Sports relief is brilliant!

I know that one of our contributors is Chris Ward, the Creative Director of Sports Relief and Comic Relief.. But that won’t stop me from saying “well done” to the whole team there and everybody who took part. The show was fantastic and they raised over £20m (including a £5.5m single donation from a mystery person!) which will make a big difference.

Green wiki

Ok, so it feels like every other web launch these days is environmentally flavoured. It is THE big thing. So it was only a metter of time beofre someone married the wiki model to the growing green phenomenon. And here it is… Playgreen is the green wiki that encourages all visitors to improve the knowledge of how to make a difference to our planet. “Together we are building the biggest book on green living”, says the homepage. And it could well turn into that if they attract enough people willing to contribute.

Make a difference to yourself first

On Web of Conscience, we focus on people and technology that make a difference to the world. But I have been thinking recently that making a difference to the world is not just about helping others, it is also about making the world a better place for ourselves as individuals. The happier and healthier we all are, the more positive energy we will have to put into making the world better.

I have been inspired by many people in thinking about ensuring I am happy first and foremost, but the most recent source of inspiration has been Zen Habits and especially his post on Making Today Your Personal Miracle. The main thought in this post is one of looking at your own life and being thankful. This will first make you happy anyway, but also focus your mind on the things you may want to work on changing to make you even happier.

UK’s first green broadband TV channel gains momentum

The Independent has a good story about Green.tv’s increase in popularity. Ade Thomas, founder of the environmental broadband channel, has been hard at work on this project for years, and cannot be accused of jumping on the green bandwagon.

Green.tv uses very high production standards to create environment-flavoured programmes, in fact, I believe that the majority of their progamming is in HD. They also host content created by other brands and content creators in this space. A must visit for anybody who is passionate about this subject.

So, what do the kids think?

Nokia has teamed up with WWF and IUCN to create a website called connect2earth.org. The aim of the site is to encourage young people to speak out about environmental issues. They are also running a competition which will ultimately select the best idea from the site and present it to the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona in October 2008.

The site is aimed at people aged 13-35 (luckily I still fit in this age bracket, just in case you were wondering). It only launched today but looks very busy already! Although I have to say the logo is appalling and the site design is a bit ropey – but I wish them luck nevertheless.

Energy saving search engine

This is for all those people that believe thinking green is hard work or cost money;

Use www.blackle.com for all your searching and help save lots of energy. Blackle is powered by Google so you still get comprehensive search results – you could even set it as your browser home page. Be sure to check the ‘Web Search’ box though.

Philanthropy is prime time TV material?

Oprah has a new show that is coming out on abc (Oprah’s Big Giveaway) where she sends out 10 ordinary people across the US with a load of cash that they have to give away. Every week, the public vote off the person that the viewers perceive to be the least philanthropic.

So, is philanthropy the new trendy thing in the US? Or is it genuine?

Doctor Brilliant

clipped from www.guardian.co.uk He helped beat smallpox and saved 3m people’s sight. Now the first techno-philanthropist has an even more ambitious task. Spending $2bn of Google’s money Larry Brilliant has a habit of solving big problems. As a doctor working for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the late 1970s, he turned his energies towards one of the planet’s most destructive diseases: as a result, he is one of those credited with eradicating smallpox. These days Brilliant might be approaching retirement age, but he’s set himself some new challenges, among them lowering the cost of renewable energy, spotting pandemics before they happen and creating jobs in Africa. This time around, however, he’s not going it alone. In fact, he’s got the backing of one of the most powerful companies in the world. It is two years since Dr Brilliant took over Google’s philanthropic foundation, Google.org, and two weeks since the announcement of an ambitious slate of projects.

Picture Post: Dubya does Tanzania, 18.02.08

clipped from www.independent.co.uk Bush was in Tanzania to sign a compact for $698m in aid from the United States to help the African nation in its struggle against the spread of malaria. He had also brought Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, a basketball player in his youth, the gift of a pair of Shaquille O’Neal’s trainers. The brother and sister of Dr Seuss’s seminal tale are forced by a “cold, cold wet day” to stay inside, wishing for something to do. President Bush had no such problem, and was entertained, as ever, by the best reception his hosts had to offer. His state visits are often characterised by bemusement, as he grins uncomprehendingly at the performances of local dancers such as these Tanzanians in traditional warrior dress. Sometimes, God help us, he joins in. The native people never seem to know quite what to make of Dubya, and perhaps the feeling is mutual. But, as ever, one thing you can’t fault is his enthusiasm.

Gates calls for creative capitalism to help poor

clipped from www.guardian.co.uk Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, last night called for a new version of global capitalism that delivered benefits to the poor as well as the rich. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the software entrepreneur and one of the world’s richest men said there was a need for “a creative capitalism” that would use market forces to address the needs of the world’s poorest countries. “We have to find a way to make the aspects of capitalism that serve wealthier people serve poorer people as well,” Gates said in a keynote address. “The world is getting better in many crucial ways,” Gates said. “I’m an optimist but I’m an impatient optimist. Things are not getting better fast enough and they are not getting better for everyone.” Gates added that the least needy were seeing the biggest improvements in their lives while the most needy were seeing the least improvement.