Michael Parker pays his new Spanish tutor $17 less than he paid his old teacher in Iowa. But his new teacher, Yesenia Mateu Grave, takes away double her normal fee. Thanks to Web conferencing, Mateu Grave teaches students around the world from her hometown in Antigua, Guatemala, via a site called Speak Shop, combining audio, video, and online chat for a classroom-like experience.
Combining idealism with a genuine love of business, John Sage cofounded the social enterprise company Pura Vida, one of the largest distributors of fair trade organic coffee in the world. In this University podcast, he discusses his mission to improve the lives of people in coffee-growing regions. Sage explains how Pura Vida works at the intersection of the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, showing how the two can be blended to generate both revenues and social good.
How Lutherans are transforming their love of coffee into global good.
A Chilean firewood certification program spares both the air and indigenous business.
How Fair Trade coffee moved out of its niche and into the most mainstream market of all.
Organic Exchange uses its global network to promote environmentally friendly fibers.
Over 125 million people rely on coffee for their livelihood. What are Starbucks, the Fair Trade certification, and other nonprofit initiatives doing to help them out of the coffee crisis? This panel discussion describes the mechanics of the global coffee crisis and explores strategies to address sustainability issues on the economic, social, and environmental levels.
The problem with assuming that companies can do well while also doing good is that markets don't really work that way
Tiffany and Co. moves to get African “conflict diamonds” out of its stores.
