Viewing: English

Journalist Rob Walker and semiotics analyst Joshua Glenn undertook a fascinating experiment recently to see whether story changes the value of an object. They collected an assortment of 100 yard sale oddities, purchased for an average of $1.25 each, and then asked notable writers to invent fictional histories for the items. Even though the descriptions were clearly labeled as fiction, the storied objects collectively sold for nearly $8,000 on ebay. As human beings, we are wired for connection, and hence, we’re wired for story.…

SAN FRANCISCO, California — May 7, 2012 — Future of Fish, led by founder and executive director Cheryl Dahle, has been selected as one of only four Finalists for the 2012 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, the prestigious annual design science competition named "Socially-Responsible Design's Highest Award" by Metropolis Magazine. The Challenge awards $100,000 to support the development and implementation of a whole systems-based solution that has significant potential to solve humanity’s most pressing problems. The Winner will be revealed at an award ceremony on June…

A recent editorial in The Economist would have us believe that of all the problems facing the oceans—acidification, plastics pollution, decline of habitat—overfishing is the easy win, the simple fix. Really, the article argues, this whole overfishing mess is the fault of fishermen. If fishers would just wise-up to the long-term environmental consequences of taking too much, they would make the well-informed and uncomplicated choice to just simply catch fewer fish. This finger-pointing exercise is about as helpful and logical as driving past an unemployment line and yelling…

Bloomberg Businessweek just published an exposé of debt bondage and modern slavery in the fishing industry in New Zealand. In the wake of the report, both Wal-Mart and Safeway are launching investigations into their New Zealand supply chains. The personal stories behind these headlines are horrific: 30-hour shifts of hard physical labor, no medical help for severed fingers or broken hands, constant beatings and sexual abuse. While these types of atrocities are rife in the seafood industry, you won’t hear much about them in circles discussing “sustainability.” The term…

SAN FRANCISCO, California — Future of Fish, led by Cheryl Dahle, is proud to announce that we have taken on the Buckminster Fuller Challenge. Our entry has been published in Idea Index 1.0. Named “Socially-Responsible Design’s Highest Award” by Metropolis Magazine, the Challenge is an annual international prize program that awards $100,000 to support the development and implementation of a solution that has significant potential to solve humanity’s most pressing problems. The review process brings together influential design science leaders such as Josè Zaglul, Vandana…

Future of Fish was founded on the belief that entrepreneurship can save the oceans. No, we don’t mean industry, or business-as-usual. We mean creativity and innovation, leashed on behalf of reducing overfishing or protecting marine habitats. Companies that give consumers a way to turn vague, good feelings of wanting the ocean to thrive into concrete decisions about where to spend money. We work with businesses that seek to not just be profitable, but to protect and improve the 71 percent of the planet that…

“Try not to determine your self-worth by the outcome or success you have in reaching your goals. Instead, measure the success of your life by how well your actions reflect the intentions that are formed by your core values.” -Phillip Moffit, Buddhist teacher and author Three years ago, I began working on solving a problem that is as complex as they come: saving the fish. If you’re not familiar with the problem of global overfishing, the stats are stark: 85 percent of the world’s…