On January 1, big stores in Los Angeles will no longer offer shoppers plastic bags at all, making it the biggest U.S. city to ban plastic bags. The law will help reduce pollution and encourage the use of reusable totes. And to help Angelinos get used to the idea, city officials have cooked up a plan to give out free reuseable bags. What I love about this LA Times story is how the city “teamed up with environmental and charity groups that work with veterans and former gang members to produce a line of bags made from recycled or repurposed materials.” This kind of city-civic partnership is a great example of bringing every one who cares about an issue to the table and coming up with solutions that offer something to everyone.
Tag: Business-Community Partnerships
This Startup Helps You Crowdfund Your Life For the Next 10 Years
Founded by a team of former Googlers, Upstart is a crowdfunding platform for entrepreneurs and recent college grads that lets you raise money in exchange for a share of your future annual income. The idea represents a paradigm shift in higher education and in the way startups get funded. Many Venture capitalist firms profess to invest in entrepreneurs, but most firms are structured to invest in companies, not people. “It’s a combination of the money-raising power of crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and the professional networking benefits of LinkedIn,” according to USA Today. Perhaps the most disruptive aspect of Upstart is in the way we view continuing education. Many investors that end up backing individual entrepreneurs also sign up to mentor that person over the course of several years, which makes this new model especially appealing for those seeking an alternative to student loans.