“Volkswagen has agreed to deactivate email on staff BlackBerries in certain German plants outside of working hours. Under the agreement, staff will receive emails on the smartphones from a half hour before work until half an hour after work, but will receive no emails the rest of the time. The company said, “mobile communication devices offer a great amount of freedom, but also embody the risk of no longer being able to switch off.”

The Moment Momentum™ wave urges us to slow down the pace of life. It’s being pro-active about seeking serenity. Look, I’m definitely the kind of person that usually can’t help but check every time I get an alert for an incoming email, tweet or Facebook notification. But even if it’s a just cursory glance, it is taking you out of the moment to some extent right? The Human Truth™ of this wave is: “One must take time to reflect.”™

Over this holiday break, I’m sure many people have finally wound down enough to reflect or take stock. Perhaps, enough to pencil in “quality time” on the list of new years resolutions.

What do I mean by emotionally?  Well I can only imagine how I would be feeling if I had to watch my neighborhood burn and my local stores trashed and looted.  I would find it very healing to join others who want to roll up sleeves and do something positive.

There has been countless articles written about why this happened, what social situations have caused the unrest and whether it’s pure criminality or an uprising.  If you want to watch an interesting documentary about some of the contributing factors as to why people are so ready to throw bottles and set things on fire, then click here.

I, on the other hand, am focusing on why the post riot clean up is such a great example of Giving Back™.  The Human Truth™ of Giving Back™ is:  “When we’re giving, our lives have more meaning.”™ It’s about SELFLESS REWARDS.

Lee Wilshire and Nick Varney decided launched Riot Rebuild, a “post-riot urban intervention” and have been overwhelmed with the response.  These are just two people with their own full time jobs who felt strongly enough about the cause to put up a website and Facebook page.  I find it strange that I haven’t heard much news about aid from corporations and business world.  It times like this where a brand can really step forward and cement itself as part of the community.  I have no doubt it’s happening but “people power” is the story that’s coming out of the aftermath.

“Anyone who needs help from Riot Rebuild’s group of volunteers can post on the website. Qualified architects, designers, etc. are encouraged to contact the needy parties to offer their services at a free or discounted rate.”

The essence of Giving Back™ is “Making the world a better place.”  Some would say the rioters and the clean up squads have that in common, both want their world to be better… just vastly different ways of expressing it.

Larry Althiser is the owner and head meat cutter for Larry’s Custom Meats in Hartwick, NY, a small farming community in the Northern Catskills.  He has opened his doors to a film crew to show what ethical meat is all about. The Human Truth of Inner Balance™ is: “Without meaning, what’s the point?”

He is passionate about what he does and is the poster guy for someone whose job falls into the Inner Balance™ wave. He believes an animals death should be as free of fear and pain as possible and that nothing should be wasted from the animal that has given it’s life for us meat eaters.

Unfortunately, I’m willing to bet that skilled, artisanal type butchers are pretty rare.  I’m also not surprised that it costs more… like everything that’s better quality.  But we have watched local, sustainable, organic, non-GMO, farmers markets REALLY take off since we started CW years ago.  So it only follows that “Ethical” will be entering our mainstream vocabulary soon.

In fact, Whole Foods is implementing a Five-Step Animal Welfare Rating system uses certified third-party auditors to evaluate farms and meat products regarding the health, treatment, housing, transport, slaughter, and processing of the animals before they hit the Whole Foods stores.  The ratings will be displayed in colored and numbered labels on signs and packaged fresh meats in the case.

So people demanding food that has “deeper meaning” might happen a lot sooner than you think.

Well, I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the talks I want to watch but 2008’s TED Prize winning, author Dave Egger’s talk got me so energized I have to blog about his amazing story first.

“Dave Eggers moonlights as a publisher, philanthropist and advocate for students and teachers.”

The upshot of his spot was to tell the story behind his: “Once Upon School” project.  If you have the time, I really recommend watching for yourself.

He has managed to start a grassroots movement linking volunteers, writers and teachers to a place where kids can be tutored one-on-one after school…. With amazing results.

Now, that in itself is a great example of Giving Back™.  But the main reason I was so compelled by this talk ,was that he really pulled three seemingly disparate “industries” together in a surprisingly cohesive way!  And yes, as with so many great ideas… it all just seemed to come together as if it was “meant to be”.

He wanted to expand his publishing biz out of his kitchen to an actual office as well as explore this notion of a tutoring center. So, 826 Valencia was born.  However, it was zoned for retail… so he had to sell to the public to keep the space… hmmm how about a “Pirate Supply Store”!  Hahah  Yes.

So his office was in the back, the middle was a learning centre, the front became a fun, odd space that almost arbitrarily sold pirate fodder like: peg legs, eye patches and parrot food. It was an inviting way to introduce people to the tutoring concept.

Well, as he explains in his inspirational talk… things just came together with the kind of synergy that “good things” tend to have, and it has grown to many similar locations!

You’d think with such resounding community support… that, in itself would be a “win”. But the retail “fronts” are a hit too!  NYC has a Super Hero Supply Store while LA is about to open a convenience store for Time Travellers.

The essence of Giving Back™ is “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE”.  Well, I really love how this crazy mash up of ideas has “given back” to everyone involved -from the kids, to the community, to the bank manager!