CO: Municipalities like Ottawa are subsidizing water efficiency in residential areas, businesses should follow the trend.

• Free kits combined with kit delivery within certain areas should speed adoption
• All of the incentives are in the right place: save money on water costs, save water and the environment, no additional costs to the consumer (except perhaps for the inconvenience of waiting for the kitchen sink to fill...)
• Corporations with a strong sense of corpobligation could see this as an opportunity for change, which will appeal to newly aware consumers.

• The City of Ottawa kit contains:

  • One low-flow showerhead
  • Bag test to determine showerhead flow rate (prior to installation)
  • One energy efficient kitchen aerator
  • Two energy efficient bathroom aerators
  • One Toilet Tank Bank

CO: International Financial Corporation a part of the World Bank has released a report on their project from the last 10 years, which highlighted successes and made recommendations. The only part that raises alarms is the term "disclosed"...

• Encouragingly, the IFC recognizes that income distribution matters: "Economic growth and its resulting market distribution of income matters in reducing the numbers of poor people." (Recommendations - Chapter 4)
• New York Times' reporter Celia W. Dugger (August 2, 2007) reports "The below-average results in Africa were driven by what the report said were “persistently high-risk business climates, together with below-average I.F.C. work quality, the willingness by I.F.C. to take greater project risks in the region and below-average project environmental and social compliance.”"

• Independent  Evaluation Group report asked:
  
  • "Whether IFC-supported projects have achieved sound development results
  • What lessons have been learned about private sector development through 10 years of evaluation
  • What the strategic implications are for IFC in improving its development performance in the years ahead?"
• The findings were almost universally positive and recommendations were provided:
  • "In its country strategies, ...work on the nexus of rural poverty and sustainable natural resources, on which poor people depend, and to identify and develop high-impact agribusiness and rural microfinance projects with widespread demonstration effects, while simultaneously providing leadership in promoting socially and environmentally sustainable practices.
  • Cooperate more with the World Bank"

CO: Mattel recalls toys made with lead paint in Chinese factories

Tip of the hat for recalling at least a million toys that could harm children
Wag of the finger for Mattel not monitoring suppliers sufficiently.

What is the standard of care that toy companies are expected to practice? Should the standard be higher, because Mattel and Fisher price are selling to children?

The challenge of monitoring suppliers for labour and sweatshop conditions is not a new one for Mattel 

CO: Livestock and the food they eat occupy 30% of the world's landmass and produce loads of terrible green house gases (GHG).

• "In a comprehensive 400-page analysis, published last year, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) described the spiralling increase in greenhouse gases from livestock as "massive" and asserted that the world governments must urgently address the problem. It explicitly chided environmentalists for their apparent indifference. In essence, the FAO says , livestock have inherited the Earth - with disastrous consequences."

• Vegetarian anyone?
  

CO: Search engines used to keep records of searches for undetermined time periods, but they are now changing their policies in response to the efforts of privacy advocacy organizations

• Search engines keep records of searches for advertizing purposes, but how long should they be able to keep these records?
• How many users actually read terms of use agreements? How many actually knew that any records were being kept?
• The issue seems to pit privacy rights vs. the free market. Consumers could theoretically just reject search engines that abuse privacy rights; however, this would require an unrealistic amount of computer literacy (who actually reads the fine print?).
• The work of organizations like Privacy International show the power of NGOs to change TNC behaviour through research, education and advocacy.
  

CO: Students from colleges and universities across the USA and Canada converged on the US Congress to wake up legislators and to learn more about how to "Change It"

• Work shops were led by experienced facilitators to turn student passion into action
• Will this make a difference in the future? Yes. Organization is essential to ensure that energy and outrage is channeled effectively into change.
• Participant Jenna K ., New Jersey, pledges to change the world: "By teaching others that our choices will make a difference in environmental and social justice standards for future generations."