Ideas Worth Watching – TED 2010

Many of you may be aware of the TED Conference, an event occurring since 1990 where some of the most innovative people gather to give their ideas or share their stories related to Technology, Entertainment, and Design.  All of the talks are strictly limited to 18 minutes in length and span a huge range of topics.  While the conference is certainly not limited to concepts of social enterprise, there are several this year that are relevant.  Furthermore the schedule is almost always worth looking at, as many of the talks are likely to enlighten, inspire, and perhaps even inspire an Idea Worth Spreading in yourself.  One of this year’s TED conferences is occurring now, with talks scheduled in Long Beach and Palm Springs.

For concepts related to social enterprise and social good, we recommend checking out some of the following speakers – we will link the talks as they become available:

Peter Eigen – Founder of Transparency International. (watch his TED Berlin speech)

Nicholas Christakis – Harvard Professor and author of Connected, discussing the invisible lines of connection holding all members of society much closer than we suspect.

Kevin Bales – Humanitarian and author of Ending Slavery: How We Free Today’s Slaves.

Bill Gates – Founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – see him talk about moving to zero emissions energy technology by 2050.  (also view his 2009 TED talk)

Mike Feinberg/Dave Levin – Founders of the educational network KIPP.

Esther Duflo – MIT Professor of Economics, and co-founder of the Jameel Poverty Action Lab.

http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_eigen_how_to_expose_the_corrupt.html

Gates Foundation Releases 2010 Letter

Bill Gates, perhaps one of the best known names in modern philanthropy has released a statement regarding the goals and ambitions of the Gates Foundation going into 2010.  A must read for anyone curious about some of the major philanthropic projects as we move into an uncertain future.  The statement also highlights Gate’s conviction that the way forward will require innovations – in science as well as the private industrial sector.

Coca-Cola Joins Sweet Project with Ugandan/Kenyan Farmers

A short and sweet announcement on how Coca-Cola is leveraging its considerable assets to take part in funding a project alongside the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in order to empower farmers in one of the poorest regions of the globe.  Technoserve, the implementing partner of the project, has a long-standing history of encouraging entrepreneurship in impoverished regions, primarily by training effective techniques to start agriculturally-based businesses.  By partnering with these startups and supporting their growth, Technoserve aims to lift whole communities into a higher standard of living through entrepreneurship.

Today’s announcement outlines a joint 11.5M project designed to revitalize the mango and passion fruit agriculture within Uganda and Kenya.  Ultimately, the project aims to double the incomes of ~50,000 local farmers, while also acting as a pilot study for future ventures of Coca-Cola into foreign fruit juice markets.