Great post on LinkedIn from Panera CEO Ron Shaich challenging other business leaders to do good with their businesses beyond the usual charitable giving. READ IT HERE 

Below is also a great video of a talk Ron gave at a Conscious Capitalism event a couple of years ago – really inspiring stuff!

Ron Shaich from Conscious Capitalism on Vimeo.

Spotted this morning…too true!

A wonderful example of how the user/customer experience is getting re-invented and considered every step of the way.  In a bid to give patients a calmer trip to surgery Great Ormond Street hospital briefed designers to come up with an interactive artwork that covers the corridors ensuring a much calmer journey from ward to surgery.

The Extra Mile is the brainchild of Matt Dimmer and was set up after his experience with his late father who was diagnosed with stage four cancer in 2011. Fortunately Matt was in a financial position to be able to afford to travel back and forth between his home in LA and a hospital in Michigan to spend some precious time with his father before he passed. However he realised this wouldn’t be the case for everyone. The Extra Mile aims to make it easier for families to embark on emergency visits to see ill relatives by using donated frequent flyer miles that may otherwise go unused by others.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out this video interview with Matt on Fox News.

Website: www.thextramile.org
 Contact: matt@thextramile.org

As companies are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious and eco-savvy, we are seeing an emerging trend towards more sustainable approach to advertising with green billboards. Here are a few that have caught our eye, courtesy of the wonderful blog Flavorwire. This ingenious billboard created by University students in Lima, Peru converts air humidity into clean drinking water. In a country where water is a scarce resource, this billboard provides a little ray of hope, as local Peruvians are able to bucket 25 gallons of water a day.

Coke has joined forces with World Wildlife Federation in the Phillipines, to create a green billboard made entirely out fukien tea plants with a soil base made from organic fertilizer. This ad not only uses sustainable materials but assists in lowering carbon emissions, as the lush greenery absorbs 13 pounds of carbon dioxide.

McDonalds have also jumped on the eco-bandwagon. In a bid to promote a healthier menu, they have constructed a lettuce garden on a billboard, which over a 3-week period grows the words “Fresh Salads”.

Tropicana have also pushed the limits of sustainability by creating a bus billboard filled with hundreds of oranges. The idea being that the acid from the orange is combined with copper and zinc in order to generate an electro-chemical reaction, effectively lighting up the campaign message “Natural Energy”.

An amazing idea and once again an example of the power of human beings working together.

Very touching.

To see the finished Virtual Choir 2.0 click here

Gorgeous infographic via Good showing ‘mean’ happiness across a range of companies over the last 30 years.

Innovators are finding great new ways to make everyday items more intelligent.  In a bid to keep people safe and healthy, inventors are designing everyday objects that can keep tabs on us.  The first is a spoon that will tell the salt content of your meal – which is super helpful for those needing to monitor their salt intake.  But taking a step further is the intelligent ice cube.  It keeps track of your drinks, flashes red when you need to slow down and wait for it…if you still keep going your ice cube will text your closest friends and alert them!

Very cute story of a Yosemite junior ranger who took 2 sticks from the park and then, regretting decided to send this letter to the ranger. This is a beautiful story from one of my favorite blog, mashable.com, and I really think that this little angel should be forgiven.