The Mesh - Lisa Gansky [72]
http://www.toolswapusa.com
West Philly Tool Library: Loans tools to community members for a small yearly fee.
http://westphillytools.org
HUMANITARIAN PROJECTS
Through systems-level design thinking and open-source sharing, Mesh organizations enable teams of professionals to deliver timely solutions that make lasting differences in underrepresented communities. Some organizations use design to create socially responsible and environmentally sustainable built environments. Others use the Web as a tool for connecting volunteers to humanitarian projects and for providing financial assistance to communities in need.
One in seven people live in slum settlements. By 2020 it will be one in three. Architecture for Humanity (AfH) displays this unsettling statistic at the top of its Web page as a call to action. And it’s been largely successful. Since its inception in 1999, the design services firm has built a global network of more than 40,000 professionals who lend their time and expertise to help bring design, construction, and development services to communities in need. From conception to completion, AfH manages all aspects of the design and construction process to create structures that directly benefit 10,000 people each year. AfH recently finished construction on Africa’s first rural health telecenter, located in Ipuli, Tanzania. This project, among others, is a testament to the ability of AfH to bring people together to build safer, more sustainable, and more innovative structures.
Acumen Fund: Dissolving poverty through business innovations and partnerships.
www.acumenfund.org
Architecture for Humanity: Nonprofit design firm that donates services to communities in need.
http://www.architectureforhumanity.org
Catapult Design: Develops and implements human-centered products to help people in need.
http://catapultdesign.org
Design that Matters: Creates new products that allow socially responsible organizations in developing countries to offer improved services.
http://www.designthatmatters.org
Gray Ghost Ventures: Impact investment firm dedicated to providing market-based capital solutions to entrepreneurs who are addressing the needs of low-income communities.
http://www.grayghostventures.com
Kiva: Lending platform that aims to alleviate poverty.
http://www.kiva.org
Kopernik: Connecting tools and people where it is most needed.
http://thekopernik.org/
MicroPlace: Enables investors to fund microfinance projects.
https://www.microplace.com
Project H Design: Brings design to the socially overlooked.
http://projecthdesign.org
SA Social Investment Exchange (SASIX): Social investment stock exchange where select projects are listed and offered to the public as investment opportunities with a social return.
http://www.sasix.co.za
Ushahidi: Aggregates information from the public for use in crisis response.
http://ushahidi.com
KIDS’ STUFF
No matter how badly you want your little girl to fit into that itty-bitty, polka-dot dress forever, she simply won’t. Kids grow like weeds. But Mesh businesses have a solution to the headache of children’s clothing: swapping. Exchange platforms enable families to swap everything from cloth diapers to maternity wear while saving money and limiting resource consumption at the same time. Mesh organizations also use information technology to connect families interested in sharing advice about parenting, cloth diapering, and more.
Looking to clean out your baby’s closet or find great kids’ stuff for free? Freepeats is a convenient way for parents to recycle baby, kid, and maternity items, including clothing, high chairs, swings, bikes, toys, and bouncers. As long as an item is safe, gently worn, and has no missing parts, Freepeats allows members to post an “offer” (a brief description of what they’re giving away) on their Web site. Members are welcome to peruse offers in fifty-four cities and, upon finding something of interest, contact