Strained budgets may be holding back many municipalities whose leaders understand the benefits of smart city systems but lack the money to support them. Yet, a question is emerging that potentially turns that notion on its head: How can a city know what it can’t afford until it identifies what it needs?

Could the Internet of Things (IoT) hold the key to solving the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges? Do IoT learnings from business apply to community issues? Can IoT technology scale quickly and responsibly enough to advance critical solutions, such as those needed to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals?

In his opening remarks at the 2017 World Economic Forum (WEF), Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of WEF, called for responsive and responsible leadership to advance the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The latest meeting – attended by more than 3,000 politicians, business executives, scientists, and heads of civil society – was one of the largest multi-stakeholder groups ever assembled. This year, the gathering included more voices at a time when the breakneck pace of change has contributed to deep anxiety in much of the world about how best to build a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Thanks to advancements in collaboration tools, such as social networking and mobile technologies, today’s employees are hyper-connected. This connectivity allows productivity to continue when team members are away from the office, but the potential negative health effects of being plugged in should not be dismissed. This workforce is also working hard, whilst workers’ lives are becoming a balancing act. These modern-day realities, along with the growing demands of most jobs, are chronic sources of stress for workers, and may lead to serious health implications.

Helping spark an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for students of all ages

Today, Delos™, a U.S.-based wellness real estate and technology firm, announced plans to build and operate its second Well Living Lab, which is slated to open in Beijing, China in the Fall of 2018. The Well Living Lab (China) will be the first scientific research center in Asia to integrate building science, behavioral science, and health science to help quantify and ultimately improve the impact that indoor environments have on human health, wellness, comfort, and performance. Through this research, the Lab aims to spur innovations that will help address indoor environmental challenges specifically related to the local climate, environment and culture in China.

When you get more than 200 DoGooders together in a desert, great things happen. The passion and enthusiasm from everyone who attended Benevity's annual Goodness Matters client conference was incredible, and we left Palm Springs more convinced than ever that we, as companies, have an incredible opportunity to create the change we want to see in the world. To keep the momentum going, we pulled together some of the big ideas and learnings with 5 key takeaways — because this was more than just a palm-covered getaway (though it was certainly beautiful). It was a starting point for all of us to make Goodness matter (even) more!