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Finding Value in Waste
As the number one exporter of Brazil nuts, Bolivia cultivates approximately 20,000 tons a year. Only 0.8 percent of the Brazil nuts are exported with their shell; the rest are cracked and their nutshells are discarded as waste. But the founders of PelletBol, developed a method to compress the Brazil nutshells into pellets as a source of biofuel.
- Categories
- Health Care
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Housing for All Series: Sizing Up the Affordable Housing Deficit
The second article of the month-long series on Housing for All in partnership with Ashoka, examines the magnitude of the challenge, and its implications for higher education and certification for construction trades at all levels and skill fields: including technology, alternative building materials, and better planning/infrastructure needs.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- housing
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ANDE Moves From Analysis to Action
While it still represents "pocket change" compared to the heavy hitters of private equity and microfinance institutional lending, the small and growing business investment sector is growing. This was the prevailing view from the annual Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs Conference 2011, the organization’s third such summit.
- Categories
- Investing
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Social Entrepreneurship Coming Full Circle, at Columbia’s Social Enterprise Conference
This year’s Columbia Social Enterprise Conference, on the topic of "Social Innovation in a Networked WorId," left me almost certain that the social entrepreneurship movement is currently witnessing such a full circle moment on several fronts, most notably, when it comes to our collective understanding of what a "networked world" means.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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Technology Plus Humanity – An Equation for Social Collaboration
At the 2011 Columbia Social Enterprise Conference panel last week, 3 social enterprise managers pondered technology’s role in the social sector today and how it advances philanthropy. A theme throughout the panel was the importance of incorporating the human experience into the technology, a potential key to unlocking a surge in donor activity.
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- Social Enterprise, Technology
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Launching a New Series: The Global Spread of Affordable Housing
Urban slums are the fastest-growing human habitat. By 2030, their populations will triple to over 3 billion people. Is the ideal of affordable housing for the masses a Utopian pipe dream? Or is it fertile ground to build houses, build markets, build income and build better futures for a billion people? Join us as we explore the potential answers.
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- Uncategorized
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- housing
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Aakash: Game Changer or Another Brick in the Wall?
"Aakash," touted to be the world’s cheapest tablet, was launched by the Indian government last week and distributed via pilot program to 500, rual primary school students across India. With the considerable buzz surrounding the $35 device, will the BoP market truly have something to cheer for?
- Categories
- Technology
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NextThought Monday: New Modes of Mobility for the Poor
Disabilities perpetuate a poverty trap and push the poor further from access to education, employment and healthcare. Most policies, programs and entrepreneurial initiatives in India have focused on providing employment. Little attention has been paid to helping the disabled - in particular, the poor - become more mobile themselves.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Transportation
- Tags
- transportation
