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As governments push to adopt sustainable practices, one holy grail is creating working environments that achieve net-zero energy consumption. That's the idea behind a newly opened office building at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo. Known as the Research Support Facility (RSF), the structure is designed to create as much energy as it consumes, making it one of the world's most energy-efficient buildings.

substantive new report out from the Knight Foundation that is worth attention: Connected Citizens: The Power, Peril and Potential of Networks.  The report notes: *It's important to listen to and consult the crowd in our work *We should create environments where connections can naturally form, including between people with different perspectives *It's good practice to support collective action so grassroots efforts can grow So how can nonprofits embrace these practices? 

This website lets you create videos with different characters, voices, backgrounds,and your own scripts. Any company, person, or nonprofit can make them. These videos are useful to get information out quickly, and can add humor to information that might not normally gain attention

Students at Western Connecticut State University had a class project where they helped 3 local nonprofits. They helped introduce new forms of social media that would help them create a web presence. Social media strategies were also given.

Interesting for all Americans

This article answers some questions about Twitter. What is a Twitter profile, it's value, and how will you use it??

This is a secondary post to accompany one of my earlier ones on public education and administration strategies. Related to previous post about Obama wanting to create an Ed-Tech agency. This official White House website posts a complete outline of Obama's broader plan for American Innovation to build the economy of the 21st century (in the form of an executive summary).      Interesting pyramid figure conceptually charting the projeced impact on innovation for "Sustainable Growth" and quality jobs.

Quadriga Art works with nonprofits to help improve online donations by creating a more advanced technology infrastructure.

It would be great if non-profits could get on board with something like this--with products pertaining to their services. Also if a project like this was successful with products, it would be great for a system to be created dealing with service projects.

An example of two volunteer-based organizations merging together for mutual benefits, and to maximize their ability to serve their client base. Taking the best of both worlds and combining them should create synergy. 

Airline passengers in the United States understand they will be treated as suspected terrorists when going through airport security checkpoints. Yet nearly a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, airport security has become a lot more invasive with the rollout of the so-called "advanced imaging technology" scanners, paid for with $1 billion in stimulus funds. The scanners - now deployed at about 78 airports - use either millimeter wave or backscatter technology to create a virtual picture of the traveler's naked body. The image is then viewed by a screener  with the Transportation Security Agency iin a sequestered room away from the checkpoint.

When most businesses and non-profits start using social media, they start with "small talk" with their communities. They politely reply to tweets, express appreciation to donors, respond as quickly as possible to customer support issues, and generally try to add value to their network. But all to often, they fail to move beyond the "small talk" and create meaningful discussions that their communities are dying to have

No matter how amazing your website looks, it won't produce results unless you have a solid content strategy. A content strategy is nothing more than a plan for how you'll create a conversation around your cause.

One solution to budget crisis that NPAs are facing- another private organizationg donating volunteer hours, which will include creating websites and social media for NPAs that need them

Middle schoolers in Orange County decided to create an app for android where the proceeds would go to the Youth For Technology Fund. Youth for Technology gives and trains less fortunate youth in places like Africa and in the U.S. The game is called circuit crawler and they are working on improving the game and creating more levels.

SMinOrgs Founder Courtney Shelton Hunt has created a number of resources that address some of the connections between social media and the management of human capital in organizations. 

California would be leading the charge for individuals online privacy rights, with a bill currently in the house that can be likened to the "no call list". The bill would not allow companies to track your online habits, as most do now, in order to provide web sites with advertisements based on your previous web history. This legislation is mirroring legislation at the federal level, as the Obama Administration has stated its interest in creating a "privacy bill of rights".

A non-profit out of California has created software for human rights workers that is designed to secretly store data about human rights violation abuses in the country where they are located. There is talk about it already being used in the Middle-East recently. The software includes a 'panic button' that a human rights worker could use that would instantly delete all the files on the computer about government violations. The data is then stored in the cloud and accessable only with a password and secret 'key.' This is a great example of nonprofits working together to fight enormous challenges, with human rights being one of the most dangerous and exhaustive areas of work in the non-profit sector.