Monday Links: May 5th, 2008

As Jarred mentioned in the previous post, I’m in DC this week at a conference. While I’ll be directing you to my guest posts all week, you can read coverage of the conference from a 19-member (including Sean, the site’s founder and blogger) blog crew on Tactical Philanthropy.

Apologies for the abbreviated links, but I need to get some sleep. So here goes:

• I have to say, I used to roll my eyes at Tom Friedman columns. Jarred is a recovering Friedman fanboy, but I was always a skeptic. Now that Tom’s moved away from predicting the pace of success in Iraq, and is focused on green industry, I find his writing much more inspired. His column on energy policy last week is a must read. Here’s an excerpt from his latest column:

[M]illions of Americans are dying to be enlisted — enlisted to fix education, enlisted to research renewable energy, enlisted to repair our infrastructure, enlisted to help others. Look at the kids lining up to join Teach for America. They want our country to matter again. They want it to be about building wealth and dignity — big profits and big purposes. When we just do one, we are less than the sum of our parts. When we do both, said [Special Olympics chairman Tim] Shriver, “no one can touch us.

• I’m very intrigued by product designations/certifications like “organic” or Energy Star and LEED. TreeHugeer writes about the newly-developed “Natural Standard” put forth by the Natural Products Association. The criteria for “Natural” products focus on materials from natural sources and manufacturing processes that avoid harsh chemicals.

• EcoGeek showcases the updated designs for the Toyota Prius. I want one now, but it sounds like I’ll have to wait a few years.

• Here’s a cool Q&A from the Freakonomics blog with the author of The Future of Reputation. Tease quote:

For the first time in history, anybody can publish information to a worldwide audience; in the past, only those with access to mainstream media could do so. The students currently in high school and college — what I call Generation Google — will have to live with a series of information fragments about their personal lives.

In college, students often experiment as they strive to develop their own identities; they often do silly things. [...] The gossip that pervades college campuses, high schools, and many other settings doesn’t fade into obscurity — it lives on. Gone are the days of innocent experimentation, of being foolhardy without having to suffer permanent regret.

• Finally, do yourself a favor and get to the farmers market. Here’s a perfect, simple recipe to take advantage of the spring bounty.

Happy Monday.