Blog Action Day: sources of inspiration on eco-business

Today, bloggers around the world are asked to post a blogpost about the environment. As a lot of content on cause-encounters is strongly related to environmental causes, perhaps we should speak about ECO-blogs.

Why? Because they ment a lot to me. Since I discovered these blogs, I was motivated to blog myselve. I didn't feel alone anymore with my thoughts on business, society etc...

Reading blogs motivated me to buy several books, and started blogging myselve. These days a lot of resources are available on eco-design, tripple play, etc...


I would like to give an overiew. This is not complete at all, it is a very personal top-of-mind overview:

1) BIG BLOGS

http://www.worldchanging.com/
They report idea's and different ways to do things in the field of business, community building, design, architecture politics. This site has a very broad scope. On top of that, they published a brilliant book with idea's to green things in virtually every field. It's on my shelve, and it seems like a bible. It goes broader as just 'ecology'. It is an encyclopedia of idea's to build a better civilisation.

http://www.treehugger.com/
This is the very first inspiring and creative blog I discovered. I first saw it on a seminar of trendwatching.com in Amsterdam, who first announced the trend "eco-chic": It will be a status symbol to be green. Treehugger.com merely posts smart product idea's in different categories and aspects of life.

Also their sisterproject http://www.blogger.com/www.springwise.com ( a database full of existing smart new business idea's around the globe) has a section of non-profit and eco-business idea's.

http://www.blogger.com/www.inhabitat.com
Great blog with easy to snatch newsitems on new products and idea's to green people's life.
They call it: future forward design for the world you inhabit. Reading inhabitat is the most positive experience you can imagine. You go from one happy and smart idea to another. It gives hope.

Furter good reads are:

ecogeek.com
gristmill.com
lime.com
blog.futurelab.net


2) SMAL, BUT BEAUTIFUL BLOGS

I don't really know whether 'small' is the right word. They are definately not those blogs managed by a big team. They are merely blogging innitiatives of individual enthousiasts, professionals and believers.

First of all, I want to mention 'The After':
It's not an eco-blog as such (sometimes it has fresh views on it), but hey, it learned me blogging...
http://dhtheafter.blogspot.com/

The blog of Melissa Tritter. I've met her in the blogosphere recently. She lives on the other side of the globe, and her angle points are surprisingly close to cause-encounters:
http://capitalism4good.typepad.com/blog/

Good news and good reports on fresh eco-initiatives of Casper Gijzen, an eco-entrepreneur
in the publishing industry:
http://www.ecocool.com

This blog is Marketing Green. It's the voice of David Wigder, marketing professional and senior vice president of Digitas, an agency part of the Publicis Groupe (just like Duval Guillaume where I work)
http://marketinggreen.wordpress.com/

Another one reporting on sustainable projects, merely in the US.
http://sustainablog.blogspot.com/

With enough minds, all tomorrows are visible. Check this one!
http://www.openthefuture.com/

3) Podcasts and Video-Podcasts

You can subscribe for free in I-tunes (I-store) to the following interesting resources:

America The Green-podcast (audio):
Feels like a radio show with panel debate and a special guest in every episode.
Level is high. Central is green lifestyle and green business

DesignE2:
High level movies and interviews on building another civilisation. It is more focused on architecture and design.

Eco Biz VideoPodcast:
I think it is sponsored by Citibank. It is a showcast of different eco-business cases, going from Ben and Gerry's to Retail Chains in the states and local innitiatives...

Green.tv:
Public awareness on climate change

Sustainable business Podcast:
Audio show with various subtopics and highlights on sustainable business

And last but not least TEDTALKS(video)!!!!

This is a big amount of video-footage of keynotes of the most remarkable personalities on the globe. Their thoughts and idea's. No need to say there are many leaders of industry, politics, design and science, who come up with good idea's on the environment (William Mc Donough, Al Gore, Alex Stephen, ...)

Also check:
- The Green online (video)
- Treehugger TV
- Point of Inquiry