On May 10th, at 18:00GMT, a live broadcast of 24 short films from all over the country will be broadcast in public areas and online in an powerful move to bridge cultures from over the world using media.

Pangea Day "is a global event bringing the world together through film... In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film.

For more information about Pangea Day, as well as a list of venues, visit www.pangeaday.org. To learn about the idea's history, check out the most recent post on Pogue's Post in the NYTimes.

This event will be culturally historic- and a example of the power of change new media can have on all people, not matter where in the world you are watching television, or browsing YouTube channels.

With the help of various supporters, Oxfam America and Starbucks have ended their long battle to allow  Ethiopia's coffee sector to brand their own coffees, which would in turn give Ethiopians more rights to control their brands.

"Starbucks is one of the first in the coffee industry committing to sign a licensing agreement with Ethiopia. With these agreements in place, Ethiopians could build the value of of their coffees and capture a greater share of the retail price for their farmers." - Oxfam America

The video below features a 'thank you' from Oxfam America President Raymond C. Offenheiser as well as an Ethiopian coffee producer, bringing home the point of this great new opportunity as well as the benefits it provides to both the producer and consumer.

Brought to us by Google and Specialized Bicycle Components, the Innovate or Die Pedal-Powered Machine Contest was a contest designed to inspire innovation and environmental change by highlighting the benefits of cycling.

The Challenge: Invent and put together machines that transform zero-emission human energy into new and useful purposes.

The Result: Success- hundred folds. Entries from all around presented their own ideas, the winner however, took a Playpumps-esque idea and made it mobile. The Aquaduct:  Mobile Filtration Vehicle, a bicycle that not only provides an environmentally friendly transportation, but also provides a means to create and move clean filtered water long-distances. It was designed to target problems in areas where clean water is not readily available, and as a result, leads to millions of deaths every year.

I present to you the winner the Innovate or Die contest, The Aquaduct:  Mobile Filtration Vehicle...

Be sure to also check out the other entries on their YouTube page here.

Sources:

• Google Blog
• Innovate or Die Contest Page

Following the successful turn out from last year's contest, DoGooderTV is once again holding their Nonprofit Video Contest (presented by NTEN and See3 Communications).

The premise of the contest is to highlight nonprofit organizations using technology to inspire and promote their cause. New technologies have created several compelling mediums to reach people, DoGooderTV is out to make sure we all see it.

Below is last year's winner from the organization Avazz, titled "Stop the Clash of Civilizations".

Submit your video here.

View this year's entries here.

ONE, the huge (2.4 million members) non-profit humanitarian organization that is best known for fighting hunger has recently developed their "On the Record" campaign. The sub-portal on the ONE website, One the Record, interviews presidential candidates from Republican and Democratic parties, and briefs visitors on the candidates stance and approach to ending hunger if elected president. It also allows visitors to select and compare the responses of up to 3 candidates on questions about reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS, improving child and maternal health, universal primary education, and some others.

Visit the On the Record website

Learn more about ONE

Website: www.t5m.com

While still maintaining their intent on entertaining and inspiring, t5m now gives users direct access to original, broadcast interviews featuring famous personalities, events and news stories - covering headlines from fashion to the causes the stars support. t5m will feature an extraordinary range of people from actress Kate Bosworth to explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, author Barbara Taylor Bradford to musician James Blunt, and from world champion surfer Kelly Slater to actor Christian Slater.

Nelson Mandela's HIV/AIDS campaign, 46664, is the first cause to announce its involvement. The dedicated 46664 channel is already live as part of today's beta launch of t5m.com.

Charlie Muirhead, founder and CEO of t5m commented: "The next wave of entertainment is inspiration. Nothing else on the web offers such direct, unmediated access to the people and stories shaping the world we live in. We hope that t5m will be a much loved addition to every web user's favorites."

Albiet controversial, the motive and intentions are admirable; One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is an innovative approach to empowering children in developing countries by providing them free laptops. The challenges of getting the XO laptop at the target price of $100 was a feat in itself, now the challenge of convincing people that this cause is worthwhile will be the tallest hurdle to jump.

From the OLPC website | Mission
The mission of One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege.

Since November 12th, OLPC has been offering a limited-time Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During Give One Get One, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution. Thanks to a growing interest in the program, we are extending Give One Get One until the end of the year. Through this extension, and the increasing public interest in OLPC, we hope to give many more children the opportunity to grow, explore, learn and express themselves.

Founded in 1995, the Rainbow Network is a Christian ministry working in rural Nicaragua with some of the poorest people in the world. They focus on four areas: healthcare, education, housing, and micro-loans.

In order to further awareness of their mission and highlight some of their work, they've developed a YouTube Channel where they post several related video.

Seems small, but channels like this one exemplify the far-reaching uses of Web 2.0 that are being use to benefit non-widely known foundations.

Today, the Clinton Global Initiative begins, be sure to watch it live at www.clintonglobalintiative.org.

From the Clinton Global Initiative website: President Bill Clinton launched the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in 2005 as a non-partisan catalyst for action, bringing together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

As a non-profit, 501(c)(3) endeavor of the William J. Clinton Foundation, CGI draws strength from a highly diverse membership base that represents the full spectrum of political, ideological, religious, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds. Members include current and former heads of state, top business executives, preeminent scholars, and representatives of key non-governmental organizations working together for a common cause.

The defining characteristics of the Clinton Global Initiative are its action-oriented nature and its track record of converting pioneering ideas into viable solutions with tangible results. CGI members develop ‘commitments to action’, focusing on practical, effective problem-solving measures that can be taken now. Member commitments are comprehensive, formal plans of action with timetables for evaluating progress. They are developed within one or more CGI areas of focus, which change annually to address the most imperative global issues requiring attention. We have designated education, energy & climate change, global health, and poverty alleviation as the areas of focus for 2007.

In this era of remarkable global interdependence, ensuring more equitable access to existing and future resources is a moral and practical imperative for us all.

Matt and Jessica Flannery of SocialEdge discuss how working together at Kiva not only helped them fulfill each others career and personal goals, but also helped them through a bump in their relationship.

Matt and Jessica were on Oprah September 4th. Be sure to visit Kiva's website for images from the show, and be sure to bookmark their site to catch up with Kiva and SocialEdge around the web!

PlayPumps International announces that Eric Hopkins of Maine is the winner of PlayPumps International's PSA Video Contest. Not only did he receive a new MacBook Pro laptop computer, but also is awarded the thrill of seeing his PSA featured on the PlayPumps International Web site, helping raise awareness and motivate action.

Watch his PSA and learn how your financial contribution can provide clean water for children and communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

View other PlayPumps International videos on their website.

At the Wealth & Giving Forum's gathering at the Greenbrier last weekend - which I've blogged over on Buzz - a young entrepreneur, former New York nightclub promoter Scott Harrison, told participants how he ditched the glitz and early morning hours of Gotham's velvet-roped precincts for a lowly staff photographer's gig on a Mercy ship bringing medicine and services up and down the west coast of Africa. The experience stirred his interest in clean water, which led to the creation of charity: water - which charges $20 a bottle for spring water with 100% of the price going to dig wells for clean water in Africa. He showed this video, created at Sundance, before his talk the Greenbrier - thought you'd enjoy it:

charity: water @ Sundance - Current TV pod

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We've all done it - either staged, photographed, or grinned our way through that classic moment in philanthropy: the check-passing shot. Well, here's new twist: putting the "big check moment" on YouTube to get some extra value, and create some emotion around the old formula. In this video, Philadelphia businessman Lance Heft establishes an American Cancer Society endowment in honor of his fourth grade teacher, Louise Zulick. The video makes it personal.