Green Options

I’ll admit it: I am a chronic trier of new software. Being on Twitter, I am soaking in shiny new things to try. And I do. Often. And almost as often, they end up collecting virtual dust on the shelf, tried briefly, not proving sticky enough to become part of my work or fun flow, or compelling enough to displace what I already use.

GPS enabled phones such as the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry have made getting around so much easier, and in the case of geocaching, more fun. But what if you’re a green minded individual, in a city you’ve never been to before, or even in your own town, and want to know what businesses have got what you want?

As an entrepreneur, you may at times question your sanity : long hours, uncertain outcomes, energy drain on the rest of your life. And yet you keep on going. You have to. The thrill of successfully launching a new endeavor, whether to make a living, a difference in the lives of people, an impact on the health of the planet, or all of the above is too great not to.

And yet, there may be times that nothing’s coming to you. You’re either stuck for a new idea, or having doubts about or missing pieces to what you’re currently working on. In steps Springwise. Springwise is hub for people to share ideas, and is smartly designed for rapid skimming, by category, keyword, and country.

Now, you may say, what’s new about this? There are lots of business and entrepreneurial blogs and publications out there. Fair enough. Amsterdam based Springwise puts it well when they say,

Springwise scans the globe for the most promising business ventures, ideas and concepts that are ready for regional or international adaptation, expansion, partnering, investments or cooperation. We ferociously track more than 400 global offline and online business resources, as well as taking to the streets of world cities, digital cameras at hand.

They also enlist the eyes and minds of an additional 8000 Springspotters in 70 countries to keep an on the ground perspective on what’s going on.

What does this look like?