Giving Compass' Take:

• Fast Company's World Changing Idea Awards brought in 200 social impact ideas which range from recycled fashion to flushable pregnancy tests. 

• How has the emergence of social entrepreneurship and the outburst of ideas influenced the social impact/nonprofit industry? How are these models changing how we think about philanthropy?

• Check out Causeartist's spotlight of four online social innovators and their impact on the philanthropic sector. 

From better hospital lighting to a hat that helps lower carbon emissions, a selection of more than 200 finalists of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards.

TURNING OLD T-SHIRTS INTO NEW DENIM
Regenerative fiber, Evrnu
Stacy Flynn was on a business trip to China when she and a colleague stepped out on opposite sides of their car but could barely see one another through the smog generated by the local textile operations. Now, as co-founder and CEO of Evrnu, Flynn is producing recycled fibers and working with apparel makers to turn this year’s castoffs into next year’s must-haves.

PROPELLING A CLEANER ALTERNATIVE
Botanical disinfectant spray can, Seventh Generation

Last August, after two years of development and regulatory approval, the Vermont-based company replaced the product’s pump-spray bottle with a brand-new can be powered by compressed air, which delivers the fine, steady mist of conventional aerosol without the environmentally damaging propane or butane.

PRIVATIZING PREGNANCY
Lia flushable home pregnancy test, Lia Diagnostics

Nearly 2 million pounds of used home pregnancy tests wind up in landfills each year. The plastic diagnostic tools “are only used for a few minutes, but they are made out of things that are not sustainable,” says Lia cofounder and CEO Bethany Edwards. “We believe that materials should match up with product life cycles.” Lia, the world’s first flushable pregnancy test, stems from a grad school project that Edwards and two classmates embarked on at the University of Pennsylvania’s integrated product design program.

Read the full article about innovative ideas at Fast Company.