Panera CEO Ronald Shaich opened up the first nonprofit branch of his 1,400-plus location restaurant chain in Clayton, Missouri, in 2010. At the time some thought his pay-what-you-want model, in which customers could simply take free food if they needed it, would be a disaster, especially in the midst of America’s hardest economy in decades. Early indications, however, were that Shaich’s idea, officially called the Panera Cares Community Café, might succeed. Now, one year later, people are certain: The free Panera is a hit.

Breaking Bread: Panera’s Pay-What-You-Want Model Is Thriving - Business - GOOD

Solving the issues of bulky bike locks is something we definitely think is a great idea, and this design is pretty elegant. No more stretched out back pockets! Bikers rejoice! 

See more of our favorite projects on Kickstarter on our curated projects page. 

TiGr: Titanium Lock as Cool as your Bike by John Loughlin — Kickstarter

When’s the last time you looked up a number in the phone book? For us, it was probably around 1999. But the Yellow Pages keep coming. Every year there’s another stack of trash delivered to your doorstep.

Now San Francisco, the first city in the country to ban plastic bags, is about to take another step forward: Preventing the Yellow Pages from giving books to people who might not want them. Last week, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to pass legislation (PDF) that would ban unwanted delivery of the directories. Each phone book would have to be “personally delivered to an occupant or authorized representative of the residence or business or left at the residence or business following a request.” A few cities have opt-out registries, but this bill is different. The Yellow Pages would have to confirm you want a book before giving you one. The legislation also includes a public outreach campaign to make sure seniors and low-income people aren’t deprived of useful information.

Read more on GOOD →

San Francisco Set to Ban Unsolicited Phone Books - Cities - GOOD