Grand Central Terminal turns 100
I love trains, architecture, and secret tunnels. When I visited New York City a couple of years ago, it only made sense to bring this strange love triangle full circle by visiting Grand Central Terminal, the single greatest epitome of trains, architecture, and secret tunnels. New York Times columnist Michael Kimmelman, apparently feels the same way: […]
Thinking inside the box
Repurposing has become a buzz word for designers and ecologists over the past several years. The concept has little resistance and plenty of benefits. It’s cost effective, great for the environment, and aesthetically pleasing. Architecture and design firms Perkins+Will, Group8, and many others are taking repurposing to a whole new level and are arguably creating a […]
How Kickstarter changed Sundance
When filmmaker James Spione wanted to premiere his documentary Incident in New Baghdad in Los Angeles in order to make it eligible for Academy Award consideration, he turned to Kickstarter to garner support. Through the crowd-funding website, Spione was able to raise $11,000 and premiere his Tribeca-winning film in the city of angels. New Baghdad was nominated […]
Lessons in life from a nine-year-old
Driving home from Little League practice one day, 9-year-old Will Lourcey saw a homeless man with a cardboard sign that read “Need a meal.” So he told his mom he wanted to do something. And do something he did. Taking on the issue of hunger in his community, Will started FROGS: Friends Reaching Our Goals. […]
The social network of good
If you’ve ever seen The Social Network you more than likely remember the old pair of Adidas sandals that Mark Zuckerberg – played by Jesse Eisenberg – wears religiously throughout the film. It’s not a symbol of status for Eisenberg’s character but rather a reminder that he has more important priorities than keeping in line with the […]
Cultivating the concrete jungle
We can credit a lot of things to the 1960s. Taco Bell, Sesame Street, and Jolly Okot are just a few of the gems created in the turbulent and iconic decade. Add another to the list: guerrilla gardening. Guerilla gardening grew out of an idea created during the Summer of Love in 1967 and has […]
Behind The Desk with President Obama
Last week, our CEO Ben Keesey attended the the Rewards for Justice Bill signing ceremony in the oval office. It was a huge step towards removing Joseph Kony and his top commanders from the battlefield. Yet after the initial joy and relief, there was something I just couldn’t shake. As I sat there admiring the […]
A different kind of pool party
Swimming pools and skateboards have always gone together. It was in empty swimming pools in southern Californian backyards during the 1970’s that the sport was born. Skateboards were created to mimic surfing, so it only made sense to try to carve the curvaceous walls of swimming pools in suburbia. During an iconic scene in the […]
Empowering community members through VSLA
This is all I know: I would have loved to be part of a program that helped me learn about money before I had to learn about it myself through overdraft, and bank fees, and no savings. Our Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) program in Gulu, Uganda began in 2009, and consists of groups […]
Jay Shafer’s Tiny House Movement
Meet Jay Shafer. He’s the founding father of the Tiny House Movement, the George Washington of simple and sustainable living. After completing a Master’s of Fine Arts in painting, Jay did what anyone with a Master’s Degree would do – he went to work at a grocery store #sarcasm. Soon thereafter, he founded Tumbleweed Tiny […]