Yellow Boat Social Entrepreneurism

http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/05/15/new-api-helps-satisfy-the-nations-app-etite-for-farmers-markets/

 

The new Farmers Market Directory API (Application Programming Interface) released today will give app developers and designers direct access to the wealth of farmers market information housed in the online database. The directory receives nearly 2 million page views per year and is one of the USDA’s most popular consumer search engines. With over 7,800 farmers market listings available for all 50 states, apps and websites that previously relied on a download or export of the data set will now be able to make direct calls to the directory.  This means that apps developed with the new API will be able to give foodies and farmers market lovers everywhere more accurate and up-to-date information.

http://gsky.com/projects/amex-lounge-at-mccarran-airport/

 

more details at 

http://www.prweb.com/releases/GSky_Plant_Systems/Living_Green_Wall/prweb10663184.htm
GSky Living Green Wall Offers Escape for Travelers Inside American Express Centurion Lounge at McCarran International Airport

A Living Green Wall designed by GSky Plant Systems, Inc now adorns the American Express Centurion Lounge at MCarran International Airport. The newly installed wall, which spans 150 square feet, houses 735 plants made up of seven different species

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sunwater-affordable-solar-powered-pumps-for-poor-farmers/x/519136

 

Paul Polak and his team in conjunction with volunteers from Ball Aerospace have developed a revolutionary technology that harnesses sunlight to irrigate crops in rural villages in a sustainable, affordable way.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zester-daily/how-food-danielle-nierenberg_b_3220656.html

 

People around the world seem to be far more aware of the issue of food quality and food security. What has caused this awakening?

I think that since the food and economic crisis began in 2007 and 2008 there's a growing movement around how not just to feed people, but nourish them. Most of the investment in agriculture is on starchy staple crops and less has been invested in leguminous crops, protein-rich grains or indigenous vegetables. These are crops that are not only more nutritious, but tend to be resistant to drought, disease, pests, high temperatures, etc.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681863/find-a-free-desk-in-someones-office-and-feel-more-creative

 

Combining interesting freelancers with established companies can result in collaborative experiences no one would have imagined.

 

see also http://openstudioclub.com/free-desk-here

 

Open Studio Club is a free listing site for artists and designers to find affordable studio space.

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=364698650302757&set=a.364697010302921.1073741834.359446094161346&type=3&theater

 

from a media set at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.364697010302921.1073741834.359446094161346&type=1

 

Tommie Brown Academy received an aquaponics growing system as well as hands on educational experience from Inner City Aquaponics, a sustainable farming organization in Rossville. The installation was on Wednesday and combined aquaculture fish farming with strawberry plants grown hydroponically.

Tommie Brown kindergarten teacher Andria Powers organized the donation of the new system which will be used to engage students ages 4-6 in active learning about plant life cycles and how caring for plants helps the Earth and the important role that sustainable farming practices play.

 

 

http://www.walkermessenger.com/view/full_story/22273321/article-Rossville-aquaponics-farm-donates-systems-to-area-kindergarteners

 

Rossville aquaponics farm donates systems to area kindergarteners

When a first-year kindergarten teacher at Tommie Brown Academy in Chattanooga, contacted HATponics to see if she could bring her class to their aquaponic farm for a field trip, they told her they had a better idea: why not bring the aquaponics farm to the class....

source: http://www.walkermessenger.com/view/full_story/22273321/article-Rossville-aquaponics-farm-donates-systems-to-area-kindergarteners

http://www.businessinsider.com/zappos-new-downtown-las-vegas-office-2013-3

 

"We don't really telecommute at Zappos," Hsieh said. "We want employees to be interacting with each other, building those personal relationships and relationships outside of work as well."
The broader goal isn't just about the company, it's about the city. With his $350 million investment in Vegas, Hsieh's whole idea is to create a city as a startup.

http://la.streetsblog.org/2013/05/02/healthy-neighborhood-market-training-in-boyle-heights/

 

Last week, hosted in a small campus in Boyle Heights, the Healthy Neighborhood Market Network (HNMN) held a Neighborhood Market Training, an informative workshop program that helps our little corner markets put a focus on healthy foods from local farms for their customers. 

The plan is to put the fruits and vegetables in prominent views so that they stand out more than the Cheetos and Snickers. Also, they want to educate store owners on what good produce is so that they can pass it along to you.

The HNMN is a componet of the Community Market Conversion (CMC) program. The CMC program transforms convenience stores in neighborhoods with limited healthy food access in to good food community markets. They do this by providing technical, financial and community engagement resources.

http://grist.org/food/local-food-put-a-sticker-on-it

 

Chicago Grown and efforts like it are a natural next step for the “buy local” campaigns started in the ’90s. The early movement helped usher in the era of farmers markets, launch community supported agriculture operations (CSAs), and convince the nation’s gonzo chain grocery stores to stock their shelves with “local” products — but the definition of “local” varies. Now, a flurry of branding and rebranding efforts around the country is giving the eating public an easy way to tell exactly where its food comes from and who grew it.

These local branding efforts are “reweaving a community tapestry undone by industrial America,” says Phil Korman, executive director of the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Community Involved in Sustainable Agriculture (CISA), which in 1999 founded the groundbreaking “Local Hero” marketing campaign, with the trademarked “Be A Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown” label. “We are giving back respect to farmers and changing the culture of where we are as people.”

http://images.businessweek.com/photos/2013-05-16/how-to-farm-fish-in-the-nevada-desert#slide1

http://foodtank.org/news/2013/05/twenty-four-ted-talks-that-will-help-save-the-food-system

http://sustainableagriculture.net/our-work/local-food-bill/

 

 

How do we deliver healthcare, education, nutrition, financial inclusion and other social goods in a sustainable manner to the populations that need them most? As part of an anthology of essayspublished by McKinsey & Company in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Skoll World Forum, we asked over 25 of the world's leading thinkers, policymakers and entrepreneurs to share their views. +Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, believes we're on the verge of an emerging science of delivery.  +Tony Blair reveals three essential lessons about how to deliver real change in government.  +"If you’re reading this in the United States or the United Kingdom, then congratulations: you live in one of the unhealthiest nations in the world," declares Jamie Oliver.  

http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/big-city/133921/data-farming-demonstrating-benefits-urban-agriculture

 

Ensia ‏@ensiamedia

Data Farming: Demonstrating the Benefits of Urban Agriculture (infographic) http://soa.li/4a5tjUV ; #foodsecurity

http://hatponicsblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/stem-day-aquaponics-in-north-georgia-schools/

 

Our next stop was Rossville Elementary where an Aquaponics system now runs the entire length of the school cafeteria. Ryan presented the students with a lesson on sustainable growing practices and the importance of caring for our environment and we will return on Monday with plants and fish to make the system operational. The students expressed overwhelming enthusiasm at the idea of being able to watch their food grow in the same room they eat in every day. The clear majority preference of food to grow was strawberries, except for an adamant group of third graders who demanded basil, and one fifth grader who wanted to plant a fig tree.

http://blog.wikispaces.com/2013/04/announcing-wikispaces-classroom.html

 

We're pleased to announce Wikispaces Classroom, a brand new product designed exclusively for teachers and students. Over the years, we've distilled what we do and why we do it down to the one simple thing: help teachers help students. Wikispaces Classroom takes this to a new level by focusing on simplicity, engagement, and student outcomes.

http://www.coworking-news.de/2013/05/free-coworking-zappos-corporate-campus-in-september-2013-in-las-vegas/

 

Zappos, the online retailer is starting a free coworking space in its new corporate campus in downtown Las Vegas.  The idea is as follows:” WORK WITH STRANGERS, NOT YOUR COLLEAGUES” or “Zappos has more to learn from smart people outside the company than inside it.” That is provocative, but the trend is for everyone to see!!! Check the Free Coworking Map for more companies and coworking spaces that offer free coworking:

http://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/permaculture-take-eco-tourism via @SHFT Travel broadens the mind but comes with a carbon footprint. Sebastian visits an eco-retreat in Goa, India and finds a place that combines simple living, upcycling and green technologies with peace and beauty.