The first Blue Planet Film Fest will be held from Sept. 4-7 in Santa Monica, CA.
The festival program will deal with environmental and animal welfare themes.

The event is attempting to use as many green practices as possible. They are partnering with green ticketing service, InTicketing, to create non-tree tickets, and InTicketing has agreed to plant a tree for every ticket sold. One dollar of each ticket sold will be donated to the cause that particular movie is promoting. (more…)

This weekend I take the opportunity to introduce you to an amazing friend from Los Angeles.
Her name is Tara Armstrong and she in an incredibly passionate human being.
Her mission in life is to make a difference in other people’s lives.
For the friends in Los Angeles who know Tara this is just a reminder, for everyone else I am asking to help and support Tara in her request below… (more…)

Berhanu Beyene, a soft spoken 45-year old coffee grower in Werka, Yirgacheffe, says what is good for the environment is also good for business. He calls the giant sycamore trees and the many other indigenous trees that so gracefully loom over his coffee field the guardians of his family’s livelihood.

Ethiopia’s finest coffee is grown in the shade of native trees, which allows the coffee cherries to retain their moisture until they are ready to be picked. Without the shade of these generations-old trees, the coffee bushes would produce bitter tasting, inferior quality beans. (more…)

Have you ever seen one of our military walking past you and wanted to convey to them your thanks, but weren’t sure how, or it felt awkward?

Recently, a gentleman from Seattle created a gesture which could be used to express your thanks and has started a movement to get the word out..

Watch the video after the jump (more…)

Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. The investments focus on delivering affordable, critical goods and services – like health, water, housing and energy – through innovative, market-oriented approaches. (more…)