The UnTours Foundation loan recipient, EcoZoom, has been nominated by Smithsonian and Cooper Hewitt for the People’s Design Choice Awards. People’s Design means that we, the people, get to vote! If you’re already on board, please do vote for them right here, every day! The dirty story of cookstoves As I’ve gotten to know EcoZoom and…
In recent years, Hal has been mentioned in a variety of books. The newest inclusion is in GOOD MORNING, BEAUTIFUL BUSINESS: The Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local Economy Pioneer by Hal’s friend, Judy Wicks. Read what happened in the late ‘90’s when Hal and Judy traveled with fellow business people to Chiapas,…
Apparently not! At least not when it comes to “crowdfunding,” which is the practice of funding a business or project by raising small amounts of money from large numbers of people. We think of it as a new idea, but the base for the Statue of Liberty is the result of crowdfunding, and I’m sure…
Elizabeth and I had a wonderful visit this week from Molly Hayward, founder of Cora. Molly is a passionate young entrepreneur from the Philadelphia area who really believes in changing how capitalism works. As Elizabeth remarked to Molly, “Hal will love you!” Cora offers an empowering perspective on women’s menstrual health, both for women here…
Photo by John Kratz cc UnTours and its foundation are two sides of the same coin – even when I am out of the loop. Earlier this year, we invested in Native Energy’s clean water project in Ghana. We like Native Energy for so many reasons including that it’s a pragmatic business dedicated to a…
While Hal and I may promote simple living, I realize that he and I have never turned down gifts of new clothing, including florescent, personalized ones! We are now prepared to join the Wash Cycle Laundry bike fleet and pick up and deliver laundry. Part of the design of the UnTours Foundation is to help…
The UnTours Foundation has begun 2014 with a new loan recipient, Philly Compost. Why commercial compost, you might ask? The food waste problemOver 36 million tons (72 billion pounds!) of food waste reached landfills in 2011 in the United States, according to the EPA. That’s an estimated 1,400 calories per person, per day. Meanwhile food…
Shannon was a gift to me from my board, which saw better than I that I was drowning in work after Hal retired. Shannon was hired to be my amazing colleague, which she is indeed! A film editor by training, Shannon worked on several of Ken Burns’ film projects. You can see some of her…
Along with the winter solstice and the New Year, there was Hal’s 89th birthday! Nothing like an office birthday party with cake, laughs, and plenty of hugs to go around with our fearless leader and visionary. Happy Birthday, Hal! We love you! “It takes a long time to become young.” Pablo Picasso
In addition to lots of good things, like children going to school and land farmed sustainably, Fair Trade requires Fair Trade importers to pay farmers a “premium” at the end of the growing season. Fair Trade farmers then decide as a community how to spend the premium often investing in schools and health clinics. Here’s…