Reduce 10% by 2010: 10:10 lauches today
September 1, 2009
The 10:10 campaign, born out of the Age of Stupid film, launches today, September 1st.
Great film. Please go and see it or put on a screening if you haven’t seen it already.
It puts the case for doing something to avoid a future climate disaster. But what can you practically do now? That’s the question that 10:10 answers. Reduce your carbon footprint 10% in 2010. Not that hard, just takes a small behaviour change or two and there you are, part of the (positive) future.
Sign up, take on the future and Do Something:
One of the actions you can take on as a part of you 10:10 action is to join an EcoTeam, to work with you community or group of friends to measure and reduce your energy, water, waste and travel in a small group working together. By measuring your resource use, and making your results visible, you get to see how you can change your behaviour. Doing this in community helps you make a change and feel good about it, by doing it together.
I spend most of my days building and enhancing the EcoTeams website and measurement and reporting tools, so I’ve seen it work and have seen the positive, carbon saving, money saving results that people get from it. 10% is achievable and worth doing. You save the planet and save money and feel good. Beat that.
A toolkit for communicating
January 11, 2009
If you haven’t checked it out yet, have a good look at Message in-a-Box “A toolkit for communicating your cause”.
It’s relevant to anyone that needs to communicate in life and work.
When Nodestone was commissioned by the Tactical Tech Collective earlier in the year to help bring it together, I faced a somewhat overwhelming task as you might imagine when you see it.
What is it? A rather large online resource for learning how to communicate better, to put it simply.
More specifically, it’s an international educational platform for people in NGOs and campaigning organisations that demonstrates how to use low-tech and high-tech tools and tactics to work on some of the hardest issues of our times.
We show you how to think strategically (about goals, resources and time) and then know which tools and tactics (eg. images / print / audio / video / internet / mobiles and media) to choose to get your message across.
Here’s how Tactical Tech describe it:
“…a set of strategic guides to using communications tools for social change, together with a suite of open source tools to get you making your own media. The toolkit is designed for small and medium-sized NGOs, advocates, and citizen journalists to help them create and distribute content for their advocacy efforts while exploring the constantly evolving world of campaigning and communications.”
The feedback has been excellent around the world. A much needed resource.
Here’s an example of how it works:
This section helps you find out how others have used images effectively and creatively. It helps you learn how to find, create, edit, share great images, with an emphasis on photographs, comics, maps and simple animated images.
You will also find the power of images throughout Message in-a-Box, eg. in websites, blogs, guerilla marketing, video and animation.
Images add impact to stories, blog posts, websites, posters,brochures, email campaigns – whatever campaigning channels and tools you are using.
What do you need?
Essential: ideas, creativity, imagination, a strategy.
Extra: people to help, internet access, mobile phone and/or a camera (digital or other), source books/comics/cartoons collected from anywhere or commissioned.
Sokwanele – interactive violence map
Having worked in communications as a consultant, writer, activism and educator for (gosh!) over 20 years, it was a dream to be able to put these threads of life to good use. To make something practical and tangible.
Message-in-a-Box is about the power of PR being brought to the people who have historically had least access to it. Things were all explained in the simplest possible terms with examples and free software downloads. From human rights abuses to clean water – NGOs on little or no budget obviously need education and support. It’s an egalitarian Aussie’s delight.
In London, Botswana or Mumbai, Message-in-a-Box is now available for free, 24/7. A print version with DVD software is also being distributed. It’s actually a good resource for anyone a clear (hopefully) perspective on getting your message across.
Along the way we got to massage the words and ideas of some great folk like Becky Faith, Dr Dan McQuillan and Heleana Quartey. Hopefully to first incarnation is already being put to some good use.
Once thing I’m hoping Tactical Tech do soon is to improve collaboration and “stickiness” on the site. Feedback, registration etc… Also the use of images and stills, sound and video clips to make the resource more visual and interactive – to practice what we preach!
Over the years we have increasingly worked on projects that pass positive screens for social / eco accountability. Put another way… that feel good. Like:
- widgets for TrickleStar and the BBC
- social carbon measurement for Global Action Plan
- edu-marketing for the Guerrand Hermes Foundation for Peace
- teaching blogging to communities and companies
- setting up The Big Love Gift Guide
- running a massive campaign for TV Turn Off Week.
Client links and feedback here…
But as long as you aren’t arms dealers, we can usually find or create some positive values in just about any project. Get in touch if you want to know how Nodestone can help you feel good about your work.
Nice Job: Web/design manager with social media for charity
May 7, 2008
My favourite environment charity and excellent client, Global Action Plan, are looking for a Web and Design Manager, based in London. This is a nice role — you get to manage the design side of things for the organisation, but also manage websites, and lead the organisation into the social media world. This is the sort of role where you can practically make a difference by getting GAP’s messages out there more widely and have a lot of fun in new media land.
Web & Design Manager – London £28,000 plus bonus (3.1) Inc LW
The Web and Design Manager is responsible for maintaining the quality of the brand for all Global Action Plan communications, both off and online. This will include writing a comprehensive web strategy, developing the Global Action Plan websites (including monitoring and reporting) creating electronic communications such as newsletters and delivering print design across the organisation. You will need a minimum of 3 years marketing experience in developing and designing print and web materials. You need to have proficient IT and CMS skills, including knowledge of basic web packages, have a strong attention to detail, be capable working under pressure and to deadline. Experience working for a charity would be advantageous.
More info at http://globalactionplan.org.uk/jobs.aspx Be Quick if you are interested. Applications Close this Friday 9th.
Recent Comments