Retail Activism

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:26:58 -0400

Last night I was pleased to see the “Retail Activist” tote bag in the window of my local Housing Works Thrift Shop. I am on the board of directors of the shops, a not for profit agency which provides a variety of services for the homeless /AIDS population in New York City and beyond. We raise money by operating over half a dozen thrift stores in New York. Primarily the money comes from the sale of donated goods.

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...

Not Your Average Lunch Lady

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:59:22 -0400

Here's a piece I wrote with Pamela Enz:

I’m a public school kid, a “Cement Baby,” Brooklyn born and raised. I was a late comer to school lunch though, always being sent off with a brown bag or more likely running home for lunch since I lived close to my school, could see it in fact from my bedroom window. It was that kind of neighborhood, a thorough network of moms, friends, front stoops and kitchen tables.

New comment! - More At Stake than the Gold

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:16:11 -0400

At the heart of any of the Olympic protests, I believe, is the contrast between the feelings of unity and harmony that the games are supposed to promote, and the cold hard truth about the way many people and countries operate. Having a country like China host these "world games" is an oxymoron, because their government does not practice unity, or acceptance. It seems there will always be this divide, at least as long as the world continues to operate as it does. Where can the line be drawn?? It is up for us as world citizens to decide... and to speak out when we see injustice. We are...

Ally Request - Anna Miller

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:11:37 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Anna Miller

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:29:15 -0400

New comment! - More At Stake than the Gold

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:00:46 -0400

The "boycott" was created as an active protest against immoral practices, usually corporate, but not exclusively. In this light, protesting China's role as host of the Olympics definitely qualifies as a bonafide boycott fueled by rational considerations... If this were not the Olympic year, the ceremonies and competitions could have conceivably taken place in another country... Now that the time is here, it's impossible to change the venue, unfotunately for the athletes who are competing in the most important games of their lives! In principle I agree with the mood to boycott China for ...

New comment! - More At Stake than the Gold

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:00:45 -0400

Denise, Good questions and a great prompt for discussion. My thoughts on world unity are nuanced. I believe that humans have the potential to achieve world peace - but then again, potential is only so good as it is capitalized on, and whether there is a realistic possibility for world peace is another question all together. However, we must strive so long as there is any hope at all, as daunting as the task may seem. Thanks again for the piece. What do other people think about world unity and the Olympic boycott more specifically? Eli

They don't get it -Finally!

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:56:15 -0400

The most exciting thing about the current Presidential election cycle is not the prospect of a Bush-free white house, although that certainly has its charms. Rather what edifies the soul lately is the rapidly diminishing role the mainstream media is playing in dictating the discussion. Time and again we have seen how the bloviators, pundits and talking heads have gotten it wrong – from Hilary’s New Hampshire upset, to Obama’s certain demise at the hands of his Pastor, to Giu...

Unholy Children

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 03:49:39 -0400

Enter Message / description of files attached:

Cuban Relations

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:23:44 -0400

In January of 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba after leading a revolution against the United States backed Dictator Fulgencio Batista. Castro quickly established a one party socialist style economy in Cuba. Next, he sought to build international relations with powerful countries in order to improve Cuba. Castro first turned to United States for assistance but the United States rejected any relations because of the paranoia fear of Communism in the United States. Cuba then looked to the United States greatest rival at the time, the Soviet Union.<...

Alliance Accepted! - Nour

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:05:58 -0500

New comment! - This Election is Brought To You By the Letter â€œOâ€

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:37:03 -0500

I would be interested to compare his polling numbers among white women before and after the Oprah endorsement...great piece!

New comment! - Superbowl Advertisements Pricetag Could Feed Small Country

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:10:22 -0500

While competition in the marketing place is positive, the inefficiency of advertising, especially that which cancels out against competing is significant. I have been thinking about this issue for sometime, and see cause related marketing and other models of receiving corporate recognition for socially beneficial innovation as a great solution.

New comment! - Superbowl Advertisements Pricetag Could Feed Small Country

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 18:13:07 -0500

Denise, I am with you that the ads are WAY overrated. Some of them were horribly distasteful and downright ignorant too. The amount of money spent, and number of hours watched, says a lot about our culture. I won't lie tho: I do look forward to funny ads... Eli

New comment! - Hollywood â€“ A National Phenomenon

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:18:46 -0500

As I see it, Hollywood is a comfortable extention of American apathy. As much as i wish it didn't eat up peoples' brains, I don't think we will ever throw it off. It would just be too uncomfortable for most.

Alliance Accepted! - DanRose

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:50:54 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Matthew Aquilone

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:23:12 -0500

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:45:36 -0500

Akeeba,

When you joined Rethos, you brought with you some great writings that produced interesting insights and asked important questions. Your presence in the community will be missed.

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:03:49 -0500

Chris, quite honestly, your response demonstrates, to me, a general misunderstanding of the meaning of community and community-based economics. I’m not creating new content for Rethos.com at this time as I’m going to wait for social networking sites and technology that have community-based decision-making built into them (click here for an example). None of the other owners responded, that I know of, so I take that to mean your words represent them. Your reliance on the logic that “this is what other social networking si...

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:15:19 -0500

Hi Akeeba,

Iâ€™m sorry for the delay in getting back to you. As you may have noticed, weâ€™ve been working hard during the past several weeks to deploy some new features to Rethos. Due to that and some other initiatives, Iâ€™ve been focusing more on the back end of the website and spending much less time that I would like engaged in the communityâ€™s activity.

Firstly, your questions are valid and we thank you for taking the time to raise them. Responding to them gives us a chance to broaden membersâ€™ understanding of Rethos, its mission and where it is heading. ...

Opportunity for Webmasters and Bloggers! FREE USE OF WEBSITES

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:32:14 -0500

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

My gift to you this season are some of the valuable Sustainability-related domains I’ve collected over the years.

All I ask in return is that you design a really cool site that gets people involved, spreads the Sustainability Symbol around the world and brings attention to at least one of the Climate Change related projects we’re working on (Like “STOP the GLOFs”) The rest will be up to you.

Almost one year ago we introduced the 3 Finger Sustainability Symbol (Peace Plus One) to the HK Environ...

New comment! - The Millennialâ€™s - Generation Y Not?

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:53:04 -0500

Hi Denise, I’m a baby boomer and both my children are Millennials. I am thrilled to find your blog posting! I also want to invite you to view a couple of posts on my blog, Hard Rock Philanthropy, that you might find of interest:

http://hardrockphilanthropy.blogspot.com/2007/05/16-year-old-girl-scout-teaches.html

http://hardrockphilanthropy.blogspot.com/2007/04/boomer-legacy.html

I look forward to reading more of your posts!

Richard

Alliance Accepted! - Hard Rock Philanthropy

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:32:25 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Evan

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:47:18 -0500

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:40:25 -0500

I appreciate the responses and the pledge to be more open from Chris. Thank you.

1) Can you explain why the following is in the privacy policy:

“We use the information that you provide for the following general purposes: to fulfill your requests for certain services offered through the Site, to contact you, and to provide our corporate and non-profit partners with access to your our communityâ€™s opinions and preferences to forward the rethos mission.”

“We also may use or share with third parties for any purpose aggregated data that contai...

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:16:31 -0500

We recently updated this posting to respond directly to concerns about privacy. The following is the new section we added that addresses concerns raised by Kiadso and Akeeba:

Does Rethos sell its membersâ€™ personal information?

A member has recently voiced concerns about Rethosâ€™ privacy policy. We wish to clarify that we do not sell our membershipâ€™s personal information and have no intention of ever doing so. We believe that this would be a deeply cynical move, and would totally fly in the face of Rethosâ€™ mission.

Moreover, we have never aske...

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:00:20 -0500

I agree that privacy and handling of personal information is a major issue that has been raised on this thread. Just today, there was an Associated Press story about Facebook’s “Beacon,” and the controversy surrounding this application’s disclosure of user information.

When I signed up as a rethos member I didn’t give the site any personal information, other than what is on my profile, which is also public and available for anyone to see. I’m not worried about my personal information because I haven’t disclosed any. A web site can’...

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:09:51 -0500

My problem with Rethos is not that they’re making money. It’s the lack of transparency. I believe it’s perfectly ok to make money, but not by deceiving people. There were lots of questions asked in these threads, only a few of which were answered. One of the most straightforward questions is still unanswered: what exactly is being done with our information? The privacy policy is vague. It’s a fair question that deserves more than a little teasing about possible attendance at a Rainbow Gathering or accusations of distrust.

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:58:28 -0500

I can speak briefly here. My name is Jason Boyer and I helped Alex with some PR when the site was still relatively new and have occasionally participated in discussions regarding Rethos.com potential outcomes. One thing that come out of our initial discussions is the phrase under Rethos; “A PLATFORM for change”. Firstly indicated here is that this is only a platform (i know a play on words). Secondly is that change is needed. Alex is a graduate from Princeton University with a focus on economics. I’d hoped that he would be more clear with ever...

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:57:53 -0500

Thank you, Pablo, Alex, and Chris for posting this explanation. Your play on words (company, corporation, business) reminds me of a few discussions regarding Thanksgiving and White Supremacy I had lately. Also, I’m disappointed that you all didn’t address more details regarding what Rethos.com is doing with the information gained from the site and whether or not it’s being sold.

“Companies that are community members, like organizations (or rich individuals), can in addition sponsor content and or functionality that contribute to the user experience of ...

New comment! - Flooding Our Parched Earth

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:25:34 -0500

â€œWhere is the life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?â€

Brilliant!

New comment! - Censored News: Whatâ€™s Happening in Iraq Besides the War

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:57:39 -0500

Any more sources, or direct link to this topic?

Ally Request - Micah Day

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 20:16:29 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Adam Sando

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 20:15:35 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Technology For People Group Inc.

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:37:22 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Polina Malamud

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:45:49 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Michael Johnson-Chase

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:45:45 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Benjamin Ackerman

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:45:42 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Philip McMaster

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:45:36 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Chris Advansun

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:16:47 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - JAM

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 22:21:37 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Frank Miller

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:11:26 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Bill Landis

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 01:29:39 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Patrick Scott

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 06:47:17 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Kristen Fields

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:14:29 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Greg H

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:13:22 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Nelly Bassily

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 11:43:26 -0400

Ally Request - Lesley Schuster

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:31:03 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Krista White

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 01:24:15 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Jennifer McRae

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:05:22 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Alec Henderson

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:27:42 -0400

Please come to Los angeles for Darfur Rally

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 21:07:10 -0400

Monday October 15 in Downtown LA 12 noon!!!

Help to stop American Investment in Darfur! Join me in downtown Los Angeles for a rally!

Click here to sign up

Write/Draw for rethos!

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 18:39:28 -0400

Friends, We are in the process of starting a new project at rethos dedicated to citizen journalism and creative expression. We want rethos to become a organic media channel with a focus on promoting positive social change throughout the world. If you are interested in learning more about this new venture, please send an email to eli@rethos.com. We need people who are ready to start doing freelance work right away, so please take advantage of this unique opportunity!

Eli http://www.rethos.com/eli

Are you a great designer, or translator?

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:15:45 -0400

We are in the process of translating the word/concepts/phrase of

1. SOCIETY

2. ENVIRONMENT

3. ECONOMY

... into the languages of the world, and adapting the different ways of writing to the three fingered hand symbol.

You can see a sample of the Sustainability Symbol in Chinese script on this message.

Your name will be forever associated with the chosen modification of the symbol that represents “Society, Environment, Economy” in your lingui...

Convert website into something attractive

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:51:00 -0400

The three finger Sustainability Symbol is beginning to attract attention on and off the internet. This is a double-edged sword.

On one hand, more and more people are learning about the campaign (personally passing it along from one individual to another),

on the other hand, our website stinks.

It’s homemade, and as you will see, I’m no web designer!

If there are any talented web designers out there in the Rethosarian community, please have a look at www.DragonTHINK.com and make a suggestion of how we could use some of the existing conte...

Alliance Accepted! - Elias Feghali

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:43:37 -0400

Ally Request - World Wildlife Fund

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:27:41 -0400

Rethos journalist visionary wanted!

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:24:52 -0400

The beta version of rethos.com has just launched, and social venture is currently seeking to recruit journalists to contribute compelling content to the rethos platform. If you are an accomplished journalist, freelance writer, or want to become one, rethos invites you to have a profile in the community and offer reports and opinions on you issues of your passion â€“ these will serve as the anchors of rethos discussions and debates.

Experience/Skills Required:

- Experience in writing journalistic content

- A passion for the rethos mission

- A profes...

Rethos.com - dday's Global Feed

Alliance Accepted! - Steven Shoppman

Retail Activism

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

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

Not Your Average Lunch Lady

New comment! - More At Stake than the Gold

Ally Request - Anna Miller

Alliance Accepted! - Anna Miller

New comment! - More At Stake than the Gold

New comment! - More At Stake than the Gold

They don't get it -Finally!

Unholy Children

Cuban Relations

Alliance Accepted! - Nour

New comment! - This Election is Brought To You By the Letter â€œOâ€

New comment! - Superbowl Advertisements Pricetag Could Feed Small Country

New comment! - Superbowl Advertisements Pricetag Could Feed Small Country

New comment! - Hollywood â€“ A National Phenomenon

Alliance Accepted! - DanRose

Alliance Accepted! - Matthew Aquilone

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

Opportunity for Webmasters and Bloggers! FREE USE OF WEBSITES

New comment! - The Millennialâ€™s - Generation Y Not?

Alliance Accepted! - Hard Rock Philanthropy

Alliance Accepted! - Evan

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

New comment - Businesses, Corporations and Companies in the Rethos Community

New comment! - Flooding Our Parched Earth

New comment! - Censored News: Whatâ€™s Happening in Iraq Besides the War

Ally Request - Micah Day

Alliance Accepted! - Adam Sando

Alliance Accepted! - Technology For People Group Inc.

Alliance Accepted! - Polina Malamud

Alliance Accepted! - Michael Johnson-Chase

Alliance Accepted! - Benjamin Ackerman

Alliance Accepted! - Philip McMaster

Alliance Accepted! - Chris Advansun

Alliance Accepted! - JAM

Alliance Accepted! - Frank Miller

Alliance Accepted! - Bill Landis

Alliance Accepted! - Patrick Scott

Alliance Accepted! - Kristen Fields

Alliance Accepted! - Greg H

Alliance Accepted! - Nelly Bassily

Ally Request - Lesley Schuster

Alliance Accepted! - Krista White

Alliance Accepted! - Jennifer McRae

Alliance Accepted! - Alec Henderson

Please come to Los angeles for Darfur Rally

Write/Draw for rethos!

Are you a great designer, or translator?

Convert website into something attractive

Alliance Accepted! - Elias Feghali

Ally Request - World Wildlife Fund

Rethos journalist visionary wanted!

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

New comment! - This Election is Brought To You By the Letter â€œOâ€