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.
Measuring the social impact created by philanthropic projects has forever been the nonprofit sector's philosopher's stone. This panel discussion, at the Stanford 2005 Net Impact Conference sponsored by the Stanford Graduate School of Business, highlights innovative examples of measurement systems and explores some of the complex problems that arise when attempting to apply metrics to social impact.
For years, many believed that socially responsible investments could simply not hold up to traditional investments. In this panel discussion from the Stanford 2005 Net Impact Conference, organized by the Stanford Business School, social capital market experts dispel the myths associated with socially responsible investing, and look toward the future of what is to come as more and more funds offer social choices.
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.
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.
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.
The corporate world is oftentimes approached for favors, but very few evolve into mutually beneficial alliances between nonprofits and private-sector companies. As described in this audio lecture, First Book's Kyle Zimmer and Disney executive Kathy Franklin explain what it takes to build a successful long-term strategic relationship.
In the early 1990s, Cheryl Dorsey got a fellowship from Echoing Green to launch the Family Van, a community-based mobile health unit that provides basic medical and outreach services to at-risk residents of inner-city Boston neighborhoods. Now president of Echoing Green, Dorsey talks with Globeshakers host Tim Zak in an audio interview about the challenge of building on the impressive track record of one of the world's leading investors and supporters of worldwide social change.
In this panel discussion, social entrepreneur veteran Laura Scher and more recent entrants, Kirsten Gagnaire and Jenny Shilling Stein, offer advice on what it takes to create a successful for-profit or nonprofit organization with a social purpose. The key components, they agreed, are a strong leader, a clear social mission, consistency, and focus.
A new generation of innovative philanthropists is helping to transform charitable giving. This panel discussion highlights the philosophy of three young, but outstanding, organizations in the strategic philanthropic field. Panelists emphasize the targeted use of wealth to address specific social challenges.
Rick Lowe has given new meaning to the phrase "artist-in-residence." This Heinz Award winner and former Loeb fellow at the Harvard School of Design is the founder of Project Row Houses, an organization that merges art and architecture with social activism. In an audio interview with Globeshakers host Tim Zak, Lowe describes how this experiment in "social sculpture" is redefining the role of art and artists in society.
As the world awakens to the challenges of global warming and water shortages, corporations slowly recognize the reduction of their environmental footprint as a significant component of corporate social responsibility. This panel discussion explores some of the leading corporate initiatives toward environmental sustainability.
The industrialized world is on a collision course with nature, says environmental sustainability hero and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore. In this audio lecture, he presents the realities of global warming with alarming clarity and conclusiveness and passionately urges a Stanford Business School audience to take action.
How did Patagonia make the transition to using 100% organic cotton in its product line? In this panel discussion from Bridging the Gap, the Stanford 2005 Net Impact Conference organized by the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Randy Harward discusses the challenges of garnering internal support, ensuring adequate supply of raw materials, and keeping prices affordable as Patagonia greens its supply chain.
Ticia Gerber sits at the center of one of the world's important current debates: How do we keep people healthy without having it cost an arm and a leg? At eHealth Initiative and LIGHT, Gerber is working across three continents to bridge the public, private, and social sectors. She talks with Globeshakers host Tim Zak in an audio interview about the role of technology in the future of healthcare and what it means to create a dialogue between the developed and developing world.
