Google.org and its new, entrepreneurial attitude towards philanthropy: “Instead of just giving a man a fish, or even teaching him to fish, a social entrepreneur would invest in hi...

YouthNoise Summit Tour

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:56:40 -0500

An opportunity for young people- high school and college.

We partner with local organizations that work with youth, the arts, media, social justice issues, etc. Let us know if you want to partner in your area!!

Working to GREEN our summits as well. Suggestions and ideas are welcomed.

Summit Description:

This summit isn’t your average summit. NO LECTURES. NO PANELS. NO EXPERTS TELLING YOU WHAT’S RIGHT AND WRONG; IT&rs...

Making School a Sanctuary

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:18:52 -0400

Violence rose last year in a third of Chicago schools, a Catalyst Chicago analysis finds. Mikva Challenge students and others say the district needs strategies to head off conflict, not more metal detectors and security guards.

by Sarah Karp October, 2007

Can Well-Being Be Measured?

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:53:56 -0400

July 18, 2007

Our stereotypes of wealth and poverty develop at a young age, and are deeply entrenched in our minds. Roughly speaking, to be wealthy is to have more resources, which it to enjoy a higher quality of life. To be wealthy is to be well. To be poor, on the other hand, is to lack, which is to do, well…poorly. Generally speaking, most would agree that they are better off having more as opposed to less.

But sometimes more evolved cultural values emerge from poverty. In the poorest regions of the world, members of communities are often more interdependent,...

Ponderings on Michael Mooreâ€™s Latest Offering

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:49:42 -0400

July 06, 2007

As someone deeply interested in marketing, communications and social activism, I have long been intrigued by the works of Michael Moore. Earlier this week, I had the occasion to check out his latest offering, Sicko, while visiting my hometown of London, Ontario, a city that happens to be featured in the film. As his audience has come to expect, Sicko exhibits Mooreâ€™s savvy in satire, stunt and shock, this time taking aim at the health care system in the United States. Few would take issue with the central thesis underlying Sicko: the United States must immediate...