Dowser » Steve Spillman http://dowser.org The Site for Solution Journalism Mon, 14 May 2012 16:05:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Twitter Roundup - December 24: Fast food competitions, the food safety act and a better food pyramid http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-december-24-fast-food-competitions-the-food-safety-act-and-a-better-food-pyramid/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-december-24-fast-food-competitions-the-food-safety-act-and-a-better-food-pyramid/#comments Fri, 24 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Anja Tranovich http://dowser.org/?p=9893 Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few interesting tweets from the last week:

RT @GreenBiz General Motors Turns Gulf Coast Oil Booms Into Chevy Volt Parts http://grn.bz/eHyqus
December 20, 2010 11:48 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@ChevyVolt
Chevrolet Volt

Here’s a story that brings together lots of the hot topics of 2010: Chevrolet (@ChevyVolt) announced this week that their upcoming Volt electric car will include parts that are repurposed from the booms that helped clean up the BP oil spill. The plastic resin from the booms will be used to create air deflectors in the radiator in the entire first year’s run of the Volt production.

Have you pledged to support Yoxi's winner, The Udon Project? Help them reinvent #fastfood and we'll match up to $17,500! http://ow.ly/3sBw2
December 21, 2010 12:01 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

Young startup Yoxi (@yoxi_play), which aims to find novel solutions to social issues through competitions, named the winner of its first contest this week. The competition hoped to reinvent fast food and involved three rounds. The winner is The Udon Project, which proposes a more friendly fast food restaurant that serves Pad Thai wraps and other healthy food on the go. Check out their final video.

After a hiccup a few weeks ago, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act finally passed Congress this week, marking the first new food safety reform laws since the 1930s. Analysis at Change.org shows that the new laws will require much more frequent federal inspections of large farms and food producers and allow the FDA to issue mandatory food recalls for the first time. Food production has come a long way in 70 years, and it looks like our food laws are starting to catch up.

Better Food Pyramid Design Contest—Winner Unveiled! http://bit.ly/eiZW6T
December 20, 2010 3:44 pm via Su.prReplyRetweetFavorite
@GOOD
GOOD

In time for the weekend’s food-heavy holidays, GOOD (@GOOD) held a contest to find a better food pyramid, and this week, they named the winner. The winning design clearly lays out what we need to be eating more and less of, and integrates the issue of food production.

What’d we miss? Let us know in the comments or find us @dowserDOTorg.

]]> http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-december-24-fast-food-competitions-the-food-safety-act-and-a-better-food-pyramid/feed/ 0 Twitter Roundup - December 10: light bulbs with longevity, recycling jeans into cars, and China's cap on emissions http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-december-10-light-bulbs-with-longevity-recycling-jeans-into-cars-and-chinas-cap-on-emissions/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-december-10-light-bulbs-with-longevity-recycling-jeans-into-cars-and-chinas-cap-on-emissions/#comments Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:47:05 +0000 Anja Tranovich http://dowser.org/?p=8941 Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few interesting tweets from the last week:

The GE Energy Smart LED. Energy-efficient with a 22.8 year life. It's the world's first onmidirectional LED... http://fb.me/HUz8VSRN
December 7, 2010 10:46 am via FacebookReplyRetweetFavorite
@GELighting
GELighting

This week GE (@GE_Reports) released a new light bulb that promises to last a whopping 22.8 years. Called the “Energy Smart LED” it uses a 9-watt LED bulb and its makers promise it looks a lot like a traditional incandescent light when turned on. What’s the downside? It costs $50. But they estimate the energy savings over the life of the bulb is around $85.

In an article on AltTransport (@alttransport) this week, we learned that the interior of each 2012 Ford Focus will include the recycled cotton from two pairs of blue jeans, used as sound absorption and carpet backing. Ford believes that recycling jeans is a way to keep potential waste out of landfills and make their cars more sustainable.

News [Reuters]: China says can make voluntary CO2 curbs "binding" ;http://reut.rs/dGmNDY #COP16, #Cancun
December 6, 2010 7:27 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

At the U.N. climate talks this week in Cancun, China made a new offer to make its extensive and ambitious carbon emissions targets a binding promise. Since the current round of Kyoto Protocol carbon caps expire in 2012, there has been a rush to find a new solution that will work for most countries. China’s move, according to some analysts, could put pressure on developed countries to extend the Kyoto Protocol again and bring down carbon emissions across the world. We’re looking forward to seeing how this develops.

A team of developers in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund (@WWF) announced last week that they had released a new file format with the extension .wwf on the Internet. What does it do? It’s basically a PDF document, except without the option to print. “Save as WWF, Save a Tree” is the motto, and it’s available as free software for your computer. Most PDF reader programs can open the files, but it prevents printing across all platforms.

What’d we miss? Let us know in the comments or find us @dowserDOTorg.

]]> http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-december-10-light-bulbs-with-longevity-recycling-jeans-into-cars-and-chinas-cap-on-emissions/feed/ 1 Twitter Roundup - December 3: Jumo, fast trains and a food safety overhaul http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-december-3-jumo-fast-trains-and-a-food-safety-overhaul/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-december-3-jumo-fast-trains-and-a-food-safety-overhaul/#comments Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:30:33 +0000 Anja Tranovich http://dowser.org/?p=8448 Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few thought-provoking tweets from the last week:

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and his team launched the beta version of a new site called Jumo (@JumoConnect) which means “to come together” in the Yoruba language. It’s a social network dedicated to connecting people to the nonprofits and causes they care about. Plus it’s built on top of the Facebook platform, so no need to manage yet another social networking profile. Read more about it on their website, here.

Charging for plastic bags cut bag consumption by half in China: Research from Sweden shows that people in China ... http://bit.ly/hlADUd
November 28, 2010 11:21 pm via twitterfeedReplyRetweetFavorite
@sciencedaily
sciencedaily

Researchers in Sweden announced the remarkable results of the ban on free plastic bags in China: plastic bag use has dropped by 50 percent, keeping up to 100 billion bags from landfills. And only about 40 percent of retailers have actually been complying with the ban. We're keeping an eye on other plastic bag bans to see what kinds of effects they have.

Still hot: Poland Unveils BMW-Designed Subway Cars Which Are 98% Recyclablehttp://ow.ly/3hgBj
November 30, 2010 6:10 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite
@fastcodesign
Co.Design

From Fast Company design, we have a cool story on some beautiful and eco-friendly new subway cars designed by BMW and Siemens for the underground rails of Warsaw, Poland. They’re 98 percent recyclable and significantly lighter than existing cars, so they need less energy to run. Click through to see the pictures.

NYT NEWS ALERT: Senate Passes Overhaul of Food Safety Regulations
November 30, 2010 11:36 am via The New York TimesReplyRetweetFavorite
@nytimes
The New York Times

This week, the so-called “lame duck” Senate surprised many by passing the Food Safety Modernization bill, the first significant food safety overhaul in over 70 years. It passed by a hefty margin of 73-25. Proponents say it protects small businesses and farmers while ensuring that consumers won’t be subject to so many food recalls and batches of dangerous produce. However, earlier this week, it was discovered that the decision may be thrown out, as any measures that deal with taxes are supposed to begin in the House of Representatives. We look forward to seeing what happens with this important legislation.

What’d we miss?  Let us know in the comments or find us @dowserDOTorg.

]]> http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-december-3-jumo-fast-trains-and-a-food-safety-overhaul/feed/ 0 Twitter Roundup - November 19: Plastic bags, farmers markets and food banks http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-november-19-plastic-bags-farmers-markets-and-food-banks/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-november-19-plastic-bags-farmers-markets-and-food-banks/#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:30:52 +0000 Anja Tranovich http://dowser.org/?p=7801 Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few thought-provoking tweets on food from the last week:

Want to find a farmer's market? @USDAgov has built the dataset & map, you can design a farmers market app http://ow.ly/3aXnc
November 17, 2010 1:35 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite
@HumaneTouch
The Humane Touch

Just this week, the USDA (@USDAgov) released a brand new website with a national farmers market directory, including a slick mapping tool.  In conjunction with the new tool and directory, they’ve released an entire data set with all of the collected information. On the USDA blog, they urge app developers to use the free and open data to create even more useful tools so that people across the country can easily find their local farmers markets.

Los Angeles County bans plastic bags http://bit.ly/aN9TuK
November 16, 2010 4:34 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@NBCLA
NBC Los Angeles

At a county board meeting on Tuesday, Los Angeles County became the latest in a string of cities to propose banning plastic bags in convenience and grocery stores. Under the ordinance, expected to be passed officially next week, the unincorporated areas of L.A. will ban retail outlets from using the plastic bags, and paper bags would carry a 10 cent charge per bag. While those unincorporated areas do not include the city of Los Angeles, it does cover an area with a population of over one million people.

According to a Department of Agriculture report, hunger levels in the U.S. are at their highest level in 15 years. Over 45 million Americans were “food insecure” last year—that’s nearly 15% of the country. According to the report, single-parent households are among those most likely to go hungry. There’s a hopeful side to the story, though; food banks across the U.S. are organizing paper plate campaigns—concerned volunteers can raise awareness on child hunger by sending decorated paper plates to lawmakers. Read more here.

It's National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week! Help raise awareness - review a food & shelter org! http://bit.ly/twgnfs
November 16, 2010 2:11 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@GreatNonprofits
GreatNonprofits

GreatNonprofits (@GreatNonprofits), the self-described “Yelp for Nonprofits,” is observing National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week by asking people to help them recognize organizations that fight hunger and homelessness. Do you have a favorite? Nominate your nonprofit here.

What’d we miss? Let us know in the comments or find us on Twitter @dowserDOTorg.

]]> http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-november-19-plastic-bags-farmers-markets-and-food-banks/feed/ 0 Twitter Roundup - November 12: Home efficiency scores, cigarette warnings and Yale scholarships http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-november-12-home-efficiency-scores-cigarette-warnings-and-yale-scholarships/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-november-12-home-efficiency-scores-cigarette-warnings-and-yale-scholarships/#comments Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:08:05 +0000 Anja Tranovich http://dowser.org/?p=7525 Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few thought-provoking tweets from the last week:

LIVE: Sec. Chu + VP Biden announce federal actions to develop a strong home energy efficiency retrofit industry: http://go.usa.gov/CXz
November 9, 2010 1:27 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@ENERGY
Department of Energy

Vice President Biden and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced Tuesday that the Department of Energy (@Energy) is launching a new program called the Home Energy Score. The scoring program will rate efficiency in homes on a scale of one to 10. They liken Home Energy Score to the miles-per-gallon efficiency ratings on cars. Read more about the new score here.

FDA Proposes Graphic Warnings For Cigarette Packs, Ads http://n.pr/bzm9rL
November 10, 2010 1:03 pm via twitterfeedReplyRetweetFavorite
@nprnews
NPR News

This week the Food and Drug Administration unveiled a proposal to drastically change the way cigarettes are labeled in the United States. If the new plan is approved, cigarette manufacturers will have to cover 50% of each pack with a graphic label, including a message like “Smoking Can Kill You.” Warnings must also cover 20% of billboard advertisements for cigarettes. Take a look at the images and read more about the new proposal here.

Yale and the City of New Haven announce New Haven Promise – a visionary scholarship and support program for city youth. http://bit.ly/9hyY4X
November 9, 2010 10:50 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite
@Yale
Yale University

In cooperation with the city of New Haven, Yale University (@Yale) announced a wide-ranging scholarship program for high school students in the city. In an effort to strengthen ties between Yale and New Haven and bring the city into what the mayor calls “great city” status, current high-school freshman who stay in school and get at least a 3.0 GPA will get a full ride to a state college or university. What’s more, it’s available to all students regardless of immigration status. Read more about it here.

Finally this week, we have word of another car manufacturer jumping on the red-hot electric bandwagon. According to gas 2.0 (@gas2), Volkswagen is developing an all-electric version of its popular Golf hatchback which will debut in 2014. A new battery system will allow for 90 miles of driving before a recharge is needed. Read more about it here.

Did you come across any other notable #socent tweets this week? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @dowserDOTorg.

]]> http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-november-12-home-efficiency-scores-cigarette-warnings-and-yale-scholarships/feed/ 0 Twitter Roundup - November 5: Happy Meals, electric cars and kitchen sinks http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-november-5-happy-meals-electric-cars-and-kitchen-sinks/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-november-5-happy-meals-electric-cars-and-kitchen-sinks/#comments Fri, 05 Nov 2010 12:08:24 +0000 Anja Tranovich http://dowser.org/?p=7303 Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few thought-provoking tweets from the last week:

Interesting experiment in trying to get ppl using <water & contributing to help ppl with little http://bit.ly/aTFzMv
November 3, 2010 2:31 pm via bitlyReplyRetweetFavorite
@CelebrateGreen
Lynn and Corey

The Twitter feed @CelebrateGreen alerted us to an interesting experiment this week: Workers at the design firm Teague created a meter to measure the amount of water that went down the office kitchen sink drain. Upon seeing that they used a whopping two gallons per hand wash, employees cut back until they were only using half a gallon each time. The company is now running a fundraising drive for mycharity: water that aims to earn $10,000 for water projects in developing nations. Watch the video that explains it all here.

The 10 Best Cities for Electric Cars: Plenty of research — from sources like GE and Deloitte, to name a few — has ... http://bit.ly/arzAlo
November 1, 2010 1:57 pm via twitterfeedReplyRetweetFavorite
@GE_Reports
GE reports

You might not expect corporate giant GE (@GE_Reports) to produce compelling research about conservation, but they’ve put a lot of effort into recent reports about world energy use. This week, they released the results of a feasibility study that names the 10 U.S. cities best suited for electric vehicles. The top five are Dallas, Houston, Detroit, St. Louis and Atlanta. Surprised? The report indicates that the current generation of electric cars would work best in cities with a lot of commuters and suburbs. You can read the whole report here.

S.F. supes take 'happy out of Happy Meals' http://sfg.ly/9jMh8W
November 3, 2010 6:20 pm via CoTweetReplyRetweetFavorite
@SFGate
SFGate.com

The San Francisco Chronicle (@SFGate) reported that the city's Board of Supervisors gave preliminary approval this week to a restriction on including toys in fast food offerings like McDonald's Happy Meals. While the final vote takes place next week, the 8-3 vote this week is enough to overcome an expected veto from Mayor Gavin Newsom. If enacted, it could go into effect as early as December 2011. What do you think about governments determining when restaurants can use toys as enticements and when they can't? (San Francisco's litmus test: the food and drink have to add up to less than 600 calories and less than 35 percent of those calories can come from fat.)

Would you eat veggies and dip instead of popcorn and soda at the movies? http://bit.ly/dkHy6d
November 2, 2010 3:41 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@changeFood
Sustainable Food

According to this story at Change.org (@ChangeFood), food giant Del Monte is working on deals that would have their fruits and veggies sold alongside popcorn in movie theaters across the country. After a recent push to have produce sold alongside snack food in schools, this seems like the next natural move — read all about it here.

Did you come across any other notable #socent tweets this week? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @dowserDOTorg.

]]> http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-november-5-happy-meals-electric-cars-and-kitchen-sinks/feed/ 0 Twitter Roundup - October 29: Water pumps, toilet paper and BP oil http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-29-water-pumps-toilet-paper-and-bp-oil/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-29-water-pumps-toilet-paper-and-bp-oil/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:52:05 +0000 Anja Tranovich http://dowser.org/?p=7155

Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few thought-provoking tweets from the last week:

PopTech 2010 begins at 9:00 sharp at http://www.poptech.org/live. You don't want to miss it.
October 21, 2010 7:14 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@poptech
PopTech

This weekend, the massive PopTech (@PopTech) event in Camden, Maine featured talks and demos from dozens of speakers on the theme of “Brilliant Accidents, Necessary Failures, and Improbable Breakthroughs.” Many of the talks streamed live to the web, and many more are being uploaded now. If you weren’t glued to your computer watching it live, or up in Maine taking it all in, check out some the videos here. I especially recommend Jad Abumrad’s talk on sound.

To Infinity And Beyond With Scott Tubeless Toilet Paper - http://tcrn.ch/9eRt1F
October 27, 2010 8:57 am via WordTwit PluginReplyRetweetFavorite
@crunchgear
CrunchGear

You read that right. The team at Scott Naturals has finally done away with the tube inside the toilet paper roll, citing what they call a “special winding technique.” Scott promises that every piece of the paper will be usable, without any glue stuck to it. Most consumers throw away those tubes instead of recycling them, so by eliminating the tube, the company is chipping away at the 160 million pounds of trash produced annually.

Water For People Launches New Open-Source Mobile TechnologyFor Monitoring #Water and #Sanitation Projects called FLOW http://bit.ly/cqaVXG
October 21, 2010 9:10 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@waterforpeople
Water For People

Water for People (@WaterForPeople) has been coming up with innovative ways to bring clean and safe water to the developing world for years, but readily admits that its work is sometimes hard to check up on. That’s why it introduced an application called FLOW (Field Level Operations Watch) that keeps tabs on how all its installed pumps are functioning worldwide. You can check it out here. It’s available as a mobile app and built on an open-source framework, so hopefully more organizations will be adopting transparent checkups soon.

Making lemonade out of lemons: BP’s oil used as ink for “OIL & WATER DO NOT MIX” posters. http://bit.ly/dnLXsq and http://bit.ly/9nXnYX
October 27, 2010 2:27 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@konigi
Konigi

Finally, there’s a neat art project making its way around the Internet. Designer Anthony Burrill, in cooperation with Happiness Brussels, is using oil from the BP spill earlier this year to screen print posters that read “Oil & Water Do Not Mix.” What’s more, the proceeds all go to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) so the project comes full circle. Check the beautiful posters out here.

Did you come across any other notable #socent tweets this week? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @dowserDOTorg.

]]> http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-29-water-pumps-toilet-paper-and-bp-oil/feed/ 0 Twitter Roundup - October 22: Dollars for Docs, Kiva goes domestic, and the DoE tells you how to save energy at home http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-22-doctors-in-trouble-new-kiva-loans-and-the-doe-on-youtube/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-22-doctors-in-trouble-new-kiva-loans-and-the-doe-on-youtube/#comments Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:30:33 +0000 Anja Tranovich http://dowser.org/?p=6954 Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few thought-provoking tweets from the last week:

We're live with our Dollars for Docs investigation. Check it out: http://bit.ly/cmQSAE (Get some sleep @kleinmatic @dancow @thejefflarson)
October 19, 2010 1:16 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@ProPublica
ProPublica

Investigative journalism outfit ProPublica (@ProPublica) made strides toward forcing more transparency in the healthcare industry this week, releasing a feature called “Dollars for Docs.” A team of journalists collected information on drug companies' contributions to doctors over the last two years and put it in a database, showcasing myriad conflicts of interest. You can see the effects of the report spreading. We’re looking forward to gauging reactions from drug companies over the coming weeks. Check out the investigation here.

Kiva and Visa form partnership—supported by $1 million grant—to expand microloan opps for US small biz & add Gulf Coast http://bit.ly/98Aao9
October 20, 2010 2:17 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@Kiva
Kiva

This week Kiva (@Kiva) received a $1 million grant from Visa to expand Kiva’s microloan offerings on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The microloans will be aimed at individuals whose businesses were affected by the natural and man-made disasters that have ravaged the area in recent years. Kiva loans have traditionally targeted business owners in other countries. It will be interesting to watch how this domestic expansion fares. Check it out on their blog.

Replenish is out in the world. Very moved by the positive response. Thank you everyone for an incredible day
October 19, 2010 8:24 pm via txtReplyRetweetFavorite
@myReplenish
Jason Foster

Replenish (@myReplenish) is a new product released this week that makes the packaging and distribution of cleaning products less wasteful and more reusable. Their bottles of multipurpose cleaners (in three scents) include a “pod” of concentrate. You simply squeeze the concentrate into the bottle, fill with water, and use it. The product refills four times -- for $7.99 (shipping included). Replenish sold out its first run, but it should be replenished soon. Read about it here.

WATCH: Secretary Chu responds to your questions: http://go.usa.gov/aDB cc: @Betasource, @JessiDG
October 13, 2010 6:02 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@ENERGY
Department of Energy

OK, this was technically last week, but it’s too good not to pass up. The Department of Energy (@Energy) opened up to questions from American citizens through email, Twitter, and Facebook. The result is this neat (though long) video of Secretary of Energy Steven Chu answering questions about energy efficiency in our homes. It’s a helpful effort by a government agency looking to connect with people through social media. And some good advice was dispensed. Worth your time.

Did you come across any other notable #socent tweets this week? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @dowserDOTorg.

]]> http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-22-doctors-in-trouble-new-kiva-loans-and-the-doe-on-youtube/feed/ 0 Twitter roundup - October 15: Phonebooks, wind farms and California's victory http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-15-phonebooks-wind-farms-and-californias-victory/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-15-phonebooks-wind-farms-and-californias-victory/#comments Fri, 15 Oct 2010 20:13:45 +0000 Anja Tranovich http://dowser.org/?p=6685 Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few thought-provoking tweets from the last week:

No more phonebooks in Seattle - if you don't want one. Council approves the first ever Opt Out ordinance against phonebook publishers.
October 11, 2010 7:58 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@LukeDuecy
Luke Duecy

This week the Seattle City Council voted to create a citywide “opt-out” ordinance for phonebook publishers, as reported here by local anchor Luke Duecy (@LukeDuecy). The new environmentally-friendly policy will save Seattle money—it costs the city $350,000 a year to recycle residents' unwanted phonebooks. Publishers will also be fined if they deliver phonebooks to consumers who have already opted out. You can read more about the move here.

Independent research group American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (@ACEEEdc) released their yearly report on states' energy efficiency. The report, which examines utility policies, transportation efficiency, financial incentives, and climate change policies, ranks all fifty states in order of efficiency each year. California holds the number one spot for the fourth year running in 2010, followed by Massachusetts, Oregon, and New York. Check out the whole list (and the exhaustive reasoning behind it) at the ACEEE site, here.

Just announced a new program with @zipcar to provide car sharing for city employees & public use on nights and weekends http://bit.ly/cfnp1q
October 12, 2010 12:28 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@MikeBloomberg
Mike Bloomberg

Hey, it’s just like we hoped! New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (@mikebloomberg) announced a car sharing program for city employees in conjunction with private car sharing service Zipcar (@zipcar) this week. Under the new plan, Department of Transportation employees will be able to reserve a special fleet of 25 Zipcars, most of which are hybrids, during work hours. On evenings and weekends, those Zipcars will be available for public use. This measure cuts down on city vehicle ownership, reducing congestion on the streets and pollution in the air.

Our investment in a transmission backbone project to accelerate offshore wind energy development in the Mid-Atlantic http://goo.gl/lVLM
October 12, 2010 12:28 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@google
A Googler

According to a piece in the New York Times this week, the Internet giant, Google (@google) is taking a 37.5% ownership stake in a brand-new “backbone” for offshore wind energy off the East Coast. The project, which creates an offshore connection to the existing national electrical grid, would eventually allow for huge wind farms, invisible from the shore, to help power cities along the eastern seaboard.  It could go into service by early 2016, according to one report. Read more here.

Did you come across any other notable #socent tweets this week? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @dowserDOTorg.

]]> http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-15-phonebooks-wind-farms-and-californias-victory/feed/ 0 Twitter roundup - October 8: Life-ring bazookas, eyeglasses, and being unreasonable http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-8-life-ring-bazookas-eyeglasses-and-being-unreasonable/ http://dowser.org/twitter-roundup-october-8-life-ring-bazookas-eyeglasses-and-being-unreasonable/#comments Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:50:50 +0000 Emily Spivack http://dowser.org/?p=6495 Search for the hashtag #socent and you’ll find wide-ranging interest in social entrepreneurship on Twitter. Here’s a roundup of a few thought-provoking tweets from the last week:

Quite a bit of news this week is wrapped up in the three-day SOCAP (@SOCAP10) conference that concluded earlier this week in San Francisco. There are a plethora of recaps on blogs across the web (including Dowser!), and you can watch all the keynotes here. If you prefer your updates in short form, SOCAP’s Twitter feed is a good place to start — or just search for #SOCAP10 on Twitter.

Thanks to news aggregator and journalist Maria Popova (@brainpicker) for highlighting this new invention. On Tuesday, the James Dyson Award was given to Australian industrial design student Samuel Adeloju for his life ring bazooka, named “Longreach”. It can propel inflatable life rings over long distances to drowning victims in rescue situations. The award, worth a total of £20,000, is given yearly to the most promising young design engineer. You can read more here.

The Unreasonable Institute (@BeUnreasonable) has opened up its 2011 session application process. If you’re working on a startup with significant social change potential that you want to take to the next level, here’s your chance to apply. If you haven’t read our coverage of lessons learned from Unreasonable Institute Fellows on Dowser, maybe it’d be a good time to watch their fun web video series on how it works! Applications close on November 10, so get working.

Profiled on GOOD (@GOOD) this week was eyewear startup 141 Eyewear. That’s not “one forty one”— it’s “one four one.” As in, you buy a pair, and another pair goes to a person in need, like TOMS. You can pick up a pair of eyeglasses at a number of retailers in major cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York –and learn more about the 141 ethos, here.

Did you come across any other notable #socent tweets this week? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @dowserDOTorg.

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