Social Issues - Articles

Podcast

Bill Drayton - Entrepreneur for Society

An entrepreneur combines the vision to see the next thing over the horizon with the restless energy and problem-solving skills needed to set that change in motion. These qualities are shared by business and social entrepreneurs alike, representing a positive force that can help address the world's toughest problems. In this audio lecture, Bill Drayton takes a thoughtful look at Ashoka's mission and highlights its programs designed to nurture the current and future generations of talented entrepreneurs making a difference all over the world.

Podcast

Van Jones - Nonprofit Boot Camp Keynote

Nurturing a fledgling nonprofit takes dedication, focus, and maybe even a few miracles. In this audio lecture, Van Jones offers a compelling look at life in the nonprofit sector, sharing his own story and some key tips for making a real difference. Collaboration, communication, tenacity, integrity, and irrational exuberance are just a few of the qualities needed to grow a good idea into a sustainable force for social progress.

Podcast

Innovation in Public Education - Bridging the Gap 2005

In this panel discussion, entrepreneurs in the field of education talk about how to work with the market and apply business practices and frameworks to the problem of urban education reform. Their lessons have relevance in areas ranging from teaching to administration, and from recruitment to organizational design.

Podcast

Darian Rodriguez Heyman - Bay Area Non Profit Boot Camp - Welcome

Nonprofit Boot Camp is Craigslist Foundation's premiere educational program, designed to empower the next generation of nonprofit leaders. In this opening keynote, Darian Rodriguez Heyman and Charlie Crystle kick off the 2006 San Francisco Bay Area Bootcamp with a warm welcome and an overview of the conference's nine educational tracks. The program is overflowing with practical wisdom to help budding social entrepreneurs succeed in their mission and manage their organizations more effectively.

Podcast

Amory Lovins - Hero for the Planet

Talking with Globeshakers host Tim Zak, Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute argues that the United States can operate on a fourth of the energy it now uses, while still providing the same or better services. This may seem far-fetched, but Lovins has been accused of taking off on flights of fancy before, though time has a remarkable way of proving his assertions correct.

Podcast

Oliver Foot - The Next Generation of Global Health Workers

In 1982, ophthalmologist Oliver Foot founded Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, a unique mobile teaching facility housed in a DC-10 jet aircraft. In this audio interview With Globeshakers host Tim Zak, he discusses how his organization brings dedicated eye care professionals to the developing world to restore eyesight through surgery and other treatments.

For Love or Money

By Alana Conner Snibbe

Innovative plays are good for all theaters, but lucrative for only a few.

Podcast

Kent Thiry - From Demoralization to Living Community

DaVita is the largest independent provider in the United States of dialysis services to people with chronic kidney failure. In 2000, DaVita was being investigated by the SEC and sued by shareholders. In this audio lecture recorded at Bridging the Gap, the Stanford 2005 Net Impact conference, Kent Thiry explains how building community and shared values bumped DaVita's market capitalization to $3 billion and turned it into a leader in its field.

Podcast

Robert Langer - The Promise of Biomedical Engineering

Robert Langer has been referred to as "a medical pioneer in the guise of an engineer" who has revolutionized the delivery of drugs and the engineering of human tissue. In this audio interview with Globeshakers host Tim Zak, Langer reveals his tenacious nature and talks about what it takes to persevere in the face of public criticism.

Podcast

Will Rogers - Environmental Conservation

An area the size of Connecticut is being developed every year. That's how fast nature is being lost to concrete in the world today. In this audio lecture recorded at Bridging the Gap, the Stanford 2005 Net Impact conference, Will Rogers discusses strategies for sustainable land use in a context where the boundaries that separate land conservation from public health, housing, economic development, transit, energy-use policies, and urban design are rapidly blurring.