social entrepreneurship

Jeff Skoll, who you may or may not know as the co-creator of eBay, is also the founder of the Skoll Foundation, which gives grants for communities to build banks, schools, and other institutions.

Skoll is the owner of Participant Productions. P.P. is dedicated to creating documentaries and films about social and political issues to make change in our society. Participant Productions created North Country and helped produce An Inconvenient Truth, among various other films and documentaries.

Watch this video for Skoll's description of his goals and upcoming Participant Productions films:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-RQ6i0_qRw

While running your venture, you'll probably be giving presentations. Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds is the master of this art, and explains everything you need to know in "Presenation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery." In his book, Garr shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. He challenges the conventional wisdom of making "slide presentations" in today's world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. He shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.

Conscious Lifestyle is proud of the amazing mentors it matches with each of its ventures, and Grace Simmons is a good example of these high quality individuals.

Congratulations to Adi Segal of the Green Camp Initiative on his recent media coverage in The Jewish Standard!

The article lauds Adi for his success at implementing a recycling program, which uses bins with logos he designed; switching to greener cleaning products, light bulbs, and paper products, all at minimal cost thanks to his innovation; adding courses on eco-friendliness to the camp curriculum; and encouraging campers to bring their own reusable water bottles.

Read the full article here.

Conscious Lifestyle is proud to be partnering with Slow Food on Campus, the student engagement initiative by Slow Food USA. Slow Food is "a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world." Slow Food has over 85,000 members and a presence in 132 countries.

Congratulations to Adi Segal, the Green Camp Initiative Coordinator, for all of his successes with Camp Ramah in the Berkshires!

Adi Segal has united with the staff at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires to form a commendable community-benefiting venture, which emphasizes the deeply-rooted Jewish value of environmentalism. The Initiative works to make the Berkshires Camp, and other sleep away camps, more environmentally sustainable through educating and leading by example. It raises awareness about environmental issues; increases conscious activism among staff and campers; and decreases the amount of waste (i.e. solids, water, energy, etc.) produced in the camp, thereby reducing its Eco-Footprint. It strives to reach all 600 campers and 200 staff members so that they will leave camp with a new eco-friendly mindset, bringing the message of environmentalism home to their communities.

Conscious Lifestyle would love to help you win one of these grants:

The Captain Planet Foundation
$250 to $2,500 for hands-on environmental projects for students under 18 years old. Winners are notified four months after the deadline, so please plan carefully.
Deadlines: September 30, December 31

Mollie Parnis Dress Up Your School Awards
$500 to $3,000 to support student led projects that beautify schools or neighborhoods immediately surrounding schools.
Deadline: September 30

Healthy Sprouts Awards to Support Awareness of Nutrition and Hunger
These awards support school and youth garden programs that teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger in the US.
Deadline: October 15

Found through Youth Venture, AASHE and its newsletter, Conference Alerts, and Americans for Informed Democracy

HMF International Film/Media Festival and Conference

Daniel Zoughbie is an inspiring social entrepreneur. As a student at UC Berkeley he launched the
Global Micro-Clinic Project, which "seeks to empower people to prevent and manage diseases in economically depressed and conflict-ridden areas of our world."

Daniel has won a variety of awards for his humanitarian work, including the Marshall Scholarship. Mostly recently, he was selected as a BRICK Award winner and is currently up for the big prize of $100,000, which will be given at the Teen Choice Awards. Check out the video below and vote for Daniel today.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=x-gDZhtcUh0

Conscious Lifestyle is proud of its ventures and wants to keep them all up to date on each other. All our ventures can learn from each other and take pride in the differences they are each making for people, animals, and the environment.