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The Company That Turns Plastic Bottles Into Fabric—and Jobs

John Tierney

November 07, 2014 |

The Atlantic |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Haiti, Port-au-Prince

Thread is a social enterprise out of Pittsburgh taking a two-for-one approach to the issues of both poverty and pollution in Haiti. They help take plastic waste out of the environment by turning it into durable fabrics that are sold to clothing and accessory companies looking to source responsible materials, and they create sustainable jobs for Haitians who collect and process the plastic waste.

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MIT D-Lab promotes rural community innovations in Guatemala with Soluciones Comunitarias

Nancy Adams

October 10, 2014 |

MIT News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Guatemala, Santa Maria Nebaj, El Quiché

Using "Creative Capacity Building," MIT's D-Lab established in impoverished, rural areas in developing nations a method of empowering and supporting individuals in rural communities to invent low-cost technologies specifically geared to address the problems or needs of their locale. In 2009, the D-Lab paired with SolCom, a Guatemalan community organizing enterprise, and an international development fund to bring this model to the isolated, impoverished area of Nebaj, assisting locals in creating a Makerspace, or "integrated workshop, demonstration site, training center, and retail shop to complement the activities of microentrepreneurs." The collaboration has fostered an environment for sustainable, grass-roots change, in which the social and intellectual capital needed to create the needed innovations and inventions originate in the community itself.

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How to Attract Artists to a Down-and-Out Neighborhood

John Tierney

October 10, 2014 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Columbus, Ohio

Public-private collaborations can promote entrepreneurship and foster economic revitalization. In the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, partnerships between the city of Columbus, the Franklinton Development Association (FDA), and local businesses have led to a flourishing of artist studios, maker spaces, and other community attractions. The initiatives were funded in part by grants from ArtPlace America as well as the city of Columbus.

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Profits at the Bottom of the Pyramid

Erik Simanis

October 01, 2014 |

Harvard Business Review |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Too often socially useful businesses end up failing because they get ahead of themselves and end up not being profitable. Companies now can select from an 'opportunity map' of ventures that serve the poorest individuals, and are more likely to be profitable and sustainable.

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Innovation Within Reach

Sarika Bansal

August 21, 2014 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nepal

What about the world’s poorest, for whom new, expensive gadgets are out of reach - what types of innovation would be most beneficial for them? Through “frugal innovation”, people are designing products specifically to meet the needs of the world’s poorest citizens.

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Serving the base of the pyramid: five tips from emerging-market experts

Bruce Watson

May 30, 2014 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The Social Innovation Summit, hosted in New York City, examines five key elements that allow the strategy of marketing to the base of the pyramid to actually succeed, and the companies big and small that are leveraging this approach to sustainably break the cycle of poverty in varied industries for communities around the world.

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Refurbished Wind Turbines to Power the Developing World at a Profit

Mary Mazzoni

January 30, 2014 |

Triple Pundit |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Emirate of Abu Dhabi

The commercially-based Wind for Prosperity initiative may have devised a solution to meet growing demands for electricity in developing economies, where fossil fuels are expensive, difficult to access, and take a toll on environmental and human health. The venture works to refurbish wind turbines from Europe and re-deploy them in the developing world, providing clean and affordable power where it’s needed most.

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Playing With Toys and Saving Lives

Tina Rosenberg

January 29, 2014 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nicaragua, Jinotepe, Carazo

Many different people are inventing health devices for resource-poor settings, but some organizations - like M.I.T.’s Little Devices group - are empowering developing communities and increasing access to healthcare by building medical devices that nurses and doctors in very poor settings can adapt themselves — or kits for making their own, often harvesting parts from toys to cleverly rig up medical equipment. It’s part of a major idea shift, one that’s transforming the design of foreign aid.

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In Lieu of Money, Toyota Donates Efficiency to New York Charity

Mona El-Naggar

July 26, 2013 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Instead of following the traditional corporate model of financial philanthropy, Toyota gave its engineers to the Food Bank for New York City: trained in "kaizen" (Japanese for “continuous improvement). The engineers analyzed and improved the Food Bank's distribution systems, greatly increasing the Bank's efficiency and effectiveness in its anti-hunger efforts. By sharing the business model which made its own business thrive, Toyota's partnership with the city demonstrates how public-private collaboration provides a self-reliant, sustainable solution.

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When entrepreneurship is only way forward

Laura Baverman

July 21, 2013 |

USA Today |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Guatemala, Antigua

Development work is evolving beyond short-term mission trips and one-off donations into a more comprehensive, in-depth model that addresses long-term sustainability of a solution paired with empowerment of those being served. MicroConsignment is a unique branch of micro-enterprise being implemented by non-profit SolCom in Guatemala that provides individuals in rural villages the skills and resources needed to start sustainable businesses.

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