Visva-Bharati University (INDIA) is a Central University for research and teaching in India, located in the twin towns of Santiniketan and Sriniketan in the state of West Bengal. It was founded in the 1921 by Rabindranath Tagore, the famous indian poet, who called it Visva Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India: Today is a very important university that seeks to combine the Indian culture with the world economy: many famous economists, politicians and artists studied in the Visva-Bharati University. www.visva-bharati.ac.in
Montessori education (IT) is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori. Montessori education is practiced in an estimated 20,000 schools worldwide, serving children from birth to eighteen years old. Montessori education is characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development, as well as technological advancements in society. www.montessori-ami.org
The Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking at the University of Malta offers a range of programs and events to University students and to the general public in an attempt to emphasize the transfer of skills and knowledge, the ability to adapt to new contexts and the importance of creativity, innovation management, foresight and entrepreneurship to increase competitive advantage at an organizational. www.um.edu.mt
Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Education Department (IT), set up in 1984 and in conformity with the mission of the Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, promotes and spreads awareness of contemporary art and culture inside and outside the Museum. The programmes are aimed at schools, institutions involved in education, the training, cultural and promotional sector and to families and the public generally. The methodological, conceptual and operative framework conforms to the inspiring principle of Educating towards art with art and takes material form in methods that turn the spectator into a protagonist: the encounter with art inside and outside the Museum translates awareness into a genuine life experience. The innumerable activities, in line with national and international standards, are inspired by principles of lifelong learning, peer education and total accessibility for the disabled. Thanks to its experimental and research activity, the Education Department has highlighted the importance of education in art within society, obtaining recognition and national and international awards, including the Rivoli Prize from the Rotary Club in 2010 and the Minimum Prize in 2009, awarded by the Cittadellarte Fondazione Pistoletto. Since 2011, the Education Department has also obtained accreditation from the MIUR – Ministero dell’Istruzione, Università e Ricerca (Ministry for Education, Universities and Research) as a training facility for school teachers. www.castellodirivoli.org
MAXXI Education Department (IT): with the objective of making the museum a familiar and dynamic space, a place for meeting as well as learning, the MAXXI Education Department proposes a diversified programme of didactic activities. Designed for audiences of different ages and requirements, from the youngest to the eldest, from the merely curious to experts in the sector, the museum intends to provide the necessary tools for active and participatory interpretation of contemporary themes. www.fondazionemaxxi.it
Philadelphia Museum of Art -  Education Department (USA): the Division of Education of the Philadelphia Museum of Art relates, through interpretation, the Museum’s collections and its commitment to their preservation, study and display, to the needs and interests of a diverse audience. The department has developed nationally and internationally recognized programs for children, families, teachers, adult learners, and special audiences alike. www.philamuseum.org
Emilia Romagna nursery system (IT): Reggio Emilia, thanks to its over 80 educational services aimed at children from 0 to 5, manages to keep short the lists of children waiting for a nursery or kindergarten placement. The pedagogical model of Reggio structures, all provided with ateliers, real doing and thinking places, accomodates children who colour, mould, build their ideas, and changes with the changing world. Rudolf Steiner School Every lesson at Steiner is guided by dynamic interplay between students and teachers. We believe strongly that young people are best served when their teachers' striving for truth and social justice is worthy of emulation.  Through the practice of Waldorf education, our teachers open the students’ eyes to the world around them with ever-deepening levels of sophistication. Whether in science or math, language arts or history, sports or art, our aim is to inspire mastery, compassion, and self-confidence. Because learning at our school is a joyous activity, our students carry a passion for it throughout their lives. www.steiner.edu
Rudolf Steiner School: Every lesson at Steiner is guided by dynamic interplay between students and teachers. We believe strongly that young people are best served when their teachers' striving for truth and social justice is worthy of emulation.  Through the practice of Waldorf education, our teachers open the students’ eyes to the world around them with ever-deepening levels of sophistication. Whether in science or math, language arts or history, sports or art, our aim is to inspire mastery, compassion, and self-confidence. Because learning at our school is a joyous activity, our students carry a passion for it throughout their lives. www.steiner.edu

Bait al KARAMA (PALESTINE) is the first Women’s Centre in the heart of the Old City of Nablus, and aspires to combine a culinary social enterprise with activities of art and culture, run entirely by women. Bait al KARAMA is the first Slow Food Convivium in Nablus. Bait al KARAMA foresees the establishment of a social-cultural centre run by women and managed according to a social enterprise business model, where food-related activities is the vehicle to develop regular income for the women involved as well as the mean to sustain a social and cultural meaningful programme. http://baitalkarama.org
The University for Peace - UPEACE (COSTA RICA) was established in Costa Rica in 1980 "to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace and with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence." At present, the UPEACE Costa Rica campus has 192 students from 55 countries, making it one of the most diverse universities in the world for its size. The wider mission of the university should be seen in the context of the worldwide peace and security objectives of the United Nations. The central importance of education, training and research in all their aspects to build the foundations of peace and progress and to reduce the prejudice and hatred on which violence, conflict and terrorism are based is increasingly recognized. The Charter of the university calls for UPEACE "to contribute to the great universal task of educating for peace by engaging in teaching, research, post-graduate training and dissemination of knowledge fundamental to the full development of the human person and societies through the interdisciplinary study of all matters related to peace". www.upeace.org
Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations networked together in 92 countries, as part of a global movement for change, to build a future free from the injustice of poverty. www.oxfam.org
Fair trade (UK) is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to exporters as well as higher social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers, and gold. Fair trade is also associated with the trade justice movement, which advocates for fair trade public policies. www.fairtrade.org.uk
Emergency (IT) is a humanitarian NGO that provides emergency medical treatment to civilian victims of war, especially in relation to landmines. Emergency strives for neutrality in every war; its aim is to guarantee the right of free medical assistance to the population affected by a war. Emergency’s humanitarian projects usually involve construction, support, and operation of permanent hospitals. However, Emergency has also given short-term emergency assistance to existing hospitals in areas with a critical need for temporary care by providing specialized personnel, drugs or instruments. To date, more than 2.3 million people have received care fromEmergency health centers. www.emergency.it
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is the process established in 2003 to prevent "conflict diamonds" from entering the mainstream rough diamond market. "This process was not ideal, but they had to use what they had and make it that much more effective," said Matew Magawu, a member of Global Witness'. The KPCS was introduced by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/56 following recommendations in the Fowler Report. The process was It was set up "to ensure that diamond purchases were not financing violence by rebel movements and their allies seeking to undermine legitimate governments." http://en.wikipedia.org
Global Witness (UK/USA) is an international NGO established in 1993 that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide. Global Witness states that it does not have any political affiliation. In 2003 it was co-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for its work on conflict diamonds. www.globalwitness.org
The Clean Clothes Campaign (EU) is dedicated to improving working conditions and supporting the empowerment of workers in the global garment and sportswear industries. Since 1989, the CCC has worked to help ensure that the fundamental rights of workers are respected. We educate and mobilise consumers, lobby companies and governments, and offer direct solidarity support to workers as they fight for their rights and demand better working conditions. The Clean Clothes Campaign is an alliance of 200 organisations in 15 European countries. Members include trade unions and NGOs covering a broad spectrum of perspectives and interests, such as women’s rights, consumer advocacy and poverty reduction. www.cleanclothes.org
The Save the Children Fund (UK/USA), commonly known as Save the Children, is an internationally active non-governmental organization that promotes children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries. It was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 in order to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts. In addition to the UK organisation, there are 28 other national Save the Children organisations who are members of Save the Children International, a global network of nonprofit organisations supporting local partners in over 120 countries around the world. Save the Children promotes policy changes in order to gain more rights for young people especially by enforcing the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Alliance members coordinate emergency-relief efforts, helping to protect children from the effects of war and violence. www.savethechildren.org
The Peace People (N.IR) began in 1976 as a protest movement against the on-going violence in Northern Ireland. Its three founders were: Mairead Corrigan, Betty Williams and Ciaran McKeown. Over 100,000 people were involved in the initial movement and two of the founders, Mairead and Betty, received the Nobel Peace Prize for that year. Since its inception the organization has been committed to building a just and peaceful society through nonviolent means - a society based on respect for each individual and that has at its core the highest standards of human and civil rights. http://www.peacepeople.com/ 1 The International Campaign to Ban Landmines is a coalition of non-governmental organizations working for a world free of anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their rights respected and can lead fulfilling lives. The coalition was formed in 1992 when six groups with similar interests, including Human Rights Watch, Medico International, Handicap International, Physicians for Human Rights, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and the Mines Advisory Group, agreed to cooperate on their common goal. The campaign has since grown and spread to become a network of over 1,400 groups – including groups working on women, children, veterans, religious groups, the environment, human rights, arms control, peace and development—in over 90 countries, working locally, nationally and internationally to eradicate antipersonnel landmines. The campaign has found success in the Ottawa Treaty to ban landmines (1999), currently only two countries officially use landmines. http://en.wikipedia.org
The World Water Manifesto (PORTUGAL) was written in September 1998 in Lisbon by theInternational Committee for the World Water Contract chaired by Mario Soaresand created at the initiative of Riccardo Petrella. In 1998 took away the "international campaign for the World Water Contract. The manifesto is based on four key fundamental ideas: A) irreplaceable source of life, the water must be considered a shared asset of mankind and other living organisms. B) Access to water, drinking water in particular, is a human right and social limperative that should be guaranteed to all human beings regardless of race, age, gender, class, income, nationality, religion, local availability of fresh water. C) the funding necessary to ensure cost effective access to all human beings, insufficient quantity and quality of life, must be borne by society, according to the rules laid down by it, usually via taxation and other sources of public revenue .  D)The same applies to the service management of water (pumping, distribution, treatment) property management and services is a matter of democracy. It is basically a matter of citizens and not (only) of distributors and consumers. http://contrattoacqua.it
Amnesty International (UK), founded in 1961, is a global movement of more than 3 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. www.amnesty.org
Médecins Sans Frontières - MSF or Doctors Without Borders (CH), is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases The organization is known in most of the world by its French name or simply as MSF, but in Canada and the United States the name Doctors Without Borders is commonly used. In 2007 over 26,000, mostly local, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, logistical experts, water and sanitation engineers and administrators provided medical aid in over 60 countries. Private donors provide about 80% of the organization's funding, while governmental and corporate donations provide the rest, giving MSF an annual budget of approximately US$400 million. www.msf.org
Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace (LIBERIA) is a peace movement started by women in Liberia, Africa that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Organized by social worker Leymah Gbowee, the movement started with thousands local women praying and singing in a fish market daily for months.  The women of Liberia became a political force against violence and against their government. Their actions brought about an agreement during the stalled peace talks. As a result, the women were able to achieve peace in Liberia after a 14-year civil war and later helped bring to power the country's first female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. www.myhero.com
Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa A.C. (MEXICO) ("May our Daughters Return Home, Civil Association") is a non profit organization composed of mothers, family members, and friends of victims of the female homicides in Ciudad Juárez. The mothers claim that their cases have gone unsolved in some cases for over 12 years. Their hope is to get the murderers of their daughters arrested and hopefully convicted.The organization was co-founded by Norma Andrade, mother of Lilia Alejandra Garcia Andrade, who was kidnapped on February 14, 2001 and found dead 10 days later. The other founder is Marisela Ortiz Rivera, Lilia's teacher. Many of the victims have been poor working mothers employed in factories in Ciudad Juárez, which is located in the northwestern Mexican state of Chihuahua, and is located across the Rio Grande from the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas. Since 1993, female bodies have been found in the city, and most of the cases remain unsolved. The group's mission is to put pressure on the Mexican government to solve the murders. According to Amnesty International, as of February 2005 more than 600 bodies had been found and over 800 women were still missing. In November 2005, BBC News reported Mexico's human rights ombudsman José Luis Soberanes as saying that 28 women had been murdered so far in 2005. The group worked with filmmaker Zulma Aguiar for her documentary Juárez Mothers Fight Femicide, which came out in 2005. In January 2010 UK Television News programme Channel 4 News broadcast a report from Ciudad Juarez in which a young girl told how she had been abducted by a gang of men and forced into prostitution. She told the programmes reporter Nick Martin how she had witnessed girls being murdered by the gang and how children were abducted and sold to order to American citizens. The report was recognised by the Foreign Press Association as TV News Story of the Year in 2010 and prompted US Immigration & Customs Enforcement to launch a cross border investigation into the girls claims. http://en.wikipedia.org
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-International - CATW (USA) is a non-governmental organization that promotes women's human rights by working internationally to combat sexual exploitation in all its forms. Founded in 1988, CATW was the first international non-governmental organization to focus on human trafficking, especially sex trafficking of women and girls. CATW obtained Category II Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 1989. It is a fundamental human right to be free of sexual exploitation in all its forms. Women and girls have the right to sexual integrity and autonomy. CATW depends on donations and grants to continue its work around the world. www.catwinternational.org
The Global March Against Child Labour (INDIA) is a movement to mobilise worldwide efforts to protect and promote the rights of all children, especially the right to receive a free, meaningful education and to be free from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be harmful to the child's physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. The Global March movement began with a worldwide march when thousands of people marched together to jointly put forth the message against child labour. The march, which started on January 17, 1998, touched every corner of the globe, built immense awareness and led to high level of participation from the masses. This march finally culminated at the ILO Conference in Geneva. The voice of the marchers was heard and reflected in the draft of the ILO Convention against the worst forms of child labour. The following year, the Convention was unanimously adopted at the ILO Conference in Geneva. Today, with172 countries having ratified the convention so far, it has become the fastest ratified convention in the history of ILO. A large role in this was played by the Global March through our member partners. www.globalmarch.org
Coltan, short for columbite–tantalite and known industrially as tantalite, (CONGO/BE) is a dull black metallic ore from which the elements niobium (formerly "columbium") and tantalum are extracted. The niobium-dominant mineral in coltan is columbite, and the tantalum-dominant mineral is tantalite.Tantalum from coltan is used to manufacture tantalum capacitors, used in consumer electronics products such as mobile phones, DVD players,video game systems and computers. Coltan mining has been cited as helping to finance serious conflict, for example in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Tantalum-Niobium International Study Centre in Belgium, a country with traditionally close links to the Congo, has encouraged international buyers to avoid Congolese coltan on ethical grounds because the central African countries of Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and their neighbours used to be the source of significant tonnages. But civil war, plundering of national parks and exporting of minerals, diamonds and other natural resources to provide funding of militias has caused the Tantalum-Niobium International Study Center to call on its members to take care in obtaining their raw materials from lawful sources. Harm, or the threat of harm, to local people, wildlife or the environment is unacceptable. For economic rather than ethical reasons, a shift is also being seen from traditional sources such as Australia, towards new suppliers such as Egypt. This may have been brought about by the bankruptcy of the world's biggest supplier, Australia's Sons of Gwalia. The operations previously owned by Gwalia in Wodgina and Greenbushes continue to operate in some capacity. http://tanb.org   |   http://en.wikipedia.org
The Hungarian National Association of Radio Distress-Signalling and Infocommunications - RSOE (HUNGARY) operates Emergency and Disaster Information Service (EDIS) within the frame of its own website which has the objective to monitor and document all the events on the Earth which may cause disaster or emergency. The service is monitoring and processing several foreign organisation's data to get quick and certified information. The EDIS website operated together by the General-Directorate of National Disaster Management (OKF) and RSOE, in co-operation with the Crisis Management Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provides useful information regarding emergency situations and their prevention. Extraordinary events happening in Hungary, Europe and other areas of the World are being monitored in 24 hours per day. All events processed by RSOE EDIS are displayed near real time - for the sake of international compatibility - according to the CAP protocol on a secure website: https://hisz.rsoe.hu
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center - PTWC (USA) is one of two tsunami warning centers that are operated by NOAA in the United States. Headquartered in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, the PTWC is part of an international tsunami warning system (TWS) program and serves as the operational center for TWS of the Pacific issuing bulletins and warnings to participating members and other nations in the Pacific Ocean area of responsibility After the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, PTWC has extended its warning guidance to include the Indian Ocean, Caribbean and adjacent regions until regional capability is in place for these areas. These regional systems will form a global tsunami warning system once they are in operation. http://ptwc.weather.gov
The Convention on Biological Diversity - CBD, known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty. The Convention has three main goals: conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity), sustainable use of its components and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. 2010 was the International Year of Biodiversity. The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is the focal point for the International Year of Biodiversity. At the 2010 10th Conference of Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in October in Nagoya, Japan, the Nagoya Protocol was adopted. On 22 December 2010, the UN declared the period from 2011 to 2020 as the UN-Decade on Biodiversity. www.cbd.int
Not for sale campaign (USA) creates tools that engage business, government, and grassroots in order to incubate and grow social enterprises to benefit enslaved and vulnerable communities: the claim of the non-profit corporation TOGETHER, WE CAN END SLAVERY IN OUR LIFETIME. www.notforsalecampaign.org
The UN moratorium on the death penalty were two proposals by Italy and Chile supported by several countries and NGOs before the General Assembly of the United Nations that called for general suspension (not abolition) of capital punishment throughout the world. It calls on States that maintain the death penalty to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty with a view to abolition, and in the meantime, to restrict the number of offences which it punishes and to respect the rights of those on death row. It also calls on States that have abolished the death penalty not to reintroduce it.

The Technological Forecasting and Social Change (USA): a major forum for those wishing to deal directly with the methodology and practice of technological forecasting and future. Technological Forecasting and Social Change selects for publication articles that deal directly with the methodology and practice of technological forecasting as a planning tool, or the analysis of the interaction of technology with the social, behavioral and environmental aspects in integrative planning. Readability and good writing style are important criteria for publication. Content and presentation must meet the normal standards for scientific credibility and must be of scholarly caliber. Short research notes describing significant work in progress or posing problems for research are also invited. www.elsevier.com
Water4gas (USA) is a network for the popular application of the so called HHO technologies, which represent a possible new way for the car gas saving strategies , the CO2 reduction in the atmosphere and the energetic policies for the environment. www.water4gas.com
Eagle research (USA) is a team of independent researchers that deals with application of several technologies for the environmental-social betterment. Specialized on energy conservation and solutions, Eagle Research is a non-profit organization that develops and sells practical energy saving methods and devices. www.eagle-research.com
Boiron (FR) is a manufacturer of homeopathic products, headquartered in France and with an operating presence in 59 countries worldwide. It is the largest manufacturer of homeopathic products in the world. Boiron is currently the only company that deals with homeopathy at the level of mass consumption, and although the efficacy of homeopathy is controversial, the company's position is that it is an area where there is still much to be found. www.boiron.com
The ASE, Association for Social Economics, was founded in 1941 seeking to promote high quality research in the broadly defined area of social economics. Social economics is the study of the ethical and social causes and consequences of economic behavior, institutions, organizations, theory, and policy. The fields of research promoted by ASE include the mutual relationships among ethics, social values, concepts of social justice, and the social dimensions of economic life. Social Economics investigates the relationships between the economy and society. Social economists address such questions as: what economic conditions are requisite for a good society and how can they be achieved; how do social and moral values influence economic behavior; how does social interaction affect economic outcomes; what are the ethical implications of economic theory and policy; and how do different social institutions contribute to a sustainable, just, and efficient economy. www.socialeconomics.org
New Economics Institute (USA): the heart of the New Economics Institute’s strategy is collaboration. Presenting an academically and intellectually robust new economics will open to partnerships with mainstream businesses and financial services that are looking for ways to adapt to new economic mandates. It will bypass policy disputes between campaigning outsiders and innovative insiders by focusing on empirical solutions. The Massachusetts campus in the Berkshires includes an office, research library, and staff housing. It is the home of the educational programs and demonstration projects—the legacy of the predecessor, the E. F. Schumacher Society. The close partnership with the new economics foundation of London has the advantage of combining the know-how and experience of both organizations and their networks around the world. The main goal is to help create a cultural shift simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic through nonpartisan work with business, academics, and policy groups. http://neweconomicsinstitute.org
Enerkem (CANADA) develops biofuels and chemicals from waste. With its proprietary thermochemical technology, Enerkem converts abundantly available municipal solid waste (mixed textiles, plastics, fibers, wood and other non-recyclable waste materials) into chemical-grade syngas, and then methanol, ethanol and other chemical intermediates that form everyday products. www.enerkem.com
Algae fuel (EU) might be an alternative to fossil fuel and uses algae as its source of natural deposits. Several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce capital and operating costs and make algae fuel production commercially viable. Ha rvested algae, like fossil fuel, release CO2 when burnt but unlike fossil fuel the CO2 is taken out of the atmosphere by the growing algae.The general objective of the European Algae Biomass Association (EABA) is to promote mutual interchange and cooperation in the field of biomass production and use, including biofuels uses and all other utilizations. It aims at creating, developing and maintaining solidarity and links between its Members and at defending their interests at European and international level. Its main target is to act as a catalyst for fostering synergies among scientists, industrialists and decision makers in order to promote the development of research, technology and industrial capacities in the field of Algae. www.eaba-association.eu
In internal combustion engines, water injection (EU/USA), also known as anti-detonant injection, is spraying water into the cylinder or incoming fuel-air mixture to cool the combustion chambers of the engine, allowing for greater compression ratios and largely eliminating the problem of engine knocking (detonation). This effectively increases the octane rating of the fuel, meaning that performance gains can be obtained when used in conjunction with a supercharger, turbocharger, altered spark ignition timing, and other modifications. Increasing the octane rating allows for a higher compression ratio which increases the power output and efficiency of the engine. Depending on the engine, improvements in power and fuel efficiency can also be obtained solely by injecting water. Water injection may also be used to reduce NOx or carbon monoxide emissions. Water injection is also used in some jet turbine engines and in some shaft turbine engines, when a momentary high-thrust setting is needed to increase power and fuel efficiency. http://en.wikipedia.org
UOP LLC (USA), a Honeywell company, signed an agreement to license technology to Emerald Biofuels LLC to produce Honeywell Green Diesel at a facility in Louisiana. Emerald is expected to use Honeywell’s UOP/Eni Ecofining process technology to produce 85 million gallons per year of Honeywell Green Diesel from non-edible, second-generation oils and animal fats. Honeywell Green Diesel is a drop-in replacement for traditional diesel. Chemically identical to petroleum-based diesel, Honeywell Green Diesel can be used in any proportion in existing fuel tanks without infrastructure changes. http://emeraldbiofuels.com
Mater-Bi (IT) is the trade name of a type of bioplastic patented and marketed by Novamont. It is sold in pellet form and is workable in a manner similar to other plastics, also as regards the coloring and sterilization. The Mater-Bi, unlike other plastic materials, is biodegradable, the process of biodegradation of Mater-Bi, played by microorganisms, producing water, carbon dioxide and methane. http://materbi.com
Spirulina Platensis can be cultivated for personal use in a basin. There are many ways of building an adequate basin depending on variables according to local conditions: out of plastic covers, hard clay, low walls. IIMSAM, Intergovernmental Institution for the use of micro-algae Spirulina against malnutrition, works to promote the use of Spirulina against severe malnutrition. It has been established through two international agreements that are recognized in the UN Treaty Series. IIMSAM is accredited as a Permanent Observer with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). www.iimsam.org
As stated by a survey of Korea elaborated by FuelCellToday, South Korea represents one of the world’s most promising markets for fuel cell adoption and is one of the foremost countries for fuel cell manufacturing. Korea has expertise in R&D and manufacturing of stationary, portable and transport fuel cells, with early markets for domestic adoption and large export opportunities.The South Korean government is firmly committed to the idea of low carbon economic growth and economic stimulus through the promotion of new technology. The motivation for government interventions in green technology, and particularly fuel cells, is to create conditions for future economic growth by establishing a domestic supply chain for ‘green’ manufacturing and to adopt clean energy technologies in Korea while building a market for future exports. Fuel cells represent one of the few realistic low carbon technologies that can be brought to market in the short term, helping achieve climate and energy policy targets while having the advantage of creating jobs and wealth for the Korean economy.South Korea has one of the most supportive policy environments for fuel cells apart from Japan. www.h2it.org
A water torch (CHINA/USA) is a portable oxyhydrogen torch that combines an electric power supply and an electrolytic cell: water is decomposed on-demand into oxyhydrogen, obviating the need for separate hydrogen and oxygen tanks and, in this way, water can be burnt for welding metals, glass, etc. www.watertorch.com
The SolarPlanet Foundation (CH) was created from a common desire of the founders of the PlanetSolar project to sustain the philosophy of this unique and historic adventure. The aim of the SolarPlanet Foundation is to provide and develop sustainable, reliable and affordable solutions for our society. PlanetSolar is the biggest solar ship in the world. The 537 m2 of photovoltaic panel power 6 blocks of lithium-ion battery, a technology that offers maximal power and energy density, thus enabling a navigation time that is unmatched to date! www.planetsolar.org
Shiro Alga Carta is a paper made from algae which would otherwise clog up the Venetian Lagoon. The algae, which are harvested annually, are used in partial substitution of pulp and are combined with FSC fibres. The raw algae are first dried and then milled in the paper mill to obtain seaweed ‘flour’. The flour is then combined with FSC fibres to make a high quality environmentally friendly paper. The outcome is a speckled paper where the speckles are the milled algae – interestingly, over time, the paper becomes whiter due to the chlorophyll in the algae. Typically 5% to 10% of algae is used, but up to 30% is possible. The manufacturing process of Shiro Alga Carta is patented by Favini, an Italian company. www.favini.com
SUNFLOWER (SUstainable Novel FLexible Organic Watts Efficiently Reliable) Project (CH): Organic photovoltaics (OPV) represent the newest generation of technologies in solar power generation, offering the benefits of flexibility, low weight and low cost enabling the development of new consumer nomadic applications and the long term perspective of easy deployment in Building Integrated Photo Voltaics (BIPV) and energy production farms. This is a key opportunity for the EU to further establish its innovation base in alternative energies.  The current challenges reside in the combination to increase efficiencies to 8-10% (module level), increase expected lifetime up to 20 years and decrease production costs to 0.7 Eur/Wp, while taking into account the environmental impact and footprint. The project consortium combines industrial, institutional and academic support to make a significant impact at European and International level, especially on materials and processes while demonstrating their market-relevant implementations. The industrial project partners are well assembled along the supply chain of future OPV-based products, which is an important prerequisite for the creation of significant socio-economic impact of this proposal. www.sunflower-fp7.eu
Solar thermal energy - STE (USA/ES/IT) is a technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy (heat). Solar thermal collectors are classified by the United States Energy Information Administration as low-, medium-, or high-temperature collectors. Low-temperature collectors are flat plates generally used to heat swimming pools. Medium-temperature collectors are also usually flat plates but are used for heating water or air for residential and commercial use. High-temperature collectors concentrate sunlight using mirrors orlenses and are generally used for electric power production. STE is different from and much more efficient than photovoltaics, which converts solar energy directly into electricity. While existing generation facilities provide only 600 megawatts of solar thermal power worldwide in October 2009, plants for an additional 400 megawatts are under construction and development is underway for concentrated solar power projects totalling 14,000 megawatts.
Known since 1989, cold fusion (USA/JAPAN/IT), a phenomenon that can produce nuclear fusion with a lot of energy and matter much less than the hot fusion, with release of large amounts of energy, is the subject of much controversy. According to some researchers, non-repeatability of the first experiments is due to lack of knowledge about the conditions that allow the cold fusion: In may 2008 Yoshiaki Arata, a founder of the Nippon hot nuclear fusion, along with colleague Yue-Chang Zhang, showed in Osaka publicly a reactor operating with a few ounces of palladium. If the success of this experiment is due to cold fusion, or rather to a still unknown form of energy development, is controversial.
It's called Swiss Cell, it is made of paper, and was founded with the primary purpose of replacing the shacks made ​​of paper and sheets of the third world. The technology patented by the company to create the prefabricated panels, is similar in concept to that used in the aviation industry to create strong but lightweight materials. The difference is that, at the base,  there is no aluminum but paper treated with resin and then processed to form a very stable material, lightweight, insulating and flexible. This paper house is currently the answer  more valuable in the full respect of environmental sustainability, a rampant problem to say the least, in the slums on the outskirts of some major urban areas. www.swissinfo.ch

After the financial crash of 2001, Argentina has created an unprecedented phenomenon. The "haciendas recuperadas" ("Recovered Companies") ie self-managed by workers themselves to face the risk of closure, is an experience that can be read not only in a purely economic point of view but also from social and political.
2012 has been recognised as the International Year of Co-operatives by the United Nations. This is an acknowledgement by the international community that co-operatives drive the economy, respond to social change, are resilient to the global economic crisis and are serious, successful businesses creating jobs in all sectors. www.2012.coop
SURUDE is a young Tanzanian nonprofit NGO. The organization was established in 1993 as a cooperation between farmers and Sokoine University, Morogoro, but first registered in 1994, by Prof. Lekule and Dr. Sarwatt from Sokoine University. The organization is concerned with the promotion and use of renewable natural resources at village level. SURUDE's aim is to demonstrate the potential and development of decentralized farmer-driven technology development and transfer, as the means of improving the standards of living of rural people. www.mbendi.com
Coop Italia is a system of Italian consumers' cooperatives which operates the largest supermarket chain in Italy. As of 2010, Coop's system operates with 115 consumers' cooperatives (9 biggers, 14 mediums and 92 smallers), with 1,444 shops and 56,682 employers, with more than 7.429.847 members and an annual revenue of €12.9 billion. Coop Itala has made ethics a cornerstone of its enterprise system, in fact, since 1998 was the first European company to be awarded the Social Accountability 8000. www.e-coop.it
Porta 22 (ES) is a municipal agency in Barcelona for the training, guidance and employment which, unlike the attempts carried out in many countries, fits. About 64% of the unemployed, mostly over forty, find a new job through a sophisticated software with the task of crossing supply and demand of the working world. http://w27.bcn.cat
Landless Workers' Movement (Portuguese: Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Terra, or simply MST) is a social movement in Brazil; it is generally regarded as one of the greatest (or, according to some, the first) largest social movement in Latin America with an estimated informal 1.5 million membership in 23 out of Brazil's 26 states. The MST states it carries out land reform in a country it sees as mired by unjust land distribution. It organizes landless and impoverished farmers to realize their civil rights. The MST fights for access to land on behalf of the dispossessed. They demand the restoration of a social contract that provides a self-sustainable way of life for the poor living in rural areas. www.mst.org.br
Participatory economics, often abbreviated parecon, is an economic system proposed primarily by activist and political theorist Michael Albert and radical economist Robin Hahnel, among others. It uses participatory decision making as an economic mechanismto guide the production, consumption and allocation of resources in a given society. Proposed as an alternative to contemporarycapitalist market economies and also an alternative to centrally planned socialism, it is described as "an anarchistic economic vision" and is a form of socialism, since in a parecon the means of production are owned in common. www.zcommunications.org
Coworking (USA/EU) is a style of work which involves a shared working environment, sometimes an office, yet independent activity. Unlike in a typical office environment, those coworking are usually not employed by the same organization. Typically it is attractive to work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, or people who travel frequently who end up working in relative isolation. Coworking is the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values, and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space. http://coworkingproject.com
Telecommuting or telework are terms often used interchangeably to refer to a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in work location and hours. A person who telecommutes is known as a "telecommuter" and a person who teleworks is known as a "teleworker." Telecommute generally refers to the elimination of the daily commute to a central place of work. Many telecommuters work from home, while others, occasionally also referred to as nomad workers or web commuters utilize mobile telecommunications technology to work from coffee shops or other locations. Occasional telecommuters — those who work remotely (though not necessarily at home) — totaled 17.2 million in 2008 in USA. http://en.wikipedia.org
 In Canada, the system now known as Employment Insurance was formerly called Unemployment Insurance. The name was changed in 1996, in order to alleviate perceived negative connotations. In 2011, Canadian workers pay premiums of 1.78% of insured earnings in return for benefits if they lose their jobs. Employers contribute 1.4 times the amount of employee premiums. Since 1990, there is no government contribution to this fund. The amount a person receives and how long they can stay on EI varies with their previous salary, how long they were working, and the unemployment rate in their area. The EI system is managed by Service Canada, a service delivery network reporting to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Canada. www.servicecanada.gc.ca
The Ghent system (SCANDINAVIA) is the name given to an arrangement in some countries whereby the main responsibility for welfare payments, especially unemployment benefits, is held bytrade/labor unions, rather than a government agency. The system is named after the city of Ghent, Belgium, where it was first implemented. It is the predominant form of unemployment benefit in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden. Belgium has a hybrid or "quasi-Ghent" system, in which the government also plays a significant role in distributing benefits. In all of the above countries, unemployment funds held by unions or labour federations are regulated and/or partly subsidised by the national government concerned. Because workers in many cases need to belong to a union to receive benefits, union membership is higher in countries with the Ghent system. Furthermore, the state benefit is a fixed sum, but the union benefits depend on previous earnings. http://en.wikipedia.org
Job sharing (UK/USA) is an employment arrangement where typically two people are retained on a part-time or reduced-time basis to perform a job normally fulfilled by one person workingfull-time. Compensation is apportioned between the workers, thus leading to a net reduction in per-employee income.  Studies have shown that net productivity increases when two people share the same 40-hour job. http://en.wikipedia.org
The Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN; until 2004 Basic Income European Network) (EU) is a network of academics and activists interested in the idea of a universal basic income, i.e. a guaranteed minimum income based solely on citizenship and not on work requirement or charity. It serves as a link between individuals and groups committed to or interested in basic income, and fosters informed discussion on this topic throughout the world. Their website defines a basic income as "an income unconditionally granted to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement ". www.basicincome.org
The International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) is an international non-governmental professional society whose aims are to foster the scientific progress, knowledge and development of occupational health and safety in all its aspects. It was founded in 1906 in Milan as the Permanent Commission on Occupational Health. Today, ICOH is the world's leading international scientific society in the field of occupational health with a membership of 2,000 professionals from 93 countries.  ICOH has 33 Scientific Committees. Most of these committees have regular symposia, scientific monographs and review the abstracts submitted to the International Congresses. To be able to serve the ICOH members in the most accurate way several Task Groups have been established: a Finance Committee, a Transparency Group, Task Groups on Information, Membership Fees and Benefits, Centennial Committee, Constitution Bye-laws and Guidelines and on Language Matters. Two new working groups have been established on Biological Agents and Infectious diseases and Women and Work. www.icohweb.org

Brazil’s 36-year-old ethanol fuel program is based on the most efficient agricultural technology for sugarcane cultivation in the world, uses modern equipment and cheap sugar cane as feedstock, the residual cane-waste (bagasse) is used to process heat and power, which results in a very competitive price and also in a high energy balance (output energy/input energy), which varies from 8.3 for average conditions to 10.2 for best practice production. In 2010, the U.S. EPA designated Brazilian sugarcane ethanol as an advanced biofuel due to its 61% reduction of total life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, including direct indirect land use change emissions. http://en.wikipedia.org
In many countries cars are mandated to run on mixtures of ethanol. All Brazilian light-duty vehicles are built to operate for an ethanol blend of up to 25% (E25), and since 1993 a federal law requires mixtures between 22% and 25% ethanol, with 25% required as of mid July 2011. In the United States all light-duty vehicles are built to operate normally with an ethanol blend of 10% (E10). At the end of 2010 over 90 percent of all gasoline sold in the U.S. was blended with ethanol.  Blends of E10 or less are used in more than twenty countries around the world, led by the United States, where ethanol represented 10% percent of the U.S. gasoline fuel supply in 2011. Blends from E20 to E25 have been used in Brazil since the late 1970s. E85 is commonly used in the U.S. and Europe for flexible-fuel vehicles. Hydrous ethanol or E100 is used in Brazilian neat ethanol vehicles and flex-fuel light vehicles and in hydrous E15 called hE15 for modern petrol cars in Netherlands. http://en.wikipedia.org
According to a study of the European Union in the period 2004 to 2006, the airports of the European countries are found many interesting statistical factors. In total values ​​has gone from 106 to 123 million passengers, with an average annual increase of 7.89%, which rose to 10.82% when considering only the share of international trade which has seen an increase of 13 million passengers. At European level, while the international traffic in the Americas and Africa remained virtually unchanged, and traffic to Asia has reported a +23.6% with 4.2 million in 2006, Europe has moved 57 million people in 2006, in fact, the passengers in the EU increased from 41,8 million (2004) to 51.6 million of the 2006, the non-EU countries from 3.2 to 5.4. In Europe the growth of passengers who are served by low cost airlines has been exponential. In 1994 about 3 million passengers flew low cost prices in 1999 and17.5 million passengers were well. But the boom is in the third millennium, just think that with only Ryanair flew 65 million in 2009 and over 72 million people in 2010 with growth for the company, more than 10% from year to year.
World SkyCat Ltd. (UK), suppliers and operators of the new SkyCat family of air vehicles. Capable of landing virtually anywhere on land or water without need of ground infrastructure and carrying payloads ranging from 20 to 1,000 tons, the SkyCat hybrid air vehicles offer a uniquely flexible and cost-effective solution to a broad spectrum of market and mission requirements. Like all lighter-than-air vehicles, the payload capability of the SkyCat increases exponentially with size. Unlike airships, however, its aerodynamically-derived lift enables the SkyCat to gain significantly further from the benefits of scale. www.worldskycat.com
The first flight partially powered by biofuel, is a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Aircraft line low) belonging to the airline All Nippon Airways has come a transpacific route, including Everett, Wash. U.S. and Tokyo, Japan. The biofuel used for the "full" of the 787 Dreamliner was composed mainly of recycled cooking oil resulting in reduced CO2 emissions by about 30% (compared to the emissions of such an aircraft on the same route). Of these, the share of "savings" of 10% can be attributed to the use of biofuel, while that of 20% to the innovative technology of the aircraft. Through the use of lightweight composite materials and improvements in systems ,in aerodynamics and engine, the 787 Dreamliner offers greater efficiency and lower fuel consumption than similar-sized aircraft in service today. It 's also the first aircraft of medium size can fly long-haul routes, allowing airlines to open new nonstop routes. www.bangaloreaviation.com
Carpooling (also known as car or  ride-sharing, lift-sharing and covoiturage), is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car. By having more people using one vehicle, carpooling reduces each person's travel costs such as fuel costs, tolls, and the stress of driving. Carpooling is also seen as a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to travel as sharing journeys reduces carbon emissions, traffic congestion on the roads, and the need for parking spaces. Authorities often encourage carpooling, especially during high pollution periods and high fuel prices.www.carpooling.co.uk is a car sharing platform to share a lift within the UK and Europe with 3,7 million registered users.
The zero carbon car project (USA) involves the transformation of a car with the internal combustion engine in a prototype electrically powered whose batteries are charged by a diesel engine. Zero carbon because the diesel is made ​​from vegetable oils exhausted. The prototype was able to cover about 2000 km on one tank of 40 liters of biodiesel. Research on electric motors produced, however, some interesting solutions for transporting people and goods and is expected in future electric cars will be very popular.

Straw-bale construction (USA/GB/IT) is a building method that uses bales of straw (commonly wheat, rice, rye and oats straw) as structural elements, building insulation, or both. This construction method is commonly used in natural building or "brown" construction projects. Advantages of straw-bale construction over conventional building systems include the renewable nature of straw, cost, easy availability, and high insulation value. http://en.wikipedia.org
The term passive house (Passivhaus in German) refers to the rigorous, voluntary, Passivhaus standard for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. A similar standard, MINERGIE-P, is used in Switzerland. The standard is not confined to residential properties; several office buildings, schools, kindergartens and a supermarket have also been constructed to the standard. Passive design is not an attachment or supplement to architectural design, but a design process that is integrated with architectural design. Estimates of the number of Passivhaus buildings around the world in late 2008 ranged from 15,000 to 20,000 structures. As of August 2010, there were approximately 25,000 such certified structures of all types in Europe, while in the United States there were only 13, with a few dozens more under construction. The vast majority of passive structures have been built in German-speaking countries and Scandinavia.
An approach and a forum for discussion and collaboration among the forest community and local development agencies, the Model Forest (CANADA) makes it possible to reconcile the ecological, social, cultural and economic needs of a region. In a Model Forest, a variety of people with differing interests and perspectives form a partnership to develop new natural resources management tools that reflect their history, economic situation and cultural identity in a way that does not jeopardize future generations. Thousands of kilometres separate them, but the Lac-Saint-Jean Model Forest (LSJMF) and its Cameroon Model Forests counterparts — Dja et Mpomo, Campo Ma’an —are forging ties to develop the Cameroon economy. The two regions are united in a common cause, that of building a forest-based economy through collective management of their resources. This Canada–Cameroon co-operation would not be possible without the support of theInternational Model Forest Network (IMFN), the Forest Communities Program (FCP)and the African Model Forest Initiative, all supported  by Natural Resources Canada. www.nrcan.gc.ca
The Fukuoka Method (JAPAN), from the name of the inventor Masanobu Fukuoka, also translated with Natural Farming is based on the recognition of the complexity of living organisms that shape an ecosystem and deliberately exploiting it. Fukuoka saw farming not just as a means of producing food but as an aesthetic and spiritual approach to life, the ultimate goal of which was "the cultivation and perfection of human beings". The main principles of Natural Farming are that: human cultivation of soil, plowing or tilling are unnecessary, as is the use of powered machines, prepared fertilizers are unnecessary, as is the process of preparing compost, weeding, either by cultivation or by herbicides, is unnecessary. Instead only minimal weed suppression with minimal disturbance, applications of pesticides or herbicides are unnecessary.
The Rural Studio (USA) is a design-build architecture studio run by Auburn University which aims to teach students about the social responsibilities of the profession of architecture while also providing safe, well-constructed and inspirational homes and buildings for poor communities in rural west Alabama, part of the so-called "Black Belt". The studio was founded in 1993 by architects Samuel Mockbee and D. K. Ruth. Each year the program builds five or so projects - a house by the second-year students, three thesis projects by groups of 3-5 fifth year students and one or more outreach studio projects. The Rural Studio has built more than 80 houses and civic projects in Hale, Perry and Marengo counties. The Rural Studio is based in Newbern, a small town in Hale County. Many of its best-known projects are in the tiny community of Mason's Bend, on the banks of the Black Warrior River. http://cadc.auburn.edu
SEKEM (EGYPT) was founded with the idea of sustainable development and giving back to the community. The vision that brought Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish to dig the first well in the vast desert land still resounds in SEKEM’s approach of conducting business. This model adopts biodynamic agriculture as the competitive solution for the environmental, social and food security challenges of the 21st century. www.sekem.com
Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation or micro irrigation or localized irrigation, is an irrigation method which saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone. Refinement of this idea (involving a plastic emitter) was furthered in Israel:  Instead of releasing water through tiny holes, blocked easily by tiny particles, water was released through larger and longer passageways by using velocity to slow water. With this system is possible to cultivate very arid soils, with a very low water consumption.
Permaculture (AUSTRALIA/UK)  is a branch of ecological design and ecological engineering which develops sustainable human settlements and self-maintainedagricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems.[1][2] It is also a form of systems theory. The core tenets of permaculture are: Care of the Earth (Provision for all life systems to continue and multiply), Care of People (Provision for people to access those resources necessary for their existence), Setting Limits to Population and Consumption (By governing our own needs, we can set resources aside to further the above principles). www.permaculture.org.uk
Masdar City (literally Source City) is a project in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Its core is a planned city, which is being built by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, with the majority of seed capital provided by the government of Abu Dhabi. Designed by the British architectural firm Foster and Partners, the city will rely entirely on solar energy and other renewable energy sources, with a sustainable, zero-carbon, zero-waste ecology. http://smithgill.com
Kenaf, Hibiscus cannabinus, is an herbaceus plant of the Malvaceae family. The use of kenaf in paper production offers various environmental advantages over producing paper from trees. In 1970, kenaf newsprint produced in International Paper Company's mill in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was successfully used by six U.S. newspapers. Printing and writing paper made from the fibrous kenaf plant has been offered in the United States since 1992. Again in 1987, a Canadian mill produced 13 rolls of kenaf newsprint which were used by four U.S. newspapers to print experimental issues. They found that kenaf newsprint made for stronger, brighter and cleaner pages than standard pine paper with less detriment to the environment. Due partly to kenaf fibres being naturally whiter than tree pulp, less bleaching is required to create a brighter sheet of paper. Hydrogen peroxide, an environmentally-safe bleaching agent that does not create dioxin, has been used with much success in the bleaching of kenaf. Kenaf is considered a hardy plant that requires a minimum of fertilizers, pesticides and water in comparison to conventional row crops. http://en.wikipedia.org
An earth house (CH), also known as an earth berm or an earth sheltered home, is an architectural style characterized by the use of natural terrain to help form the walls of a house. An earth house is usually set partially into the ground and covered with thin growth. Modern earth houses are built with concrete walls and insulation. Many the advantages: energy and CO2 savings, windstorm and earthquake protection, landscape protection, fire protection, etc. www.erdhaus.ch
The 10 MW Tower (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES) is an eco skyscraper and renewable energy generating machine that harvests wind and solar power. A 5 MW wind turbine sits at the top of the building harnessing the wind, while the power of the sun is collected via a 3 MW concentrating solar system plus a 2 MW solar updraft system. Designed by UAE-based Studied Impact, this 50 story skyscraper will put out 10 times as much energy as it needs, pumping renewable power back into the Dubai electric grid. http://inhabitat.com
World Meteorological Organization, WMO, has a membership of 189 Member States and Territories (on 4 December 2009). Established in 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations in 1951 for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. As weather, climate and the water cycle know no national boundaries, international cooperation at a global scale is essential for the development of meteorology and operational hydrology as well as to reap the benefits from their application. WMO provides the framework for such international cooperation. It also fosters collaboration between the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of its Members and furthers the application of meteorology to public weather services, agriculture, aviation, shipping, the environment, water issues and the mitigation of the impacts of natural disasters. www.wmo.int
The Marine Stewardship Council has developed an environmental standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries against. Environmentally responsible fisheries management and practices are rewarded with the use of its blue product ecolabel. Consumers concerned about overfishing and its consequences are increasingly able to choose seafood products that have been independently assessed against the MSC's environmental standard. This enables consumers to play a part in reversing the decline of fish stocks. As of February 2012, over 100 fisheries around the world have been independently assessed and certified as meeting the MSC standard. Their where to buy page lists the currently available certified seafood. As of February 2012 over 13,000 MSC-labelled products are available in 74 countries around the world. Fish & Kids is an MSC project to teach schoolchildren about marine environmental issues, including overfishing. www.msc.org
Environmental vegetarianism (BE) is based on the concern that the production of meat and animal products for mass consumption, especially through factory farming, is environmentally unsustainable. According to a 2006 FAO - United Nations initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contribute on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. The initiative concluded that "the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." In May 2009, Ghent, Belgium, was reported to be "the first [city] in the world to go vegetarian at least once a week" for environmental reasons, when local authorities decided to implement a "weekly meatless day". Civil servants would eat vegetarian meals one day per week, in recognition of the United Nations' report. Posters were put up by local authorities to encourage the population to take part on vegetarian days, and "veggie street maps" were printed to highlight vegetarian restaurants. In September 2009, schools in Ghent are due to have a weekly veggiedag ("vegetarian day") too. www.fao.org
A common practice since the early 1900s and extensively capitalized during World War II, aluminium recycling is not new. It was, however, a low-profile activity until the late 1960s when the exploding popularity of aluminium beverage cans finally placed recycling into the public consciousness. Sources for recycled aluminium include aircraft, automobiles, bicycles, boats, computers, cookware, gutters, siding, wire, and many other products that need a strong light weight material, or a material with high thermal conductivity. As recycling does not damage the metal's structure, aluminium can be recycled indefinitely and still be used to produce any product for which new aluminium could have been used. Brazil had an 89% recycling rate in 2001 and recycles 10.5 billion beverage cans. Brazil attaches great importance to recycling aluminium beverage cans, 15 million people engaged in recycling aluminium beverage cans in 2001, a return rate of 85%, ranking first in the world, more than Japan's 82.5% recovery rate. http://en.wikipedia.org
Ferrous metals are able to be recycled with steel being one of the most recycled materials in the world. Ferrous metals contain an appreciable percentage of iron and the addition of carbon and other substances creates steel. The most commonly recycled items are containers, cans, automobiles, appliances, and construction materials. For example, in 2008, more than 97% of structural steel and 106% of automobiles were recycled, comparing the current steel consumption for each industry with the amount of recycled steel being produced (the late 2000s recession and the associated sharp decline in automobile production explains the over-100% calculation). A typical appliance is about 75% steel by weight and automobiles are about 65% steel and iron. As of 2008 more than 83% of steel was recycled in the United States. It is the most widely recycled material; in 2000, more than 60 million metric tons were recycled. http://en.wikipedia.org
The process of paper recycling involves mixing used paper with water and chemicals to break it down: the same fibers can be recycled about seven times. Today, 90% of paper pulp created from wood. Paper production accounts for about 35% of felled trees,[ and represents 1.2% of the world's total economic output.  Most pulp mill operators practice reforestation to ensure a continuing supply of trees. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certify paper made from trees harvested according to guidelines meant to ensure good forestry practices. It has been estimated that recycling half the world’s paper would avoid the harvesting of 20 million acres (81,000 km²) of forestland. www.dmoz.org
Today it is possible recycle or reuse the plastic in many different ways. In addition to the direct regeneration with physical and chemical means to obtain objects similar to those of origin (flasks, bottles, etc.), it is possible to employ plastic polymers derived from recycling and remained less pure for urban furnishings and signage or send them to energy plant to recover energy in conditions of environmental protection, or transform the plastics in completely different objects as in the case of Draper Knitting’s EcoPile manufactured by polyethylene obtained from recycled plastic bottles. www.youtube.com

Since 1996 SUPERFLEX (TANZANIA, MEXICO, CAMBODIA) (artists from Denmark) has collaborated with European and African engineers to construct a simple biogas unit that can produce sufficient gas for the cooking and lightening needs for a family living in rural areas in the Global South. In August 1997, SUPERFLEX installed and tested the first Supergas biogas system running on organic materials, such as human and animal stools. The biogas plant produces approx. 3-4 cubic metres of gas per day from the dung from 2-3 cattle – enough for a family of 8-10 members for cooking purposes and to run one gas lamp in the evening. www.superflex.net
Many British and Irish airports (Liverpool, Heathrow, Manchester, Dublin) have a place, the Multi-faith Prayer Room (UK/IR/FR/IT), where believers of different religions can retreat to pray and meditate. The Italian contemporary artist Michelangelo Pistoletto has created a multi-faith and laic place,(luogo multiconfessionale e laico)  at the oncologic institute Paoli Calmettes in Marseille.  The "Luogo multiconfessionale e laico" is a space where art is the foundation for the meditation and the spiritual reflection. www.pistoletto.it
SellaBand (DE) is based in Munich and Berlin, the creative capital of Europe. Since its launch in August 2006, SellaBand has coordinated recording sessions for more than 80 artists or acts who had their albums funded by their fans. Over $4,000,000 have been invested in independent bands via www.sellaband.com. With SellaBand, artists retain complete ownership of the works created and have the flexibility to determine which incentives they will offer their fans who fund them. SellaBand’s fan funding engine also allows artists the freedom to enter into deals with any label, management company, or publisher and there are no advances to pay back. Artists maintain control over their career and have 100% freedom to create the music that they want to create. SellaBand can also be utilized by management companies, record labels, publishers, sponsors and media companies to fund projects for their own artists while also building the core fan base required to launch an artist or take them to the next stage of their career.
The MEDIA european programme (EU) provides financial support for quality European films and TV programmes. The aims are to boost output and distribution in Europe and to promote European films, other audiovisual works and new digital technologies. The new MEDIA Mundus programme (2011-2013), with a €15million budget capitalises on the audiovisual industry's growing interest in global cooperation and the opportunities it offers. It increases consumer choice by bringing more culturally diverse products to European and international markets. It also creates new business opportunities for audiovisual professionals from Europe and around the globe. http://europa.eu/
Visible Project (IT) analyses particular cultural and geographical contexts, clearly expressing their different forms of perception. It points to struggles in social power as a fundamental indicator for the development of society. And it sets in motion discussions about the art system, institutional mechanisms, and the complexity of relationships between power systems. The actions and approaches of visiblework on the consciousness of the present and of possible changes in contemporary society. www.visibleproject.org
Jeanne van Heeswijk (THE NETHERLANDS) is a visual artist who creates contexts for interactions in public spaces. Her projects distinguish themselves through strong social involvement. With her work, Jeanne van Heeswijk stimulates and develops cultural production and creates new public (meeting-)spaces or remodels existing ones. www.jeanneworks.net
SpontaneousInterventions: design actions for the common good is the theme of the U.S. Pavilion at the 13th International Venice Architecture Biennale (Fall 2012). In recent years, there has been a nascent movement of designers acting on their own initiative to solve problematic urban situations, creating new opportunities and amenities for the public. Provisional, improvisational, guerrilla, unsolicited, tactical, temporary, informal, DIY, unplanned, participatory, opensource—these are just a few of the words that have been used to describe this growing body of work. www.spontaneousinterventions.org
Schleuser.net is a lobby organization for business enterprises specializing in undocumented cross border human traffic. This lobby organization carries the name 'Bundesverband Schleppen und Schleusen' (trade association for smuggling people), short 'schleuser.net'. The outspoken objective of schleuser.net is image improvement for 'SchlepperInnen und SchleuserInnen' (men and women who engage in undocumented cross border traffic), the correction of the official media portrayal, and, ‘politically’, the dissolution of the association, after the law has been adjusted by legalizing any kind of public transport. http://schleuser.net

The Venus Project (Florida - USA) is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, a holistic global socio-economic system called a Resource Based Economy; that works toward a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are not only paper proclamations but also a way of life. The Venus Project presents a vision not of what the future will be, but what it can be if we apply what we already know in order to achieve a sustainable new world civilization. It calls for a straightforward redesign of our culture in which the age-old problems of war, poverty, hunger, debt, and unnecessary human suffering are viewed not only as avoidable, but as totally unacceptable. Anything less will result in a continuation of the same catalog of problems found in today's world. The Venus Project presents an alternative vision for a sustainable world civilization unlike any political, economic or social system that has gone before. It envisions a time in the near future when money, politics, self and national-interest have been phased out. Although this vision may seem idealistic, it is based upon years of study and experimental research. It spans the gamut from education, transportation, clean sources of energy to total city systems. www.thevenusproject.com
A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books are the gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that’s often difficult to discover. Google works with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world’s books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. www.books.google.com
Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia built collaboratively using wiki software, hosted by Wikimedia Foundation in San Francisco. This Wikipedia is written in English. Started in 2001, it currently contains 3,949,555 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available in several languages. This project created by volunteers and sustained with funds from people all over the world is the largest encyclopedia in the world and the most frequently consulted. Contents are updated daily and structured considering the quality of the informations and the sources. http://en.wikipedia.org
Skype (Sweden/USA) is a proprietary voice-over-Internet Protocol service and software application originally created by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis in 2003, and owned by Microsoft since 2011. Skype allows the registered users to communicate through both instant messaging and voice chat or trough videoconference. Skype made possible the free videochat between people in different countries and the very popular use of the videoconference in the usual work office. www.skype.com
Gallica (FR) project of Bibliothèque nationale de France, over a million free documents accessible for free, Books, Manuscripts, Maps, Images, Newspapers, Magazines, Periodicals, Sound records, Music, Scores and more in digital version. www.gallica.bnf.fr
The Library of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES) has created the Dioscorides Digital Library, whose main objective is to provide public access to a bibliographic history, great value for the history of science and the humanities. It includes nearly 3,000 books digitized full text of our old collection of priceless freely accessible. Also incorporates more than 47,000 prints and illustrations. www.ucm.es
Kickstarter (USA), the largest platform in the world for crowdfunding. www.kickstarter.com
Eppela (IT) for art, technology, cinema, design, music, comics, literature, no-profit initiatives: thinking up ideas, sharing them, getting them funded, and bringing them to life. Eppela is a new crowdfunding project which lets people share ideas online and get the necessary funding to launch them. A showcase with just one goal: to bring the creators of projects and their public together, so they can work together to set up innovative projects. www.eppela.com
Denmark has a law on Corporate Social Responsibility. On 16 December 2008, the Danish parliament adopted a bill making it mandatory for the 1100 largest Danish companies, investors and state-owned companies to include information on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their annual financial reports. The reporting requirements became effective on 1 January 2009. The required information includes: information on the companies’ policies for CSR or socially responsible investments (SRI), information on how such policies are implemented in practice, and information on what results have been obtained so far and managements expectations for the future with regard to CSR/SRI. CSR/SRI is still voluntary in Denmark, but if a company has no policy on this it must state its positioning on CSR in their annual financial report. www.csrgov.dk
 The Grameen Group and Groupe Danone (FR) entered into an agreement to form a company called Grameen Danone Foods - a social business in Bangladesh. The objective was to bring daily healthy nutrition to low income nutritionally deprived populations in Bangladesh and alleviate poverty through the implementation of a community based business model, where no profit will be appropriated by the investing partners. http://en.wikipedia.org
Curitiba is referred to as the ecological capital of Brazil, with a network of 28 parks and wooded areas. In 1970, there was less than 1 square meter of green space per person; now there are 52 square meters for each person. Residents planted 1.5 million trees along city streets. Builders get tax breaks if their projects include green space. Flood waters diverted into new lakes in parks solved the problem of dangerous flooding, while also protecting valley floors and riverbanks, acting as a barrier to illegal occupation, and providing aesthetic and recreational value to the thousands of people who use city parks. There's a model, inexpensive, speedy transit service used by more than 2 million people a day. There are more car owners per capita than anywhere else in Brazil, and the population has doubled since 1974, yet auto traffic has declined by 30%, and atmospheric pollutionis the lowest in Brazil. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curitiba
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (CHINA) (Chinese : 尚德 ; pinyin : Shàngdé) (NYSE: STP) is the world's largest producer of solar panels, with 1,800MW of annual production capacity by the end of 2010. With offices or production facilities in every major market, Suntech has delivered more than 13,000,000 solar panels to thousands of companies in more than 80 countries around the world. As the center for the company's global operations, Suntech headquarters, in Wuxi, China, features the world's largest building integrated solar façade.
Plastic bags were found to constitute a significant portion of the floating marine debris in the oceans and can be carried long distances by currents, and can strangle marine animals or, if ingested, cause them to starve to death. Numerous deaths among animals such as sea turtles and dolphins have been attributed to the ingestion of plastic marine litter, which includes plastic bags. Littering is often a serious problem in developing countries, where trash collection infrastructure is less developed than in wealthier nations. The relatively limited adoption of modern biodegradable plastic bags means that many older landfills are filled with large, persistent deposits of non-degrading bags. Plastic bags are either restricted or completely banned in over a quarter of the world's countries. A plastic bag levy introduced in Ireland in 2002 resulted in a reduction of over 90% in the issuing of plastic shopping bags. Similarly, a ban on free plastic bags introduced in China in 2008 resulted in a reduction of two-thirds in the issuing of plastic bags. http://en.wikipedia.org/
Tetra Pak is a multinational food packaging and processing company of Swedish origin. The company offers packaging solutions, filling machines and processing solutions for dairy, beverages, cheese, ice-cream and prepared food. The company reported that it secures raw material for the paper carton in cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and that it strives to source polyethylene made from sugarcane from sustainable suppliers in Brazil. In 2010 40% of Tetra Pak's carton supply was FSC certified. Slowly, sectors where glass bottles have been paramount, like the wine and spirits industry, have begun to look at carton bottles as a possible packaging solution as the carbon footprint of a carton container is said to be about one tenth of that of an equivalent glass bottle. www.tetrapakrecycling.com
The Chipko movement or Chipko Andolan (INDIA) is a movement that practised the Gandhian methods of satyagraha and non-violent resistance, through the act of hugging trees to protect them from being felled. www.fao.org
Servas Open Doors (CH) is an international, non-governmental, interracial hospitality association present in over 125 countries and run mostly by volunteers. Founded in 1949 by Bob Luitweiler and his friends as a peace movement, Servas International is a non-profit,worldwide, cooperative, cultural exchange network bringing people together to build understanding, tolerance, mutual-respect, and world peace. Like other hospitality organizations, it promotes world peace by encouraging individual person-to-person contacts. Servas means "to serve", in the sense of "serve peace", in the language Esperanto. The organization was originally called Peace builders. www.servas.org Nano Garden (SOUTH KOREA) is a vegetable garden for the apartment kitchen, using hydroponics, so users don't need to worry about pesticides or fertilizers. Instead of the sunlight, Nano Garden has lighting which promotes the growth of plants. The amount of light, water and nutrient supply is also controllable, so users can decide the growth speed. It lets users know when to provide water or nutrients to the plants, and Nano Garden functions as a natural air purifier, eliminating unpleasant smells. http://en.hdec.kr
The International Reciprocal Trade Association, IRTA, (USA) is a non-profit organization committed to promoting just and equitable standards of practice and operation within the Modern Trade and Barter and other Alternative Capital Systems Industry, by raising the awareness and value of these processes to the entire Global Community. www.irta.com
The Community Exchange System (SOUTH AFRICA) is an Internet-based trading network which allows participants to buy and sell goods and services without using a national currency. While the relatively new system can be used as an alternative to traditional currencies such as the dollar or Euro or South African rand, the Community Exchange System is a complementary currency in the sense that it functions alongside established currencies. It is international in scope. It does not have printed money or coins but uses computer technology to serve as an "online money and banking system" and as a marketplace. www.community-exchange.org
Systèmes d'Echanges Communitares (SENEGAL), from the experiences of WeccoNdajem-exchange meetings, monthly events that mobilize hundreds of womenfrom all districts of the capital of Senegal were born SEC (Systèmes d'EchangesCommunitaires, community exchange systems), which have the goal to "create social bonds of which Africa is such, in fact, the dynamics of solidarity and mutual aid are the plot on which to develop networks of exchange "the first experiments have taken place since January 1998 and April 1999 have exceeded 500 members of this network, called Doole (the strength of the union, in the Wolof language) . The members, without using the national currency, can access a wide variety of goods and services (fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, clothes, etc..) in the monthly markets and shops for Doole, paying the other members of the network services (bicycle repair, embroidery lessons, carpentry, etc.).
The Interser (VENEZUELA) arose following the publication of several studies that showed how,because of inflation and reduced purchasing power of the national currency, the venezuelan families spend money on most of their income to meet basic needs. The major ones were present in the families of unemployed or underemployed. Interser tried to give alternatives to Venezuelan families instruments of social development through a bank which would exchange services. With the Interser it’s possible to exchange services without intermediaries and without notes. The system Interser / Notmoney is present not only in Venezuela, Uruguay and Argentina.
The Red Trueque of Global (Global Network Exchange) (ARGENTINA) is an experiment born in 1995 in Argentina. It is composed of clubs in geographical areas connected in knots, which are in turn interconnected by a widespread network at the national level. The network members meet their material needs, training, recreation and health through non-monetary exchange. The credits in the form of circulating paper coupons, which before the financial crisis amounted to a weight. Since each club operates its own receivables, to facilitate transactions between different clubs, have recently been made ​​that have good value in the entire country. To encourage a sense of community, moreover, the number of participants for each club is limited and usually not more than 200 people. Each club has its market day and make public its report on trade in services. Most of the participants belong to a medium-low income and often no employment in the formal economy.
In the social sciences, a gift economy (or gift culture) is a society where valuable goods and services are regularly given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards. Information ecologies such as scientific peer review are suited to gift economies due to the relatively low cost of replicating the goods. Modern-day society is witnessing a resurgence of the gift economy in the technology sector. Engineers, scientists and software developers create open-source software projects. The Linux kernel and the GNU operating system are prototypical examples for their prominence in the technology sector, and their role at instating in the field the use of permisive and copyleft licenses that allow free reuse of software and knowledge. http://en.wikipedia.org
The HUB (UK) is about the power of innovation through collaboration. At the HUB, people from every profession, background and culture are being united by one thing: the imagination and drive to pursue enterprising ideas for the world. These are the people who see and do things differently and have entrepreneurial passion to create sustainable impact. In the belief that there is no shortage of good ideas to solve the issues of our time, the HUB states there is an acute lack of collaboration and support structures to help make them happen. The HUB was founded to address this need. The network created spaces that combine the best of a trusted community, innovation lab, business incubator and the comforts of home. Spaces with all the tools and trimmings needed to grow and develop innovative ventures for the world. But above all, spaces for meaningful encounters, exchange and inspiration, full of diverse people doing amazing things. To date, there are 25+ open HUBs and many more in the making, from London to San Francisco, Johannesburg, Melbourne and Sao Paulo, Milan, Rome, etc. www.the-hub.net
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (KENYA) is a small flexible charity, established in memory of David Sheldrick, famous Naturalist and founder Warden of Kenya's giant Tsavo East National Park in which he served from 1948 until 1976. Helping save the lives of orphaned Elephants and Rhinos who are ultimately released back into the wild is just some of the many wildlife commitments The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is involved in.  The Trust runs seven full time Desnaring teams, two mobile Veterinary Units, and is active in a Community Outreach Program along with working with the communities in an educational capactiry locally,  and through articles for the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya, the Press and Radio Programs.  The Trust has also provided advanced training in wildlife management for promising students. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
Fon  (ARGENTINA/UK) is the world's first global WiFi network built by people. It’s a crowdsourced WiFi. As a member of the Fon community, everybody agrees to share a little bit of his or her WiFi at home, and get free roaming at Fon Spots worldwide in return. Sharing WiFi with Fon is safe and secure because Fon only uses a tiny portion of the bandwidth through the device “fonera”. Fon was founded by Martin Varsavsky, a serial entrepreneur and internet pioneer in 2006, with the goal of free, ubiquitous WiFi for everyone. Today, Fon is the largest WiFi community in the world, with over 4 million Fon WiFi spots and over 6 million users. Fon partners with the world's leading broadband providers, hardware manufacturers and Telco operators to offer Fon-ready products and services. Fon's partners include Belgacom, BT, Comstar-UTS Russia, Oi Brazil, Netia Poland, SFR France, SoftBank Japan and ZON Portugal. Fon's investors include Atomico, British Telecom, the Coral Group, Google, Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital and Skype. http://corp.fon.com
The open source movement is a broad-reaching movement of individuals who feel that software should be produced altruistically. Open source software is made available for anybody to use or modify, as its source code is made available. The software use is subject only to the stipulation that any enhancements or changes are just as freely available to the public. Open source software promotes learning and understanding through the dissemination of understanding. The main difference between open-source and traditional proprietary software is in user and property rights, the conditions of use imposed on the user by the software license, as opposed to differences in the programming code. With open source software, users are granted the right to both the program's functionality and methodology. http://en.wikipedia.org
The free software movement (USA) is a social and political movement with the goal of ensuring software users' four basic freedoms: the freedom to run their software, to study and change their software, and to redistribute copies with or without changes. The free software philosophy at the core of the movement drew on the essence and incidental elements of what was called hacker culture by many computer users in the 1970s, among other sources. Richard Stallman, the ideologist of the movement, founded the Free Software Foundation in 1985 to support the activities.
Hospice (UK/USA) is a type of care and a philosophy of care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms. These symptoms can be physical, emotional, spiritual or social in nature. Hospice care focuses on bringing comfort, self-respect, and tranquility to the dying patient. Patients’ symptoms and pain are controlled to help reach these goals; however, the focus is providing care, not curing. The concept of hospice has been evolving since the 11th century. Then, and for centuries thereafter, hospices were places of hospitality for the sick, wounded, or dying, as well as those for travelers and pilgrims. The modern concept of hospice includes palliative care for the incurably ill given in such institutions as hospitals or nursing homes, but also care provided to those who would rather die in their own homes. It began to emerge in the 17th century, but many of the foundational principles by which modern hospice services operate were pioneered in the 1950s by Dame Cicely Saunders. Hospice care also involves assistance for patients’ families to help them cope with what is happening. Although the movement has met with some resistance, hospice has rapidly expanded through the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospice
Sustainable tourism is tourism attempting to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development brings a positive experience for local people, tourism companies and the tourists themselves. www.unep.fr
Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the two, usually with the aim of providing affordable housing. Social housing can also be seen as a potential remedy to housing inequality. The Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC) was created in the Province of Ontario in 2002 to provide group services for social housing providers (public housing, non-profit housing and co-operative housing) following the downloading of responsibility for over 270,000 social housing units to local municipalities. It is a non-profit corporation governed by a board of municipal, non-profit and co-op housing representatives. Its mandate is to provide Ontario housing providers and service managers with bulk purchasing, insurance, investment and information services that add significant value to their operations. www.shscorp.ca
Freegans (USA) are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed. The word freegan is compounded from “free” and “vegan”. Vegans are people who avoid products from animal sources or products tested on animals in an effort to avoid harming animals. Freegans take this a step further by recognizing that in a complex, industrial, mass-production economy driven by profit, abuses of humans, animals, and the earth abound at all levels of production (from acquisition to raw materials to production to transportation) and in just about every product we buy. Sweatshop labor, rainforest destruction, global warming, displacement of indigenous communities, air and water pollution, eradication of wildlife on farmland as “pests”, the violent overthrow of popularly elected governments to maintain puppet dictators compliant to big business interests, open-pit strip mining, oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas, union busting, child slavery, and payoffs to repressive regimes are just some of the many impacts of the seemingly innocuous consumer products we consume every day. http://freegan.info
Slow Food (IT) is a global, grassroots organization with supporters in 150 countries around the world who are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment. A non-profit member-supported association, Slow Food was founded in 1989 to counter the rise of fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. Today, we have over 100,000 members joined in 1,300 convivia – our local chapters – worldwide, as well as a network of 2,000 food communities who practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality foods. www.slowfood.com
Last Minute Market (IT) is a spin-off of the University of Bologna, which was founded in1998 as a research activity. From 2003 he became business reality and operates throughout the country by developing local projects aimed at recovery of unsold goods (or marketable) in favor of charitable organizations. LMM uses a young and dynamic operations team supported by teachers and researchers at the University of Bologna. With over 40 projects implemented in municipalities, provinces and regions,in  Italy, LMM has developed a method to work effectively and efficiently used to activate the system in a progressive manner donations / withdrawals by controlling aspects of nutrition, sanitation, logistics and tax. www.lastminutemarket.it
Brooklyn Grange (USA) is a commercial organic farm located on New York City rooftops. The farm grow vegetables in the city and sell them to local people and businesses. The goal is to improve access to very good food, to connect city people more closely to farms and food production, and to make urban farming a viable enterprise and livelihood. Although it function as a privately owned and operated enterprise, Brooklyn Grange is community oriented and open to the public. School groups, families and volunteers are welcome to visit, participate and learn. This is a green space that contributes to the overall health and quality of life of the community, bringing people together through green business and around good food. www.brooklyngrangefarm.com
The Chinese government has decided to renew the one-child policy until 2018 stating that, according to estimates by the NBS (National Bureau of Statistics), about 200 million Chinese will enter child-bearing age in the next ten years and that the abandonment of 'current policy of birth control may cause serious problems and new pressures on social economic development. The government, through the State Commission on Population and Family Planning, says that the current demographic situation in China is not solely due to the one-child population policy, and that would be simplistic to address problems with one type of approach. The evident low fertility, as well as the policy of birth control, is also linked to socio-economic changes, in line with what has happened in other countries of South-East Asia. In South Korea and Thailand, for example, even in the absence of population control policies, modernization has also led women to have fewer children. www.neodemos.it
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment. Some artists allow their songs to be downloaded from their websites, or an online music store often as a short preview or a low-quality sampling. It is also compared to listening to a piece of music in the store before making a decision whether to buy it or not (sample sharing). Others have embedded services in their sites that allow purchases of their singles or albums. The website TorrentFreak (SWEDEN) presents a research that shows that 38% of Swedish artists supports file downloading and claim that it can be helpful during early stages of the career. A Swedish band that has profited from filesharing is the rock group "Lamont ". http://en.wikipedia.org
Group buying (CHINA), also known as collective buying, offers products and services at significantly reduced prices on the condition that a minimum number of buyers would make the purchase. Origins of group buying can be traced to China where tuángòu or team buying was executed to get discount prices from retailer when a large group of people were willing to buy the same item. In recent time, group buying websites have emerged as a major player in online shopping business. Typically, these websites feature a "deal of the day", with the deal kicking in once a set number of people agree to buy the product or service. Buyers then print off a voucher to claim their discount at the retailer. Many of the group-buying sites work by negotiating deals with local merchants and promising to deliver crowds in exchange for discounts. http://en.wikipedia.org
Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) (or citizen-to-citizen) electronic commerce involves the electronically facilitated transactions between consumers through some third party. A common example is the online auction, in which a consumer posts an item for sale and other consumers bid to purchase it; the third party generally charges a flat fee or commission. The sites are only intermediaries, just there to match consumers. They do not have to check quality of the products being offered. This phenomenon is growing in recent years globally and is changing the way we relate to the labor and trade, citizens become occasional sellers, and the lack ofcost structure makes it easy to relate to consumers in other parts of the planet.  www.ebay.com
In Francophone cultures, particularly in developing countries, the meaning of the term "tontine" (CAMEROUN) has broadened to encompass a wider range of semi-formal group savings and microcredit schemes. The crucial difference between these and tontines in the traditional sense is that benefits do not depend on the deaths of other members. As a type of rotating savings and credit association (ROSCA), tontines are well established as a savings instrument in central Africa, and in this case function as savings clubs in which each member makes regular payments and is lent the kitty in turn. They are wound up after each cycle of loans. http://en.wikipedia.org
On October 20, 2009 was opened in Belgrade (SERBIA), the Museum of Roma culture, the first institution of its kind to be launched in southeastern Europe and a few of its kind in the world. The uniqueness of this museum lies in the fact that for once  Roma are seen as producers of written culture. A perspective that allows to investigate the areas of this tradition that is virtually unknown to outsiders such as literature, poetry, linguistics. www.romamuseum.rs
The Free Knowledge Institute (FKI) is a non-profit organisation that fosters the free exchange of knowledge in all areas of society. Inspired by the Free Software movement, the FKI promotes freedom of use, modification, copying and distribution of knowledge in four different but highly related fields: education, technology, culture and science. http://freeknowledge.eu
The project "Citizens, Cities and Video-Surveillance" (EU) is about reflecting on and exchanging practices of video-surveillance respecting fundamental rights and privacy. It is about using CCTV in a responsible and democratic manner, in the most efficent and privacy respecting ways. With the support of the "Fundamental rights and citizenship programme" of the European Commission/DG, Justice, Freedom and Security, ten members of the Forum are working together with European experts on the question of the use of CCTV and the respect of fundamental rights. After 18 months of field visits and exchanging practices, the project partners proposed at the final conference in Rotterdam a Charter for the democratic use of video-surveillance in European cities. http://cctvcharter.eu/

Ora Media for dental self sufficiency (USA). OraMedia was originally established to promote the works of Dr. Robert O. Nara and now includes works from other professionals on a variety of related topics. Dr. Nara promoted individual dental self-help for more than 30 years and maintenance via a unique simple and for free program now described in the material throughout the website http://mizar5.com and reaching, in this way, million people in the world.
The so-called oxygen ozone therapy (USA/GB/IT/ES) involves the application of substances able to release quickly oxygen available in high concentration inside and outside of the body, for disinfection, for the treatment of certain diseases and as a support to other treatments: already known from 19 th century, today the value of these therapeutic practices is object of international debate and the oxygen ozone therapy is fully accepted in some countries while others classified it as alternative medicine or ineffective. However, in some cases as the treatment of dental caries, disinfection of water using ozone, the treatment of scars have been useful or retained as such by many scientific studies. These applications require very low cost and are easily adoptable.
Kousmine diet (CH) has been proposed for degenerative malattive following the comments on the cases followed by Dr. Kousmine. According to the theories of this scientist, diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis, can be slowed down (not cured) by a specific nutritional regimen that makes the body more able to respond "biochemically" to the pathologies. www.kousmine.eu
eHealth Nigeria (USA/NIGERIA) is focused on improving healthcare in Northern Nigeria by creating effective ways to implement reliable health information management systems. The company has developed eHealth and mHealth software solutions that can be rapidly deployed to manage patient information, streamline clinical procedures, and provide data and analysis on health program outcomes. Accurate health data will provide NGO’s, hospitals, and donor agencies with access to timely health system indicators needed to evaluate their health interventions and respond to critical public health needs. It brings about positive change by harnessing the potential of technology, valuing the power and knowledge of the Nigerian people, and maintaining a sharp focus on the health worker. http://ehealthnigeria.org
The Finnish doctor Kaj Haapasalo supports a new way of treating patients through culture and the "active leisure", inspiring the opening of an important project in this field in Finland. The thesis of Dr. Haapasalo is based on the principles of cultural well being or welfare culture, which sees the care of the body to pass through the care of the mind. In Turku, the idea is realized in a project that has as its cornerstone the idea that culture is an instrument of healing. In the Finnish town,elected in 2011 capital of culture, was the project that provides Eviva of 60 general practitioners and some health centers in Finland 5500 tickets for exhibitions, installations, theater and sauna sessions. www.turku.fi
World AIDS Day, observed on 1st December every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. The fight against AIDS is experiencing considerable success not only on the face of medical care but also on prevention practices disclosed through massive advertising campaigns. In 1997, in Zimbabwe 29% of adults were infected with HIV, in 2007, that number dropped to 16%. In Uganda, with a campaign by the government and focused mainly on the reduction of sexual promiscuity, the rate of HIV infection has declined from a peak of 15% in the early 90, to 4% in 2003. www.worldaidsday.org   |   www.plosmedicine.org
The epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) overall has stabilized for the first time since, in 1993, WHO declared the disease a public health emergency. The report published by the WHO Global Tuberculosis Control shows the percentage of the world's population struck by TB peaked in 2004 and then held steady in 2005.  "We are currently seeing the fruits of global action to control the disease and, simultaneously, the lethal nature of the ongoing burden of TB," said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. "Almost 60% of TB cases worldwide are now detected, and those, the vast majority are cured. During the past ten years, 26 million patients have received effective treatment against tuberculosis, through the efforts of governments and a wide range of partners. But the disease  still kills 4400 people a day. " With 8.8 million cases reported, the 2010 data confirm the reduction in the incidence of TB cases registered since 2002. Nationally, between 1990 and 2010,the best result was observed in China where the incidence rate fell on average by 3.4% per year and the mortality rate has decreased by about 80%. www.who.int   |   www.who.int
Malaria is the fourth most common infectious disease in the world and affects approximately 225 million people: the cases of death are also 600 -700 thousand a year. in 2011 was successfully tested a vaccine that can halve the risk of infection and at the end of 2012 there will be long-term results. The study was conducted by a research partnership that involves the PATH (a nonprofit organization), GlaxoSmithKline and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. www.nejm.org

The Council for Social Development (INDIA) came into existence in the year 1962 as an informal study group of social workers and social scientists having a common interest in working towards a just social order in India. CSD is today one of the leading institutions working in the area of development research in India. Apart from carrying out pioneering research on developmental issues and concerns, CSD has played an influential role in voicing social concerns among planners and policy-makers through-out the forty-nine years of its existence. http://csdindia.org
Understanding the world today (NEW YORK - USA) is a sociological project that examines the ways in which societies change over time.  Specifically, this means reports on social, economic and political aspects of society, and trends over time in these characteristics.  Through these reports, the sociologists of the staff intend to present a picture of how society is constructed, and how society changes over time. The data sets are available on the web to describe many different aspects of society, such as basic socio-demographics (i.e., population size, growth, age and urban distribution, infant mortality rate, education), technology (i.e., electricity consumption, telephone mainlines), politics (i.e., political rights, freedom, armed conflict) and communication (tv, radio, newspaper, internet). The website also presents long term changes in economic growth and population, to place more current changes in context. 
These reports can serve several purposes:
1) source, for teachers, students, researchers, policy makers and the general public, of information about social change
2) easily accessible reports presenting a comprehensive picture of how societies change
3)  An example for researchers, to see what kind of research is possible, with all of the free data available on the web
4) a starting point for researchers interested in social change
5)  A way to advance the discipline, by creating collaborations and serving as linking point of longitudinal multinational data.
http://gsociology.icaap.org
The Communication for Social Change Consortium (the Consortium) (USA/UK)is a nonprofit organization (more than 200 practitioners all over the world) working in four fundamental ways:
1. Building Knowledge. Developing curricula and training approaches in order to spread CFSC conceptual framework, methods and principles more widely throughout development initiatives, while building local capacity of poor and marginalized communities to use communication in sustainable ways.
2. Innovation Watch. Researching, analyzing, gathering best practices, monitoring and evaluation the potential, effectiveness and conditions for change in partner communities when CFSC methods and principles are introduced.
3. Communication Incubator. Nurturing innovation, research and scholarship in communication, based on CFSC principles. Focus on uncovering new ideas, new scholars, innovative practice and process measurements that derive from the communities.
4. Applied Principles. Supporting and using CFSC methods to solve critical issues facing marginalized communities. Applying CFSC methods to real-life situations involving critical global issues such as HIV-AIDS, gender imbalance, inadequate education, childhood immunization, tuberculosis, environmental issues, food security and poverty eradication. Within marginalized communities, there is tremendous untapped potential to use communication for collective good. When people most affected by social inequity have the confidence and abilities to access, manage and control the processes, tools and content of communication, development efforts are more sustainable and effective. In other words, investing in communication pays off when donors also invest in building the communication capacities of the communities and people they're trying to reach.
www.communicationforsocialchange.org
Design is leadership (USA): for 25 years Bruce Mau and the principals and designers of the Massive Change Network have been collaborating with businesses and institutions, and it is without exception that the cultures that lead the way in design innovation are the most successful and competitive in their respective markets. Purposeful innovation is a common attribute of successful organizations. http://mcnonline.massivechangenetwork.com
Every year the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (Philippines) grants the prize to Asian individuals and organizations for achieving excellence in their respective fields. The awards are given in six categories: Government Service, Public Service, Community Leadership, Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts, Peace and International Understanding, Emerging leadership. www.rmaf.org.ph
 The Business for Peace Foundation - BfPF (Norway) is a non-profit foundation based in Oslo , Norway. Each year, the foundation names seven Honourees who receive the Oslo Business for Peace Award, in recognition of their individual and outstanding business worthy contribution to the building of trust, stability and peace. The Honourees are selected by an independent committee composed of winners of either the Nobel Peace Prize or Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. The Foundation works worldwide to promote a better understanding of how ethical and responsible business can contribute to building trust, stability and peace. Each year, the foundation arranges the Oslo Business for Peace Summit, which concludes with the presentation of the award to that year's seven Honourees.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation (Sudan/GB) was launched in October 2006 to support good governance and great leadership in Africa. It was founded by Dr. Mo Ibrahim , a Sudanese philanthropist and businessman who founded telecommunications company Celtel International in 1998. The Foundation's Secretariat is based in London . The Ibrahim Index is an annual assessment of African countries based on the quality of their governance. It aims to provide a tool for citizens to assess progress in their country and hold their governments to account. Countries are graded on factors which fall into four main areas: Safety and Rule of Law, Participation and Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Opportunity and Human Development. It was first published in 2007 in partnership with Kennedy School of Government Professor Robert I. Rotberg and ranked the performance of the 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The Index is now compiled under the auspices of African academics and researchers, whose work is supported by a number of major African governance institutions. In 2009, the Index included all 53 African countries for the first time, including those in North Africa.
The Independent Media Center (also known as Indymedia or IMC) is a global participatory network of journalists that report on political and social issues. It originated during the Seattle anti-WTO protests worldwide in 1999 and remains closely associated with the global justice movement, which criticizes neo-liberalism and its associated institutions. Indymedia uses an open publishing and democratic media process that allows anybody to contribute. Indymedia is a democratic media outlet for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate tellings of truth." Indymedia was founded as an alternative to government and corporate media, and seeks to facilitate people being able to publish their media as directly as possible. www.indymedia.org
Critical Mass (USA/EU/EGYPT) is a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. The ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco. The purpose of Critical Mass is not usually formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and traveling as a group through city or town streets on bikes. Some bigger scale events as in Budapest, Hungary, have an activist group formed around it, organizing the rides and communicating the desires and problems of the cyclists to the city council. www.critical-mass.info
During the disaster of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon, (Gulf of Mexico, 2011), many events were spontaneously documented by thousands of people who used social networks like facebook and utube to post thousands of images and impressions. This enabled the world to participate directly and without intermediaries to the evolution of the dramatic event. Are we close to a system of social control and participation in a new and very popular way?

Action for Happiness (BHUTAN) is a movement for positive social change, starting from the idea that change can be realized only through the individual activity and nurturing specific positive actions and behaviors: the measurement of the economic growth should be done knowing the “happiness level” in the people. That’s why Bhutan measures its success in terms of gross national happiness.
www.actionforhappiness.org   |   www.guardian.co.uk
United Prosperity (SRI LANKA) is a microfinance system that anyone can choose a rural entrepreneur in Sri Lanka and also provide a single dollar that will act as guarantee for a loan issued by local banks. The results of the financing can be tracked online and the investor may receive back his money as in any other system of funding. www.unitedprosperity.org
The Fund for Southern Communities (FSC or The Fund) (Georgia State - USA) provides the financial resource to help move groups from thought to action. FSC supports small community groups working for environmental justice, anti-racism, women's rights, youth development, LGBTQ rights, worker's rights, civil rights and disability rights and other varied issues that address social change through community organizing. Grantees not only benefit from financial support, but they are also given technical assistance. www.fundforsouth.org
The WIR Bank (CH), formerly the Swiss Economic Circle (GER: Wirtschaftsring-Genossenschaft), or WIR, is an independent complementary currency system in Switzerland that serves small and medium-sized businesses and retail customers. It exists only as a bookkeeping system, with no scrip, to facilitate transactions. WIR was founded in 1934 by businessmen Werner Zimmermann and Paul Enz as a result of currency shortages and global financial instability. Both Zimmermann and Enz had been influenced by German libertarian economist Silvio Gesell; however, the WIR Bank renounced Gesell's "free money" theory in 1952, opening the door to monetary interest. The WIR Bank was a not-for-profit entity, although that status changed during the Bank's expansion from 2005 onward. It has a stable history, not prone to failure as the current banking system is. It has remained fully operational during times of general economic crisis. The WIR Bank may even dampen downturns in the business cycle, helping to stabilize the Swiss economy during difficult times. www.wir.ch
The Italian professor Massimo D’Amato has launched a complementary currency in Nantes (FR), the Bonus, starting from the WIR experience. While it's hard to get credit, with the "bonus", paradoxically, will not have money toclaim credit because the circuit is designed as a clearinghouse in which everyonehas a checking account and move their trade, even providing services in exchange for items. http://dgil.uz/
Arcipelago SCEC (IT) is a non for profit organization which issues the SCEC. The local  vouchers SCEC  are not a complementary currency. It's just a voucher  to get a significant price cut that members choose to apply each other through a voluntary act, from which they can redeem at any time. The rate of acceptance of SCEC voucher (in Italian Solidarietà che cammina, litterally Solidarity that walkes) left to the discretion of the associated offering products or services; acceptance thatu sually goes from 10 to 30%. The SCEC is made available to the community and used solely in conjunction with the euro and has the objective of anchoring the wealth to the local territory  reinvesting in the circuit, encouraging local production. http://scecservice.org
REGIO GELD ( DE, BE) i.e Regional currency is a communitarian tool between consumers, providers, associations and local authorities democratically agreed that is used within a region as cash, investment funds and donations. It moves on the basis of a globally developed standards of value to other social institutions on the horizontal (eg other regional funds) and vertical (other value-added promotion systems in the region) so that the standard of living will positively  increase in the region in the long period. In the panorama of the various experiments in Germany and in Belgium, the Chiemgauer is the first and the well developed regional local currency started in 2003 in Prien am Chiemsee, Bavaria, Germany. It is named after the Chiemgau, a region around the Chiemsee. The Chiemgauer program is intended to promote local commerce The Chiemgauer operates with a fixed exchange rate: 1 Chiemgauer = €1. www.regiogeld.de
Margrit Kennedy’s theory (DE) deals with the concept of money charged by inflation and interest. According to this theory, the money would be intended to increase the debt of the citizens towards certain institutions such as banks, insurance, tax systems. The proposal is therefore to build a free money and a circulating system free from interest and inflation, plotting these values ​​on people and social activities. In the 2011, she started the campaign “Occupy money”. http://occupymoney.org
The Grameen Bank (Bangladesh) is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladeshthat makes small loans (known as microcredit or "grameencredit") to the impoverished without requiring collateral. The name Grameen is derived from the word gram which means "rural" or "village" in the Bengali language. The system of this bank is based on the idea that the poor have skills that are under-utilized. A group-based credit approach is applied which utilizes the peer-pressure within the group to ensure the borrowers follow through and use caution in conducting their financial affairs with strict discipline, ensuring repayment eventually and allowing the borrowers to develop good credit standing. The bank also accepts deposits, provides other services, and runs several development-oriented businesses including fabric, telephone and energy companies. Another distinctive feature of the bank's credit program is that the overwhelming majority (98%) of its borrowers are women. http://grameen-info.org
The JAK Members Bank (Sweden), or JAK Medlemsbank, is a cooperative, member-owned financial institution based in Skövde, Sweden, and based on a concept that arose in Denmark in 1931. JAK is an acronym for Jord Arbete Kapital in Swedish or Land Labour Capital, the factors of production in classical economics. A membership of approximately 38,000 (as of November 2011) dictates the Bank's policies and direction. JAK banking employs the "Saving Points" system: members accumulate Saving Points during saving periods and use them when applying for a loan. http://jak.se
The Bristol Pound (GB) is real money made for Bristol in the 2012. It is designed to support independent businesses in and around Bristol, retaining and multiplying the benefit of every pound spent for ordinary people and businessesBristol Pounds can be used to pay at Bristol Pound member businesses either with notes, or via an sms text by mobile phone, or over the internet. The Bristol Pound is easy yet secure and an innovative way to show loyalty to businesses and to Bristol. http://bristolpound.org
The Brixton Pound (GB) is a local currency that is available as an alternative to the pound sterling. The first trading day of the Brixton Pound was on 18 September 2009 with 80 local businesses accepting the currency. The Brixton Pound aims to boost the local economy and build a mutual support system amongst independent businesses by tying local shoppers to local shops and by encouraging local shops to source goods and services locally. The notes are available in B£1, B£5, B£10 and B£20 denominations and depict local celebrities such as the community activist Olive Morris and the environmentalist James Lovelock. Lambeth council has endorsed the project  which the New Economics Foundation helped to develop. On September 29, 2011, the Brixton Pound launched an electronic version of the currency where users can pay by text message. www.brixtonpound.org
The Toronto Dollar (Canada) is a Community Currency that encourages people to shop locally and reinvest in their community.Toronto Dollars are equal in value to Canadian dollars and are accepted nearly 150 independent Toronto businesses. www.torontodollar.com
sardex.net (IT) is a circuit of trade credit based on virtual currency set up in 2011 by a hundred companies in Sardinia, Italy. www.sardex.net
Local exchange trading systems (LETS), also known as LETSystems, are locally initiated, democratically organised, not-for-profit community enterprises that provide a community information service and record transactions of members exchanging goods and services by using the currency of locally created LETS Credits. In some places, e.g. Toronto, the scheme has been called the Local Employment and Trading System. In New South Wales, Australia, they were known as Local Energy Transfer Systems. DE/GB: car sharing experiences. http://en.wikipedia.org
The GLS Bank (DE) (full name GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG ) is a German ethical bank that was founded in 1974 as an anthroposophical initiative. It was the first bank in Germany that operated with an ethical philosophy . According to GLS Bank, its focus is on cultural, social and ecological initiatives, initiated by people, and not anonymous interests seeking capital or maximum profit. The name stands for Gemeinschaftsbank für Leihen und Schenken which translates as Community bank for loans and gifts . With the main focus on cultural, social and environmental ventures, GLS tries to deal with challenges in the society by developing creative solutions. The bank is based in Bochum , Germany and is a co-operative. www.gls.de
The Umwelt bank (DE) (environment bank) combines environmental management with successful and professionalbank of environmental and social responsibility. More than 15,500 environmental projects funded, evidence of renewable energies in eco-housing. www.umweltbank.de
EthikBank (the ethics Bank) (DE/AU) is an ethical and ecological direct bank. What distinguishes the bank from other banks is ethics, dealing with their clients' money. The bank invests only in such business ethics that meet its strict investment criteria. In its socio-ecological system is the heart of the ethics policy bank. www.ethikbank.de
Charity Bank ( GB) is bank and a charity based in the United Kingdom , with offices in Tonbridge , London and York .Charity Bank is a not-for-profit bank that only makes loans to charities and social enterprises . Savers can open term and notice savings accounts , such as a Cash ISA , and are sent an annual project portfolio of all the loans the bank has made; so, savers can see exactly how their money is used. www.charitybank.org
The Co-operative Bank plc (GB) is a commercial bank in the United Kingdom and Guernsey , with its headquarters in Manchester .The bank markets itself as an ethical bank , and refuses to invest in companies involved in the arms trade , global climate change , genetic engineering , animal testing and use of sweated labour as stated in its ethical policy. The ethical policy was introduced in 1992. [ 2 ] In 2002,Co-operative Group Limited brought the bank and the Co-operative Insurance Society under the control of a newly incorporated holding society, Co-operative Financial Services, which became the Co-operative Banking Group in 2011.
www.co-operativebank.co.uk
Shared Interest Society Limited (GB) is a fair trade financial co-operative based in the United Kingdom formed in 1990. Today it provides creditand financial services to fair trade producers, retailers, importers and exporters throughout the world. Shared Interest works with bothFairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO) and the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). In 2004, the Shared Interest Foundation was formed as a charitable subsidiary, providing training and support services to producers, complementing the financial services offered by the Society. Shared Interest received the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2008. www.shared-interest.com
BerkShares (USA) are a local currency for the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. Dubbed a "great economic experiment" by the New York Times, BerkShares are a tool for community empowerment, enabling merchants and consumers to plant the seeds for an alternative economic future for their communities. Launched in the fall of 2006, BerkShares had a robust initiation, with over one million BerkShares having been circulated in the first nine months and over 2.7 million to date. Currently, more than four hundred businesses have signed up to accept the currency. Five different banks have partnered with BerkShares, with a total of thirteen branch offices now serving as exchange stations. For BerkShares, this is only the beginning. Future plans could involve BerkShares checking accounts, electronic transfer of funds, ATM machines, and even a loan program to facilitate the creation of new, local businesses manufacturing more of the goods that are used locally. www.berkshares.org
Bartercard (AUSTRALIA) is unlike any other credit or debit card because the member can fund the card with his/her own goods and services but NOT CASH. Bartercard currently helps over 75,000 trading members in 6 countries to increase sales, customer base, cash-flow and profit. Bartercard enables member businesses to exchange goods and services with other Member businesses, saving the valuable cash and increasing profits. www.bartercard.com
Japan is the first country in the world where more than 600 complementary currency systems are operational in the 2003. More importantly: it also the country where the largest diversity of complementary currencies experiments is on-going today. www.lietaer.com
Fureai kippu (in Japanese ふれあい切符 : Caring Relationship Tickets) (JAPAN/CHINA) is a Japanese sectoral currency created in 1995 by the Sawayaka Welfare Foundation so that people could earn credits helping seniors in their community. The basic unit of account is an hour of service to an elderly person. Sometimes seniors help each other and earn the credits, other times family members in other communities earn credits and transfer them to their parents who live elsewhere. Alternatively, the users may transfer credits to someone else. There are two clearinghouses that send the credits from one side of Japan to the other. China, too, is starting to implement the Fureai kippu concept. By 2005, the largest complementary currency system in the world was in China. http://en.wikipedia.org
Kanagawa City’s Project (JAPAN) mixes LOVE and Money. This headline was published by the world’s largest daily newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun on Jan. 22nd 2002 in Tokyo.  The full text says: “The city of Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, will start experimental use of a local electronic currency in February, using plastic cards with integrated circuit (IC) chips.  It will be the first electronic local currency system in Japan."According to city officials, the first batch of IC cards will be given to 73,000 residents who have volunteered to participate in the project.Cards will be issued with a value of 10,000 monetary units called LOVE that can be used like discount coupons at local stores. Cardholders can increase their LOVE points through volunteer social welfare activities, garage sales or collection of recycled items, the officials said. Participants will apply for volunteer activities posted on the city government’s Web site and, after completing the work, insert their cards into readers connected to the city government’s computer. LOVE points equivalent to the assigned value of the work will be transferred from volunteer organizations to the cards via the host computer, the officials said. www.cyberclass.net
Amartya Sen (INDIA/USA),  is an Indian economist who was awarded the1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society's poorest members. Sen is best known for his work on the causes of famine, which led to the development of practical solutions for preventing or limiting the effects of real or perceived shortages of food. He helped to create the United Nations Human Development Index. Amartya Sen won his 1998 Nobel Prize in part for his work in demonstrating that hunger in modern times was not typically the product of a lack of food; rather, hunger usually arose from problems in food distribution networks or from governmental policies in the developing world. http://en.wikipedia.org
Limit speculation? (EU) A Tobin tax, suggested by Nobel Laureate economist James Tobin, was originally defined as a tax on all spot conversions of one currency into another. The tax is intended to put a penalty on short-term financial round-trip excursions into another currency. The tax on foreign exchange transactions was devised to cushion exchange rate fluctuations. The idea is very simple: at each exchange of a currency into another a small tax would be levied - let's say, 0.5% of the volume of the transaction. This dissuades speculators as many investors invest their money in foreign exchange on a very short-term basis. If this money is suddenly withdrawn, countries have to drastically increase interest rates for their currency to still be attractive. But high interest is often disastrous for a national economy, as the nineties' crises in Mexico, Southeast Asia and Russia have proven. The tax would return some margin of manoeuvre to issuing banks in small countries and would be a measure of opposition to the dictate of the financial markets. The first nation in the G20 group to formally accept the Tobin tax was Canada. On March 23, 1999, the Canadian House of Commons passed a resolution directing the government to "enact a tax on financial transactions in concert with the international community." However, ten years later, in November 2009, at the G20 finance ministers summit in Scotland, the representatives of the minority government of Canada spoke publicly on the world stage in opposition to that Canadian House of Commons resolution. In September 2009, French president Nicolas Sarkozy brought up the issue of a Tobin tax once again, suggesting it be adopted by the G20. On November 7, 2009, prime minister Gordon Brown said that G-20 should consider a tax on speculation, although did not specify that it should be on currency trading alone. The BBC reported that there was a negative response to the plan among the G20.By December 11, 2009, European Union leaders expressed broad support for a Tobin tax in a communiqué sent to the International Monetary Fund. http://en.wikipedia.org
The company Ecosquare (IT/JAPAN) is an "exchange" of commodities in the specialized field of industrial waste, reusable and recyclable products and materials and goods at the end of life.  An e-marketplace Italian who wants to be an international meeting point between buyers and sellers of recyclable materials, waste and industrial byproducts. Focused on the so-called "trading area", in which sellers of waste and by-products receive quotes for their materials from potential buyers. Demand and supply of materials and services are through bargaining mechanisms in dynamic pricing (auctions, exchanges, competitions) or fixed price (catalog, quote requests).  ECOSQUARE also working with some Governments in order to implement innovative environmental and social policies. www.ecosquare.com
Nokia Mobile Money Service (INDIA) is an innovative mobile payment service powered by Nokia, bringing consumers access to basic financial services via their mobile device. The services are delivered through partnerships with banks including Union Bank of India and Yes Bank across different parts of the country. Union Bank Money Services, powered by Nokia will be available across India by 2012. This system, already active in some African countries, would, if applied regularly, be applied to the transfer of money from one country to another and to the payment of performance without resorting to other electronic devices. www.mobilemoneyservices.co.in
The Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) is a membership organization founded in March 2009 by BRAC Bank in Bangladesh, ShoreBank in the US, and Triodos Bank in the Netherlands. It is currently made up of fourteen of the world’s leading sustainable banks, from Asia and Latin America to the US and Europe. www.gabv.org
Rising Voices, an outreach initiative of Global Voices, aims to help bring new voices from new communities and speaking new languages to the global conversation by providing resources and funding to local groups reaching out to underrepresented communities. http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org
Produzioni dal basso since 2005 makes horizontal, transparent, popular, free of charge crowd funding. The purpose of this platform is to provide a space for all those who want to propose their own project through the system of grassroots production. http://produzionidalbasso.com

Bollenti Spiriti (IT): the project “Bollenti Spiriti” (“hot spirits”) is a measure of the region Puglia, a region with chronic problems related to youth unemployment and lack of investment capital, with the purpose of building a community of reference for young people and new, creative ideas of progress. For example, the initiative of “principi attivi” (active principles) a system of  grant funding, provides an initial capital of EUR 25000 for each considered worthy idea to create jobs and opportunities for development. In 4 years, this measure registered a considerable success as to attract the attention of the European Union to include these procedures in their calls for funding for youth policies. www.bollentispiriti.org
The Visioni urbane Basilicata (IT) project, ( urban design visions in Basilicata), created by the Government of the Italian region of Basilicata, has established a community of local creatives with the aim of designing the future of the region, developing ideas and focusing much on culture as a factor in local economic development. www.visioniurbanebasilicata.net
Transition Towns (IR/GB) (also known as Transition network or Transition Movement) is a grassroots network of communities that are working to build resilience in response to peak oil, climate destruction, and economic instability. http://transitionnetwork.org
Degrowth (FR/GB/IT) is a political, economic, and social movement based on environmentalist, anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist ideas. Degrowth thinkers and activists advocate for the downscaling of production and consumption -the contraction of economies-as overconsumption lies at the root of long term environmental issues and social inequalities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degrowth
CSEHub (Canadian Social Economy Hub), between 2005 and 2011,  acted as a facilitator promoting collaboration among six regional research centres across Canada ( Québec , Atlantic , Southern Ontario , Prairies and Northern Ontario , BC and Alberta and the North ), and creating opportunities and exchanges with international networks. CSEHub reached out to practitioners, to researchers and to civil society, through the regional research centres and their community partners. It undertook research as needed in order to understand and promote the Social Economy tradition within Canada and as a subject of academic enquiry within universities.The collaborative effort of the six regional research centres, their community partners, and the CSEHub was called The Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships (CSERP). CSERP was established in 2005 through a five-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research grant. Altogether, over 300 researchers, drawn from universities and Social Economy organisations, have participated in the work that has been undertaken (and in some instances is still being undertaken). All told, the researchers have created over 400 products. http://socialeconomyhub.ca
The Carbon Disclosure Project ( UK) is an independent not-for-profit organization working to drive greenhouse gas emissions reduction and sustainable water use by business and cities. The network can provide a transformative global system for thousands of companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share environmental information. When provided with the necessary information, market forces can be a major cause of change. Working with the world’s largest investors, businesses and governments, CDP is uniquely positioned to catalyze action towards a more sustainable economy. www.cdproject.net
NEF - the new economics foundation (UK) is an independent think-and-do tank that inspires and demonstrates real economic well-being with the aim to improve quality of life by promoting innovative solutions that challenge mainstream thinking on economic, environment and social issues. Founded in 1986 by the leaders of The Other Economic Summit (TOES) which forced issues such as international debt onto the agenda of the G7 and G8 summits, NEF’s strategy is to combine rigorous analysis and policy debate with practical solutions on the ground, often run and designed with the help of local people. NEF also creates new ways of measuring progress towards increased well-being and environmental sustainability.NEF works with all sections of society in the UK and internationally - civil society, government, individuals, businesses and academia - to create more understanding and strategies for change. www.neweconomics.org
The National Energy Foundation (UK) was set up in 1990 to help UK citizens address these through practical advice and help in installing energy saving measures and implementing appropriate renewable energy sources. Being "green" has never had a higher profile. So by using energy more wisely and looking at alternative energy sources, it is possible not only to do the individual bit for the environment, but also to give a competitive edge to the companies, saving money too! www.nef.org.uk
Green Car Congress (USA) Green Car Congress’ mission is to provide timely, high-quality editorial about the full spectrum of energy options, technologies, products, issues and policies related to sustainable mobility. Main goals are: to provide timely and accurate reporting and analysis of relevant developments around the world and to take the panoptic view, providing comprehensive coverage and the context critical to understanding and evaluating our emerging energy options. The association’s audience comprises members of every segment of the energy and transportation markets: industry, government, academia and the public. www.greencarcongress.com
Bitcoin (JAPAN) is a decentralized electronic cash system that uses peer-to-peer networking, digital signatures and cryptographic proof so as to enable users to conduct irreversible transactions without relying on trust. Nodes broadcast transactions to the network, which records them in a public history, called the blockchain, after validating them with a proof-of-work system. Users make transactions with bitcoins, an alternative, digital currency that the network issues according to predetermined rules. Bitcoins do not have the backing of and do not represent any government-issued currency. The Bitcoin network came into existence on 3 January 2009 with the issuance of the first bitcoins. In the same month the creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, released the original Bitcoin client as open-source software. Prior to the invention of Bitcoin, electronic commerce systems could not securely operate without relying on a central authority to prevent double-spending. Nakamoto sidestepped this requirement for Bitcoin by employing a proof-of-work approach in a peer-to-peer network to reach consensus between peers on the validity of transactions. Bitcoin is a relatively new project under active development. http://bitcoin.org
The 2011–2012 Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement and the Indignants movement are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks and Real Democracy NOW (Spanish: Democracia Real YA) among other civilian digital platforms and 200 other small associations. The series of protests demands a radical change in Spanish politics, as protesters do not consider themselves to be represented by any traditional party nor favoured by the measures approved by politicians. According to statistics published by RTVE, the Spanish public broadcasting company, between 6.5 and 8 million Spaniards have participated in these protests. http://en.wikipedia.org
Occupy Wall Street (USA) is a protest that began on September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district. The protest was initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters and has led to Occupy protests and movements around the world. The main issues are social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the undue influence of corporations on government—particularly from the financial services sector. The OWS slogan, We are the 99%, addresses the growing income inequality and wealth distribution in the U.S. between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population. To achieve their goals protesters act on consensus-based decision made in general assemblies to effect direct action instead of petitioning authorities for redress. http://occupywallst.org
Abahlali baseMjondolo (Zulu, Shack Dwellers) (SOUTH AFRICA), also known as AbM or the red shirts is a shack-dwellers' movement in South Africa which is well known for its campaigning for public housing.  It is the largest shack dweller's organization in South Africa and campaigns to improve the living conditions of poor people and to democratize society from below.The movement refuses party politics, boycottselections and has a history of conflict with both the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance. Its key demand is that the social value of urban land should take priority over its commercial value and it campaigns for the public expropriation of large privately owned landholdings. The key organising strategy is to try "to recreate Commons" from below by trying to create a series of linked communes. www.abahlali.org
The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre (NEW CALEDONIA), of Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, celebrates the vernacular Kanak culture, the indigenous culture of New Caledonia, amidst much political controversy over the independent status sought by the Kanaks from French colonial rule. It opened in June 1998 and was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and named after Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the leader of the independence movement who was assassinated in 1989 and who had a vision of establishing a cultural centre which blended the linguistic and artistic heritage of the Kanak people. The Kanak building traditions and the resources of modern international architecture were blended by Piano in accord to the architectonical principles of the green buildings phylosophy. The building is surrounded by landscaping which is also inspired by traditional Kanak design elements. Marie Claude Tjibaou, widow of Jean Marie Tjibaou and current leader of the Agency for the Development of Kanak Culture (ADCK), observed: "We, the Kanaks, see it as a culmination of a long struggle for the recognition of our identity; on the French Government’s part it is a powerful gesture of restitution”. www.adck.nc
Special drawing rights (SDRs) (CHINA) are supplementary foreign exchange reserve assets defined and maintained by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Not a currency, SDRs instead represent a claim to currency held by IMF member countries for which they may be exchanged.[1] As they can only be exchanged for euros, Japanese yen, pounds sterling, or US dollars, SDRs may actually represent a potential claim on IMF member countries' non gold foreign exchange reserve assets, which are usually held in those currencies. While they may appear to have a far more important part to play, or, perhaps, an important future role, being the unit of account for the IMF has long been the main function of the SDR. In 2009, China, a country with large holdings of US dollar foreign exchange reserves, voiced its displeasure at the current international monetary system promoting measures that would allow the SDR to "fully satisfy the member countries' demand for a reserve currency". These comments, made by a chairman of the People's Bank of China, Zhou Xiaochuan, drew media attention, and the IMF showed some support for China's stance. It produced a paper exploring ways the substance and function of the SDR could be increased. China has also suggested the creation of a substitution account to allow exchange of US dollars into SDRs. http://en.wikipedia.org
THAILAND: After a decade of political difficulty, a young woman was elected as prime minister. In May 2011, the Pheu Thai Party nominated Yingluck Shinawatra as their candidate for Prime Minister in the 2011 general election. She campaigned on a platform of national reconciliation, poverty eradication, and corporate income tax reduction. The Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory, winning 265 seats in the 500 seat House of Representatives of Thailand. It was only the second time in Thai political history that a single party won a parliamentary majority.