Conflict Kitchen is a fascinating concept: food is served to communicate the stories of different cultures via iconic store fronts. The featured country rotates every four months and the rotation is meant to educate as well as to please palates. Check out more here!
A recent New York Times article depicts Sweden’s amazing efforts to decrease their use of fossil fuels. The most admirable aspect of Sweden’s efforts- also the key to their success- is that the country uses what it’s got; instead of turning to solar energy or wind turbines (two approaches that would both be inappropriate for the country’s climate) they capitalize on farming byproducts to produce energy.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel
This awesome article in INC. Magazine, titled, “The Way I Work,” features Daniel and captures exactly how our CEO works! We are super proud that Daniel was featured in INC. and are even prouder that he is the fast paced, driven, successful worker that the article describes!
by Adeena Schlussel
Israeli entrepreneur, Amit Goffer just invented an incredible device to benefit the disabled population: robotic pants that use sensors to allow paralyzed patients to walk and stand. The Washington Post reported on the product called “ReWalk,” which will hopefully be for sale after the next coming years of trials and tests. While there are bound to be many obstacles for the inventors and the early adapters, this looks like a truly incredible opportunity for anyone who is paralyzed and I am excited to see this brilliance at work.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel
An article in today’s Haaretz reveals a recent trend in the Israeli Army: Palestinian Leadership has been addressing Israeli soldiers and officers “to inform soldiers and officers of the nature of recent changes in the West Bank, and of the complexity of their mission when operating within the Palestinian populace.” This unique cooperation between the Israeli army and Palestinian official is unprecedented and completely amazing! This story shows that even in the most unlikely of places, peace can flourish.
“Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel”
By Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
Walkers Crisps is making a splash both with an environmentally favorable plan, as well as a humorous ad announcing the chance to vote for a new flavor. (See both the article and video clip below.) According to an article in The Grocer, the UK executives are looking at the potential of making the crisp packets out of potato skins to enhance the biodegradability of the bags, as well as minimize waste. We admire their plans to be KIND to consumers’ taste buds and the world!
For years, Forbes has published a list of billionaires that reflects the cult of money we live in. We lionize wealth. Why? Wealth accumulation is only a means to an end. What are you going to do with that money should matter to society much more. Why is it that so many people forget that? At least partly it’s because our society glorifies financial success, and ranking it is relatively easier as you are dealing with a very easy measure: money accumulated.
It would be far more interesting, though, if a publication or organization measured and praised the social impact of the greatest contributors to civilization. For example, Mohammad Yunus from Grameen Bank, who is nowhere to be seen on the Forbes list, would rank quite high because of the enormous impact he has had on society. Bill Gates would too, given how much of his wealth he has given out and in such methodic ways to try to impact society.
My friend Martin Varsavsky forwarded me a list published by BusinessWeek that is a useful start – ranking the most generous philanthropists within the Forbes 400 list.
What we need now is to take it to the next level, asking a trusted third party to develop a way to take donations into contribution as the BusinessWeek list does, but to not stop there. To add a measurement for the way the money is given out, whether there is a social innovation or model that helps advance society in the process. For example, the Skoll Foundation is among those responsible for supporting social entrepreneurship and making it “cool.” So it’s not just the enormous amount it has invested (donated) into the space, but also the way it has gone about doing it. That counts more than just writing a check, assuming the process and the platform are well thought out and innovative. And even if someone doesn’t donate money, but they create models to benefit humanity, whether through better health systems like Paul Farmer, or through the many innovations that social entrepreneurs from India and South East Asia (including several impressive ones selected by the Schwab Foundation) have introduced to truly impact their countries.
Celebrities also have a currency – fame, and the power to use it effectively. So here again, we could turn blind worship of celebrities into appreciation for those that, rather than paying the dues their publicist asked them to, sincerely engage in ways that are sustained and impactful. George Clooney comes to mind, but there are dozens others who truly dedicate themselves to make this a better world.
If Fast-Company Magazine or TIME Magazine could create a formula that is sufficiently consistent, transparent, and simple while robust, it could become the basis for others to start rallying around and quoting and praising those truly worthy of adulation.
People that truly want to change the world do not do it for the sake of a popularity contest. Changing the world is not easy, so if you just want to be popular in today’s society there are shortcuts to think you can get there. So this list is not intended to impact those people. For that there is education – helping people find purpose in their lives.
But for our society as a whole, which is so obsessed with Hollywood celebrities, political power, and financial wealth, a credible list that focused peoples’ attention on the contributions people are making to society could help start changing the discourse.
And to make this platform truly inspiring and accessible to high school students and not just people already in a position of influence, a supplemental list could be created that would track the CREATIVITY AND MAGNIFICATIONAL IMPACT of just one simple action or relatively modest behavioral change within every person’s reach. The power of the internet can be the great equalizer. With Do The KIND Thing, the KIND Movement is trying to inspire unexpected acts of kindness that are the most KINDTASTIC – truly transformative and impactful. Ideally we can start putting a spotlight on how “the average citizen” can make a far-greater-than-average contribution to their community. It would be great if society could find effective platforms to praise those who step out of their zones of comfort to make others a bit better off, to show how a 15-year old can change the world, one idea at a time.
Earlier tonight at a reception by the Skoll Foundation on the occasion of the CGI conference, I had an interesting conversation with Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America. One of her insights is that the key to improving our education system is not in undermining teachers, who are far stronger than the stereotypical condemnations would lead one to believe. The key is to empower students with the vision that they are worthy and deserving of a higher education and a brighter future – to increase their self-worth through visualization about the possibilities before them.
What I found interesting is that, like OneVoice’s 2018 insight about visualization of a two-state solution as key to get there, here in education an ability to visualize a better future is again central to getting there.
Like Thoreau wrote, "If you have built clouds on the sky your work need not be lost. That is where they should be. Now build the foundations under them." (I paraphrase from memory so don’t quote me)
I have always thought that the keys to improving our education and giving young people an "edge" is to teach kids about IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY, about how to be INTROSPECTIVE AND SELF-CRITICAL, about how to do CRITICAL THINKING and evaluation of issues before them – questioning all assumptions, and to be RESILIENT/PERSISTENT, and GOAL-ORIENTED. Wendy agreed all of these are very important aspects of growth in education.
But a prerequisite seems to be the ATTITUDE. And that attitude can emanate from a positive view of ourselves and our future.
by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
Check out this great PBS piece featuring PeaceWorks and Daniel’s efforts to end the Mideast conflict with OneVoice! Thank you Fred De Sam Lazaro for showing how entrepreneurship can enhance relations between Israelis and Palestinians (as well as in other conflict regions) while being lucrative as well. With the persistence of others who share Daniel’s unyielding passion and belief that economic cooperation can lead to peace, we hope to see a decrease in Mideast tensions soon.
by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
A recent article in the New York Times illustrates current alternative group therapies being deployed i Gaza meant to relieve heightened and continual stress in the region. Dr. James Gordon is leading the efforts via his Center for Mind-Body Medicine and claims that the program has already proven significant reductions in stress and depression that permeate the Gaza strip. Hopefully these therapies will continue to lighten hardships in the region and decrease the difficulties of dealing with the ongoing conflict.