Activism, invention, discoveries and art have an impact on the way that we understand and relate to the world around us. They can be profound tools for change or for building cultures. Our perceptions and our actions are often informed by activists, scientists, researchers and artists.
This cluster shares bits of wisdom, activism and discovery to help inform your world and to help you make it just a little bit better.
Implications - Businesses that attach their brands to social causes will benefit in tremendous ways. Not only will they portray themselves as a compassionate and genuine organization, they will be attractive in the eyes of social conscious consumers. Such consumers will likely invest in products with the promise of profiting or supporting a social good organization.
50 Innovations for the Greater Good
48
Artful Transmission Towers
The 'Land of Giants' Transform Electricity Pylons into Human Sculptures
47
Activist Art Bicycles
Be Cycle & Fashion's Designer Bikes Support Social Causes
46
Anti-War Clothing Lines
Carrot Clothing Hip Apparel is Activist Garb for Street Culture
45
Eco Activism in Iran
Bloggers Try to Save Wetlands
44
Linguistic Protests
English Professor Ousted from Starbucks for Refusing to Use the Lingo
43
Synthesized Bio-Communication
Computer Scientists in Madrid Use Bacteria to Solve Problems
42
Farmers as Environmental Activists
Lynn Henning Wins Anti-Pollution 'Green Nobel' Prize
41
Water Repellent Sun Cells
Non-Reflective Solar Panels are Also Self-Cleaning
40
Depressed Tree Art
Steven Burke Paints a Sad Face on the Forest in 'Poor Little Trees'
39
Teen Eco Activists
Alec Loorz Leads the Way with 'Kids vs Global Warming'
38
Activist Ad Rejections
NBC Refuses to Air PETA Thanksgiving Ad
37
Delicious Activist Art
The Fallen Fruit EATLACMA Project 2010 Has Launched
36
Biodegradable Plant Containers
Cowpots are Composted Cow Manure Planting Pots
35
Tween Eco Activists
‘Plant for the Planet' Founder Felix Finkbeiner Plants One Million
34
Power-Generating Roads
Solar Roadways Wants Votes in GE's 'Ecomagination Challenge'
33
Textbook Rental Services
Chegg, the "Netflix of Books," Saves Money and Trees
32
Green Patent Sharing
Hewlett Packard Gives Open-Source Eco Innovations to Eco-Patent Commons
31
Bacteria-Driven Pollution Removal
Bio-Reaction Industries Cleans the Air with Microbes
30
Jocks as Eco Activists
Former NFL Lineman Gets Serious about Green Energy
29
Color-Coded Heat Loss
'Zoom Into Your Roof' Infrared Energy Maps Reveal Insulation Inefficiencies
28
Tools for Eco Investors
NASDAQ Green Economy Indexes Make it Easer to Track Green Business
27
Power Fluctuation Fixes
Stimulus-Funded Grid Stabilization Projects to Use Giant Batteries
26
Clean Battery Power
Soap and Wax Improve Battery Production Cost and Capacity
25
Electronic Watt Cops
Oregon Scientific's Wireless Appliance Manager Reports Real-Time Power Use
24
Eco-Friendly Juice Initiatives
Tropicana 'Rescue the Rainforest' Project Saves Trees
23
Makeshift Wildlife Habitats
Flooding Gulf Area Fields to Provide Relief from Oil-Fouled Habitats
22
Everlasting Metal Energy
Magnesium Fuel Cells Could Provide World's Power for 3,000 Centuries
21
Undoing Spinal Injuries
Paralysis May Be Reversible With PTEN-Deletion Treatment
20
Nutty Plastics
NEC Makes Cashew-Based Bioplastics for Use in Electronics
19
Nature Mockumentaries
'The Majestic Plastic Bag' Ups Awareness & Support for Plastic Bag Ban Bill
18
Nerd-Driven Promotions
'Get Your Geek On. Support the Library' Ad Campaign
17
Simple Sanitation Systems
Easy Latrine is a 2010 IDEA Awards Best in Show Winner
16
Designer Denim Do-Gooders
Ralph Lauren Commissions Art Stars to Promote Polo Jeans & Help Kids
15
Lunch Lady Boot Camps
Chefs Teach Healthful School Lunch Preparation in Culinary Boot Camp
14
Celeb Activist Tweets
Pink Uses Twitter to Support Last Chance for Animals' Cause
13
Cost-Saving Trains
RailEdge Rail Traffic-Control Software Improves Transportation Efficiency
12
Global Goods Tracking Sites
The iuMAP Project Tracks and Maps Global Social Enterprise
11
Vegetable-Powered Bonding
Earth-Friendly Tape Adhesive is Made from Plants
10
Dog Breath Eco-Cures
Enzyme-Based BioWorld 'The Pet Beverage' Zaps Mutt Mouth and Body Odor
9
Eco Activist Art Recreations
"A Sunday Afternoon" Made of 106,000 Tin cans
8
Matrimonial Tree Laws
'Couples Caring for the Environment' Makes Indonesian Newlyweds Plant Trees
7
Car Bodies as Batteries
British Scientists Prototype Carbon Fiber Supercapacitors
6
Veggie-Based Car Parts
Ford Uses Soy Oil Foam and Plastics in Auto Construction
5
Sustainable Sewage Plants
Rocket Engine Wastewater Treatment Could Yield Self-Powered Facilities
4
Hair Care Bots
The Panasonic Hair-Washing Robot Helps Take Care of The Elderly
3
Life-Saving Turbine Colors
Purple Wind Turbines are Less Likely to Harm Birds in Flight
2
Polar Bears in Hollywood
'The Beaufort Diaries' Novel and Animated Short Film
1
WIMBY Eco Activism
‘Wind in My Backyard' Supports Wind Power Development in the UK
Related Ideas
Oil Spill Wildlife
Boston.com BP Oil Spill Photography Shows Effect on Animals
Chinglish Languages
The New York Times Chinglish Photos of Shanghai's Butchered English
Diamond Tattoos
Shimansky Offers the World's Most Expensive Tattoo
Controversial Crowdsourced Logos
The Greenpeace BP Logo Redesign Campaign Stirs Up Controversy
Nude Animal Activist Apps
Stephanie Pratt PETA 'Be Nice to Bunnies' iPhone App
Oil-Filtering Water Pumps
Ocean Therapy Solutions Can Remove Oil from Water
Flowering Book Sculptures
Jacqueline Rush Lee Creates a Novel Form of Narrative
Art From Library Discards
Jonathan Callan Builds Sculptures Out of Folded Books
Celeb Oil Spill Solutions
The Kevin Costner BP Oil Spill Clean Up Plan is Logical
Portable Wind Turbines
Agricultural Wind Generator is a Breeze to Transport and Use
Geodesic Road Shows
Siemens Smart Grid Tour Teaches About Energy Management Systems
Tween Fashion Designers
10-Year Old Cecilia Cassini and Her Eco Chic Couture
Indoor Forest Museums
The Andrea Branzi Maribor Museum Takes Inspiration from the Forest
Seductive Nature Films
Isabella Rossellini's New “Seduce Me” Series on Sundance
Stop Motion Billboards
The Olympus Pen Camera Campaign Shows Some Big Love
Retro-Futuristic Eco Design
'Power Styling' Book Reveals Space-Age Concepts to Beautify the Grid
Urine-Powered Batteries
The Metalcell Portable Battery Needs Pee to Function
Color-Blocked Two-Wheelers
The Puma Biomega Bikes Give a New Spin to Urban Cycling
Intricate Skullptures
Artist ‘Jim' is Back Again With More Morbid Pieces
Egg Beater Power Generators
Energy Ball Wind Turbine Produces Power at 4 MPH
Oil Spill Hair Booms
Matter of Trust Mats Made of Recycled Tresses Sop Up Gulf Oil Spill (UPDATE)
Plastic Bag Bans
California May Be First State to Outlaw Single Use Plastic Bags
Playfully Patterned Tape
'This is Spinal Tape' Offers Vertebrae Print Adhesive
Star-Shaped Mini-Cities
Koen Olthuis Designs Maldives Floating Islands Concept
36-Foot Meerkats
Snugburys Ice Cream Farm Rings in Summer with a Handmade Straw Sculpture
Charitable Graffiti Bikes
Cannondale and Mike Giant Team Up to Support the Bahati Foundation
Illuminating Beer Bottles
Heineken Puts the Spotlight on New Beer Bottles
Robot-Staffed Hospitals
A Scottish Hospital is Using Robotic Nurses for Mundane Tasks
Star-Shaped Skyscrapers
‘Taiwan Tower' has a Built-In Wind Turbine at Its Tip
Protecting Inflatable Vests
The Hit Air Airbag Cushions Fallen Horseback Riders
Germ-Free Computer Accessories
The Cleankeys Keyboard is Hygienic and Flat
Quirky Imaginary Creatures
‘The Lost Thing' Wins Prize as an Animated Short Film
Librarian Gaga Virals
'Librarians Do Gaga' is a Hilarious Rewording of the Pop Hit
Silly Literary Explanations
'The 3 Most Common Uses of Irony' Comic is not a Good Study Guide
Music-Driven Microorganisms
Mozart Makes Sewage Munching Microbes More Efficient
Adhesive Phone Designs
The Artistic GelaSkins iPhone 4 Covers Have Arrived
Bookstore-Inspired Libraries
The Almere Library Incorporates Retail Details
Bacteria-Obliterating Accessories
The 'Germ Genie' Zaps Unclean Communal Keyboards
GPS Video Hybrids
The Oregon Scientific ATC9K HD Action Camera is Making Waves
Existential Sculptures
Antony Gormley Installation Takes to the Austrian Alps
Luxury Automaker Bikes
The Lexus Hybrid Bicycle is a New Way to Passionately Pursue Perfection
Fine-Tuned Flags
The Stars and Stripes Get a Makeover in the Sarah Rahbar 'Flags' Series
Pimped Train Travel
Modernized 'Business-Class Trains' by Aleksandar Dimitrov
Zip-Together Solar Skins
Studio Formwork Solarskin System Converts Structures Without Renovation
Conscientious Plastic Food Trays
Firstcarbon ghgTrack software to Track Supply Chain Emissions
Clean Water Breakthroughs
MIT Creates Desalination Chip That Can Produce Drinkable Water
Fold-Up Electrobikes
Put the Motorized VW bik.e Where Your Spare Tire Would Be
Cow-Powered Server Farms
HP Promotes Manure-Fueled Data Centers in Rural Areas
Chainless Electric Bikes
The City Cycle Concept Wants to Take Over the Car
AIDS-Curing Stem Cells
Bioengineering Offers Gene Therapy Cures for AIDs
Modernism-Inspired Sculptures
'Cubist Vases' by Boym Partners Play with Shapes
Oil Spill Weather
Supposed Oil Rain in Louisiana Means Bad News for Mother Nature
Wireless Light Monitoring
Innovative System Can Slash Energy Used by Office Lights
Supersonic Monorails
China's ‘He Xie' is the Fastest Train in the World
Celebrity Eco-Sprays
Kiehl's Earth Day Campaign Will Save the Rainforest or Your Money Back
Open-Source Airships
The Beatfly Blimp Can Be Made at Home and Flown With Your iPhone
Engineered Organs
Lab-Grown Lungs Transplanted into Living Animals
Portable Toilets
'P-Tree' by Sam van Veluw Makes Peeing Easy
Eco Power Hush Money
Innovative Bribery Scheme to Silence Potential Wind Turbine Noise Complaints
Auto-Pilot Traveling
The 'Bombardier Eco 4' is Fueled by Renewable Energy
Artistic Turbines
Artocos Singing Wind Towers Compete in Dubai's Land Art Generator Initiative
Hanging Stuffed Animals
The Vincent J.F Huang ‘Suicide Penguins' Sends a Message
Open-Source Hardware
Wingshield ScrewShield Spurs Innovation and Generates Profit
Trippy Ecosystem Art
Tom Beddard's Generative Sculptures Look Like Marine Life
Scrap Wood Castles
Lars Vilks Creates Nimis, a Maze-Like Driftwood Structure
Gruesome Animal Activism
Surfrider Foundation Sea Animal Ads Point Out Human Error
Space Taxis
Spacex Falcon 9 Rocket Successfully Completes Maiden Voyage
Futuristic Ergonomic Wheelchairs
The IX Transfer System is Designed for Comfort
Patriotic Street Sneaks
The Nike Dunk Independence Day Kicks are Made for Young Patriots
Customized Rainbow Bikes
Jellybean Bikes Allow You to Take the Wheel and 'Color Your Ride'
Beef-Powered Trains
The Amtrak Heartland Flyer Train Runs on Beef-Based Biofuel
Passenger Space Rockets
Blue Origin's New Sheppard is Part of Billionaire's Project
Professional Nerdterpreters
Michael Rooney Jr. Translates Klingon for a Living
Fair Trade Cocoa
Divine Chocolate is a Social Business Partly Owned by Its Farmers
Deforestation Comparison Ads
The Greenpeace Australia Ad Spurs Many Flames
Constellation-Mimicking Projects
'Reflecting The Stars' Raises Awareness for Light Pollution
Fast & Cheap DNA Tests
Open-Source Genome Sequencing Startup Developing New Technology
Enhanced Eco Batteries
Rechargable ReVolt Zinc-Air Batteries May Increase EV Range
Marble Track Mazes
The 'Life' Sculpture is Made Out of 4227 Popsicle Sticks
Affordable Generic Drug Technology
Open-Source Drug-Making Process Lowers Production Costs
Rainforest Rescue Contraceptives
Condom Production in Brazil Helps Deforestation
Long-Lasting Batteries
Apple Battery Charger Allows Batteries to Last Up to 10 Years
Computer Science Breakthroughs
Replicating Bacterial Communication is Key to Better PCs
Treadmill-Powered Bikes
The Frankenbike by Patrick Vanderwyden is Made From Spare Parts
Bacteria-Driven Pollution Removal
Bio-Reaction Industries Cleans the Air with Microbes
Electronic Good Samaritans
Robovie R3 is Programmed to be Kind
Animated Monster Shorts
Chris O'Hara's Beautiful 'End Of A Scarer' Short Film
Uber-Luxurious Branded Bikes
The Trussardi Bike is Literally as Good as Gold
Threaded Train Tracks
Anatoly Unitsky's String Transport System Uses Suspended Steel Wires
Bird-Friendly Wind Power
The Tesla-Inspired 'Solar Aero' Bladeless Wind Turbine
Energy-Sensing Appliances
The Miele Smart Grid Washer Does Laundry When the Costs are Low
Eco-Friendly Book Dwellings
The Battery Park Library by 1100 Architects
Toy Swapping Services
Lucky Duck Toy Box Offers Rental Toys for Waiting Rooms
Bacteria-Detecting Fridges
The Electrolux Food Symphony Alerts You When Food is Expired
Glowing Bacterial Soap
Never Forget to Wash with the Fluorescent Cyanobacteria Petri Dish Soap
Diaper Farming
TerraCottem Soil-Conditioning Hydrogels Reduce Water Needs
Nanny Robots
The Family Nanny is a Super-Efficient Robot
Fatally Attractive Solar Panels
Mesmerizing Light from Solar Arrays Are Lethal to Aquatic Insects
Forgotten Word Dictionaries
The Non-Word Dictionary is a Safe Haven for Non-OED Certified Words
Power Fluctuation Fixes
Stimulus-Funded Grid Stabilization Projects to Use Giant Batteries
Clean Battery Power
Soap and Wax Improve Battery Production Cost and Capacity
Bacteria Rocket Fuel
Brian Cantwell Harnesses Sewage Waste Energy to Power Rocket Thrusters
Proximity-Charged Trams
Underground Power Source Eliminates Need for Overhead Cables
Viral Battery Fabrics
Scientists Use Common Virus to Create Hi-Tech Military Material
Sleek Bike Handle Baskets
Bike Porter Equipped With a Built-In Basket for City Slickers
Potato-Based Pens
The DBA Pen by Harbec Plastics is Biodegradable
Reef Restoration Plans
Coral Transplantation Could be the Solution to Damaged Oil Spill Reefs
Social Change Investments
The Ethical Property Company Provides Affordable Offices
Energy from Manure
Biogas Technology Uses Cow Poop to Create Power
Temperature-Altering Wind Turbines
Large Wind Farms May Add to Global Warming
Instant Flu Tests
The FluDOC Lets You Know When You've Got a Bug
Multicultural McBurger Campaigns
Mcdonald's Swiss Weeks Introduces Three New Burgers
Greening Bioplastics
BioCor LLC Startup Establishes Bioplastic Recycling Infrastructure
Cost-Saving Trains
RailEdge Rail Traffic-Control Software Improves Transportation Efficiency
Bacteria Bath Products
Petri Dish Soap is an Ironic Way to Stay Clean
Germ-Fighting Gloves
GetGlovd Bamboo Gloves Offer Alternative to Hand Sanitizers
Endlessly Recyclable Plastics
Breakthrough Technology in Synthetic Chemistry by Stanford & IBM
Brain-Boosting Bacteria
New Studies Show Eating Bacteria Boosts Brain Power
Gravity-Sensitive Science
Space Satellite Produces World's First-Ever Gravity Field Map
Celeb Oil Spill Solutions (UPDATE)
Kevin Costner's Oil-Water Separators to Go to Gulf
Detective Washers
The Electrolux 'Lupe' Design by Il-seop So Makes Cleaning Fun
Multitherapeutic Clocks
The 'i.relax' Aroma Diffuser Offers Smell, Light & Sound Treatments
Ethical Investments
Bridges Ventures is a Venture Capital Company with a Social Aim
Art-Riddled Parks
The Franconia Sculpture Farm Fosters a Love of Creativity
Social Enterprise Magazines
Beyond Profit Provides Content to Spark Positive Change
Plant-Based Plastics
IBM Researchers Discover a Way to Create Highly Recyclable Plastic
Social Business Rehabs
San Patrignano Offers Free Programs for Those with Addiction Problems
Practical Space Rockets
Copenhagen Suborbitals Has Launched a Rocket For Human Space Travel
Dramatic Social Enterprises
13th Theatre Company Uses the Performing Arts to Build Confidence
Not-for-Profit Development Programs
ACT Training Services is a Social Enterprise for Professionals
WIMBY Eco Activism
‘Wind in My Backyard' Supports Wind Power Development in the UK