We’ve got the best of the Web today, including the Do Something Awards winner, Ben & Jerry’s Fair Trade tweets and how Tokyo keeps its lights on.

Do Something Grants $100,000 To Sparkle Effect Founder

In a race for the best and brightest do-gooder, the Do Something judges awarded $100,000 to a nonprofit that trains disabled teens to cheer on the field. Do Something, an organization that aims to inspire young people to do good, honored five nonprofit organizations at Thursday’s awards show. The Sparkle Effect, a cheerleading squad created by 18-year-old Sarah Cronk, won the grant. Cronk formed the organization after she noticed how much her older brother’s self-esteem boosted when he joined the swim team. In 2008, she urged her school’s cheerleading squad, the Spartan Spakles, to include teens with disabilities. The program took off from one high school to 33 squads across the U.S. (via @HuffingtonPost)

Tweets For Ben & Jerry’s

Now you can eat your favorite ice cream and feel good about yourself. Ben & Jerry’s is getting its fans ready for Fair Trade Month, which is in October. The ice cream giant is inviting its followers to say less on Twitter. If your tweets are short, then you can donate your spare, unused characters to the Fair Tweets cause. Just send a tweet from its website, and your tweet will be automatically finished off with a pre-set message about Fair Trade, encouraging others to take action. The campaign backs up Ben & Jerry’s long-time commitment to using Fair Trade ingredients in its frozen treats, and Fair Tweets is just the latest in its social mission initiatives. (via @Forbes)

What’s keeping the lights on in Tokyo?

It’s been five months since Japan shut down nearly 37 of its nuclear plants that fuel 30 percent of its electricity due to the Fukushima disaster. Yet, with the summer’s sweltering heat, the lights and air conditioners are still on.
An opinion piece in the Financial Times credits energy conservation. “One of the reasons its economy has been able to soldier on is that there is a massive energy-saving drive,” the article states. “Office air-conditioners are not blasting at their normal freezing-cold temperatures. Buildings close at a reasonable hour, obliging salarymen to forego hours of masochistic overtime.” In June, the Japanese took extra measures by purchasing LED lights bulbs, which use only 20 percent of energy than traditional light bulbs. According to the government calculations, the country “could eliminate 13 nuclear reactors if it replaced all of its 1.6 million light bulbs with LEDs.” It seems as though Japan is shaping the country to be a showcase for energy policy. (via @SmartPlanet)