When corporations donate to charity, it's often far-flung global causes that benefit. That's still entirely commendable, of course, but British grocer Waitrose recently launched a locally focused giving program that enlists customers' help in focusing on issues closer to home.

Kicked off last month, Waitrose's Community Matters program assigns each store GBP 1,000 each trading month to donate among three local organisations such as community groups, schools or local divisions of national charities. Customers nominate the organisations to benefit, and Waitrose's local democratic bodies make the final selection. Customers are then offered a token each time they shop that can be inserted in any of three Perspex tubes--one for each of the selected charitable groups. At the end of the month, the pile of tokens donated to each organisation is weighed and the beneficiaries receive a corresponding proportion of the cash. Following a trial in four Waitrose stores, the Community Matters program is scheduled to be in place at all branches in the next two weeks.

A similar program is in place across the Atlantic at upscale chain Whole Foods, where customers who bring their own bags are rewarded with "wooden nickels" that can be deposited in boxes assigned for donation to select local charities. And as interest continues to grow in all things local (see our sister site trendwatching.com's still made here briefing for more on that trend), consumers will increasingly appreciate having a direct hand in choosing who to help in their local community. One to emulate around the globe!

Website: www.waitrose.com
Contact: customer_service@waitrose.co.uk

Spotted by: Maria Dahl Jørgensen

When we wrote about Texas-based uShip last year, we noted that there were few--if any--equivalents on other continents. As if on cue, earlier this year a new company with a similar model entered beta in the United Arab Emirates.

Like uShip, Dubai-based Darrb (which means "way" in Arabic) is a delivery service marketplace that aims to connect people who have something to send with people who are willing to do the delivering. In eBay fashion, the process begins when a user posts an item they want to have delivered. Those interested in handling the job--known on the site as "Darrbers"--then bid for it with the lowest price and fastest delivery time they can offer. Darrb sorts all bids by both price and promised speed, with a third factor--quality of service, as measured by the deliverer's past customer ratings--available as a deciding factor. Once the user selects a Darrber and the job is done, he or she can enter feedback and ratings that get attached to that shipper's account for use by future users.

Using Darrb during its beta period is free, and will remain so for users, the site says. Shippers will eventually be charged membership fees. More than 100 Darrbers have signed on with the site since its launch, and those numbers will likely increase soon: Earlier this month the team behind Darrb launched eMapia, a map-based online marketplace that lets users search by country for things for sale around the world, and it plans to promote the use of Darrb for shipping those items.

Profits await those who can capitalize on the intention economy, as we've noted before in several related examples. Nice to see the concept spreading around the globe! (Related: Ride-sharing for packages.)

Website: www.darrb.com
Contact: www.darrb.com/contactus.php

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

We've written about a site that makes it easier for architects and designers to create green buildings, but a separate challenge is helping eco-minded consumers find those green apartments, homes and offices, since their sustainable nature is not always obvious from the outside. Enter GreenRenter, a new site that aims to connect owners of green buildings with tenants who might want to rent them.

Launched earlier this year, GreenRenter offers a guide to the green commercial and residential property in the Portland, Ore., area. Separate sections for residential and commercial offerings list a variety of homes, offices, restaurants and retail space--searchable both by what's out there in general and what's currently available--with integrated Google Maps to show prospective tenants where they are all located. Buildings included need not be LEED certified, but they must include at least one feature in any of seven key green areas: energy, water, building materials, operations, building surroundings, certifications and awards or other innovative green features. Ultimately, GreenRenter plans to rate buildings listed on its site, it says, as well as to expand beyond the Portland area to other US cities. It's also working on a separate site focused on sales of green buildings. Using GreenRenter is free for both owners and tenants.

It's not yet clear how GreenRenter will become sustainable itself, but the site's "business philosophy" section mentions both the triple bottom line and the prospect of future products and services. One to partner with in cities around the US and the rest of the world?

Website: www.greenrenter.com
Contact: www.greenrenter.com/contact

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

Nightclubs may operate seven days a week in many cities, but working professionals who partake in their late-night offerings outside of the weekend tend to regret it the next day. With such schedule-bound partiers in mind, Toronto's Gladstone Hotel recently launched an earlier alternative that still lets revellers get to bed on time.

The Gladstone's Granny Boots series of dance parties take place each Wednesday night beginning at 7:30 and ending promptly at 10--"so you can go home, watch 'Law and Order' until 11 pm and go to BED," as the hotel puts it. The events are held in the Gladstone's Melody Bar, which is already famous for weekend karaoke nights, and feature different performances and livingroom DJs each week. Admission is free.

We also spotted something similar in Belgium, where Bart Van Orshoven's After Work Parties draw large crowds--and corporate sponsors--in various venues in Antwerp, Gent, Leuven and Brussels. The parties start at 7 pm and doors close at 9 pm to ensure a decent-sized crowd from the start. At 1 am, everyone is sent packing.

Of course, in addition to the legions of business people and other working stiffs out there who can't afford to stay up late, there's also the substantial crowd of older people who still like to party but simply don't want to be up during the wee hours. Catering to such consumers could be the key to attracting a whole new segment. As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm--or, in this case, the entertainment dollars! ;-)

Website: www.gladstonehotel.com/events/show.cfm?id=791 -- www.afterworkparty.be
Contact: dance.granny.boots@gmail.com -- bart@afterworkparty.be

Spotted by: Anita Windisman

A new restaurant project has joined the crowdsourcing fray: Arne Hendriks is asking fellow members of Instructables to participate in creating a restaurant in Amsterdam. In his words: "I will open an open-source restaurant that is completely made of, and only serves food based on the original instructables all the members on instructables.com have made or will make. I mean, every chair, dishwasher, menu card, light etc and all the food, will together be the restaurant. And I would like to ask you guys for your brilliant, funny, original ideas concerning all aspects restauranty. Inside the restaurant everything will be presented with the original instruction and accreditation to the maker."

Suggestions from Instructables members have started to pour in, from using graph paper table clothes to adding a "making space," as well as thoughts on names for the restaurant and what the wait staff should wear. This isn't the first restaurant project Hendriks has developed; he also created the Night Garden, a temporary restaurant and "sub-technical indoor garden" that served over 30 types of sprouted micro-greens.

While there are similarities with another crowdsourced restaurant we recently featured, Hendriks' project is cleverly tapping into the creative talents of an existing community, and has a very strong focus on MIY (make-it-yourself). As he points out: "In some restaurants you can buy the stuff you see, in this restaurant you'll go home knowing how to re-create what you just enjoyed, be it the food or the chair you sat on." Nice!

Website: www.instructables.com/group/instructables-restaurant

Spotted by: Franziska Luh