During my graduate studies in the mid-1990′s, I spent a good deal of time working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the time, there were political tensions brewing that were threatening to tear the country apart at the seams. Much to my dismay, after leaving the country in 1998, a brutal war broke out that is still raging today. This war in the Congo is the widest interstate war in modern African history. The war involves seven foreign armies and is sometimes referred to as the “African World War”, yet most Americans are unaware that it is even occurring. Today at the dawn of 2009, people in the Congo are dying at a rate of an estimated 45,000 per month. The war is the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II, killing 5.4 million people. There is no end in sight; the violence continues to escalate with the civilian population in the crosshairs. The war has truly gutted this once beautiful country. It troubles me deeply to think that people I worked with, lived with, and broke bread with are enduring such turmoil and hardship.

Today, the incredible organization Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) is trying very hard to bring attention to this tragedy in the Congo through their program Condition: Critical, Voices from the War in Eastern Congo. Condition: Critical is a multi-media initiative launched by Doctors Without Borders aiming to bring global attention to the humanitarian consequences of the intensifying war in the Congo.  Through testimonies, photos, and video, Condition: Critical goes beyond headlines and news reports to document how civilians are struggling to survive in Congo’s North and South Kivu provinces, Ituri province, and the Haut-Uélé region – where violence, displacement, and sexual violence are mainstays of daily life.  Read the rest of this post

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Greg Lee, the Chief Financial Officer of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Livestrong, about the design and buildout of the new Livestrong world headquarters in Austin, Texas. Livestrong is in the process of converting a 30,000 square-foot, 1950′s-era industrial building into a modern, green, collaborative workspace for their foundation’s efforts to combat cancer. You may have seen some video clips of Lance Armstrong touring the new facility yesterday here on EdgeHopper. In this interview, Greg gives us a more detailed look at all of the sustainable design elements of the new building and discusses the long-term financial savings they will provide. He also delves into the collaborative nature of the space and the teams at the foundation. I was going to turn the interview into a blog post, but Greg provided so much great information in such a passionate way that I wanted to have you hear it from Greg himself.  I hope you enjoy this interview with a fantastic person from an amazing organization.  Read the rest of this post

The Global Oneness Project is exploring how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived in our increasingly complex world (and we’re not talking Twitter and Facebook here). Since 2006, they’ve been traveling the globe gathering stories from creative and courageous people who base their lives and work on the understanding that we bear great responsibility for each other and our shared world.  Read the rest of this post

Yet another great visual example of Starbuck’s willingness and ability to get folks involved in some social goodness. This time, they’ve recruited MC Yogi to help get people answer the call: “What if we all gave just 5 hours to help our community?”. If we all did a little, each little contribution can add up to something big. And if you’ll pledge just 5 hours to volunteering, they’ll even give you a free cuppa joe. So get out and volunteer today and check out another great example of visual zen from Starbucks: