(Photo from Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley)

There's an article up at REDF which examines the simmering debate that has been going on in the nonprofit sector about whether philanthropies should take on for-profit styles and techniques in the new hybrid structures that are all the rage. I urge you to read it if you haven't already. I thought there were some excellent arguments presented by the authors, especially in regards to their own experience with REDF. I would have liked to see more from outside their own network. I also thought it might be a bit too dismissive in the end regarding hybrids of for-profit and nonprofit structures. My take on the dilemmas that come about from trying hybrid structures, and the article points to this I think, is that the organization can lose focus of its mission. The main mission is to help people, in whatever area (or a multitude) you focus on, though it could be to help people help themselves. In my short time watching all this (over the past year) don't see as much of a problem with creating these hybrid structures as do the REDF authors, but to qualify that, ONLY if the mission focus is not lost. I think the organizations that try the hybrid structure need a daily morning reaffirmation about their mission, why they are doing what they are doing. It's not for ego, not just to try something new so you are 'cutting edge', or to maximize profit. It's to maximize social impact. That can be done in a variety of ways.

In other news ...

*The New Statesman looks at the World Bank under Wolfowitz, combs and all.

*Who are the top corporate air polluters? Go to WorldWire to find out.

*The humanitarian situation in the DR Congo has worsened, if that's possible.

*European Commissioner for the Environment, Stavros Dimas discusses the EU role in the fight against climate change. If you're in Brussels at the end of May, you can check in at Green Week, which runs from the 30th to June 2nd.

*A pioneering project revolutionizes textile-printing trade in Italy.

*Foreign Policy magazine has a 'failed states index' available. There's also a groovy map.

*The Worldwatch Institute has named Yu Xiaogang as one of six recipients of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for his research and documentation on the socio-economic impact of dams in China.

*Ambassador Rob Portman, US Trade Representative, talks about Doha Round challenges.

*The European Wind Energy Association has released a report called "20 years after chernobyl: Wind power established as the safe, clean and cheap option." More on Chernoybl here.