This image shows the density of chlorophyll in the earth’s oceans; the lighter colour the more phytoplankton. The linked article describes how the graphic was created and its implications. It is striking because it shows which parts of the ocean are most productive. This awareness will be important as humanity improves ocean management and even …
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Category:7 Holonics and Life
“Living” Companies Perform Better
We are especially drawn to this title being advocates of anthropomorphic business models and biomimicry. This article, Living Companies Perform Better, outlines the approach discussed in the book Profit For Life. While the specifics may differ from other proponents, the systems approach is common to this big picture way of managing complex organisations. It draws …
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Let innovation be free
The Economist reports on the changing face of innovation, its benefits and how to encourage it. What is clear from the various articles is that openness, open systems, freedom to do business are the characteristics that allow creativity to flourish. The internet is such an environment (you only have to browse YouTube to see that). …
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Eco-consumption under pressure from economic slowdown and greenwash
The slowing US economy is dragging down several green industries, including demand for green homes, energy-efficient home products and renewable energy, according to Energy Pulse 2007, the third annual national consumer market study conducted by the Shelton Group. For eight different kinds of energy efficient home products, this year’s Energy Pulse survey found that consumers …
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Art pioneers donationware
Alternative rock group Radiohead, has released their seventh studio album, In Rainbows, as a donationware download from their official website: that means you can pay what you like to download it. You decide what to pay for the 10 MP3 files – from nothing to £100. So far they have not revealed how many people …
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Social skills favoured in evolution
A new cycle of research of baboon behaviour is summed up in a book titled “Baboon Metaphysics” by Dr. Cheney and Dr. Seyfarth, biologists from the University of Pennsylvania. The title is a play on Darwin’s comment “He who understands baboon would do more towards metaphysics than Locke.” Their conclusion, based on many painstaking experiments, is …
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Play is critical to development
The UK school grounds charity, Learning Through Landscapes, commenting on a poll of 1,146 children sponsored by RBS, suggests children engage in bullying and negative behaviour because they are bored. Although almost all (93%) enjoyed playtimes, one in four had been bullied in the playground while one in six got bored. They suggest a solution …
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Research compares US and UK organic market drivers
New research into the US organic sector by the Hartman Group reveals intriguing differences between the American and UK markets. In numbers, the US sector has grown slower, about 1/3 as quickly as the UK: the US organic market grew by just over 30% between 2002-2005, whereas the UK achieved 33% growth in 2006 alone. …
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US EPA intent on poisoning Americans
While the USDA fails to enforce organic standards, the EPA has decided to liberate a vile toxin on the American countryside. The EPA approved a new chemical fumigant, methyl iodide, for use on food crops across the US. The pesticide vaporises quickly, allowing it to drift far distances. Although the state of California has categorized …
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TV makes you bad
A study carried out at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, US analysed 2,707 children aged two and five, based on information from their parents and found that children aged five who watch television for 2 hours a day are more likely to suffer behavioural problems and poor social skills – fresh evidence that too much …
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