EVENT: Business Innovation to Fight Climate Change and Poverty, Dec 2nd 2009

While researching on corporate social responsibility some months ago, I stumbled upon Business Fights Poverty, a free network for professionals to exchange ideas on how to fight poverty through good business. Since joining the network, I have received many invites for events that I would love to attend. Unfortunately the majority of events are based in London. I am definitely entertaining the thought of coinciding my next trip to London with an upcoming event.

For those of you that live in London or happen to be in town on December 2nd, do take the opportunity to check out the following:

Location: Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London

Time: December 2, 2009 from 5pm to 6:30pm

Repost from events section: "The event will showcase leading climate-change impacting organizations that work in the global South such as Toyola (a manufacturer of carbon-efficient cookstoves in urban and rural Ghana) and Selco (a solar panel manufacturer for the rural poor in India). Climate-change innovations by leading businesses will be highlighted, such as Allianz whose micro-insurance products in health and life insurance have been proven to provide better post-emergency outcomes for the poor (such as post-tsunami and post-cyclone in India). Leading foundations, such as the Shell Foundation, will also share their climate-change practices in the global South that finance emerging environmentally-friendly businesses ranging from biofuels to carbon-efficient transport."

I am most interested in the microinsurance products and how effective they are in lifting and keeping the poor out of poverty. Though the other topics are just as interesting and I am curious to see how these products have impacted the business models. I would love to hear feedback if you attend. And if you cannot attend, do check out the website and sign up to be a member. You have nothing to lose and all the ideas to gain.

WEBSITE: United We Serve

President Obama is asking people across America to get involve in giving back to their communities. This website provides volunteer opportunities according to the location and type of work. It also has tools and a wealth of information for those who would like to start their own service project and/or event.

Check it out here: Serve.gov

WEBSITE: MIT OPEN COURSE WARE

Free course materials for a variety of topics from the Art of Rock Climbing to Information and Communication Technology in Africa. This is a great site for people who don't have the time or money to take courses, but wouldn't mind just learning on their own and at their own pace.

Having free access to learning materials that are typically taught in the undergraduate and graduate levels of universities would give others, who may not be able to afford to attend college to still learn on their own. This is also a great way to have an open discourse on course materials being taught among academia to improve and fine tune theirs.

Check it out here: MIT OPEN COURSEWARE

WEBSITE: Microfinance Gateway

Microfinance Gateway is one of the most comprehensive online resources relating to microfinance. The section that I check out most frequently is the Library. You can search for published reports on various microfinance topics and the reports can be downloaded free of charge.

Currently I am in the middle of reading Community Investment Fund: A Study in Andhra Pradesh. This report is of particular interest to me because the microhealth insurance NGO that I volunteered for is in Hyderabad, which happens to be A.P.'s capital. If you are the least bit curious about microfinance, I have no doubt that you will find something of interests in Microfinance Gateway.

EDUCATION: Free online course on Microfinance

My corporate volunteering project is coming to an end in Hyderabad, India. You always feel like you have all the time in the world to explore when you've arrived to some place new. And just when you start to scratch the surface, it is already time to say goodbye. During my very brief stay, I have been fortunate enough to meet a wide range of people that inspires. I am working to share their stories soon.

During my first week here, I was doing general research on microfinance and stumbled upon this great online course for microfinance. It is hosted by the Microfinance Centre for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States. The entire course is called "Foundations of Sustainable Microfinance", and it breaks down into 6 modules. I've completed the first three modules and found that they are very substantial compared to other microfinance online learning websites. If you are interested in microfinance, I highly recommend checking out the modules.

WEBSITE: DonorsChoose.org

Calling all public school teachers!

H and I are both proud products of the NYC public school system. So a site like DonorsChoose.org is near and dear to our hearts. Public school teachers go on the website with donation requests for equipments and/or materials not covered by the existing budget.

You can search through the different proposals by subject, grade level, and even school location. Each proposal page details its objective and clearly breaks down how much has been raised and how much more is needed. Very straightforward, and of course tax-deductible for you lovely donors.

Another interesting tidbit is that DonorsChoose hosts a competition called Blogger Challenge. Bloggers are invited to customize a "giving page" on the website that features their favorite projects. The "giving page" is then shared and their readers are encouraged to donate. Since October 2008, over $250,000 has been raised by readers alone! Quite impressive considering shape of the economy right now.

And while we are small potatoes compared to the heavy hitters (boingboing anyone?) of the blogosphere, H and I decided it might be fun to get some practice in for 2009. So watch out for Work Freely's "giving page"!

ARTICLE: Green Musician

Rocker Tankian is spreading a green message

System of a Down was one of my favorite bands back in college. As a Communication Studies major, I was able to combine my love of music and academic requirement to write a paper on the symbolism of SOAD's Choy Suey! video. It was then that I discovered the band's fierce political passion. SOAD's most noted efforts were to raise the awareness of Armenian Genocide and fight for its official recognition by governments worldwide.

Former lead singer Serj Tankian is still very much an activist since the infinite hiatus of the band in 2006. This article takes a look at his current work, specifically with the promotion of green issues.

As a sidenote, he has also formed a non-profit organization with Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine fame) called Axis of Justice. No doubt a cheeky take on President Bush's Axis of Evil. The organization's focus is on social justice and you can check out the site by clicking the logo below.