Can blockchain turn plastic waste into currency for the poor—and save our oceans?

David Katz was first awakened to the horrors of ocean plastic while on holiday in Manila, where the sight of high volumes of plastic waste was striking in the otherwise clear water of Manila Bay.

Travels

Meet the Women’s Bean Project

Michelle Potter has found a sense of self-confidence for the first time since she dropped out of school at age 14.

A recovering meth addict, Potter, now 42,

Money as Medicine

Forbes just released its annual list of the wealthiest folks on Earth, who have an average net worth of $4.1 billion. Every time one of these lists comes out, the first thing I do is scan

Great Lakes Brewing Co. to offer Employee Stock Ownership Plan

What began as an annual employee summit turned into an emotional gathering culminating with bottles of beers being cracked open. The latter was encouraged by the owners, and with good reason. Great Lakes Brewing Co. owners

Video: What is an ESOP and how does it benefit employees?

Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOPs, are in focus following the Walmart-Flipkart deal with Flipkart employees being allowed to encash ESOPs fully over the next 2 years. An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is a

Employee Ownership is a Win-Win for Workers and Companies

Cathy Burch and her twin sister Deborah began working 27 years ago, at the age of 19. Cathy took a job at WinCo, a supermarket chain. Her sister went to work at a telephone company.

America Should Invest In Distributed Renewable Energy Instead Of Natural Gas Plants, Finds RMI Report

Half of all existing conventional electricity generating plants in the US will need to be replaced by 2030 as they reach the end of their useful life. The question is, what should they be replaced

Hurricanes: Stronger, slower, wetter in the future?

Scientists have developed a detailed analysis of how 22 recent hurricanes would be different if they formed under the conditions predicted for the late 21st century. While each storm's transformation would be unique, on balance,

Every Google search results in CO2 emissions.

Every Google search comes at a cost to the planet. In processing 3.5 billion searches a day, the world’s most popular website accounts for about 40% of the internet’s carbon footprint. Despite the notion that the internet

What’s the State of Global Inequality?

The first ever World Inequality Report was published recently by the leading economists who created the World Wealth and Income Database. The report serves as the most authoritative and up-to-date account of the state of global inequality in

Income inequality is going to hit tomorrow’s retirees hard

One of the mysteries of personal finance has been the disconnect between the income inequality afflicting the working public and the claims by fiscal conservatives that most people's retirement lifestyles will be perfectly comfortable. A

Why the Wealth Gap Hits Families the Hardest

What does economic inequality really look like? Income alone doesn’t give a complete picture. Income inequality describes the gap between a six-figure salary and minimum wage. But the more alarming gap occurs in wealth —

Nonprofit Manufacturer Could Keep Generic Drug Costs Down

HealthDay News — A nonprofit manufacturer could help keep generic drug prices down and maintain their supply, according to a perspective piece published in the issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Dan Liljenquist,

New tech may make prosthetic hands easier for patients to use

Researchers have developed new technology for decoding neuromuscular signals to control powered, prosthetic wrists and hands. The work relies on computer models that closely mimic the behavior of the natural structures in the forearm, wrist

Who Dies From Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis, a disease fueled by poverty, overcrowding and undernutrition, is a global barometer of deprivation. Of the more than 4,000 men, women and children TB kills every day, most are poor. TB's connection to poverty

How to Meet Client Demand for Impact Investing

In 1970, economist Milton Friedman published his seminal magazine article, “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits.” Since then, the line between portfolio management and philanthropy, profit and purpose, has blurred. Profits

From Landfill to Windfall

Trash nerd. That’s how Emily Landsburg identifies herself. Her colleagues agree the label fits, and so do her kids. “I have created a detour more than once on a family vacation to visit some sort of

New results-based financing tool targets clean water for schools

The Rockefeller Foundation and UBS Optimus Foundation are backing a new financing tool to bring clean water to 1.4 million Ugandan school children, saying the model can potentially be replicated across other countries and sectors.

Employees Have Other Financial Issues That Get in the Way of Retirement Readiness

Not having enough emergency savings for unexpected expenses is the most frequently cited financial concern for Millennial (48%) and Generation X (51%) employees, while not being able to retire when they want to is the

8 in 10 Employees Live Paycheck to Paycheck — How You Can Help Them Break the Cycle

Counting down to payday is a stressful, but all too common practice. Unfortunately, an August 2017 CareerBuilder survey found that the vast majority (78 percent) of the 3,462 full-time U.S. workers polled said they live paycheck to

Gains in Financial Inclusion, Gains for a Sustainable World

Mary Banda in Zambia runs a small restaurant in one of Lusaka’s oldest markets. Before she learned that financial services could make the way she did business easier, her profits were low. But today, her profits

These Poverty-Fighting Startups Are Slaying Silicon Valley’s Sacred Cows

“One of my ambitions is to help our users put more food on the table,” says Jimmy Chen, the founder of Propel. His company makes a mobile app called FreshEBT that helps people among the U.S.’s

Oxford Conference on Business and Poverty

Welcome to the second annual Oxford Business Fights Poverty Conference. As you view this summary of the conference you will read from a series of topics like Responsible Leadership, Honoring Entrepreneurs, Employee Ownership, Mentoring, Crowdsourcing & Addressing Poverty. Please

Isolationism, Business and War

Wars characterize the twentieth century, with the U.S. featuring as a significant player. The self-pronounced reputation of the U.S. as “rescuer of the world” continued at the turn of the century with 9/11 and the