Enterprise Rent-A-Car has added five biodiesel vehicles to its Portland fleet, testing customer demand for environmentally friendly rentals. The Jeep Liberties come filled with bio-fuel and can be refilled at four local stations or with regular diesel.
Tanzania Bans Plastic Bags
The manufacturing, importing, buying and using of thin plastic bags is now banned in Tanzania. Bags are blamed for harming livestock, blocking drains and reducing soil fertility.
Teacher to Donate Kidney to 10-Year-Old Student
Cbs2Chicago.com features the inspiring story of fourth grade teacher Patricia Donohue and her decision to donate a kidney to her 10-year-old student, Brandon Shafer.
Brandon’s mother tried to donate her kidney but was not a match. Donohue knows what life is like for Brandon’s family. Her own father had leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant.
“I wouldn’t have my father without somebody donating to him, so I can’t imagine not doing the same thing for Brandon and his family,” she said. (details and photo here)
Morals Guide Young Voters in their Politics
Harvard students published the results of their spring poll which measured the political ideals of college students today. The study showed that morality and values play a critical role, more than traditional ideological labels like liberal and conservative. Forty percent of those polled are "religious and secular centrists" who incorporate religious and spiritual views with their political attitudes and actions. The Christian Science Monitor analyzed the moral lens through which these 1,200 students view politics. They perceive not just the obvious issues, like a woman’s right to choose or the death penalty, as moral ones, but also the federal government’s response to hurricane Katrina, education policy, and the Iraq war. College students are voting in greater numbers, too. More than 11 million cast ballots in 2004, the highest number since 1972.
In the survey only one-third of students say they approve of the job George W. Bush is doing as President, down eight points from this past fall. Following recent trends, students also continue to feel the country is on the “wrong track” rather than headed in the right direction. . . (To me, that is good news. From an elevated perspective, and in the long run, discontent always breeds innovation and evolution toward a better world and better practices.) Click read more to see what else I find heartening about the poll.
Biggest Energy Companies in U.S. call for Caps on Carbon Emissions
Check out this lead paragraph in the online Grist magazine for April 6:
Tuesday saw a tectonic shift in the climate-change debate during an all-day Senate conference on global-warming policy. A group of high-powered energy and utility executives for the first time issued this directive to Washington: Bring on the carbon caps!
They have the details if you want them… thanks to excellent reporting by Amanda Griscom Little from a packed US Senate hearing. She quotes John Stanton, a vice president of National Environmental Trust: “I began the morning far more cynical than I felt at the end of the day.”
Photo by Why 137 via Flickr, CC license
Silicon Valley to Invest Heavily in Emerging Green Technology that Cleans Air, Water and Landfills
Venture Capitalists are poised to invest hundreds of millions in the emerging "green technologies" and believe they could become as lucrative as anything that preceded it in Silicon Valley. That means we will soon see solutions to environmental problems: smaller landfills, cleaner air and water, weening ourselves from the oil addiction. ENN reports:
Menlo Park-based Kleiner Perkins plans to set aside $100 million of its latest $600 million fund for technologies that help provide cleaner energy, transportation, air and water. That’s on top of more than $50 million already invested in seven greentech ventures.
"This field of greentech could be the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century," the firm’s founder, John Doerr, said.
And, some say, when John Doerr talks, investors listen.
Bon Jovi to Sponsor Six Homes with Habitat for Humanity in Philly
A Philadelphia radio station announced the expansion of a partnership between Jon Bon Jovi and the city’s Habitat for Humanity charity by highlighting the star’s beliefs:
Jon Bon Jovi has gone on record in the past as saying that along with rock-star status and clout comes the responsibility to improve life in the community. “Why’s it always gotta be me, me, me and my tax dollars and ‘Give me mine’, as opposed to we, we, we and taking care of those less fortunate?”
On March 31, Bon Jovi delivered $200,000 to fund an additional two homes through his partnership that began in June 2005, broke ground last October, and will build six homes in Philadelphia through Summer 06.
Last October, Bon Jovi, Habitat for Humanity, local volunteers and families, and corporate sponsors, like Comcast and Sprint, gathered on a build site in Philly (left photo) to formally announce a partnership to build two duplexes (four homes). The site also served as the location for Bon Jovi’s music video for Who Says You Can’t Go Home, which highlights the efforts of Habitat families and local volunteers whose work continues. The video is now in top rotation on VH1, CMT, and GAC and emphasizes the band’s support for Habitat for Humanity and their core mission of eliminating poverty housing.
House #1 is expected be complete in Mid-May and House #2 will be ready in August.
People around the world have seen and been inspired by Jon Bon Jovi’s commitment to Habitat for Humanity through the video. “Who says you can’t go home,” said Chris Clarke, senior vice president of Communications for Habitat.
Tim Block, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia said, “This partnership with the Bon Jovi organization… has been a godsend for us. The need for affordable housing in the city of Philadelphia grows bigger each day. Each house we build helps, but the spotlight that groups like these bring to the overall challenge facing working families is priceless.”
Said Jon, “These good works with Habitat for Humanity have already made a difference to families in the city of Philadelphia.”
An area-resident known for his community involvement, Jon Bon Jovi approached Habitat in June 2005 with a proposal for a local build on a large scale. To fund the build, Bon Jovi pledged the majority of the band’s video budget from Island Records, contributed his own money from the Bon Jovi Family Foundation and secured additional sponsorship through pre-existing relationships in the private sector. By setting aside a small sum to document the process, the band planned a music video with a “think global, act local” theme.
Habitat for Humanity in Philly
Photo: David Shankbone, CC license
Hundreds of thousands of young Sudanese to go to school for first time thanks to UN aid
3 April – In a massive campaign to double the number of children in school as part of peace dividend, hundreds of thousands of children will go to school for the first time in Southern Sudan. The massive United Nations-backed campaign targets a system ruined by two decades of civil war where only 22 per cent of an estimated 2.2 million youngsters are enrolled in primary school.
UNICEF says their campaign aims to more than double the number of children in primary school during the course of the school year, which starts today; deliver over 3.8 million textbooks and teachers’ guides and basic school supplies for up to 1.6 million children, including 6 million exercise books and 1.6 million pencil sharpeners.
Over 1,500 new classrooms are being constructed and accelerated training is underway for teachers and classroom facilitators.
Peace Plan Back on Track in Ivory Coast
The Independent Online in Cape Town, South Africa reports:
The five main rival leaders in Ivory Coast have got their country’s peace process back on track by agreeing to launch a disarmament programme and a census leading to elections by the end of October, African Union head Denis Sassou Nguesso said after talks here at the weekend. (full coverage)
World Bank Cancels Debt of 17 of the World’s Poorest Countries
The World Bank approved details to implement the 2005 debt relief initiative, which will cancel the debt of some of the world’s poorest countries starting on July 1, 2006, at the start of the Bank’s fiscal year. Full Debt Cancellation of more than $37 billion will be provided over the next 40 years.
“This is a historic agreement combining increased financing with debt relief, which will help poor countries meet the Millennium Development Goals” said Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank. “I am particularly pleased that the Bank’s shareholders have agreed on a funding package that will help to preserve the International Development Association’s (IDA) role as a cornerstone in development finance for the poor countries of the world.”
Debt cancellation will be provided by the IDA, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Fund to countries that have graduated from the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative.
Initially, 17 HIPC countries will be eligible for 100 percent debt cancellation: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Mauritania has completed the HIPC program, but will qualify for relief after implementing key public expenditure management reforms. The remaining HIPC countries will be eligible for debt cancellation once they have completed the requirements of the HIPC Initiative.
Donors have agreed to a financing package that calls for additional donor contributions over time to ensure delivery of fresh resources for poverty reduction. Compensatory financing over the duration of the cancelled loans will be based on strong indicative pledges already made, and donors are undertaking the necessary steps in their home countries to provide their financing commitments.
“IDA deputies have agreed to financing that exceeds the threshold we initially set for funding debt relief,” continued Wolfowitz. “The deal reflects what has been under discussion all along: that there will be firmer commitments for most countries over the near term and more qualified long-term commitments, especially for the last 30 years. The long-term commitments simply reflect the reality of parliamentary and legislative procedures in most countries.”
Amur Tiger Cubs Born in Southeast Siberia for First Time in Over 100 Years
VLADIVOSTOK — The first birth of Amur tiger cubs in over a century has been reported in southeast Siberia, according to World Wildlife Fund.
Scientists who travelled to the Amur Region and the Amurskaya province to check the reports, found traces of cubs they said were about six months old and their mother in the snow-covered taiga.
The fact that tiger cubs have been spotted in this area is seen as welcome news by conservationists because tigers have been lost through poaching and habitat loss in many critical areas and former ranges.
HP Leads in PC Recycling
From Business Week comes an article about the movement in statehouses from Maine to Washington to rid local dumps of toxic old computers and televisions. The lead, chromium, and mercury inside could leach into local groundwater. Hewlett-Packard Co. has been in the forefront of the recycling movement and has strategized to benefit from it:
In 2005, HP recycled more than 70,000 tons of product, the equivalent of about 10% of company sales and a 15% increase from the year before. And it collected more than 2.5 million units (in excess of 25,000 tons) of hardware to be refurbished for resale or donation. (read more)
Oslo’s Sewage Heats Its Homes
The Oslo energy company this week premiered a network of hot water pipes that feed thousands of radiators and taps around the city powered by the heat from raw sewage beneath the city. This process requires electricity, but two-thirds of the energy comes from the waste from people’s flushed toilets. Read the Reuters story here.
G is for General Announcements
Happy Monday!
We have constantly improved our site since its launch on March 14, thanks especially to PassionSpire for the needed web services and technical expertise:
- The Archive of more than 600 stories published from 1997-2003 is being moved here. It will be broken down for browsing by category and each three year period. You can also use our search engine to find old stories. Only the Earth and Inspiration sections have been moved so far.
- A blog is being set up for me to do announcements (like this) and ramblings (like that). It is called “G is for blog”.
- Coming soon a calendar… Submit your dates and events for publishing
- I finished posting “TWENTY MUSLIM INVENTIONS that Shaped Our World”. If you haven’t read them, you gotta check it out. One of the things GNN-i strives for is to break stereotypes. It doesn’t get anymore compelling than this, especially for us westerners: Islamic science and cultural was WAY ahead of Europe in so many ways in earlier centuries.
I hope you have been enjoying the features like “On this day in history”, and the “Inspiration Point” included for your morning coffee break. I would like some feedback, especially for the daily history item. Do you like it? Or does it take too much space away from news? What are your other comments about the content so far? I try honor your time by publishing only what is most compelling… Until next blog post … geri
Child’s school doesn’t offer the course you want? Enroll Online, attend from home
Does your child want to take a course in Latin, Marine Science or Contemporary Irish Literature — but your local school doesn’t offer it? The popularity of online coursework is catching on. Florida and Utah are leading the way in the US with tens of thousands of students enrolled in online courses for children in grades K-12.
There are other reasons for schooling online: medical or discipline challenges keeping kids away from school, the desire for a more flexible schedule, more one-on-one time with the teacher (albeit virtually) than you’d get with 40 students in a classroom, and of course, home-schooled kids augmenting their studies. The Christian Science Monitor reports — online, of course.
Pakistan Tackles Child Labor Horrors
The International Labour Organisation and Pakistan’s Ministry of Labour have launched a program they say is aimed at eliminating the dangerous and degrading practice of ‘rag picking’ that occupies thousands of poor children rummaging through landfills. It offers welfare and social programs that offer alternatives like schooling, the arts, and sports.
Among the benefits poposed by the project:
- 1,400 child labourers ages 5-17 would receive education in the Rawalpindi district.
- 1,000 children ages 5-14 would be provided education in more than 30 non-formal educational centres
- 400 children ages 15-17 would be provided basic literacy and health and safety counselling in 16 literacy centres.
- A community-based ‘child monitoring system’ will be developed to prevent rag picking and ensure the availability of a trained adult work force.
Pakistan’s Daily Times covers the details.
Crackdown on Pollution in Scotland
The environment minister in Scotland announced new sewage pollution guidelines for 80 lochs and rivers, a 20-fold increase in the number of protected waterways in Scotland.
(read more from the Scotsman)
Also, read about several green campaigns in Scotland: St. Andrews becoming the first ‘carbon neutral’ university; proposals for a revolution in building standards; and their goal of becoming the greenest nation in the UK. (Registration is required, but free, for these stories at Scotsman.com)
I’ve Been Conned… That’s the Good News!
Roberto De Vincenzo, the great Argentine golfer, once won a tournament with a large sum of money as the purse.
A woman approached him, asking for money, saying her child was seriously ill, near death, and she could not pay the doctor’s bill. Touched by her plight, De Vincenzo gave her the money he’d just won in the tournament.
The next week, an official with the golf association told him: “I have news for you. That woman has no sick baby. She’s not even married. She fleeced you, my friend.”
“You mean, there is no baby who is dying?” said deVincenzo.
“That’s right,” said the official.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all week,” he replied.
(Reprinted by permission. Copyright c 1994, The Best of Bits and Pieces, Arthur F. Lenehan, editor)
Tide Turning for Sustainable Seafood
With growing worries about dwindling supplies of fish, negative effects on the ocean and coastal environments, and concerns about pesticides, sustainable seafood practices are gaining momentum in the United States. But there are challenges to overcome before the certification of large-scale fisheries becomes common practice for the Marine Stewardship Council. However, like many other businesses, enviro-friendly practices are leading to health businesses as well as profits.
– Sustainable Seafood story
China Pledges $600M to Cambodia for Building Projects
China has promised $600 million in aid and loans to Cambodia. Half the aid is for a hydro-electric project, and some is earmarked for bridges and new government offices.
(full report)