• One person gives a workshop on any creative (preferably non commercial) topic.
• Anyone can come and join the workshop for a small donation to cover snacks and room rent.
• The presenter gets a round of feedback where people can say what they liked, what could be improved and what new things they take with them.

Simple format, a very relaxed atmosphere, an inspirational workshop and a nice drink with participants afterwards rounded off a very nice evening.


Thanks very much for organizing this Jeffrey & Andy. I’ll be back for a next session for sure.


For more info and the agenda of upcoming & past events, visit the Imagination club site in Brussels or the global site.


Cheers,


Mira

The Teekampagne (tea campaign) is quite a simple concept. Günther Faltin (professor for entrepreneurship in Germany & founder of the tea campaign) asked himself: why is tea affordable in China but so expensive in Europe?

After some investigations he finds: the reason are neither the transport nor the custom expenses but rather the fact that tea is not available all year around which means that distributors need to pay rent for an appropriate storage space. Another reason is the packaging: the tea has to be packed into consumer friendly small packs which does cost quite some money as well.

Günther Faltin decided to break this cycle and to sell tea directly to customers (using the web) in big packages and only when it is available. He did further research and found one type of Darjeeling tea that even has a quality certificate today which he now sells (less choice, high quality). Thanks to his direct contact to the manufacturer and his unusual business model he can sell the tea to a very affordable price.

However, the Teekampagne is not only a good place to buy tea, it is also a very simple and effective businessmodel, that can work with almost any product (e.g. energy saving light bulbs or vegetable oil).

Today everyone can be a successfull entrepreneur. In a postindustrial society ideas gain more relevance than capital.

For more information visit the Teekampagne website.

is a place for start ups that develop projects that approach social and environmental topics.

The approach:  Give people with innovative & entrepreneurial ideas the space and facilities they need to develop it.

The hub is also a good place to meet others and develop proects together and there is some support on the project management front.

The network works via membership fees that depend on how much time you work for your project. There are Hub offices in Bombay, Amsterdam, Sao Paolo, Stockholm, Madrid, Milan and many other parts of the world. One of these ideas that are made to travel around the world.

In a few weeks I will be visiting The Hub in Brussels the office over here is just being set up so I am curious how many interesting ideas will evelove from this. Can’t wait to do lots of interviews and blog about these projects.

Best wishes,
Mira

Some weeks ago I met Karel from the Webfabriek – a Webagency specialized in NGO web projects. Watch the interview…

Besides projects for WWF Belgian they work for Belgian NGOs like Natuurpunt and also for the federal government.

For more information visit their website.

No, this is not a ‘green’ article.

Although this is focussing on Web2.0 practices, I believe it is worthwhile reading for those of you who are developing an environmental or social project.  So many people are scared of failing but why not using a Kaizen approach – why not see failure and the resulting learning curve as part of the actual growth?

When it comes to getting things done, there is a lot environmentalists can learn from the web2.0 & open source culture. 25 tips you should keep in mind for your next project.