Rethos.com - workcabin'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...

New comment! - Go nuclear. Screw the spotted owl. Huh?

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:54:59 -0400

yeah, i saw that article yesterday. utterly retarded. but then Wired isn't a magazine marketed to people who generally have a deep understanding of ecology, it's marketed towards people who spend their lives drooling over whatever the latest and greatest techno-toy is. is it any wonder that their solution isn't to stop raping the planet but instead to engage in massive geo-engineering and (in their words) playing 'god'? brand new day, same old bullshit.

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...

New comment! - Job seekers recognizing importance of finding green workplace

Sat, 31 May 2008 17:56:53 -0400

Thanks for this piece! Calling attention to the need for green employment opportunities and to the need for an increasingly conscious workforce... is just what we need right now!! I just ended a long long work search, and endured a long period of unemployment without any benefits because I wanted more than just a paycheck. The position I waited for, even after finding it (the hiring process is painstaking and thoughtful, as it should be) has proven itself to be amazingly responsible about and responsive to... the environment, to issues of sustainability and fair trade, to a living wage f...

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...

Alliance Accepted! - Chris Advansun

Tue, 20 May 2008 12:37:11 -0400

Job seekers recognizing importance of finding green workplace

Sun, 11 May 2008 10:45:53 -0400

Beyond.com, Inc., the world’s largest network of specialty career communities, recently polled business professionals throughout its network of more than 15,000 sites to gauge how important it is for professionals to find an environmentally-friendly workplace for their next job.

More than 5,500 Beyond.com Network visitors responded to the recent poll question:
“How important is finding an environmentally-aware workplace for your next job?”

16% - required for my next job
19% - a deciding factor between two similar...

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...

Fish Farmings Growing Dangers

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:30:43 -0400

A few things to think about before you go for sushi tonight.

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...