From the LOGIS news alert subscriptions (ending 14/08):

Business & management:
• 2 reports on the non-profit sector in NZ have just been released: “The New Zealand Non-profit Sector in Comparative Perspective” and “The History of the Non-profit Sector in New Zealand”. Figures in the report show that volunteers make up two thirds of the sector’s workforce, and philanthropic giving is 1.1% of GDP.
• The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report which uses data collated by Unitec: “The Entrepreneurial Advantage of World Cities”, is also available via a Dutch website that provides a range of other reports on entrepreneurship.
• A UK council has developed a “cultural revolution” strategy that takes a comprehensive approach to developing a workforce with both the attitudes and the skills needed to deliver their strategic ambitions.
• Dell is launching a range of new laptops aimed at the “digital nomad” – the workers who have no fixed office and visit many sites or customers during the day.
• “Unchaining Value: Innovative approaches to sustainable supply” is a report that argues that companies should redefine the goals of supply chain management from creating more value at less cost for the company, to creating more value for all supply chain participants at a lower cost to constrained global resources.

Environment & sustainability:
• The UN’s Global Environment Facility has launched a US$27 million project to provide better protection for bees, bats and birds that are essential pollinators in the world’s crop production.
• The Ministry of Health’s latest report on problem gambling shows that problem gambling services do work.
• The community gardens that began in the UK as a result of wartime need, are making a come-back in areas with dense housing schemes.
• Green roofs provide a wide range of environmental advantages (including the reduction of the urban heat island effect), as well as benefits to owners or occupiers.
• Microsoft and Verdiem have produced a free software tool to help save energy usage on PCs.

Health & wellbeing:
• University of Otago research on housing and health shows that the risk of infection with TB is increased where there is household crowding, and is still an important infectious disease in NZ.
• A report on community engagement and health in the UK explores the importance of engaging communities in health promotion and health services, and the health benefits that this can bring.

Law & Government:
• Proposed measures to combat terrorism are raising concerns in the UK. A consultation paper that plans to give local councils and other public bodies the power to monitor e-mail and internet traffic is being branded a "snoopers' charter".

People, culture & diversity:
• The Ministry of Social Development will be releasing the 2008 edition of The Social Report on its publications web pages on August 21st
• While e-book availability is on the increase, with readers remaining expensive and no single format for downloads, the e-book revolution is still not here.
• New UK research shows that children are being deprived of adventurous play, and a campaign highlights the need for children to experience risky and challenging play in order to ensure they are able to manage risk in their daily lives

Science, technology & transport:
• The Steering Board of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (which is UN-backed) has endorsed a first draft of a new global sustainability standard for biofuels to assess their economic, social and environmental effects.
• Yahoo’s introduction of its Fire Eagle software, which lets users manage information on where they are, is raising concerns about privacy.
• Colleges and universities in the US are using bike share programs to address concerns about the environment, traffic congestion, fuel and parking costs and wellness.
• A new green high-speed train is to be trialled in Sweden, that can use existing rail tracks and could achieve its goal of cutting energy consumption by 20 to 30 percent and lowering both journey times and operational costs.
• One year after Velib was launched, the Paris bike-sharing programme using 16 000 bikes at 1 200 parking spots, the city is looking at starting a car sharing programme using electric cars called Autolib, with 2 000 cars within Paris and 2,000 in the city's suburbs.
• New York City’s Dept of Transportation has enabled an event called Summer Streets to take place, by preventing car traffic on 7 miles of city streets for a day.