Skipso — Powering The Clean Revoluton

I was looking up some information on a client I may be doing a new web site for and found that one of the places they were listed was a site called skipso.com. This site is an excellent receptacle for a lot of things green. This site can help green businesses with access to information, investment assistance and promotion to a global marketplace.

Here’s what they say about themselves:

Skipso is an online platform and business to business marketplace entirely focused on sustainable innovation. 

Skipso leverages the power of the Internet to accelerate the Cleantech Revolution.

In particular, Skipso aims to:

• Accelerate innovation in clean technologies by creating an environment where ideas, best practices and opportunities can be exchanged
• Bridge the gap between industry and research institutions / academia by creating an alternative platform for collaboration and knowledge transfer
• Facilitate interaction and collaboration of talented individuals and experts worldwide, providing them with new professional opportunities and challenging projects to work on
• Support cleantech companies investing in innovation by giving them access to an expert community to outsource their R&D or sponsor cleantech innovation research
• Help entrepreneurs and innovators kick-start their projects by gaining easier access to capital & support services

National Geographic. The Gold Standard In Conservation Information

National Geographic is one of those institutions that seems to have been around forever. And regardless of their original motives, they have grown into  one of the most powerful pro-conservationist organizations in the world.

They tell amazing stories of the people and creatures that populate our planet and they have done more to inform the world of the fragility of the ecosystem that connects us all to each other and the earth.
Through their highly rated TV specials, IMAX movies, video sales and to a lesser extent, their monthly magazines, they are able to reach millions and millions of people around the world with what is a very positive message. They are truly an important part of the solution.

Their web site, like everything else they do, is strictly first class. Simple, elegant and straightforward and one of the sites I actually enjoy visiting on a regular basis.
Because it makes me feel more connected to the world at large.

For anyone who wants to stay informed about the world and all the truly important things that are going on it it, this site is a weekly must-visit.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com

Long Term Strategies Re The Gulf Oil Spill, Wall Street Stupidity Not Withstanding

The Gulf Oil spill is pretty much yesterday’s news now. Unfortunately the devastating effects of this ludicrous corporate blunder (BP, in case you forgot), will be with us for some time to come, as the people of the Gulf region try to put their lives back together.

I understand that there is a fund set up to compensate these people for the hardship that they are enduring. And that always seems to get a lot of play. BP runs corporate messages telling everybody who cares to listen that they will be there till every last drop of oil is cleaned and that’s all well and good too.

But the simple fact remains that the entire Gulf Region including the Mississippi Delta has been almost completely destroyed, along with the livlihoods off a great many of the people who live there.

The article linked here will help shed a great deal of light on what’s really needed in the Gulf region right now.

The first three paragraphs, are a little disturbing in that they very succinctly point out the abject ignorance of the certain members of the American financial establishment regarding some pretty basic environmental economics. But the rest of this article The Nature Conservancy’s blog, Cool Green Science, makes a hell of a lot of sense.

http://blog.nature.org/2010/11/gulf-mexico-conservation-economics-jobs/

Is Our Future For The Birds?

A Murmuration of Starlings...stars of an amazing video.

I was just cruising through my tweets when I came upon a very interesting and mesmerizing video.

It’s a viral ad for a book called Macrowikinomics–Rebooting Business And The World by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams, the title of which is kind of self explanatory. A lot of people out there are taking a good hard look at our world and what we need to do to get things back on track.

The video itself is fascinating and one of the YouTube comments sums it up quote nicely. It’s from someone who signed, justorace.

“This video consolidates the one single theme that we, as humans, are faced with the capacity & enormous opportunity to connect and make changes and dynamically over come any political agenda and better yet to make the changes that we need to survive for another millennium!”

The video and the thesis presented by the video’s narrator are well worth paying attention to. For those of us who are making some sort of effort to change the world for the better, and more importantly for those who are looking for a place to start.

Being in advertising, I’ve developed a bit of an immunity to persuasion. But I think I’m going to go out and buy this book.

View the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLLz5Cdrjo8

Find out more about the book at http://www.macrowikinomics.com/

Thanks to Context Creative for hipping me to this info.

National Geographic. The Gold Standard In Conservation Information

National Geographic is one of those institutions that seems to have been around forever. And regardless of their original motives, they have grown into  one of the most powerful pro-conservationist organizations in the world.

They tell amazing stories of the people and creatures that populate our planet and they have done more to inform the world of the fragility of the ecosystem that connects us all to each other and the earth.

Through their highly rated TV specials, IMAX movies, video sales and to a lesser extent, their monthly magazines, they are able to reach millions and millions of people around the world with what is a very positive message. They are truly an important part of the solution.

Their web site, like everything else they do, is strictly first class. Simple, elegant and straightforward and one of the sites I actually enjoy visiting on a regular basis. Because it makes me feel more connected to the world at large.

For anyone who wants to stay informed about the world and all the truly important things that are going on it it, this site is a weekly must-visit.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com

All The (Green) News That’s Fit to Print (Post)

One of my principal sources for ideas for this blog come from twitter. I have three twitters that I keep going. These include:
http://twitter.com/OurGreenDirctry
http://twitter.com/BuyGreenTO

These two are for tweets related directed to Our Green Directory.

But I have another personal Twitter account (http://twitter.com/JMsJournal) that for some reason also manages to attract fair number of green organizations. Not sure why because most of the tweets I do from this location have to do with sports and entertainment.

Anyway, one of the most interesting green sites on personal twitter is called Green Energy News.

This  site is kind of, but not exclusively geared towards people who are interested in investing in green technology or products and covers off a number of popular areas of the green business world.

I’d encourage you to check out the site and follow them on Twitter. You can find them at:

http://www.renewable-energy-news.info

The Solar Energy Picture Just Gets Brighter & Brighter.

It would appear that the corporate world is finally waking up to the reality that solar energy is going to play a big part in our future. Granted these are corporations who make any or all of the components to make solar energy happen but hey. The Solar world is one that doesn’t involve the utility companies. And that’s just fine with…well everybody.

One of the better sites for information on the progress of the solar revolution is Greentech Solar, which is a part of the Greentech Media Empire. (Nice to have an empire that starts with Green). http://www.greentechmedia.com/channel/solar

Their blog has lots of really good info on solar energy. Getting familiar with solar is the first step in one of the big changes we all have to make in terms of energy consumption. And the more you learn about alternative energy the more you start to see that the world really is changing and that change is being led by corporations from all sectors. Sure, there’s a profit motive involved, but there’s also an overriding, and it would appear genuine, concern for the future of our planet.

Here’s a link to a recent solar article on Greentech’s blog: http://bit.ly/a4VUis

The Canadian Water Summit — Dive Into It!

If you’re concerned at all about the sustainability challenges facing one of Canada’s most plentiful resources, then this is an event you should be attending.

It’s The Canadian Water Summit and it takes place at the International Centre on Airport Road on June 17th.

By framing global water sustainability challenges in a uniquely Canadian context, the 2010 Canadian Water Summit will empower you to:

• Build a stronger understanding of the important linkages between water and critical business issues like energy, climate change, corporate risk, and sustainability strategy.

• Access a first-rate forum for exploring strategies to meet our regional and global water sustainability challenges.

• Share perspectives and expertise on the latest issues, best practices, technology and policies driving the water agenda.

• Foster collaborative working relationships aimed at realizing your projects and Canada’s potential to become a leader in delivering 21st century water solutions.

Confirmed Speakers include:

Wayne Galliher, Water Conservation Project Manager, Waterworks Division, Environmental Services, City of Guelph

Nicholas Parker, Executive Chairman, Cleantech Group LLC

Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Assistant Professor, Aboriginal Studies, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto

Opening Keynote Speaker: The Honourable John Milloy, Ontario Minister of Research
and Innovation

For more info:  http://www.watersummit.ca/