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The 2016 Social Progress Index has just been published. Unlike GDP, that measures a country's economic output, or the UN's Human Development Index that measures a country's living conditions, the SPI drops economic output, and looks at the factors impacting basic needs, well-being and opportunity. In case you don't know it, we're doing really good here in Canada. We sit at number 2 on this scale, behind Finland. Our friends south of the 49th -- not so good -- coming in at 19. Canada ... number 2! Happy Canada day, eh?

The latest OECD report on inequality paints a disturbing picture. The world is getting more unequal. The richest 10% of the OECD population now earns 9.6 times more than the poorest 10%. In 2012, the poorest 40% owned 3% of the household wealth in the OECD countries -- while the top 10% controlled over half; with the top 1% owning 18%. Increasingly, the culprit is low paying, non-standard work (temporary and contract). Between 1995 and 2013, 50% of new jobs created fell into this category -- and the disproportionately are youth and females. No surprise there. The OECD warns that the long term economic and social cohesion impacts will be significant if governments don't take steps to address the gap. Businesses also need to step up, as there is a direct impact to their viability. In Canada, income inequality has not increased during the economic downturn -- with Canada trending with the OECD average. But, the gap in pay between full-time workers and non-standard work...

I don't entirely agree with Foster's take, but he provides a context for the state of worker safety and rights in Bangladesh; as well as the unintended consequences that could result from the lawsuit against Loblaw (there's one in the US as well, against Wal-mart, et al).  The issue is more complex than western businesses taking advantage of cheap labour. Peter Foster: Why a $2-billion lawsuit against Loblaw, Joe Fresh could bring unintended results to Bangladesh | Financia…

I had the opportunity to attend the ESF (an Intertek shindig) in NY.  So much of my last two years have been tied up with worker safety efforts in Bangladesh, that I took note of the presentation given by Sarah Labowitz of NYU Stern.  The Sourcing Journal has a piece on her presentation that may be of interest: https://www.sourcingjournalonline.com/ethical-sourcing-forum-subcontracting-prevalent-brands-believe-td/ Labowitz describes Bangladesh’s RMG sector as a hub and spoke model of production, where the hub factories are the ones that have direct relationships with foreign brands, are often in good condition, with their own power plants, and are well lit and ventilated. And those hub factories have a lot of relationships with spoke factories. “The spoke factories are the invisible factories,” Labowitz said. They are often in mixed-use buildings, above auto repair shops, for example, and some don’t appear on any registry of factories in Bangladesh. Labowitz and her...

Source Intelligence just published a summary of the activities involving their solution for managing conflict minerals risks in the supply chain. ref.  An Insightful Look at 2014 Conflict Minerals Efforts  (free registration required) The report aggregates their client data from 2013 efforts, covering the apparel, electronics, manufacturing, oil & gas and retail industries.  At tier 1 in the supply chain, they have 1,336 suppliers -- which increased significantly as they delved into deeper tiers -- and impacted around 2M products.  Source Intelligence is definitely doing the sales pitch.  Their report shows efficiency and effectiveness gains if you use their resources for education and data collection.  But it isn't smoke and mirrors.  It makes sense that supply chain partners who are educated (having awareness of context) are better suited to effectively participate in reporting.  It also makes sense that automating the data capture is...

The cotton harvest was just completed in Uzbekistan. See a summary of events below. With Bangladesh, India and Russia being the largest importer of Uzbek cotton, will you be looking at your clothing labels different this Christmas season? If you understand the cotton supply chain, you'll realize that there is no easily discernible way of segregating cotton from one country. It's a commodity that is purchased, mixed, processed, mixed, processed, etc., before ever ending up in the hands of the cutters and sewers. Traceability is a huge hurdle to overcome. 2014-12-04 2014 Uzbek Cotton Harvest Update Webinar from As You Sow on Vimeo . Source: https://ethicallysourced.wordpress.com/

Today is World Toilet Day : World Toilet Day is a day to take action. It is a day to raise awareness about all people who do not have access to a toilet - despite the human right to water and sanitation.  It is a day to do something about it.  Of the world’s seven billion people, 2.5 billion people do not have improved sanitation. 1 billion people still defecate in the open. Women and girls risk rape and abuse because they have no toilet that offers privacy.  We cannot accept this situation. Sanitation is a global development priority. This is why the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 designated 19 November as World Toilet Day. This day had previously been marked by international and civil society organizations all over the world but was was not formally recognized as an official UN day until 2013. World Toilet Day is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with Governments and relevant stakeholders. 

It is a big deal that these five first nations will finally be granted status as a people, in Canada. It ends, for these first nation people anyway, a hold over from the days of colonialism. Naturally, with great power, comes great responsibility, and that includes the responsibility not to make the same economic and environmental mistakes Canada has made in plundering this great land; and the responsibility to the children not born yet. I wish the Huu-ay-aht, Ka:yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h' , Uchucklesaht, Toquaht and Ucluelet all the best. They're going to need it. in reference to: "The Maa-nulth Treaty, Vancouver Island's first modern-day treaty, comes into effect April 1 and the five Maa-nulth First Nations from around Barkley Sound and Kyuquot Sound, are finalizing individual laws, strategizing economic development projects and planning individual celebrations as well as a joint celebration in Port Alberni on April 2." - Citi...

Tomorrow, October 4th, is World Habitat Day -- a day designated by the UN to bring attention to the sorry state of housing for the world's population. Habitat for Humanity is one of those organizations that's putting sweat to the problem -- not thinking about the problem -- just working to fix it. Check out the link below for more. in reference to: "Every week, more than a million people are born in, or move to, cities in the developing world. As a result, the urban population of developing countries will double from 2 billion to 4 billion in the next 30 years. (Kissick, et al: 2006)   By the year 2030, an additional 3 billion people, about 40 percent of the world’s population, will need access to housing. This translates into a demand for 96,150 new affordable units every day and 4,000 every hour. (UN-HABITAT: 2005)" - World Habitat Day Oct. 4, 2010 - Social Media News Release ( view on Google Sidewiki )

My latest Kiva loan has just been given, to the Tanzanite Group of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania -- to be repaid in about 6 months or so. Specifically, my $25 will go to Patricia Mjuni, who runs a pharmacy business, though the repayment is being guaranteed by the Tanzanite Group . Group loans, as per Kiva: In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a group of individuals bound by a group guarantee. Under this arrangement, each member of the group supports one another and is responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults. Kiva does not directly manage the disbursement of funds, but rather, leverages field partners. In this case, my loan will be administered by Tujijenge Tanzania Ltd. , a micro-finance company that has been in operation for 4 years now, in Tanzania. They have given out over US$1.2M in loans, and have a return on assets of 2.03% -- coming from interests and fees charged to...

In 1804, Haiti was the first nation to outlaw slavery. That is an amazing accomplishment -- but you wouldn't think so if you knew Haiti today. Today, 10% of the most vulnerable population in Haiti, the children, live a life of slavery. Child slaves in Haiti, known as restaveks , number around 300,000. They come from large homes, where parents can't afford to keep them, to homes of affluent family members. Often, these children suffer abuse at the hands of families they are enslaved to. The practice having restaveks has been around since 1804. Lighter skinned Haitians became the ruling class -- and the darker skinned, poorer Haitians, were made to believe that if they couldn't take care of their children, it was acceptable -- and better for the child -- to be shipped off. This has been a widely acceptable practice around the world -- back in the day -- but it shouldn't be, anymore. The root cause of the problem is large families. It's not uncommon for pare...

Criticism is easy, but offering solutions hard. The US is planning to put about 20,000 troops into operation to get Haiti back up, and France, Nicaragua and Venezuela are upset. No surprises there. Medecins Sans Frontieres want the US to deliver medicine first, and soldiers second -- or presumably, never. What's wrong with these people? Absolutely nothing, if you understand that they are motivated by self-interest. The US is likewise motivated by self-interest. What the US gets out this? Less illegal Haitian immigrations. Some goodwill after making a mess of Iraq. Haiti is in the US' backyard, so it feels (has) an obligation to respond. But who cares about the self-interest. What are the Haitians getting out of this? Stability, hopefully. Hopefully the US troops won't go off half-cocked and start murdering civilians. Soldiers on the ground will hopefully prevent the chaos from descending to savagery. Without stability, there will be no medicines delivered, no ...

reddit wants to help in Haiti. As of this posting, they've raised $92,033.94USD. Cool! And Pat Robertson didn't help!

I just made my 9th loan on Kiva -- with no additional funding supplied by myself. It was made from the money repaid to me by borrowers from around the world. My 9th loan, of $25, was made to a woman in the Philippines, who's raising funds to grow her farm business -- and make a better life for herself. I love the concept behind Kiva. The money I loan goes directly to the people looking for a helping hand to get themselves out of poverty and make a better life for themselves. Just this week, Kiva loans of $2.7MM was made -- that amounted to a loan made every 9 seconds. How's that for making a difference? in reference to: Kiva - Loans that change lives ( view on Google Sidewiki )

My "What would David Suzuki do?" t-shirt came from Me to We Style . Other than being cool and wearing Suzuki 's mug plastered on my chest, I'm also wearing a t-shirt that boasts, - Sweatshop free manufacturing - Eco friendly fabrics - 50% of the profits to Free the Children - You buy a tee and we will plant a tree "Our mission at Me to We Style is to empower consumers to make purchasing decisions that lead to a better life for people around the world. By manufacturing our clothing in Canadian factories that pay adult workers a fair wage, we ensure that parents make enough to care for themselves and their children. By using organic cotton, we ensure that toxic chemicals aren't harming people, animals or the earth we share. And by donating 50 per cent of our profits to Free The Children, we ensure that a better life is created for children and their families in rural and impoverished areas across the globe." Totally cool. Thanks Miss V, for the present. ...

Nothing in this world is free -- especially freedom -- and that goes for those of us living in the free world . "... serves as an uncensorable and untraceable depository for the truth, able to publish documents that the courts may prevent newspapers and broadcasters from being able to touch." — In praise of... Wikileaks - The Guardian, October 20, 2009. Wikileaks , in case you don't know, is a non-profit organization, whose purpose is to out those who would steal our freedoms and subjugate us. The organization provides a platform for whistle-blowers everywhere, to get the truth out. Wikileaks isn't loved by most governments around the world. You'd first guess that places like China and Iran don't like Wikileaks. And that would be true. However, you may be surprised to learn that governments from the US, Canada, Australia, England and other first world democracies, also don't like Wikileaks. Why? Wikileaks shine light into the dark corners of these...

When he was just 14-years-old, William Kamkwamba from Malawi, dropped out of school because his family could no longer afford to send him to school. With just a science text book, Kamkwamba decided to build a windmill, for electricity, to power his home and pump water. The people of his village thought he was crazy. But from parts salvaged from junk, a windmill emerged. That has since been replaced by another Kamkwamba built. Now 22-years-old, Kamkwamba is attending university on a scholarship, and plans to go back home and bring electricity to his entire country. Simply amazing. So, what you done today?

Google's Project 10 100 started over a year ago with a call for ideas to change the world, that will reach as many people as possible. Now the 154,000 ideas that were submitted, have been aggregated to 16, and the voting will run until Oct. 8, 2009, to select the best 5 ideas for Google's $10M seed money, and backing to implement. What a cool idea! Thanks DH, for the link.