Top 5 Best of the Rest Blogs from 2011

Welcome to the fifth and final instalment of our 5-part “best of 2011” series which we have been writing about this week. So far our instalments have included: the top 5 Meatless Monday vegetarian recipes; the 5 best social technologies and nonprofit fundraising blogs; the 5 most read CSR business posts; and the 5 most popular professional fundraising blogs. Today we feature the top 5 blogs from categories that fell just outside of those mentioned but important nonetheless.

We’ll start where many great things before have started and that’s with Joe Strummer.

I love this photo. Credit Bob Gruen

#1 Remembering Joe Strummer. This post was written in honour of what would have been Joe Strummer’s 59th birthday on August 21, 2011. Unfortunately, it’s what would have been as Joe passed away suddenly on December 22, 2002 and the sadness felt on that dreaded day still remains 9 years later. As I wrote back in August, it’s difficult to find the words to properly express the impact Joe had on my life because it was deeply personal. He has been a major influence on me since I was 13 years old and helped me through some very tough years. I’m not sure how my life plays out without Joe. He was/is a hero to me and many others and he continues to influence the lives of generations. This was our most viewed blog post in any one day and one week period and I couldn’t imagine a better #1 subject. Long live Joe Strummer.

#2 Toronto ranks 2nd in global City of Opportunity study by PwC. This blog featured an excellent report released by PriceWaterhouseCoopers which confirmed what we’ve known for years – Toronto is an exceptional city in which to conduct business for a broad number of reasons. A wide variety of measurements were considered, evaluated and scored to provide the composite rankings. These aggregate scores were designed to determine which major urban hubs around the world were the most dynamic in which to live and work. It provided us with a great sense of pride that Toronto ranked second on such a competitive analysis involving 26 leading global metropolises.

#3 Top 15 Green Electronics from Greenpeace Report was first released in 2006 and the 17th edition of The Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics, as featured in this blog, has become a trusted resource for green electronics rankings. The guide has prompted improvements in the industry including the phase out of polyvinyl chloride and brominated flame retardants, the introduction of many PVC and BFR-free products and led to most mobile phone market leaders now producing halogen-free handsets. The report also reflects the sustainable demands Greenpeace made to electronic companies.

Image courtesy of futurebrand.com

#4 10 Top Respected Country Brands in the World. This blog writes about the Country Brand Index 2011 released by FutureBrand in November 2011 in which Canada took top spot. The report ranked 113 countries that were measured on a variety of criteria including: investment opportunities, quality of life, value system, heritage, culture and tourism.  FutureBrand compiled the list with the help of some “35,000 business and leisure travelers, 14 research markets, and 102 experts in 16 countries” proving that a successful image and branding is generally equated with dollars earned and the same is true with country branding.

#5 U of T Goes Green and TIFF Singles go on Sale. This blog focussed on the University of Toronto committing to be water bottle free as a result of a 3 year dedication the students made to championing the cause. The students asked for the elimination of the sale of bottled water and also requested the implementation of water refill stations so they have access to free clean water. The three-year campaign shows how passionate students are and the potential impact of that passion. Oh and TIFF single tickets went on sale.

Thanks for joining us for our “best of 2011” series. Looking back was fun but looking ahead to 2012 is even better. See you then. Cheers!
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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.