Links for April 17th to April 29th

These are my links for April 17th to April 29th:

• 1% For the Planet | About Us – It’s about businesses recognizing that industry and ecology are inherently connected. It’s about realizing the positive effects of connecting businesses, consumers and nonprofits through philanthropy. And it’s about understanding that the true cost of doing business can be mitigated by a simple pledge to the planet. Since 2002, 1% For The Planet has inspired members of the business community to contribute 1% of sales to environmental groups around the world. In return, this growing alliance of companies is given the opportunity not only to see their self-worth rise, but their net worth climb as well.
• One Percent Fund | Small grants for grassroots initiatives – On 30th September 1985 VSO and CUSO volunteers and staff working in Thailand pledged to donate 1% of their monthly stipend towards a fund that would support small-scale grassroots projects. The fund still exists over 20 years later.
• About 1% for Development – What is the 1% for Development Fund? An association of staff of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations who have chosen to allocate 1% or more of their salary to projects in developing countries and those with economies in transition. The first 1% Fund was set up in Geneva in 1976; others were established in Rome, New York, Vienna and Paris. Though their objectives are the same, each 1% Fund operates independently. It is now possible, thanks to a revision in the statutes of the Fund, for non-UN persons to become members. Why 1%? In Resolution 2626 (XXV) of 24 October 1970, the UN General Assembly set a target for official development aid of 0.7% of the GNP of developed countries. Frustrated at the inertia of most countries concerned (they allocate on average 0.3% of their GNP) and of the UN system, a small group of international civil servants decided to start practicing what governments preached, by contributing 1% of their salary to development projects.
• The 1% for Development Fund – The 1% for Development Fund is an association comprised of staff and former staff members of the United Nations system. The Fund is independent of the United Nations organizations. The 1% for Development Fund was inspired by the long-standing target of the United Nations for the rich countries to transfer 1% of their income as aid to poor countries. The New York branch of the Fund was founded in 1984 and presently has over 100 members. Many of the staff working for organizations in the United Nations system like to make direct and personal contributions to development. If you do too, then the 1% Fund is for you!
• 1% for Development Fund – Vienna – Home Page – The 1% for Development Fund, Vienna, is an independent association of staff members and ex-staff members of the organizations of the UN system that are based here. It is entirely independent of the UN organizations themselves. The 1% Fund in Vienna was founded in 1985 and now has about 80 members. Members of the 1% Fund pledge to donate 1% of their salaries each month to support small scale development projects. There are similar 1% Funds in Geneva (founded in 1976), New York and Rome.
• Virgance: Activism 2.0 – The idea behind Greenfund is to create the first crowdsourced venture capital fund whereby we empower each and every person on all of the social networks to invest up to $100 dollars in Greenfund and become a voting partner of the fund. Greenfund then works with its members who vote to invest in the companies or projects that cause the most positive impact. If the hundreds of millions of people using Facebook and MySpace all signed up, Greenfund would be a multibillion dollar, community-powered fund that would rival the financial power of the World Bank.
• Openworld – Welcome – Welcome to Openworld! We offer new resources for the success of grassroots initiatives through cell phones and the Internet. Our "Seeds of Change" catalysts — including microscholarships, telework opportunities, and sustainability toolkits — help schools and healthcare providers lever new assets and transform business climates in economically challenged areas. Access to the Seeds of Change resources grows as communities give land grant endowments to entrepreneurial schools and clinics, and commit to business climate reforms that raise the value of these lands. Development of the new sites as free economic zones can generate rapid asset growth for the local education and health care ventures — and spread skills, jobs, investments, and innovations of value for the whole community.
• the hub Halifax » Home – Located on Barrington between Prince and Sackville, the hub is YOUR space downtown. Use it anytime as your office, a place to host important meetings, take out your laptop, get online and get stuff done, drink coffee and just hang out. Meet interesting people doing innovative things, come on down and print, fax, copy…
• The Fastest Growing Social Sites – Each month (and often more frequently than that) we take a look at trends in social networking, by the numbers. Recently, we’ve focused on Twitter’s astronomical growth – now up better than 2,500 percent in one year – and Facebook’s climb to become top social network over MySpace
• Environmental Showdown on the Irish Coast – The sprawling seaside villages around Ballinaboy in County Mayo are as close as you will find these days to the sheep-grazing greenery of postcard Ireland. In a country transformed by more than a decade of rapid and sometimes manic "Celtic Tiger" development, this community of farmers and fishermen in the country's remote northwest still resembles the Emerald Isle of popular and increasingly wistful imagination. It is a place where herds of sheep overtake cars on narrow roads, and where the "Land of 100,000 Welcomes" is more than a stale tourism slogan. It is one of the last corners of the country where Irish Gaelic is commonly spoken between neighbors.