This is What Budget Cuts Have Done to Detroit … And It’s Freaking Awesome

excerpted from Robert Taylor for Business Detroit is absolutely bankrupt. The city faces a cash shortfall of more than $100 million by June 30. Long-term liabilities, including pensions, exceed $14 billion. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder wants to bail out Detroit's city government even further. Thanks to the financial situation of Detroit, emergency services like police and fire departments are being severely cut short. 911 is only taking calls during business hours. Homes have been abandoned making parts of the city look like a ghost town. The Detroit Bus Company (DBC) is a private bus service that began last year and truly shows a stark contrast in how the market and government operates. Founded by 25-year-old Andy Didorosi, the company avoids the traditionally stuffy, cagey government buses and uses beautiful vehicles with graffiti-laden exterior designs that match the heart of the Motor City. There are no standard bus routes; a live-tracking app, a call or a text is all …
Read more
  • 1

13 must-have apps for the business traveler

by Melissa Hincha-Ownby for MotherNatureNetwork The proliferation of smartphones, and the accompanying applications, has made life a lot easier for business travelers. With hundreds of thousands of apps to choose from, though, how do you know which apps will be useful and which apps will simply clutter your phone? Over the last two years I’ve taken dozens of business trips and based on my first-hand experiences, I’ve narrowed the list down to 13 must-have apps for the business traveler.   Travel Apps 1. TripIt: TripIt was the first travel app that I downloaded because I had a hard time keeping track of both my travel accommodations and my husband’s. TripIt is a free app that creates an itinerary for your trips based on email confirmations. You forward your email confirmation to TripIt and the app creates an easy-to-use itinerary based on the trip. With one tap you can look at your flight information, hotel reservations and car rental information. No more digging th…
Read more
  • 1

The Anti-Wood Woody

By Kimbriel Dean for Igniteme Woody Harrelson was my first crush. As a kid, all it took was a cute face and a big smile to make my heart flutter. As a naïve, sweet but not-so-bright bartender on Cheers, Woody was right up my pre-teen alley. Today, it takes brains, passion and heart to win me over. (Though a cute face and a big smile certainly don’t hurt!). Once again, I have a crush on Woody Harrelson, for all the right reasons this time around.In this day and age, we form opinions of celebrities based, in large part, on their lives outside of work. Whether or not that’s fair to them (I don’t think it is right for us to judge based on what we see in the media), it may be a good thing for the future of our world. Celebrities know how we expect them to behave with the money we give them in the form of movie tickets and music downloads. We know there are plenty of celebrities who pay lip service to their cause of choice, but some of them appear to live their word with integrity.…
Read more
  • 0

Green Rankings 2012: Global Companies

by Newsweek Newsweek's fourth annual environmental ranking of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the world. Here’s a look at our environmental ranking of the biggest companies in developed and emerging world markets. Because a global ranking includes U.S. companies, some appear on both the U.S. list and the global list. The Newsweek Green Rankings cut through the green chatter and compare the actual environmental footprints, management (policies, programs, initiatives, controversies), and reporting practices of big companies. We teamed up with two leading research organizations to create the most comprehensive rankings available. View our full methodology here.   See more on the top 15 Global companies See Newsweek's U.S. 500 Rankings For more about each industry, click here.   Rank Company Country Industry Sector Industry Rank Impact Management Disclosure Green Score …
Read more
  • 0

Surprise! Open office workspaces are distracting

Melissa Hincha-Ownby for MotherNewsNetwork. Open office workspaces are popular and from a design perspective, aesthetically pleasing and attractive. But, they are also distracting. That’s not really surprising, though. Putting dozens of workers in a big room and asking them to stay focused and be productive is challenging, even on the best days. Hayden Place: A dreamy green workplace If I had to work in an office, Cuningham Group Architecture's Hayden Place would be my dream green workplace. [ Photos: Cuningham Group Architecture ] I haven’t worked in an office building in more than a decade, but if I had to return to an office I could only hope that it would be as dreamy as Cuningham Group Architecture’s new Hayden Place office in Culver City, California. This eco-friendly workplace, which is on track for LEED Gold certification, is the epitome of what I’d consider a dream green workplace. A small waiting area sits next to an indoor garden that helps…
Read more
  • 1

Green Business Opportunities For American Economy

Green goods market growth image via Big Green Opportunity Growth rates for green business products and services are rising faster than conventional goods in America’s economy, outpacing the overall economy through the depths of the recession, and creating opportunity for the 88% of US businesses classified as “microbusinesses” with five or fewer employees. These findings come from “The Big Green Opportunity,” a new survey of 1,300+ businesses conducted in 2012. Respondents said the greener a product, the more likely its sales increase, with 75% reporting an increase in green business from 2008-2011 at a 19% price premium compared to traditional goods. Consumer Demand Creates Green Business Opportunity The survey hints at a shift in consumer demand toward sustainability creating “green competition” among businesses, especially those with high environmental footprints. 79% of small businesses – particularly those in the food, personal goods, and construction markets – sa…
Read more
  • 0