Justice for all

Here’s the second installment of Feature Friday this week: Beyond Good Intentions.

Beyond Good Intentions is a wonderful ten-part film series investigating the effectiveness of international aid. According to the website:

The Beyond Good Intentions film series follows the round-the-world journey of first-time filmmaker, Tori Hogan, as she investigates how international aid can be more effective. Shot on location in eight different countries, the ten-episode series takes viewers along for the ride as Tori meets with countless aid workers and recipients to uncover more innovative approaches to helping communities in need.

The film series is great because it brings to light a lot of the criticisms of international aid that are often unknown to the general public. People assume volunteering abroad is great — but perhaps it’s not truly sustainable. People assume the Peace Corps is wonderful — but is the program really effective? With the advent of Muhammad Yunus’ innovative approach to ‘banking for the poor,’ microfinance has almost universally began to be viewed as a panacea to the world’s poverty…but is it really delivering for the world’s poorest communities?

Tori explores these, and many more important, controversial, challenging questions. What’s more, she presents the information in a series of engaging and enjoyable short films which are accessible to the general public. These films don’t use grandiose rhetoric or useless jargon…which is what is usually employed in these debates, often put forth by academics. Tori makes these issues interesting and easily understandable, thus reaching a large proportion of the population and drawing in young people.

Check out the clip below, where Tori investigates the practices of Kiva and microlending. Click here to access their YouTube channel and watch the rest of the videos.

I haven’t done Feature Friday in quite a while, unfortunately, since I have been so busy this summer. So today I decided to double the effort and feature two great initiatives. Here’s the first one….and check my next blog post for #2!

Better World Books

Better World Books (BWB) is in my eyes - the future of business. Better World Books is one of the best social businesses out there due to it’s triple bottom line - economic, social and environmental. The model is amazing and absolutely self sustainable. BWB calls itself “the online bookstore with soul.” The company collects and saves used books from landfills, which it then sells online through betterworldbooks.com. The company employs a social business model by funneling any profits it makes back into the organization, rather than paying dividends to investors. And the best part? They donate a certain percentage of all profits to literacy initiatives worldwide - charities and organizations working to foster literacy and education across the globe.

If that didn’t catch your eye, what if I told you that their books are actually insanely cheap? Last week I bought six books on their website, and it cost only a total of $19! I bought five of these books through their “Bargain Bin,” which allows you to buy 5 books for $15. And contrary to the usual “sale” sections of stores, their Bargain Bin includes many interesting books and previous bestsellers. And, shipping is free throughout the U.S. Knowing that they would donate some of their profits enticed me, but finding so many cheap books on their site absolutely hooked me.

As if that wasn’t enough, their service is great, and very unique. After I purchased my book, I got this adorable email:

(Your book(s) asked to write you a personal note - it seemed unusual, but who are we to say no?)

Holy canasta! It’s me… it’s me! I can’t believe it is actually me! You could have picked any of over 2 million books but you picked me! I’ve got to get packed! How is the weather where you live? Will I need a dust jacket? I can’t believe I’m leaving Mishawaka, Indiana already - the friendly people, the Hummer plant, the Linebacker Lounge - so many memories. I don’t have much time to say goodbye to everyone, but it’s time to see the world!

I can’t wait to meet you! You sound like such a well read person. Although, I have to say, it sure has taken you a while! I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but how would you like to spend five months sandwiched between Jane Eyre (drama queen)and Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (pyromaniac)? At least Jane was an upgrade from that stupid book on brewing beer. How many times did the ol’ brewmaster have one too many and topple off our shelf at 2am?

I know the trip to meet you will be long and fraught with peril, but after the close calls I’ve had, I’m ready for anything (besides, some of my best friends are suspense novels). Just five months ago, I thought I was a goner. My owner was moving and couldn’t take me with her. I was sure I was landfill bait until I ended up in a Better World Books book drive bin. Thanks to your socially conscious book shopping, I’ve found a new home. Even better, your book buying dollars are helping kids read from Brazil to Botswana.

What self-respectable book lover wouldn’t appreciate such a sweet letter from her future books? In conclusion, check out BWB the next time you start to crave a nice night in with a riveting fiction novel. Besides getting your reading fix, you’ll assist in recycling and contribute to some well-deserving literacy initiatives across the globe. BWB has a very sustainable and solid model, and I look forward to watching them grow!