Anybody who says they want to do good in the world will come under greater scrutiny. There will be hawks always looking for even a minor slip of hypocrisy. Having these hawks (media) around is an extremely good and positive thing if they do so in the right spirit. I personally always carry around a big bag of skepticism every time I hear “do-gooders” talk, I have to see action. For the most part the current Google company has won me over.

I’m going to capture in a un-profound way what I think makes Google stand out above all other players when it comes to doing good in society. You will want to laugh (in a roll your eyes way) when you find out what inspired me to write this post.

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The Virgin Atlantic flight on February 24, 2008 was anything but routine. Powered by biofuel derived from Amazonian nuts, the Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet flew from London to Amsterdam without any hitches. The story, covered by Reuters, did not get much press in the US, although it did generate some discussion in Europe and elsewhere. The flight certainly proves that fuel substitution can be done, at least in some circumstances, and it was great PR for Virgin Atlantic, reinforcing its brand image as innovative, hip, and caring.

Once you get past the notion of the flight as proof of concept, you have to wonder whether biofuel is a sustainable option for airlines. It seems unlikely.

Richard Branson himself said “…it was unlikely the nut of the wild growing babassu palm would play a key role as airlines turn to renewable fuel sources to cut the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.” He prefers algae or other alternatives that do not compete with staple food sources. The environmental lobby group, Friends of the Environment, called biofuels a distraction and that related carbon savings are easily offset by increased travel.

So, Virgin Atlantic, bold move. Now what?

This quote is brought to you at the good folks at the Foundation for a Better Life. This quote is about responsibility. Enjoy!

“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), pastor, theologian, German Resistance fighter in World War II

I’ve written about illiteracy previously and I’m going to expand on this topic today. But before we get into the meat and potatoes of this post, we need to define what illiteracy is.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines illiteracy as “the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society.”

Did you know that the global illiteracy rate in 1970 was roughly 37% and today (2008) it is roughly 17%? If the world population today is 6,656,137,011, then this represents roughly 1,131,544,000 people who are considered illiterate. On the positive side, it seems that the world illiteracy rate is declining. On the negative side, we are leaving roughly 1.2 billion people behind in terms of literacy. And, it seems that these 1.2 billion people who are considered illiterate are also the poorest people in the world.

Although world society has managed to decrease illiteracy rates despite a tremendously growing world population, it seems that the we are still leaving a significant amount of people behind. One organization, Room to Read, is making great strides to help the poorest people of the world become literate.

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I keep seeing the words “inclusion” and “inclusive” when talking about helping people who have disadvantages take part in the bounty that capitalism has to offer. (American Heritage Dictionary: captialism: An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.) There is something about allusions to people being excluded that is so disempowering. Every time I read about people being excluded in America I wince and find it very hard to swallow.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have had many advantages in life - opportunity after opportunity to make myself more competitive in this capitalistic market place. Am I disadvantaged in some ways, yes, but nothing like people who have been abused as children, or people who have severe cognitive, physical or psychiatric disabilities. As people with “obvious” disabilities sometimes like to point out - we all have disabilities (weaknesses), it just so happens that we have disabilities that are more obvious, extreme and rare. Even if you don’t agree with this, there is a very good chance that all people at some point in their life will acquire a disability through aging or injury. Main point I am trying to make is I like the word “disadvantaged”. Capitalism is competitive and everybody has to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses - it is often helpful to work from a vantage point of reality.

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This quote is brought to you at the good folks at the Foundation for a Better Life. This quote is about patience. Enjoy!

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.”

- Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Roman Catholic saint