Oil Drop

From the fine fellas at the Heads of State: We know this poster won’t save the world, but we’re hoping, with your help, it can make a small impact on the growing devastation. Make direct impact at Oceana and sign the petition to stop offshore oil drilling.

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water.

Scott Harrison of Charity: Water spoke last Friday at the Big Omaha conference. I’d say it was the best of the weekend. An impassioned plea to end the water crisis. To take on that far too high a number of one billion people that lack access to clean water. His story is truly inspiring. Reimagining the idea charity, creating a design that doesn’t suck, and allowing people to connect to the cause on the ground they decide to support. In this case a well for $5000 that serves 250 people with clean, safe water.

It is a crisis. And we can solve it. In Scott’s words: If not now, when? If not us, who?

Google has set up a Crisis Response page to support disaster relief in Haiti. Personally I’ve been blown away by how the “Text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross” technique has raised so much money in such a short time. To me, its the best use of technology, the perfect combination of: 1 – A (for the most part) credible organization (the American Red Cross), 2 - An affordable monetary request, 3 - A super easy and direct way to get the money there. This Google page seems to me like another step in the right direction of using existing technology and tools to empower people to aid, contribute information, find people affected by the disaster and follow the events as they continue to unfold.