Do you speak a language that isn't English?  Do you have a passion for multi-lingual social justice?  If so (or even if not) this is the opportunity for you.

Wiser Earth is a nonprofit and social justice community that includes members from around the world.  However, they are now seeking to expand their resources to support the huge number of non-English speakers who use to WiserEarth so they can become a more effective global resource.  They hope to encourage their members to use WiserEarth in their own language.  How to make this happen?  Well, the good news is, you can help!

Every month, a group called #4Change organizes open & lively conversations about how web-connected communities and our use of social media tools are helping to create change in the world. #4Change Chats are hosted on Twitter - Read “Join the Conversation” below for ways to jump into the discussion.

 

The next #4change chat is this Thursday – we hope you can join us!

Details:

• Date: Oct, 8th

• Where: Twitter (search for #4Change)

• When: 2 – 4 pm US Pacific Time, 5 – 7 pm US Eastern Time, 10pm - 12am London, UK (Late!)

• Topic: How does the web & social media change the way we address climate change?

Within the next month or two, events are being hosted in British Columbia, Paris, and San Francisco – helping to bring together and foster collaboration for those working within the environmental & social change space.

I wonder if there may be a unifying force striving through all of these gatherings - as if around the globe we are seeing that a renewed sense of collaboration is a major key to addressing our world's challenges. Take a look at the events and see for yourself!

This month's Net2 Think Tank question is: How do real-world (offline) events fit into social media conversations and campaigns?

My thinking: Social media conversations and online campaigns create whole new models for bringing together & powering the progressive movement. Although at core: People coming together in the real-world are key to fueling how we organize for change. We need real world events to be a central part of our online organizing. We need offline events to meet each other, bond eye-to-eye, and forge the collaborations that will make our social networks stronger, better connected, and ultimately transformative.

So - a major question is: How can your online community also support events in the real world? What kind of offline events are the best fit for your community? And what real world event models can you learn from or partner with? Well, let's look at five different event types and see if one or more of 'em sparks some ideas for your community!

Over the last year, a lot has changed in how we access social and environmental information about the products we purchase. A small but growing army of mobile apps have flourished that now help consumers make more informed and "green" decisions. What makes mobile apps so innovative in this space is their potential to help consumers access crucial data at the point of purchase. The idea behind mobile apps is that you can just whip out your cell phone, look up a product while you shop, and make more informed purchase decisions.

These apps raise a lot of interesting questions around best approaches, collaboration, and potentially the limits of mobile technology. Before we dive into the questions, though, let's review some apps!

WiserEarth (World Index of Social and Environmental Responsibility) was a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2).

They have recently opened up membership to their directory and networking platform to include, "business or government that are creating lasting change in the environmental and social justice fields."

Below is a transcript of a podcast interview conducted this summer with Peggy Duvette, the Director of WiserEarth. WiserEarth was one of the 21 Featured Projects at the 2nd NetSquared Conference. You can hear the audio recording of the interview on the NetSquared Podcast and hear WiserEarth's 5-minute pitch at the Conference here.

Peggy Duvette: Hello! My name is Peggy Duvette and I've been the Director of the WiserEarth Project for the last two years. We are based in Sausalito, California. I'm thrilled to be here today with you, Britt, and the whole NetSquared community.

WiserEarth is a website that helps people and organizations working towards sustainability and social justice to locate each other, share resources and build alliances. And just like Wikipedia, it's a community-based platform where all the content related to environmental and social justice is traded and updated by the community.

You can quickly and easily see who is working on what and where. So for example, if you are a funder, and you're trying to identify organizations working on specific issue areas, like human rights, and you want to learn about that work, you would do your research on WiserEarth and then you could connect with them directly. WiserEarth is really trying to allow people to connect and collaborate, especially when they're doing similar work.

Another thing to note is that whether you're a small organization or a large one, on WiserEarth, we are all on a level playing field. Everyone has the same visibility and a place to share their work and request what they need.

Britt Bravo: Where did the idea for WiserEarth come from?

Last week, WiserEarth, a N2Y2 Featured Project, posted on their blog that they will be rolling out a new feature:

In this videoblog,Peggy Duvette and Melinda Kramer see a much more effective, progressive movement when the wide array of organizations can work on the web like the spokes of a giant, multicolored umbrella.

Did you know that 59,000 people on LinkedIn say that they work in the nonprofit industry and that the nonprofit sector has the highest percentage of public answers in LinkedIn's Answers section? I didn't. I also didn't know that if you activate your public profile you can create a public page like this: http://www.linkedin.com/in/brittbravo that makes it easy for people to find you online when they are searching for things related to your work and interests.