Philadelphia Mural Arts Program transforms the city’s landscape.

TheMural Arts Program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began in 1984 as part of a campaign to eradicate graffiti citywide. The Anti-Graffiti Network hired muralist Jane Golden to reach out to graffiti writers and to redirect their energies from destructive graffiti writing to constructive mural painting. Since then, over 3.000 murals have been realized. Mural painting they created instantly added color, beauty, and life to a tired, industrial city struggling with dozens of economic distress and population loss. The outcomes of the program were nothing less than magical! From the beginning, Golden witnessed how mural-making changed lives and how the murals themselves began to mend the urban aesthetic fabric, each has become a distinctive...

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Bangs Shoes: a new model of corporate philanthropy

BangsShoes is a company that aims to demonstrate a new model of corporate philanthropy that sparks a new socially responsible edge for the future of retail. The Bangs method is to integrate fundraising for non-profit organizations into a for-profit business model. The Bangs mission is to “Stand on issues to help others stand on their own”. Every aspect of Bangs, from the name (Bang-zhu in Mandarin means “to help”), to the revenue model, to even the design of the shoes emanates this mentality. Hannah Davis, Founder and President of Bangs Shoes says: "We are in an era where combining philanthropy and business is not only accepted, but demanded by a socially conscious generation of consumers. I believe, along with many others today,...

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Little Free Library

LittleFree Library is a nonprofit community movement in the United States and worldwide that offers free books housed in small containers to members of the local community. It was founded in Hudson, Wisconsin. The idea was conceived by Todd Bol as a tribute to his mother, who was a book lover and school teacher. He mounted a wooden container designed to look like a school house on a post on his lawn, he put a dozen or more books and has invited its neighbors to borrow for free. The idea spread rapidly. Today there are almost 2.600 library around the world, you can found them on the map. Library owners can create their own library box (or buy one on the web-site) and receive a sign that reads "Little Free Library"....

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Birdhouse Rooftiles, place for city birds

In urban areas nowadays birds are not welcome under roof tiles anymore, so they lost a beautiful place to make nests, and the bird population is shrinking rapidly, what are we doing with this? The productdesigner Klaas Kuiken was struck with an idea. With his design for a special bird house he hopes to contribute to the solution of this problem. By applying an archetype house on a rooftile he creates a striking new nesting place for city birds, which is not only a warm welcome for the birds but also more visible to us humans. In consultation with the Vogelbescherming (Dutch bird association) the design is refined, so the Birdhouse Rooftile not just a pretty picture but also a responsible nesting place. The birds find their new...

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Tricycle House and Tricyle Garden: innovative transportation

Designed by People’s Architecture Office (PAO) + People’s IndustrialDesign Office (PIDO), the Tricycle House and Tricyle Garden was designed to address borderline situation of property laws in China, most of the city people have to accept that they will never be able to own even a small piece of land. Urban society is forced to find unconventional ways if they want to have some more private space. "The inability to own land is a fundamental condition in China unique from many western countries. The Tricycle House suggests a future where the temporary relationship and the public nature between people the the land they occupy is embraced." They create a world where you can sleep, bathe, and eat food from your garden, all from the comforts...

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Equotube, a responsibile way of travel

"Equotube" offers travel ideas, activities and culinary experiences to give alternatives to rediscover territories and cultures: "Experiences that become exchange between hosts and travelers." It is the first fully united and responsible of this kind. A sustainable form of travel, where supply and demand meet in a project that tries to protect both. The idea is of the social cooperative "Sogno differente" that launched "Equotube", an alternative way to make and promote tourism in a responsible manner. A sort of Smart box, as the proposal is actually enclosed in a tube. He wants to be a gift idea innovative, useful, and fun experience to live or to give where is the approach to make a difference. The structures are selected...

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The second life of forniture, by Marc Sparfel

Over the past 15 years, Barcelona’s residents have come to expect MarcSparfel’s weekly visits to their rubbish heaps. In the begining he would search the streets during “furniture days” for material, but soon, neighbors began to leave the furniture in front of his studio. The wood of the desks, armchairs, and hat stands fascinated him – soon, he found himself methodically taking apart each piece, bit by bit. The artist will first designs his piece, and then begin construction. Masterfully crafted, his collection of animal form and mask are a beautiful and inventive way to recycle. "...this is my forest, my world where I walk with pleasure, and I hand pick the best pieces. Once in my workshop, my sanctuary, my laboratory,...

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