In-depth: ‘Series on 10 Ways to Use Recovery Funds for Green Buildings’
Last Friday (22 January) we blogged about some of the ways money from the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)” was being put into the greening of standing buildings and the creation of green public and government buildings.
There was a very positive response to the posting, so this week we are starting an occasional “Top 10″ series where we drill-down on a particular subject. The first series focuses on a list compiled by the U.S. Green Building Council. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, National/International, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Matrox & Apple teach their video technology
Communication and design take on many media, of course. For those involved with video production, Matrox (makers of H.264 video encoders) and Apple Inc. (with a focus on Final Cut Pro) team up to teach ways to improve workflows. The tour list now includes 10 cities around the country, with perhaps more to be added. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Apple, Hardware Review, Software Review | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
AWOL mortgage payers – strategy or selfish?
A follow up to our entry about mortgage modifications: Roger Lowenstein’s report in the NYTimes has caused a great stir in the blogosphere and among radio pundits. We (rightly) have a moral expectation of those who borrow wealth (be it money, our cars, or our favorite tool in the shed). Yet many folks are simply walking away from their underwater homes, even though they have the means to pay. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Living in & loving Baltimore!
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
The Baltimore Media website has just released its latest e-dition, with stories about how jealous Pittsburgh is of Charm City and how many great restaurants one can enjoy after a day’s community gardening. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Banking & Finance, Client Roster, Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Mortgage modifications can create more debt/risk
With the collapse of the housing market, we all relearned a concept usually associated with kids, summers at the pool, and vacations at the beach: underwater. The term now stirs feelings of unease, if not panic, as we feel ourselves pulled down by an undertow of debt payments and rising interest rates – especially as they pertain to our houses. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, National/International, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: How to launch greening projects
Federal economic stimulus has come in many guises, but we at MKCREATIVE want to call attention to those that pertain to housing and to the environment. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (‘ARRA‘) includes numerous opportunities for such work. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, National/International, Politics, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
NHS Baltimore & Baltimore Sun report on extra-legal debt collection
We are all too aware of how the debts in this country have grown beyond manageability over the last 15-plus years. Democratic and Republican administrations have allowed banks and financial services to write and rewrite their own terms almost at will, and too many customers accepted too-good-to-be-true terms without the necessary due diligence. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush Website Launched
We launched a new website for Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush earlier this week. NHS of East Flatbush revitalizes underserved neighborhoods by creating and preserving affordable housing. It offers homeownership education, financial assistance and opportunities for community leadership to neighborhood residents. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
Well-designed primer on the effects of greenhouse gasses
Concerns over the environment sometimes radiate more heat than light, but the website ClimateCentral serves as a great resource for answers and questions. The site is chock-full of stories, images, statistics, and (a personal favorite) ‘microanimations’ that demonstrate processes and technologies in a concise manner for the interested layperson. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Climate Change, Community, Greening | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Tidying up broken pieces or building a better system?
Banking and investment giants are back before Congress to discuss some of the policies and practices that have led to the collapse of the subprime-loan market and the financial markets generally. According to Dan Roberts of Britain’s Guardian newspaper, the CEOs still standing feel sufficiently bullish after their bailout to resist Congressional inquiries. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Texting to raise money for Haitian victims of the earthquake
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti who are struggling for survival after the terrible earthquake of last week. The outpour of support from countries around the world has been one bright spot in the tragedy, and as MKCREATIVE’s mission is to work with non-profits and community-housing groups, we feel especially drawn to the survivors, charity groups, and NGO’s working there to rebuild the country. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
How new media is encouraging social change
The Hatcher Group have just released a great report on how non-profits have been using social media to build support and to call to action their supporters. The report is based on surveys and interviews held with thirty non-profits to see how they are using such new media as blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Book Review, Grants and Funding, Marketing, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Study of Mission Entrepreneurial Entities and strategies for future development
The Affordable Housing Institute recently released its first comparative study of the work of MEEs (‘Mission Entrepreneurial Entities’) in the public housing sector. The study explores the adaptive advantages MEEs have over both purely private/for-profit enterprises and government and social-work entities. It does so by studying the ways MEEs in the US and in Britain have helped improve and revitalize affordable housing for the urban poor, which in turn has helped expand local economies and opportunities for everyone. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Marketing, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D