Recently I came across the TOMS shoes blog. There’s tons of interesting posts about how they’re making the world a better place; however, one that caught my attention was an entry about Movember. There was all sorts of facts about men’s health, and the coolest part was that they’re producing special edition shoes for the occasion. There was also personal stories from some of their employees discussing what Movember means to them.

This further solidified my feeling that TOMS is such a forward-thinking company. They are of course known for their One For One program, the cornerstone of the franchise (For every pair bought, another pair is donated to a child in need). Also, TOMS has many smaller projects, such as partnering with university clubs.

My interest in TOMS was really sparked after attending a presentation about creative capitalism. I was amazed by Blake Mycoskie’s vision, and his passion for improving children’s lives. In this day and age, our world needs many more people like him. I’d like to be rich someday too, but I’d love to get there by helping our world, not destroying it. The 99% camping on Wall Street may have a point here.

Johnson Kim’s blog discusses the recent success of Dropbox, an internet program that “utilizes cloud technology to store data on servers [and synchronizes] data from one electronic device to another”. I would like to offer a different perspective on the subject of cloud computing.

Ever wonder what powers the internet? Facebook? iCloud?

Data centres. These facilities, the size of many football fields, consume vast amounts of electricity, operating 24/7/365. For example, Apple’s new $1B iData Centre in North Carolina consumes as much energy as 80,000-250,000 homes; it was largely constructed to support their “awesome” iCloud system. According to a Greenpeace report, in 2007 world cloud computing consumed more electricity than all of Canada. To make matters worse, most server farms source power from cheap, polluting coal.

I would bet that 99% percent of Facebook’s users aren’t aware that updating their status contributes to climate change. Indeed, the same report shows that Facebook and Apple are the two IT companies most reliant on coal energy (about 50%).

Although the emergence of cloud computing is seen as great and revolutionary by most, there is an unknown side that hides behind the bright facades of Apple, Dropbox and others. If left unchecked, these companies won’t change, either. Why pay more when you can pay less?

Thanks to Alberta’s tar sands and shale deposits in the US, North America is emerging as one of the world’s strongest oil producers. We are increasing our energy security – control of crude grants tremendous power over other nations. One thing I like is that if we can stop buying from the middle east it will cut America’s indirect funding of terrorist organizations in countries such as Saudi Arabia.

That aside, let’s consider how exactly we are producing this black gold. According to Oil Sands Truth, the Athabasca tar sands produce “at least three times the CO2 emissions as regular oil production”. Furthermore, the project’s massive tailings ponds seep contaminated water into the ecosystem, creating health risks for communities downstream. Sourcing oil from shale deposits isn’t so great, either. As Quinn Blunderfield explains in his blog, the required “fracking” process uses large amounts of energy and also contaminates precious groundwater.

A solution for the future? Hardly.

Our system needs an overhaul – it always surprises me how we can invest so much time, money and energy into processes that are destroying a world on the brink of catastrophe. Sure, they create jobs. But so will a new green economy. Let’s go, North America.

For more on these topics see National Geographic and The Globe & Mail.

The price of Blackberry’s tablet has recently dropped by 60% at retailers such as Best Buy and Sears. The cheapest model is now $200, down from the $500; such a dramatic cut is alarming for the Playbook’s future, which was considered RIM’s only real hope in reviving its crippling franchise. Originally criticized for being hastily released, the tablet lacks Blackberry’s strongest features such as email and calendar applications.

Nevertheless, many reviews have touted it as a smooth and snappy piece of technology, and predicted it to be one of the iPad’s strongest competitors. Why, then, has this project failed so miserably? Blame it on a fruit.

The tablet market was created by Apple with the introduction of the iPad; while it was new and “revolutionary”, as Steve Jobs likes to say, it was really just an enlarged iPod Touch. The foundations were there – all they needed was a powerful marketing pitch. I feel that it’s because of this fact, and Jobs’ skill at making the consumer feel the need to have his product, that the iPad succeeded so tremendously. The latter enjoyed enormous first mover advantage, and all other mobile tech companies have been struggling to catch up since.

For more info, see The Globe & Mail and their video review.

Lululemon recently introduced shopping bags with the words, “Who is John Galt?”, a phrase from Ayn Rand’s contentious novel Atlas Shrugged. The 1957 work is based on Rand’s objective philosophy, advocating that the moral purpose of one’s life is the pursuit of one’s own happiness or self-interest. The book was widely frowned upon by both literary critics and academics; however, it maintained sales and a certain group of followers over time.

As this general philosophy can easily divide opinions and people based on its moral implications, I was surprised that Lululemon chose to produce these bags. According to Toronto fitness instructor Sarah Kurchak, “it’s a clash with yoga values.” The company’s bold choice seems to be splitting its followers, almost as if the effect is, “Are you with us, or aren’t you with us?” Indeed, the comments on Lulu’s blog response are all strongly for or against the new bags.

I believe Lululemon is a great company: it has defined a new style for Vancouverites, and generally promotes values of happiness, love and peace through yoga. My opinion on the bags is that if you like them, great, and if you don’t, wait ’till they stop making them – it’s only a bag.

For more info visit The Globe and Mail.

According to US House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman, the Keystone XL pipeline is “a multi-billion dollar investment to expand our reliance on the dirtiest source of transportation fuel currently available”. The proposed project plans to transport up to 1.3M barrels of oil daily from Alberta’s Athabasca Oil Sands to Houston, Texas and many refineries in the southern US. Recently the project has encountered resistance in Nebraska: the proposed route passes through the Sand Hills wetlands, as well as the Ogallala Aquifier, one of the world’s largest sources of fresh water. Consequently, American president Barack Obama has postponed his decision on the pipeline until after the next election, pleasing environmentalists and infuriating oil companies. According to analysts the delay may cost TransCanada up to $1B.

While I would prefer that nobody exploit the tar sands, this pipeline will not be aborted. Hence, if activists can negotiate the rerouting of the conduit away from fragile ecosystems I would be fairly satisfied. On the other hand, I’m appalled that TransCanada would have planned to pass through these regions in the first place. Anything to save a few bucks, I suppose.

For more information, see Wikipedia and The Globe & Mail.