WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Teachers from across the U.S. are invited to apply to become Educator Fellows for NASA's MESSENGER mission to Mercury. The 30 master teachers chosen for the program will receive special training to help them conduct teacher training workshops featuring lessons for grades pre-K to 12 developed in support of the mission.

MESSENGER (which is an acronym for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) will be the first spacecraft ever to orbit the planet Mercury. It was launched in 2004 and flew past Mercury three times in 2008 and 2009, sending back the first pictures of a previously unseen side of the planet. In March 2011, MESSENGER will go into orbit around Mercury and begin a comprehensive year-long study of the planet.

MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean Solomon, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, says: "Our Educator Fellowship Program greatly expands the reach of the MESSENGER Education and Public Outreach Team.  Many of our Fellows have participated in major mission events, such as the Mercury flybys, and all have become enthusiastic and well-informed ambassadors for our mission and for the nation’s space program more generally."

The MESSENGER Educator Fellowship Program, which is managed by Tides project the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, is designed to provide teachers and school districts with exceptional educational materials and professional development strongly tied to the space science curriculum, as well as to inspire the next generation of America’s scientists and engineers through NASA missions. Since the program's inception in 2003, more than 14,000 educators across the nation have been trained by the Fellows.

The Fellows selected for the program will receive a five-day training workshop in Washington, D.C., business cards that identify them as a MESSENGER Educator Fellow, copies of lessons, a how-to manual on conducting effective teacher training workshops, online resources to promote the workshops, and other NASA resources.  In return, Fellows commit to conducting teacher training workshops that reach a minimum of 100 teachers per year for two years.

Practicing teachers and teacher trainers in both formal and informal education settings are encouraged to apply.  Access the application materials at http://messenger-education.org/teachers/ao.php.

The deadline for applications is April 10, 2010.

###

by KAREN CARMICHAEL
From AJR, American Journalism Review

Two months after its launch, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund published the story of Benjamin French, a 12-year-old from Michigan who was born without part of his right arm. His family's insurance provider, a Teamsters health plan administered by Blue Cross Blue Shield, had refused to cover his most recent prosthesis because he had reached his lifetime maximum benefit of $30,000. Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow read from the story on the Senate floor during a debate over health care reform.

The following week, the Teamsters health plan said it would cover French's device and raised by $30,000 the cap for others under the same health plan.

"The goal of nonprofit journalism like this is to create impact in the world," Investigative Fund Executive Director Nick Penniman says. "We managed to affect both the debate and one person's life."
...

> Click here to access the full article on the AJR website.

For more information on Tides project Huffington Post Investigative Fund, see huffpostfund.org.

by SARAH TODD
From Savannahnow.com

Common wisdom in the nonprofit sector is that incubating nonprofits not ready to seek funding on their own can try to locate a fiscal sponsor. This is a more established nonprofit willing to serve as a funding channel, accepting and managing the funds for the newer organization.
 
It can be difficult to locate a fiscal sponsor. The sponsor must be a nonprofit and should have a mission that aligns with the project or organization being incubated. This is more than a preference. It is an IRS requirement. Because of the time involved, sponsors typically require a fee for their services.
 
There can be tremendous benefits to such an arrangement for the seeker - the ability to focus primarily on service provision, with less need for administration, facility expense and other back-of-house support. But there are complexities to this agreement that both organizations must understand.

...

> Click here to access the full article on The Savannahnow.com website.

SAN FRANCISCO, January 26, 2010 – As nonprofits continue to face an increasingly challenging economic climate, Tides (www.tides.org), one of the country’s leading nonprofit infrastructure providers, today released Shared Services: A Guide to Creating Collaborative Solutions for Nonprofits – a new guide that helps nonprofits increase their operational efficiencies by establishing and operating shared services programs.

Shared services programs help nonprofits consolidate their “back office” operations and administrative functions. Fostering collaboration among multiple organizations allows nonprofits to streamline and minimize overhead costs through shared workspaces, financial and human resources operations, and IT support. This in turn enables nonprofits to increase their purchasing power and operating efficiency, and focus more resources on delivering high-quality services and achieving their missions.

The first publication for nonprofit executives looking to create shared services programs, Shared Services is filled with step-by-step guidelines, case studies, and sample documents. Based on the best practices of professionals across the nonprofit and philanthropic world, the 84-page guide helps nonprofits build their own successful shared services program, achieve greater financial stability in their cost-saving and planning measures, and thrive in changing and uncertain markets.  

“In these challenging times, effective infrastructure and operations is not merely a matter of convenience, but a matter of survival for nonprofits,” said China Brotsky, Tides Senior Vice President. “Tides is delighted to serve as a resource to the nonprofit sector and provide this Shared Services guide to help nonprofits increase their operational efficiency, focus on their core competencies and create economies of scale through innovative, long-term strategies.”

Shared Services was developed by The NonprofitCenters Network – a program of Tides – in collaboration with Third Sector New England with support from The San Francisco Foundation and the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Shared Services: A Guide to Creating Collaborative Solutions is available for purchase at: www.nonprofitcenters.org/shared-services-guide.

The cost for the one-of-a-kind guide is $24.00 for NonprofitCenter Network members and $56.00 for non-members. A special early purchase discount rate is available until February 12, 2010 at $18.00 for NonprofitCenter Network members and $42.00 for non-members. Enter the discount code SSGUIDE2010 at www.nonprofitcenters.org/shared-services-guide. A free 11-page preview of Shared Services is also available for download.

Tides provides grantmaking services, nonprofit management services, and strategic consulting to nonprofits, social innovators and institutional and individual funders across the country and around the globe. Tides is the largest fiscal sponsor in the U.S. offering its 200+ fiscally sponsored projects a comprehensive suite of shared back-office services, a legal framework, and capacity-building support to enable them to operate more efficiently and effectively.  More information about Tides’ nonprofit infrastructure resources and services is at www.tides.org.

More information about the NonprofitCenters Network, which publishes guides, studies, and reports based on best practices gathered from an international community of nonprofit center leaders and shared services providers, is at www.nonprofitcenters.org.
 

About Tides
Tides actively promotes change toward broadly shared economic opportunity, robust democratic processes and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected. Founded in 1976, we offer an array of services that amplifies the efforts of forward-thinking philanthropists, foundations, activists and organizations to make the world a better place. With offices in San Francisco and New York City, Tides provides fiscal sponsorship for over 200 groups across the country, operates and supports green nonprofit centers, and granted more than $101 million in 2009 alone. For more information, visit www.tides.org.

About The NonprofitCenters Network
The NonprofitCenters Network – a program of Tides – is a community of leaders and professionals from the nonprofit, philanthropic, financial, real estate, and public sectors. Offering training, consulting, educational resources, and connections to help nonprofits create and operate shared facilities and services, our mission is to increase the capacity and effectiveness of the nonprofit sector by supporting the development and ongoing operations of multi-tenant nonprofit centers and other quality nonprofit workspaces. Our vision is a future when every nonprofit organization has access to the workspace it needs to support and sustain healthy, vibrant communities. To find more information, articles, and sample documents, please visit our Resource Center at www.nonprofitcenters.org/resources.

Contact: Diana Samarasan, Director

Telephone: 617-261-4593

Email: dsamarasan(at)disabilityrightsfund.org

BOSTON, MA – The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) – a collaborative among donors and disability activists to support the human rights of people with disabilities around the world – announces 65 new grants totaling $1,382,050 to Disabled Persons' Organizations in eleven countries; 27 of these grants are to current grantees. Since its founding in 2008, DRF has gifted over $2.7 million to 87 different organizations in fourteen countries. DRF currently supports work in: Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru; Ghana, Namibia, Uganda; Bangladesh, India; and 14 Pacific Island countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

The grants support Disabled Persons' Organizations to raise awareness about the rights of people with disabilities, build coalitions and networks, and develop advocacy and monitoring activities, in connection with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  

DRF grantees share the goal of advancing the rights of people with disabilities at the country-level. Recent recipients include:

• A grassroots organization of women with disabilities addressing violence against women in Northern Uganda.
• An emergent Nicaraguan group of deaf blind people.
• A national umbrella organization in Papua New Guinea, campaigning for CRPD ratification.

The full grantee list will be posted on the DRF website, www.disabilityrightsfund.org/grantees.html and is available upon request.

"The CRPD is creating opportunities for the disability rights movement around the world; this new funding will significantly augment those efforts," stated DRF Co-Chair, William Rowland. DRF Director, Diana Samarasan, added "People with disabilities and DPOs around the world are raising their voices to claim rights long denied to them. DRF grants support and strengthen these calls for ‘nothing about us without us."

All grantees are selected after a rigorous review process which includes review by DRF’s Steering Committee, a committee composed of donor representatives and people with disabilities from the Global South.

DRF's donors include: an anonymous founding donor, Aepoch Fund, American Jewish World Service, the Australian Government’s International Development Assistance Agency – AusAID, the UK's Department for International Development, Open Society Institute, and The Sigrid Rausing Trust.       

####

Teachers and artists interested in learning the ways to teach the reading and writing of poetry in tandem with the other arts should definitely study this book. Dr. Rotenberg's approach is to expect the most out of English Language Learners and uncover ways to transform non-readers and non-writers into readers and writers by bringing them contemporary poems to study, discuss, and learn from. Educators in general will find this odyssey into the creative possibilities of low income students and public school teachers fascinating and compelling. The book opens avenues to the minds and hearts of children and quietly foments a revolution in our ways of approaching them.

"I Dare to Stop The Wind" has over sixty images of children's art work and poetry in a full color, one hundred and forty-four page, beautiful paper bound book. For a brief example, go to www.valaproject.org/valaBookPress.html.

To order the book, it is $24.95 plus $5 shipping; or if you want to include a donation that is greater than this to go to VALA artists and programs, please send a check payable to "VALA/The Tides Center" and send it to the following address:

VALA Project

1605 Berkeley Way

Berkeley, California 94703

Please contact Tina Rotenberg before ordering to find out the exact amount, and alternatives to shipping, 510.845.9610.

New Online Donation

Tides center has a new way to make your charitable gift to VALA Project easy, simple and with a dedication. PLEASE DONATE TODAY! For more information about VALA (Visual Arts/Language Arts), visit www.valaproject.org. Donations are tax-deductible benefiting VALA (Visual Arts/Language Arts), supporting teaching artists in classrooms in the East Bay. If you are writing a check, please make it out to "VALA / the Tides Center."

Bettina Rotenberg, PhD • Executive Director • VALA Project

1605 Berkeley Way • Berkeley, California 94703 • (510) 845-9610 • tina[at]valaproject.org

CONTACT: Lloyd Nadal

lnadal(at)canfit.org

PHONE: 510-644-1533

www.canfit.org

January 2010, Berkeley, CA—Arnell J. Hinkle, RD, MPH, executive director of CANFIT, has been awarded an Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowship in Public Policy. Ms. Hinkle will be one of five Axford fellows based in Wellington, New Zealand from February – September 2010.

Ms. Hinkle’s project, Policy Implementation for Health Equity: Examining Healthy Eating-Healthy Action(HEHA) in Maori and Pacific Communities, will determine the level of engagement of local indigenous and immigrant communities, particularly low-income communities, in the implementation of the government’s HEHA campaign, and assess the food systems and built environment of Maori and Pacific Islander communities.  The resulting policy report and community case study will be disseminated in New Zealand and the United States.

“I am very honored to receive this award and look forward to working with the Ministries of Pacific Island Affairs and Maori Health in New Zealand” states Ms. Hinkle. “I will build upon my experiences working with communities of color in the U.S., and take the lessons learned from New Zealand to help develop policy strategies to eliminate health disparities in both countries.”

Established in 1995, the Axford Fellowship, administered by the Fulbright Office, New Zealand, gives outstanding American professionals the opportunity to study, travel, and gain practical experience in public policy in New Zealand. It gives the recipient fellows first-hand knowledge of economic, social and political reforms, and management of the government sector.

The goals of the Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowship in Public Policy are:

• To reinforce New Zealand/United States links by enabling Americans of high intellectual ability and leadership potential to spend time in New Zealand to gain experience and build contacts in the field of public policy development;
• To help improve the practice of public policy in the United States and New Zealand by the cross-fertilization of ideas and experience in the two countries; and
• To build a network of public policy experts on both sides of the Pacific, and encourage ongoing policy exchange between New Zealand and the United States.

As founding executive director of CANFIT, Hinkle has received numerous grants, fellowships and awards, including a Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leader Award (2003), and an American Public Health Association’s Mary C. Egan award (2007).  She recently served as a Food and Society Policy Fellow with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

For more information on the Axford Fellowship:  http://www.fulbright.org.nz/awards/am-ian-axford.html.

To learn more about Tides project CANFIT, see www.canfit.org.

By Kevin Courtney, for The Star

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Gary Rose sells houses. Steve Orndorf manages tenant rentals at Napa Pipe, the industrial site being eyed as a master-planned residential area.

Those are their day jobs. The activity that touches their hearts most deeply is the Pathway Home, a treatment and counseling program for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville.

As leaders of the Rotary Club of Napa, Rose and Orndorf have spearheaded three years of community support for the emotionally and physically injured vets. Ski trips in the Sierra, weekly games at Napa Bowl, Super Bowl parties, summer barbecues and gift baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas are among the Rotary-sponsored activities for the men who are by far the youngest members of the Veterans Home of California, home to about 1,000 elderly veterans of earlier military clashes.

> Click here to read the full article on the St. Helena Star website. 

For more information on Tides project The Pathway Home, see www.thepathwayhome.org.

Contact: Vicky Markham

Phone +US (203) 966-3425; email: vmarkham(at)cepnet.org

Dec. 4, 2009 -- As the world's nations meet in Copenhagen for talks next week on climate change, global pressure is rising on the United States as the world's biggest energy consumer to take a corresponding lead role in curbing the "greenhouse gas" emissions that cause climate change.

A new interactive map released today on "U.S. Population and Climate Change" shows U.S. standings in population size, energy use and other factors that contribute to global climate change, broken down state-by-state.  It is the first such map to couple U.S. population and climate change data to show their linkages.

With 5% of global population, the United States uses 25% of the world's energy and produces five times the world per-capita average of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (the primary "greenhouse gas" contributor to climate change). "The U.S. population's disproportionate role has not gone unnoticed by nations scheduled to meet in Copenhagen," said Vicky Markham, CEP Director. "Many leaders have said the United States must do more to curb its emissions if it expects other countries to do likewise."

The new map, a companion to the "U.S. Population, Energy & Climate Change" report from the Center for Environment and Population (CEP), shows U.S. national, regional and state-by-state ranking on energy consumption, CO2 emissions, per-capita vehicle miles traveled, population numbers and growth rates, and housing units (more houses = more appliances = more energy use).

Within the global context, the new map demonstrates:

• The way that the large and fast-growing U.S. population combines with high rates of energy consumption and emissions to make America pivotal in the global climate change debate;
• America's per-person link to global climate change is bigger than that of any other nation, so that individual behavior is critical; and
• The disproportionate U.S. contributions to world climate change which suggest it must take a stronger leadership role in responding to global warming.

Current trends indicate a real potential that there will be 1 billion high energy-consuming Americans by 2100. "Meeting the demands of that many people for energy and resources while also trying to reduce carbon change emissions will be an enormous challenge," said Bill Burtis of CACP. "Mapping where and how Americans use energy is a major step forward."

State-by-state highlights in the new map include:

• Florida has the largest land area threatened by climate change-caused sea-level rise, is the fourth most populated state, and among the top ten in population growth;
• Wyoming is the least energy efficient state, has the highest per-capita CO2 emissions, electricity consumption, and vehicle miles traveled; 
• Texas is the second most populated state and sixth fastest growing, with the highest CO2 emissions and second highest vehicle miles traveled per-capita;
• Washington state is first in renewable energy production and consumption per-capita, and the most "bicycle-friendly" of the 50 states;
• California is the most populated state, first in energy efficiency, with energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and electricity consumption per-capita among the nation's lowest, but highest in vehicle miles traveled;
• New York City ranks first in "best mass transit", with Chicago and Denver close behind, and Boston the most "pedestrianized" city.

The map is a product of the Center for Environment and Population (CEP), a Tides Center project, and Clean Air-Cool Planet (CACP).  
 
For a copy of the map and companion report on CEP's website click here, on Clean Air-Cool Planet's website click here or contact:
 
- Nicole Tidwell, CCMC, email ntidwell(at)ccmc.org, telephone (202) 326-8710.
- Vicky Markham, CEP, email vmarkham(at)cepnet.org, telephone (203) 966-3425
- Bill Burtis, CACP, email bburtis(at)cleanair-coolplanet.org, telephone (603) 422-6464, Ext. 105

CONTACT: Cynthia Wong (212) 213-6443

cwong(at)unionsquareawards.org

NEW YORK, NY – December 2, 2009 - The Union Square Awards has granted more than $15 million to New York City organizations. This year, ten organizations will be honored at the Union Square Awards celebration on Friday, December 4th. Five organizations will receive the prestigious Union Square Award and $50,000 each for exceptional efforts addressing critical social and economic issues facing New Yorkers; another five will receive the Union Square Arts Award, and each will receive a $35,000 grant in recognition of innovative work with youth and families in low-income communities. “With minimal resources, these organizations make extraordinary contributions to local neighborhoods, and their work is vital to New York City. Given the current economic situation, the Award represents an important support to sustain these emerging organizations,” says Executive Director, Iris Morales.

Named after the park on 14th Street where New Yorkers have organized and spoken out about major social issues since the nineteenth century, the Union Square Awards was created to recognize and encourage initiative in serving New York City communities. The Awards realize an anonymous donor’s dream of honoring New Yorkers who take action to improve people’s lives and advocate for social change.

This year’s Awardees receive a total of $425,000 and join 203 organizations that have received the Award since its founding in 1998. Awardees will be recognized at a special ceremony at the historic Riverside Church in Manhattan.

RECIPIENTS OF THE UNION SQUARE AWARD

Brandworkers International organizes employees in the retail and food industry to improve working conditions and provides workers with social change tools needed to increase employer compliance with the law. Brandworkers seeks to ensure that workers' rights are protected and expanded.

Cidadão Global (CG) is the first Brazilian community-based organization in New York City. Located in Long Island City, CG works with Brazilian immigrants and the larger immigrant community to advance human rights.

Garifuna Coalition USA serves as a resource, forum, advocate and united voice for the Garifuna immigrant community. Its Advocacy Center in the heart of the South Bronx provides information, education, cultural opportunities, and social services referrals.

RightRides for Women's Safety is dedicated to creating safer communities by eliminating gender-based violence through direct services, safety advocacy and educational outreach. Its core program offers women, LGBTQ and gender nonconforming individuals free, late night rides home to ensure their safe commute to or through high-risk areas.  

Washington Heights CORNER Project aims to eliminate high-risk practices of the drug using community in Washington Heights by providing culturally competent and linguistically appropriate services to anyone who wishes to learn about harm reduction or utilize assistance. WHCP strives to reduce the transmission of disease and infections.

RECIPIENTS OF THE UNION SQUARE ARTS AWARD

Center for Urban Pedagogy believes that the power of imagination is central to the practice of democracy and that the work of governing must engage the dreams and visions of citizens. Its pioneering model brings together a diverse cross section of New Yorkers to engage in rich discussions about social equality and urban living.

Century Dance Complex provides a safe haven for African refugees and low-income children on Staten Island by offering beginner, intermediate and advanced classes in ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap, African dance and drumming as well as educational support in afterschool and summer programs.

Diversity in Arts and Nations for Cultural Education (DANCE, Inc.) is dedicated to presenting and preserving the rich folkloric art of Puerto Rican and Latin American theatrical dance. Through educational programs and dance-based programming that uses live music and theatre, it educates audiences about Puerto Rican traditions and history.

Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) cultivates, supports and promotes the work of artists and arts organizations in the Washington Heights-Inwood neighborhoods. NoMAA provides education, advocacy, financial and technical support and connects the Upper Manhattan arts community to the cultural life of New York City.

Opening Act aims to provide New York City public school students a space where they can participate in performing arts and develop leadership through artistic achievement. The organization offers free programs to schools with graduation rates below 50% that have no theatre programming.   


The Union Square Awards is a project of the Tides Center whose mission is to actively promote change toward a healthy society – one founded on principles of social justice, equal economic opportunity, a robust democratic process, and environmental sustainability.
 
For more information about the Union Square Awards, please visit www.unionsquareawards.org.  

“As Founder and CEO, Drummond leaves a legacy of innovation and capacity to a sector that had historically been fragmented and overlooked,” said Melissa Bradley Burns, Tides Board Chair. “As one of the first ‘social entrepreneurs,’ Drummond has evolved Tides from a great idea to one of the top 100 social sector organizations in the United States.

Bradley continues, “The board is pleased that Drummond remains committed to leading Tides until a new CEO is retained, and the board is also excited about this new opportunity for change and looks forward to working with the senior staff to ensure a successful transition. We expect the change to provide extraordinary opportunities for the organization to reach new levels of excellence.”

While ideas and structural innovations are part of Pike’s legacy, the deep commitment to mission and purpose will most likely be the lasting element to which future leaders of Tides will turn. After his successor is named, the Tides Board hopes that Drummond will agree to a continuing role supporting the organization.

To hear more from Drummond on his transition, read his blog.

“A Winning Volunteer Strategy: Leverage Your Most Under-utilized Resource,” offers insight into the Clinic’s innovative volunteer-based model of care. Since 1999, the Women’s Community Clinic has provided free health care services to more than 20,000 women and trained over 500 health care volunteers. Over the years, the Clinic has earned a reputation as a safe, welcoming environment where uninsured women can access health services.

“In tough economic times, nonprofit organizations are called on to do more, while simultaneously facing funding cut backs,” said Carlina Hansen, Clinic Executive Director. “We have found that our volunteer structure has given us additional financial stability, while offering leadership development opportunities in a time when they are in high demand. Our volunteers are saving us money, but more importantly, we are leveraging the experience of the members of our local community to support women in need. We feel like this is an important time to share our experience.”

As a pioneer in volunteer-based health care, the Clinic shares its foundational principles and best practices in volunteer recruiting, training and retention. Although the report focuses on volunteers in a clinical setting, the concepts are transferrable to any direct service organization.

Increase Access, Improve Quality. The passion and dedication that volunteers bring to service delivery can lead to higher quality and improved client outcomes. Over 95 percent of Women’s Community Clinic clients rate services as excellent.

Reduce Costs. A volunteer infrastructure can enable organizations to increase the quantity and quality of services provided. The Clinic’s volunteer-based model of care, the first of its kind in the Bay Area, provides $5 worth of services for every $1 donation the Clinic receives.

Multiply Impact. A volunteer model enables organizations to simultaneously increase access to needed services while training the next generation of leaders. Over 60 percent of the Clinic’s entry-level health worker volunteers go on to careers in health-related fields.

“A Winning Volunteer Strategy” provides a road map for nonprofits to customize their volunteer-based model, develop effective curriculum, and create a strategically planned and integrated program essential to the organization’s mission.

About the Women’s Community Clinic
Since 1999, the Women’s Community Clinic has honored its mission to improve the health and well-being of women and girls by providing free women’s health services, outreach services and health career training programs.

View the report: A Winning Volunteer Strategy: Leverage Your Most Underutilized Resource

Contact: Lakiesha McGhee, 415. 379.7802 x305, media(at)womenscommunityclinic.org

Thousands are expected to participate in the march and its related events on October 10th and 11th to demand full and equal protection for LGBT people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. Speakers include leading gay activists David Mixner, Cleve Jones, Lieutenant Dan Choi, NAACP Board Chairman Julian Bond, and Judy Shephard, mother of Matthew Shepard, whose murder was motivated by anti-gay hate. The National Equality March is the first step toward a larger goal of creating a national movement — the 50 State Legislative Outreach Campaign — in all 435 congressional districts to demand full equality under the law.

"Tides is immensely proud to work with the National Equality March and to celebrate the momentum it is generating for securing full and equal rights for all citizens," said Tides Board Chair Melissa Bradley. "LGBT rights are human rights, and Tides is gratified to support and fund the vital efforts of so many LGBT organizations and initiatives that are working to achieve full equality."

Providing philanthropic services, infrastructure, investor introductions and strategic counsel to LGBT projects across the country and around the globe, Tides has granted more than $8 million since 2008 to LGBT issues and an additional $7.8 million to AIDS/HIV-related projects.

Working in partnership with a wide array of forward-thinking LGBT philanthropists, foundations, activists, and organizations across the country and around the globe. some Tides-supported projects include:

• National Equality March - http://equalityacrossamerica.org

• The State Equality Fund - http://www.gillfoundation.org/grants/outside-colorado/state-equality-fund

• Collin Higgins Foundation and its Youth Courage Awards - http://www.colinhiggins.org

• California Safe Schools Coalition - www.casafeschools.org

• Lavender Seniors of the East Bay - www.lavenderseniors.org  

Tides also recently featured some of the country's most notable leaders working to advance LGBT rights at its Momentum thought leader conference last month – including Kate Kendell, Bishop Gene Robinson, Sahar Shafqat, Jorge Musuli and Laura Karpman. Videos of these speakers' presentations are available at: www.momentumconference.org/speakers.

Equality Across America has organized the National Equality March, and it is a fiscally sponsored project of Tides. Fiscal sponsorship is a cost-effective way to implement new programs without establishing a new, separate nonprofit organization, and Tides fiscally sponsors over 200 nonprofit projects across the nation. As a fiscal sponsor, Tides receives charitable donations and grants on behalf of its fiscally sponsored projects. Tides also provides its projects with a comprehensive suite of back-office services, legal framework, and capacity-building support.

More information about Tides' LGBT work is available at www.tides.org, and more information about the National Equality March is at http://equalityacrossamerica.org

###

Contact:

Christine Coleman
Tides
415-561-6354
ccoleman(at)tides.org

Deborah Schneider
PR & Company
415.277.6973
dschneider(at)prandcompany.com 

About Tides
Tides actively promotes change toward broadly shared economic opportunity, robust democratic processes and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected. Tides is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 and provides an array of services that amplifies the efforts of forward-thinking philanthropists, foundations, activists and organizations to make the world a better place. Tides Foundation, Tides Center and Tides Shared Spaces have collaborated with over 15,000 individuals and organizations that have touched millions of lives across the country and around the globe. With offices in San Francisco and New York City, Tides provides fiscal sponsorship for over 200 groups across the country, operates and supports green nonprofit centers and has granted more than $108 million in 2008 alone. For more information, visit www.tides.org.

(New York / Gothenburg -- October 6, 2009) — Two leading nonprofit environmental organizations, ChemSec and Clean Production Action, today announced a new precedent setting research report on companies that are leading the electronics industry by moving away from chemicals that can lead to health and environmental problems. The report: “Greening Consumer Electronics: Moving Away from Bromine and Chlorine” features seven companies who have engineered environmental solutions that negate the need for most -- or in some cases all -- uses of brominated and chlorinated chemicals.

“These seven companies demonstrate that there are less toxic and still cost effective alternatives to substances of high concern that do not compromise performance or reliability,” said CPA Project Director Alexandra McPherson. “They are well positioned to gain competitive advantage in a marketplace and regulatory environment increasingly sensitive to the use of toxic chemicals in consumer products.”

High volume uses of bromine and chlorine in flame retardant and plastic resin applications such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gained worldwide attention when scientific studies demonstrated their link to the formation of highly toxic dioxin compounds. Dioxin, a potent human carcinogen that is toxic in very low amounts, along with other problematic compounds, are unintentionally released into the environment during the burning and smelting of electronic waste.

The current recycling and waste infrastructure to safely reuse and recycle obsolete equipment is insufficient for the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Furthermore, much of the waste is increasingly shipped to developing countries with even less capacity for appropriate waste management. Many studies document the accumulation of these widespread pollutants in air, water, soil, and sediment, where they are increasingly ingested by humans and animals.

“This report provides critical guidance for those companies who have yet to make this material transition,” said Nardono Nimpuno, Senior Policy Advisor at ChemSec. “Reduction of bromine and chlorine is a critical demonstration of environmental leadership on toxic use reduction within the broader sustainability lens of improving the full life cycle impacts of products. It is our goal to use this information to leverage these changes across the entire electronics sector.”

The following seven companies featured in this report demonstrate best industry practices and provide critical guidance for the development of environmentally robust and sound industrywide standards and policies.

Apple (US) – Apple established an innovative program that restricts the use of nearly all bromine and chlorine compounds across all their product lines. As such, Apple now offers a wide range of PVC and BFR free consumer products including iPhones and iPods, as well as computers that are free of BFRs and most uses of PVC.

Sony Ericsson (UK)– Sony Ericsson is not only removing substances of concern from their products, but also taking on the complicated task of establishing full chemical inventories for all their product lines. The company’s products are now 99.9% BFR free and will have no PVC components by the end of 2009.

Seagate (US)– The largest disk drive manufacturer in the world is now creating new disk drives that no longer use chlorine- and bromine-based chemistries. This success was largely facilitated by the company’s full material disclosure system.

DSM Engineering Plastics (Netherlands) – This major plastic material manufacturer is among the first to offer a complete portfolio of engineering plastics that are free of bromine and chlorine. They developed and produced a new high temperature polyamide 4T polymer with bromine free grades for connectors and sockets as well as a thermoplastic co-polyester that can be used as a replacement for PVC-based wire and cables.

Nan Ya (Taiwan) and Indium (US) – Nan Ya, a major laminate manufacturer, and Indium, a highend manufacturer of solder paste and flux, both overcame major technical challenges to produce bromine- and chlorine-free components for printed circuit boards that met the same reliability standards of their halogenated counter parts.

Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. (US) – This semiconductor manufacturer was the first in the industry to supply Apple and others with bromine-free chips.

“Greening Consumer Electronics: Moving Away from Bromine and Chlorine” was written by Clean Production Action (CPA), a nonprofit based in the U.S. dedicated to providing strategic solutions for green chemicals, sustainable materials and environmentally preferable products; and the European-based ChemSec (The International Chemical Secretariat), a nonprofit working to highlight the urgent need to phase out hazardous substances and bridge the gap between science, business and policy-makers.

The report was produced independently by these two organizations and did not receive funding from any commercial entities.

The full report along with other background materials and photos can be found at www.cleanproduction.org.

Mr. Secretary-General:

AIDS-Free World is both exhilarated and watchful in the wake of this month’s resolution to create a new United Nations women’s agency.

You and your staff have been anticipating and preparing for this moment for almost three years. Your actions now will help determine the success or failure of this agency.

You have the opportunity to part ways with old, flawed UN systems, and usher in a new era of transparency, equity and effectiveness.

The leader of the women’s agency will either continue the UN tradition of declawed proclamations and halfbaked interventions concerning women’s issues, or she will galvanize the world by actually listening to women, and providing the wherewithal for real change.

The brave and correct way to identify the Under Secretary-General is to get rid of the entrenched, unwritten rules that now govern the process of selecting many (albeit not all) of the UN’s leaders. Governments, predominantly donor nations, lay claim to UN funds and programs, and proffer candidates behind closed doors for the Secretary-General’s consideration. These ways have never served women. We should not select our top international civil servants according to political expedience. The world would be shocked to learn that the UN, with all its talk about good governance, runs on a system of lobbying and patronage.

It is time to break the pattern. We strongly encourage you to ensure that both the selection process and the new Under Secretary-General meet some basic standards.

First and foremost, candidates must be selected through a global search and an open, fair, transparent process that pays particular attention to qualified candidates from developing countries. Preferential consideration should not be given to UN insiders. Women do not need a leader who has learned to accept the UN’s shortcomings and play by its unspoken rules. She must be frankly skeptical of calcified systems that do not serve half the world’s citizens. If there were women within the system with the capability to change it, they would have done so already.

The new Under Secretary-General must be able to conceptualize and transform the current pathetic mechanisms for gender mainstreaming throughout the UN system. Along with being a brilliant fundraiser and a creative strategist, she must be able to build an agency that can run programs and actually work, not just give advice, in every country on earth. She must have excellent connections with the global women’s movement.

With the right Under Secretary-General, you will be able to create, in the new agency, a powerful and effective global force that will affect all women everywhere. While we understand that the current UN entities dealing with women’s issues (the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, the Division for the Advancement of Women and the United Nations Development Fund for
Women) will be folded into the new agency, it must be much, much more than a cobbled together amalgam of second-tier entities.

Folding these four entities into the new agency should be simply the start of a process that builds a much more far-reaching organization. The new agency must exist to serve the world’s women, not to be a repository for UN staff who need to be placed into new jobs. It must be much more than a simple amalgamation.

The four existing entities had 221 million dollars as their combined 2008 budget. The new agency must have at least a billion dollars. It must be able to accomplish concrete tasks all over the world. Its programs and governance structures must draw upon the expertise of the global women’s movement. Without all these, it is doomed to failure.

Over the decades, while the United Nations failed in its stated duty to half the world’s population, women have accomplished incredible feats without UN support. From women in Africa working out innovative ways to care for the tens of millions left sick and orphaned by AIDS, to grandmothers in Argentina demanding international attention for their disappeared loved ones, they have shown inspired, creative leadership. But every gain has been hard won, and real equity, equality and parity are still distant goals. If the UN actually supports the women who have achieved so much against such odds, there is no limit to the possibilities.

We urge you to recognize that it is not just that the women of the world need the UN; the UN desperately needs the women of the world to resuscitate its legitimacy, and bring real change to its ossified systems. Under the leadership of a dynamic, objective and passionate Under Secretary-General, the women’s agency has the potential to completely transform the way the UN does business. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, this is your moment to begin this transformation.

Respectfully,

Paula Donovan and Stephen Lewis
Co-Directors, AIDS-Free World

Over the years, the nonprofit health clinic has earned a reputation as a safe, welcoming environment where uninsured women can access excellent health services. Since 1999, the Clinic has provided health care services to more than 20,000 women and trained over 500 health care volunteers. https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=676&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.womenscommunityclinic.org%2F

“As the Women’s Community Clinic approaches its 10th anniversary, we recognize an increased need in our community,” said Executive Director Carlina Hansen. “In times of economic uncertainty and rising health care costs, the Clinic is a critical safety net, allowing Bay Area women free access to the health care services and support they need.”

By leveraging the skills of volunteer clinicians and health workers, the Women’s Community Clinic keeps administrative costs low while providing the community with free, excellent health services. This volunteer-based model of care, the first of its kind in the Bay Area, provides $5 worth of services for every $1 donation the Clinic receives. 

In addition to providing high quality health care, the Women’s Community Clinic also prepares hundreds of women to enter the health care workforce. Over 60% of Clinic volunteers go on to careers in health related fields, taking with them the Clinic’s commitment to accessible health care.

“Being a client at the Women’s Community Clinic has empowered me to be proactive about taking care of my health,” said Katie Joy Alsup, an uninsured waitress who was so inspired by the quality of health care she received at the Clinic that she became a volunteer and is pursuing a degree in nursing.

In October, the Women’s Community Clinic will launch a year-long 10th anniversary celebration. Highlights include:

* Innovation–October 13, 2009. The Clinic will release its report “A Winning Volunteer Strategy: How to Leverage Your Most Under-utilized Resource,” which will offer insight into the Clinic’s successful volunteer-based model of care that trains the next generation of health care providers and reduces costs. For copies of the report, email media@womenscommunityclinic.org.

* Celebration–May 6, 2010. Save the date for the Clinic’s star-studded benefit, HYSTERIA 2010: Redefining Women’s Health. Past performers have included comedians Margaret Cho and Caroline Rhea.

* Expansion–Fall 2010. In response to urgent and increased demand for services, the Women’s Community Clinic has secured a larger, better-equipped facility near San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood. The new facility will allow the Clinic to expand services to current clients and triple the number of clients served.

About the Women’s Community Clinic
Since 1999, the Women’s Community Clinic has honored its mission to improve the health and well-being of women and girls by providing free women’s health services, outreach services, and health career training programs.

Contact: Lakiesah McGhee, 415.379.7802 x305, lakiesha(at)womenscommunityclinic.org

Palin has been a strong mining industry supporter and often did not treat salmon conservation efforts as a priority. Thus, her July 1 letter to British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell is a clear demonstration of the importance of the Taku watershed to Alaska. The Taku is Southeast Alaska's most productive salmon river and often one of the top five in the state, hosting up to two million salmon annually. These fish support 400 fishing jobs and provide over $7 million annually to the local economy, according to a 2004 report by the Juneau-based McDowell Group. Taku salmon also provide significant opportunities for sport, subsistence, and personal use fishing in the Juneau area.

> Click here to read the full editorial in the Alaska Dispatch.

> Click here to learn more about Tides project Rivers Without Borders.

The Himalayas, where there is little understanding of how carbon emissions effect their lives. Photograph: PR

Isabel Hilton (IH): How accurate are predictions of future climate impacts in the region?

Dipak Gyawali (DG): Here is a sense of confusion: the implications of what is happening seem more and more horrendous and some things are pretty certain. Beyond that, though, the models predict all kinds of things. The question of the Himalayas has not really begun to be addressed and the science has a very long way to go on precipitation and the social effects.

IH: How can science become more relevant to the region?

DG: The effects in different parts of the Himalaya and south Asia will be very different and it's not all about glaciers. The Maldives will be drowned; Sri Lanka may have more tsunamis and more intense storms; Bangladesh will have its own problems. They will not be impacted directly by the glaciers; the interest in the glaciers is that they are powerful indicators: they tell you clearly that something is wrong. It's like going to the doctor with a fever: you know you are sick. But we don't have the science to be able to make accurate predictions of impacts over a hugely diverse region. If you look at the last IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report, for instance, the whole of the Himalayas was a blank. People are already suffering but whether we can take any one instance as directly related to climate change is not certain.

Read the full interview on the Guardian's website.

For more on Tides project chinadialogue, see www.chinadialogue.net.

For Immediate Release: September 1st, 2009

Public interest groups support groundbreaking challenge to human gene patents

Center for Genetics and Society, Pro-Choice Alliance for Responsible Research, other organizations file brief backing lawsuit

Public interest, social justice, and women’s health advocates filed a "friend of the court" brief [PDF] in support of a groundbreaking lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and Public Patent Foundation challenging the constitutionality of human gene patents.

"Patents on genes and gene variations increase health disparities by denying women information about their own bodies," said Susan Berke Fogel, JD, of the Pro-Choice Alliance for Responsible Research. "Furthermore, genes are part of the common heritage of humanity – they carry information about our biological histories and link us to each other and to future generations. No one should own that which belongs to all of us."

Last week, the Center for Genetics and Society, the Pro-Choice Alliance for Responsible Research, Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, Generations Ahead, and the National Women’s Health Network filed an amicus brief in federal court in the Southern District of New York.

"A century of patent law prohibits patents on products and laws of nature," added Marcy Darnovsky, PhD, of the Center for Genetics and Society. "Genes are like new minerals found in the earth, plants growing in the wild, or the laws of gravity and relativity: They are phenomena of nature and cannot be patented."

Several major organizations, including the American Medical Association, the March of Dimes, and the American Society for Human Genetics, have also filed supporting briefs.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation filed the lawsuit in May on behalf of Breast Cancer Action, Our Bodies Ourselves, individual women and breast cancer patients, genetic counselors, four scientific organizations representing more than 150,000 researchers and laboratory professionals, and individual researchers. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of gene patents, in general, and those granted to Myriad Genetics, specifically. These patents give the company exclusive control of two genes which are associated with increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

For more information:

• The amicus brief of the Center for Genetics and Society et al [PDF]
• ACLU's page on its challenge to patents on breast cancer genes

The Center for Genetics and Society is a non-profit public affairs and policy advocacy organization working to encourage responsible uses and effective societal governance of human genetic and reproductive biotechnologies.

The Pro-Choice Alliance for Responsible Research is a coalition of reproductive rights and justice advocates, bioethicists, academics, and community leaders working together to promote accountability, safety and social justice in bio-medical research from a women’s rights perspective. 

SAN FRANCISCO — September 1, 2009 — Tides (www.tides.org) has awarded a total of $22,500 to the 2009 recipients of the JBL Awards for Excellence in Public Advocacy. Tides' JBL Awards honor policy activists and advocates by recognizing work that demonstrates innovative approaches to social change and a deep commitment to the public interest.

This year's three JBL Awards recipients — Jose Artemio Arreola, Salvador Reza, and Angelica Salas — have tirelessly advocated and organized for comprehensive immigration reform, worked to counter anti-immigrant policies and groups, and helped grassroots voices shape and influence the immigration debate at the national level. They are being honored with awards of $7,500 each on Monday, September 7 at Tides' Momentum 2009 Leadership Conference at the W Hotel in San Francisco.

Tides is further spotlighting immigration issues at its Momentum conference, with National Immigration Forum Executive Director Ali Noorani presenting on immigration reform as part of Momentum's "Rights" plenary on Wednesday, September 9 at 9:30am.
"Our immigration system is still in dire need of reform and continues to violate rights and perpetrate injustice. Fortunately, activist leaders like Jose Artemio Arreola, Salvador Reza, and Angelica Salas are working tirelessly to advance just, meaningful and comprehensive reform," said Drummond Pike, CEO and founder, Tides. "Tides is proud to honor them with this year's JBL Awards and to support their efforts."

The 2009 JBL Award Winners are:

• Jose Artemio Arreola — a community leader and labor activist, Arreola currently manages the "Reform Immigration for America" campaign in Illinois and is Political Director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. A founders of the Federation of Michoacán's Clubs in Illinois, and of Casa Michoacán, he was also the co-founder and main organizer of the March 10th Movement that brought more than 500,000 people to the streets of Chicago for the historic immigration demonstration and he supported efforts to organize the largest immigration rally in Los Angeles's history on March 25, 2006. Arreola also helped to re-establish May Day as a workers day by organizing marches in more than 100 cities across the U.S and, as a union labor activist at Service Employees International Union (SEIU), has participated in numerous labor contracts negotiations.

• Salvador Reza — coordinator of Tonatierra Macehualli Day Labor Project, Reza works closely with migratory workers and their families on the human rights issues of employment, entrepreneurship and education. Working with the National Day Labor Organizing Project, Reza was instrumental in bringing about the investigation of human rights violations committed by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his deputies. The campaign culminated in a congressional hearing and an ongoing investigation by the Justice Department on racial profiling and civil rights violations by Sheriff Arpaio. Reza presented testimony on the abuses to the UN Committee to Eliminate Racial Discrimination in Geneva in 2008 and also helped found Centro Macehualli, a nationally recognized day labor center managed by the laborers. He also supported taco venders in Phoenix to create Union Pochteca and negotiate sucsessfully with the city to protect their right to work. Reza teaches ESL classes at Tonatierra and is a weekly columnist for Prensa Hispana. He has received numerous local and national commendations including the Ford Foundation Leadership for a Changing World Award.

• Angelica Salas — Angelica Salas is the executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a membership organization of immigrant rights organizations, low wage immigrant workers and immigrant youth. She is a national leader fighting for legalization with a path to citizenship, family reunification, and the protection of civil and labor rights. She is also a founding member of the Fair Immigrant Rights Movement and Reform Immigration for America Campaign. She has played a leadership role in the formation of statewide and local multi-sector coalitions working on immigration issues and workers rights.  Among her accomplishments, Angelica helped win in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students and established day laborer job centers that have served as a model for the entire country. She also led the effort to allow all California drivers to obtain licenses and is a leading spokesperson on federal immigration policy. Salas was also a speaker at Tides' Momentum 2008 Conference and the video of her presentation, can be viewed at: http://www.momentumconference.org/speaker-presentation/speaker/angelica-salas/presentation/fighting-for-immigration-reform.

This year marks the 19th anniversary of the JBL Awards which are named after Jane Bagley Lehman, one of the founders of Tides and Chair of the Tides Board until her death in 1988. An unconventional philanthropist, her insatiable curiosity was matched by a willingness to take risks. Jane was most intrigued by the approaches and strategies of advocates and organizers and their willingness to challenge traditional assumptions. She also cared deeply that the results of these efforts be translated into the broader area of public policy.

• More information about the JBL Awards is at: www.tidesfoundation.org/jblawards
• More information about Momentum is at: www.momentumconference.org

###

About Tides
Tides actively promotes change toward broadly shared economic opportunity, robust democratic processes and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected. Tides is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 and provides an array of services that amplifies the efforts of forward-thinking philanthropists, foundations, activists and organizations to make the world a better place. Tides Foundation, Tides Center and Tides Shared Spaces have collaborated with over 15,000 individuals and organizations that have touched millions of lives across the country and around the globe. With offices in San Francisco and New York City, Tides provides fiscal sponsorship for over 200 groups across the country, operates and supports green nonprofit centers and has granted more than $108 million in 2008 alone. For more information, visit www.tides.org.

Contact:

Deborah Schneider
PR & Company
415.277.6973
dschneider(at)prandcompany.com 

Christine Coleman
Tides
415-561-6354
ccoleman(at)tides.org

Healthcare IT News

SACRAMENTO, CA – A study that focuses on healthcare information technology and its effect on children's health has found that children have unique needs that aren't taken into account as the pace of technology accelerates.

"Children have many unique needs to be considered in developing technology-enabled innovations for improving their health," the report states. "Children have different health needs, are often served by different caregivers and in different care settings, and in some cases require HIT with different functionality than adults."

"Technology-Enabled Innovations for Improving Children's Health" is a joint project of the Health Technology Center and The Children's Partnership, two California-based nonprofit research organizations.

While there is broad recognition that information and communications technology (ICT) would help improve care and the pace of adoption is accelerating, there has been little focus on the use of ICT to improve healthcare for and the health of America's 73 million children, the authors of the report note.

By ignoring the unique requirements of children, technologies that offer promise to improve children's health are being underused, according to the study, and underserved children who stand to gain the most from these new advances are least likely to receive their benefits. Also, electronic tools developed primarily for adult populations lack the functionality necessary to support pediatric care, and the pediatric health system is not optimizing long-term health and financial returns on investments in ICT.

As California develops its ICT infrastructure as well as strategies for implementing the HIT/HIE provisions of the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), the study listed recommendations that state policy leaders could take to ensure that these efforts support the state's health system, which serves some 10 million children.

1. Develop a comprehensive strategic plan that specifically contemplates children's needs.
2. Prioritize ICT solutions of particular, though not exclusive, relevance to children.
3. Clarify standards for information-sharing and privacy protection for children and families.
4. Consider complementary policy changes.

"It is important to note that while these recommendations highlight the particular benefits for children, many of these policies would also benefit other populations, particularly those that are underserved," the report noted.

For the study, The Health Technology Center (HealthTech) and The Children's Partnership (TCP) conducted a literature review and interviewed approximately 115 experts on the major health challenges for children, health policy and healthcare delivery system changes that would support better child health outcomes.

In 2008, the Chinese government launched "village appliance" schemes nationwide, with subsidies used to increase sales of televisions, refrigerators, washing machines and mobile phones in rural areas. Another two billion yuan (nearly US$300 million) was invested in 2009 in a "new-for-old" policy that will see individuals and businesses sell old appliances back to the state and receive a 10% subsidy on new purchases. Besides this, the automobile market is benefiting from subsidies and tax breaks, and many cities have handed out shopping vouchers to local people.

The export-oriented economy has been hard-hit by the economic turmoil, increasing the government's determination to make the domestic market the engine of growth. "Increase domestic demand, maintain growth" is seen as the secret to guiding the economy through hard times. But there are dangers hidden in this strategy, and there will be considerable environmental consequences if a long-term approach is not taken.

First, there is the issue of reusing resources. In China, it is not just rubbish that gets buried in landfill; many materials that could be reused also end up there. And once products have been used, they are treated as rubbish and thrown away. Any recycling that takes place is often the result of scrap collectors sifting through rubbish for the more valuable items; the rest goes to scrap or compost.

Increasing amounts of rubbish mean that many cities – including Beijing – are at risk of being surrounded by landfill sites and are turning to power-generating incinerator plants. This is controversial, with environmental bodies saying China should be sorting and recycling its rubbish. But China does not have a system for sorting rubbish.

When explaining the "new-for-old" policy, a National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) spokesperson said that it would see five million appliances replaced, while 90 million of the types of appliances mentioned above would be discarded annually. But the pervasive presence of scrap collectors throughout China's cities demonstrates that standardised collection and disassembly companies are not yet common. The sector is dominated by small, informal traders, and the environmental consequences of this already have already been covered in our earlier article "Low-carbon living begins at work".

The authorities released guidance alongside the "village appliances" and "new-for-old" policies, but with the recycling sector just getting started, it is unclear if the measures will be effective and if they will reach out into the rural areas.

In February, the State Council issued Regulations on Recovery Processing of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products, setting out the direction for the sector. But this only comes into effect in 2011. Until then, those small scrap merchants will be the main channel for recycling. They will purchase discarded appliances and then sell them on to companies unable to process them properly or to small, unregistered workshops.

The inadequate processing of waste doesn't just create pollution; it's also the cause of significant waste. According to the same State Council spokesperson, the new-for-old policy would see 2.3 million tonnes of resources collected for reuse. But without systems in place, much of that will be treated as garbage.

Another risk is the inflation of consumer expectations. A special feature on a well-known Chinese website, 21cn.com, recently described white-collar workers as the killers of the environment. The white-collar lifestyle involves high levels of consumption, and consumption is the natural enemy of the environment. In a poll on the website, the vast majority of those surveyed said that it is everyone's duty to protect the environment.

But despite these views, what actually happens is different. From July 1, hotels in the city of Changsha were no longer supplying items such as disposable toothbrushes and single-use tubes of toothpaste for free; they will be charged for. A survey on People.com.cn found 77% of respondents opposed the move, complaining of inconvenience.

These two surveys demonstrate the clash between ideas of consumption and environmental protection. Environmental awareness was non-existent three decades ago. Today, the environment is often the focus of public debate. But the Chinese seem to be becoming ever more like the Americans they so often point fingers at – happy to protect the environment, as long as they don't need to change their lifestyles.

The "3R" principles of waste-management strategy are "reduce" (to minimise energy and resource use), "reuse" (to use an item more than once), and "recycle" (to process used items into new products). Reduction and recycling have been put into political and economic practice, but reuse -- the concept at the heart of the circular economy – has been given the cold shoulder. Most consumers seem to have left environmental matters to environmental groups. As long as they can afford to, they'll consume as much as possible that is new.

China is placing more emphasis on its domestic market, with a range of methods applied to increase consumption and boost the economy, thereby making consumption seem ever more natural. With both the government and the market calling for greater spending, will China's potential consumption be realised?

The Chinese did not use to be heavy consumers, either because they did not have the funds or the lack of a welfare system meant they saved their money for a rainy day. But 30 years of economic growth have given us ample material desires – a lifestyle of keeping up with the rich, keeping up with the Americans, has taken root. As soon as we are able to consume, we do so – no less than the citizens of developed nations do. Economic growth may be maintained, but as the environmentalists warn, we may need another two Earths to meet the new US-style consumption of the Chinese nation.

Huo Weiya is operations and development manager for Tides project chinadialogue in Beijing and former editor-in-chief of Environmental Culture Newsletter.

HuffingtonPost.com

August 13, 2009 - As Congress debates Health Care Reform, the stimulus package starts showing signs of positive impact, and the war on Afghanistan intensifies, what is the right wing media up to? First of all, they're keeping the debate alive over the legitimacy of President Obama's birth certificate. Second, they're intensifying their attacks on the nonprofit organizations working on climate change, economic justice and other causes they deem "radical." These attacks are no longer the sphere of the right wing blogosphere; they're going mainstream, not surprisingly starting with FOX, but seeping into other media outlets including CNN.

The dissemination of conservative misinformation is certainly not a new thing. It's a great tactic because it works -- people really do believe things like 'Health Care Reform will get rid of Medicare,' 'obesity is not a problem in America,' and 'Obama is destroying America on purpose.' Democrats are in power for the first time in over 30 years and FOX is responding by doing its best to air the most fringe, radical, and oftentimes hateful rhetoric heard anywhere on the right.

Now, in the age of Obama, many progressive organizations find themselves as regular targets on the most watched news program in the nation. Glenn Beck of FOX News likes to illustrate a "tree" of linkages across organizations working on the left -- think tanks, funders, organizing and advocacy groups, communications strategists -- all working to bring down America, with Obama himself controlling the strings.

If only the left were so well coordinated.

Over the years, Tides has often been subjected to the rants, half-truths and lunatic assertions of the right wing. Beck has added Tides to his list of "extreme" left wing groups who are contributing to the "socialization" of America. And, he has more deeply attacked some of our most successful and impactful projects. According to Beck, the Apollo Alliance's efforts to generate green jobs for a green economy are just short of Stalinist. And FOX News says that Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff, the viral video that Tides helped incubate, is "teaching our children to hate and fear prosperity."

As progressive ideas like green jobs become mainstream, the right is clearly threatened. Their falsehoods and perception warping is intensifying. So what do we do? Basking in our infamy can be fun, but it's time for the vast left wing conspiracy to link arms, step into our power and fight back. There's been a significant change in our ability to influence the public agenda, and just because we are in power, doesn't mean that our work hasn't diminished. In fact, we all need to pick it up several notches to reverse the erosion of rights that has gone on for the past 30 years. The Momentum community is addressing how individual issues can be transformed from hot buttons to powerful rallying points for larger movements, and we encourage progressives to join us. There is no room for complacency now.

###

Khatami’s address marked a stunning departure from the anti-Americanism that had fueled the Iranian revolution. A scholar of The Enlightenment, he praised Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America,’’ which “reflects the virtuous and human side of this American civilization. In [Tocqueville’s] view, the significance of this civilization is in the fact that liberty found religion as a cradle for its growth, and religion found protection of liberty as its divine calling. Therefore, liberty and faith never clashed.’’

By insisting on the compatibility of religion and liberty in America, Khatami laid a philosophical foundation for bridging the political divide between Iran and the United States. He did not vilify the United States as the “Great Satan.’’ Instead he held the United States as a model for emulation - a democratic civilization whose success reflected the ingenious combination of the principles of religion and the virtues of liberty.
The promise of hope abounded. Like the mythical Persian Phoenix, Khatami and the reformists carried many dreams on their wings.

> Read the full article on the Boston Globe's website

Eric Schwartz and Nancy Soderberg first met decades ago when they both worked on Capitol Hill, he for Rep. Stephen J. Solarz and she for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Their careers have taken similar paths since. The two did stints at the United Nations and served on the National Security Council under President Clinton.

Now Mr. Schwartz has recruited Ms. Soderberg to succeed him this month as head of the Connect U.S. Fund, an alliance of foundations working to promote a foreign-policy agenda characterized by international cooperation and progressive ideas.

> Click here to read the full article on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's website (subscription required).

For more information on Tides project Connect U.S. Fund, see www.connectusfund.org.

Written by Patricia Gay

High School Musical star Corbin Bleu hosted the Do Something Awards, honoring five young adults, including David Burstein of Weston.

Weston filmmaker David Burstein was presented with a 2009 Do Something Award and a $10,000 prize for his documentary film 18 in ’08.

The award was presented at a star-studded ceremony at New York’s Apollo Theater, and included celebrities Usher, Akon, and Amber Tamblyn. It was hosted by Corbin Bleu, star of High School Musical.

Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons presented Mr. Burstein with his award. “I feel fantastic about winning a Do Something Award,” said Mr. Burstein after the ceremony. “To have someone say your project is awesome and put money behind it as well is really cool.”

Mr. Burstein will use the $10,000 prize for his non-profit organization, 18 in ’08, which produced the documentary of the same name. The film features Mr. Burstein in interviews with national political leaders and encourages young people to register to vote in the 2008 presidential election.

During the campaign season, Mr. Burstein brought the film to college campuses across America and registered upwards of 25,000 new voters between the ages of 18 and 22.

“Even though the election is over, I still want to get young people involved in the political process, not just at election time,” Mr. Burstein said.

He will use the award to improve his Web site, www.18in08.com, and hold interactive online town meetings to bring young voters closer in touch with their elected officials.

In addition to the cash prize, Mr. Burstein was also awarded several mini slip cameras, which will be useful for filmmaking.

Mr. Burstein, 20, is a graduate of Weston High School, and was one of the directors of the Westport Youth Film Festival. He lives on Langner Lane with his parents Dan Burstein, a pop culture writer, and Julie O’Connor, photographer and author of the book, Doors of Weston.

Mr. Burstein attended Haverford College for one year, and has transferred to New York University, where starting this fall he will work on an independent major, combining film, media and politics.

“New York is one of my favorite cities and NYU is a great school with a lot of resources that will help expand my learning,” Mr. Burstein said.

He is also in the process of writing a book about the millennial generation and how it is changing the way society works as a result of new media and technology.

he Do Something Awards are given annually by the Do Something Foundation, a non-profit group that was founded by actor Andrew Shue while he was on the TV show Melrose Place.

The organization encourages young people to volunteer their time and work on meaningful, world-changing projects.

Mr. Burstein and four other young adults received the 2009 Do Something awards, while a grand prize winner was chosen from the finalists in an Internet Web poll.

Maggie Doyne, 22, of Mendham, N.J., received the grand prize of $100,000. While on a backpacking trip to Asia, Ms. Doyne decided to use her life savings to buy an acre of land in Nepal, where she built a children’s orphanage. She currently cares for 25 kids and has helped find families for 700 orphans. Her next plan is to build them a school.

Other award recipients include Marvelyn Brown, 24, of Nashville, Tenn., who contracted the HIV virus from her boyfriend, and now gives talks and lectures at schools to urge teens to protect themselves and get tested.

Eric Glustrom, 24, of Boulder, Colo., founded Educate!, a program to train community leaders in Africa.

Darius Weems, 19, of Athens, Ga., was born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disorder that claimed the life of his older brother. He has raised almost $2 million for DMD research, and traveled over 100,000 miles educating others.

“It was wonderful being recognized with the other finalists who have given so much of themselves for their projects. I especially congratulate Maggie Doyne for her work with orphans. She is doing something very good and concrete for people,” Mr. Burstein said.

Ms. Soderberg currently serves as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of N. Florida in Jacksonville. From 2001-2005, Ms. Soderberg ran the New York office of the International Crisis Group as Vice President.   From 1997 to 2001, Ms. Soderberg served as Alternate Representative to the United Nations as a Presidential Appointee, with the rank of Ambassador.  From 1993-97, Ms. Soderberg served as the third ranking official of the National Security Council at the White House, as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

Ms. Soderberg publishes and speaks regularly on national security policy. Her second book, The Prosperity Agenda What the World Wants from America--and What We Need in Return, written with Brian Katulis and published in 2008, argues for American leadership in tackling the world's challenges in exchange for the world assisting us with our threat. Her 2005 book, The Superpower Myth, analyzes the use of force and diplomacy over the last decade. She is a regular commentator on national and international television and radio, including NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, BBC, Fox, National Public Radio, the Lehrer News Hour, CNN Crossfire, and The Daily Show. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, She also served as President of the Sister Cities Program of the City of New York from 2002-2006 and has been an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. In 1984, she received a Masters of Science Degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, concentrating on international economics and political risk analysis. She received her Bachelor of Arts in 1980 from Vanderbilt University. She speaks fluent French.

The Connect U.S. Fund promotes responsible U.S. global engagement in an increasingly interdependent world through grantmaking and operations that advance critical foreign policy objectives and support an effective, collaborative community of individuals and organizations working toward common objectives.  It is a foundation/NGO initiative led by a professional staff and supported by a donors' collaborative which presently includes the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Open Society Institute, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Ploughshares Fund, with a grantmaking fund managed by the Tides Foundation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2009

CONTACT:
Rachel Myers, ACLU, (212) 549-2689 or 2666; media(at)aclu.org
Aadika Singh, RWG, (202) 296-2300 x 139; asingh(at)rightsworkinggroup.org

NEW YORK - Widespread racial profiling by law enforcement agents as a result of Bush-era policies remains a pervasive problem throughout the United States, according to a report out today by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Rights Working Group (RWG). Government policies are a major cause of the disproportionate stopping and searching of racial minorities by law enforcement agencies, according to the report, which was submitted today to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

"Racial profiling remains a widespread and pervasive problem throughout the U.S., impacting the lives of millions of people in the African American, Asian, Latino, South Asian, Arab and Muslim communities," said Chandra Bhatnagar, staff attorney with the ACLU Human Rights Program and the main author of the report. "The U.S. government must take urgent, direct action to rid the nation of the scourge of racial and ethnic profiling and bring this country into conformity with both the Constitution and international human rights obligations."

Today's report came in response to a last-minute Bush administration submission to CERD in January 2009 that was plagued by omissions, deficiencies and mischaracterizations. In both its initial report to CERD in April 2007 and the follow-up submission in January, the Bush administration relied on the Justice Department's 2003 "Guidance Regarding the Use of Race by Federal Law Enforcement Agents" to support claims the government was taking steps to eliminate racial profiling. However, that document doesn't cover profiling based on religion or national origin, doesn't apply to state or local law enforcement agencies and doesn't include any mechanisms for enforcement or punishment for violating the recommendations. It also contains a blanket exception to the recommendations in cases of "national security" or "border integrity."

As a result of U.S. reliance on the vague Justice Department guidance and other Bush policies, people of color have been disproportionately victimized through various government initiatives including FBI surveillance and questioning, special registration programs, border stops, immigration enforcement programs and the creation of "no fly lists," according to today's report.

"Instead of curbing racial profiling, the overbroad national security and border integrity exceptions in the Justice Department guidance have actually promoted profiling and created justification for state and local law enforcement agents to racially profile those who are or appear to be Arab, Muslim, South Asian or Latino," said Margaret Huang, Executive Director of RWG. "We hope the Obama administration will fix the failed policies of the Bush administration and live up to its commitment to end racial profiling in the United States."

Recently, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that ending racial profiling is a "priority" for the Obama administration and that profiling is "simply not good law enforcement." Today's report from the ACLU and RWG calls on the Obama administration to fix Bush administration policies that led to pervasive racial profiling. It also calls on Congress to pass the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA), which would compel all law enforcement agencies to bar racial profiling, create and apply profiling procedures and document data on stop, search and arrest activities by race.

CERD is expected to consider the U.S. government's follow up submission, the submission of the ACLU and RWG and the submissions of other civil and human rights organizations in its August session. CERD will then issue recommendations to the U.S. government regarding its human rights obligations under the treaty.

CERD is an independent group of experts that oversees compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, a treaty signed and ratified by the U.S. in 1994. All levels of U.S. government are required to comply with the treaty's provisions, which require countries to review national, state and local policies and to amend or repeal laws and regulations that create or perpetuate racial discrimination.

The ACLU and RWG's report to CERD is available online at: www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/racialjustice/40055pub20090629.html

The Bush administration's final submission to CERD is at: www.state.gov/documents/organization/113905.pdf

This week, groundWork, [1] together with Global Community Monitor (GCM) [2] in San Francisco, the United States, and Community Environmental Monitoring [3] in Cuddalore, India will be training and launching a series of dust sampling methods that community people can use to assess what metals and fractions (PM10 and PM2.5) are present in the dust that people are breathing in mining and heavy industrialized areas.

For the first time communities living in South Africa’s air pollution hotspots across the country will now be able to test the air for heavy metals and dust particles.

This is building on the successful Bucket Brigade community based air pollution monitoring system that was introduced into South Africa in 2000 by groundWork, GCM’s Executive Director, Denny Larson, and the South African Exchange Programme on Environmental Justice [4]. This enabled communities to test for a wide variety of volatile organic compounds such as benzene as well as sulphurs. The bucket brigade samples taken throughout South Africa resulted in a series of successes namely the new National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act of 2004, and south Durban Multi Point Plan, and the recently launched Cancer Surveillance Study for south Durban, and the recognition and admittance by industry and government that these dangerous toxic chemicals are present in community air.

For a number of years, groundWork has motivated for government to monitor for mercury which is a by-product of coal incineration processes. Although this is happening in eThekwini and in the Highveld Priority Area, much more needs to be done at other pollution hotspots nationally. The monitoring equipment will therefore, detect metals such as mercury, vanadium, manganese and chrome, that is released from platinum, coal and iron mining and steel smelting facilities. This information will be able to assist communities to better understand the toxins they are exposed to and to be able to motivate government to set in place stringent legislation and enforcement mechanisms.

On the 22nd and and 23rd of June, groundWork is facilitating a community training on metals and particulate matter detection. The trainers are Denny Larson of Bucket Brigade fame from GCM, and Shweta Narayan, an air pollution activist Cuddalore, India. Community representatives from south Durban, Rustenburg, Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg, Sasolburg, Steel Valley and Boipatong in the Vaal Triangle, and Middleburg will be attending.

Samples for heavy metals have been taken in the Vaal, Rustenburg, Middleburg and Newcastle. Results are expected during the week of training. Community meetings will be held in all these areas to report back on findings, and plan a strategy for action.

Siziwe Khanyile, Air Quality Campaign Manager for groundWork:
“In the debate between government, industry and community to develop emission standards for industry, the metal sintering industry wants to avoid having to adhere to emissions standards on metals. groundWork hopes that this process will prove to government that South Africa urgently needs ambient air quality and industrial emissions standards for metals and PM 2.5.”

Denny Larson, Executive Director of GCM:

“Wherever I have visited globally I see people suffering from being exposed to metals and dust fractions from heavy industry and mining. They are always called to prove that their illnesses are as a result of industrial activity. GCM will assist South African communities to prove these impacts are a fact and not a perception.”

Shweta Narayan of Community Environmental Monitoring:
“In India and Africa, and the global South in general, industry acts with impunity and knowingly encourages industrial practices that will not be allowed in the global North. The work this week will build on the South–South solidarity that was started with groundWork and the South African community visit to India, and Cuddalore in particular, in December 2009.”

End:

For more information:
Siziwe Khanyile, groundWork, Friends of the Earth, South Africa
073 830 8173

Denny Larson, Global Community Monitor, Unites States
071 2998506

Footnotes:

[1] www.groundwork.org.za
[2] http://www.gcmonitor.org
[3] http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com
[4] The South African Exchange Programme on Environmental Justice in now groundWork US http://www.groundwork-usa.org

Contact: Randy Jayne Rosenberg 510-451-6610 or Randy(at)ArtWorksForChange.org

“Off the Beaten Path” Opens in Norway before Touring Globally

OAKLAND, Calif. — A new international exhibition of contemporary art brings together artists from around the world to explore the many dimensions of gender-based violence. In “Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women, and Art,” set to open June 20 at the Stenersen Museum in Oslo, Norway, 32 well-respected artists from 25 countries create new stories through their artwork addressing gender-based violence from a global perspective.

“Throughout the world, women and girls are victims of countless and senseless acts of violence. The range of gender-based violence is devastating, occurring, quite literally, from womb to tomb,” explains Randy Jayne Rosenberg, executive director of the nonprofit group Art Works for Change and the show’s curator. “The stories that underlie these artworks return us imaginatively to the event of violation and allow it to affect us.”

Premised on the visionary potential in art, the exhibition avoids tabloid and sensational imagery. The invited artists were asked “to help us create a new representations through their artworks and, in doing so, help us feel and understand the essence of the problem of violence against women,” says Rosenberg. The goal of the exhibition is to help create a new conversation on the full spectrum of issues that surround this important topic. Within the context of the exhibition Art Works For Change explores various definitions of violence against women and girls as it relates to the themes of: Violence and the Individual; Violence and the Family; Violence and the Community; Violence and Culture; Violence and Politics. They hope the audience leaves the exhibition with a better understanding of the roots of abuse, a feeling of empathy, and an awareness of choice in their actions and beliefs. These problems, though widespread, are often invisible, says Rosenberg. “When we encounter violence against women, we often overlook the facts and experience a sort of blindness. We choose not to see the devastation of domestic violence, calling it ‘a family affair’. Honor-killings of women in faraway regions of the world become nothing more than a ‘cultural difference’. We find it hard to believe that sex trafficking and exploitation occur in our cities, close to home. The rape and torture of women during armed conflict is the inevitable ‘messiness of war’. As such, the political and systemic sources of violence are often underestimated or overlooked.” To promote social change, Art Works For Change and its exhibitions serves as a catalyst within the community. Through its partnerships with museums, galleries, and advocacy and educational organizations, Art Works For Change provides a forum for which local education and outreach can take place within each host city the exhibition travels. Organizational partners for “Off the Beaten Path” include Amnesty International; Art for Amnesty; CounterQuo.org; Global Fund for Women; International Rescue Committee; the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and The Voices and Faces Project. Participating artists include Marina Abramovic; Jane Alexander; Laylah Ali; Louise Bourgeois; Lise Byjorne; Maria Campos-Pons; Patricia Evans; Luciana Fina; Maimuna Galgano; Mona Hatoum; Icelandic Love Corp; Yoko Inoue; Kim Myung Jin; Jung Jungyeob; Amal Kenawy; Hung Liu; Almagul Menlibayeva; Gabriela Morawetz; Wangechi Mutu; Miri Nishri; Yoko Ono; Lucy Orta; Cecilia Paredes; Susan Plum; Jaune Quick-to-See Smith; Joyce J. Scott; Eve Sussman; Masami Teraoka; Hank Willis Thomas; Miwa Yanagi “Off the Beaten Path” will run through August 9, 2009, before touring to other cities. For more information, visit www.ArtWorksForChange.org.

# # #

About Art Works for Change
Art Works for Change produces contemporary art exhibitions to address social and environmental. It uses the power of art as a vehicle to promote dialogue and awareness, and to inspire action and thought. Art Works for Change operates under the fiscal umbrella of the Tides Center, a tax-exempt organization.

“This initiative is the first of its kind,” says Byron Kennard, Executive Director of CSBE. “In the last five recessions, small businesses have led recoveries by creating a flurry of new jobs and innovations. Small Wonders demonstrates how small businesses will once again lead the nation’s recovery by creating green jobs and clean energy innovations, leading to a green entrepreneurial boom.”

The Small Wonders initiative highlights the widespread and proliferating phenomenon that is known as green small business. The initiative includes an extensive report that calls on the Administration to mobilize the growing power of green entrepreneurship by supporting the emerging clean energy economy and thereby helping to jumpstart the nation’s economic recovery.

The Small Wonders website (www.smallwondersreport.org) features profiles of small green businesses, acts as a portal for professional and social networking among green entrepreneurs, and provides myriad resources for small-business owners to help green their existing operations.

“At a time when the nation’s economic crisis is forcing us to rethink outdated and wasteful ways of doing business, small green businesses are a fertile ground for innovation and a vital laboratory for new entrepreneurial ideas,” says Elaine Pofeldt, co-author of the report and an independent journalist who writes for national publications about small business. “While not all businesses that foster energy efficiency are profitable, the most successful ones are developing smart strategies for combining green practices with profitability. Their creative approaches can be useful to people in every field, from innovators within big corporations and government to one-person, home-based consultancies.”

The Small Wonders initiative aims to pull the phenomenon of small green businesses out from the shadows and cast them into the limelight as agents of economic, cultural, and political change.

Please visit SmallWondersReport.Org for more information and to download an executive summary of the Small Wonders report. The complete Small Wonders report can be downloaded on June 10, 2009 when CSBE will brief the White House on the findings of the report.

The Center for Small Business and the Environment (CSBE), a small non-profit organization, promotes the concept of green entrepreneurship. CSBE contends that this new and emerging category of business operates in the public – and the planets – interest. CSBE also strives to facilitate the greening of small businesses through increased energy efficiency, expanded use of renewable energy technologies, and other ecologically sound business practices. CSBE is a project of the Tides Center.

Company: Center for Small Business and the Environment (CSBE)

Contact Name: Kristin Gomez

Company URL: smallwondersreport.list-manage.com/track/click

Citing the research from six countries, ITPC and AIDS-Free World made a strong case that governments and UN agencies have failed to meet their commitment to reduce HIV infection in newborns. In the discussion that followed, almost everyone in the room acknowledged the failure, and Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS issued a call to action to significantly improve delivery of prevention of vertical transmission as a critical step on the road to universal access. "We welcome the personal commitment made by Mr. Sidibe to ensure that the rhetoric to place women at the center of the AIDS response is matched by specific programs and increased budgets. ITPC will continue to monitor governments and UN agencies as they deliver on the goal of universal access," said Aditi Sharma, coordinator of the ITPC report.

Speaking on a media conference call after the meeting, Stephen Lewis, co-director of AIDS-Free World, who co-authored the report's preface, said, "There was tremendous excitement when the idea of preventing vertical transmission was originally put forth, but it has been a matter of some dismay and bewilderment watching the chronicle of lamentable failure ever since. The twin principles which prevention of vertical transmission were meant to embody were universal access on the one hand and gender equality on the other, and both have been vetoed by what has happened -- by the program itself."

ITPC's seventh Missing the Target report presents on-the-ground research conducted by civil society activists in Argentina, Cambodia, Moldova, Morocco, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The report's researchers highlighted some of the key findings about the provision of prevention of vertical transmission in each of their countries.

"Women alone bear the weight of PMTCT and the result of a possible positive HIV test," said Othoman Mellouk, from Morocco.

"Many pregnant women, especially those who live in isolated or poor communities, visit a clinic for the first time late in their terms, and may not be tested for HIV or receive information about prevention of vertical transmission," said Lorena Di Giano, from Argentina.

"PMTCT is reaching only a handful of Cambodian women and their babies. Only about one in ten HIV-positive mothers and their babies receive antiretroviral drugs to prevent vertical transmission," said Kem Ley, from Cambodia.

"In Uganda, many HIV-positive mothers are forced by stigma, poverty or cultural pressures to practice risky mixed-feeding, rather than exclusive breast-feeding, which is safer for their babies," said Richard Hasunira, from Uganda.

"HIV-positive women in Moldova who disclose their status and seek treatment and care for themselves and their babies often face stigma and discrimination. They may also face discrimination and violence from their families," said Liudmila Untura, from Moldova.

"Many women in Zimbabwe lack the hard currency needed to pay transportation and hospital costs, so more and more of them are delivering their babies at home without expert health care and access to prevention of vertical transmission services," said Caroline Mubaira, from Zimbabwe.

The report, published by the Treatment Monitoring and Advocacy Project (TMAP) of ITPC, is based on research conducted in the six countries between November 2008 and January 2009. The full report is available at: www.aidstreatmentaccess.org and www.itpcglobal.org

About the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition: The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is a worldwide coalition of people living with HIV and their supporters and advocates that uses a community-driven approach to achieve universal access to treatment, prevention, and all health care services for people living with HIV and those at-risk. The Treatment Monitoring & Advocacy Project (TMAP) of ITPC publishes the Missing the Target series that identifies barriers to delivery of AIDS services and holds national governments and global institutions accountable for improved efforts. All reports are available at: www.aidstreatmentaccess.org and www.itpcglobal.org

Source: International Treatment Preparedness Coalition

CONTACT: Gregg Gonsalves, +1-203-606-9149, gregg.gonsalves@gmail.com, Aditi Sharma, +91 991-004-6560, aditi.campaigns@gmail.com, or Kay Marshall, +1-347-249-6375, kaymarshall@mac.com, all of International Treatment Preparedness Coalition

Web Site: http://www.aidstreatmentaccess.org/

http://www.itpcglobal.org/

In Nigeria, B4E has teamed with the non-profit Teachers Without Borders, a global alliance that supports teacher leaders worldwide, with professional development opportunities and support so that teachers may play a more vital role in their communities. In collaboration with Teachers without Borders, B4E will hold a six-day train-the-trainer program for roughly 150 teachers from across Nigeria. During their month-long stay in the country, the B4E team will also lead three-day courses at national universities and high schools.

To support this effort, B4E has developed a 100-page Teacher Training Resource Guide for its constituencies. This teaching manual will eventually be made available through e-learning, to teachers across the world who are interested in bringing a more holistic approach to education, attending to the heart as well as the mind of students.

To help teachers extend mindful awareness to students, B4E has also developed curriculum for its Mindful Ambassador Council initiative (M.A.C.) for high school-age students. This 17-session program offers the core of B4E educational content, with reflective practices, teaching stories, discussion topics, and journal exercises. Along with its teacher training, the B4E team of eight teachers will also focus on launching M.A.C. initiatives throughout Africa and the Middle East.

Founder, Theo Koffler, said of this next phase, “Educators and healthcare providers are really at the heart of our societies, and encouraging them to recognize their voices as capable for social change is a powerful message to convey. We are honored to partner with Teachers Without Borders and others, in offering our programs to support this purpose in Africa and beyond.”

The work of B4E is to support a world where people share the awareness of our common destiny, and whose vision of the world is based on compassion, social justice, equanimity and peace. Each one of us has the power to “be the change” we want to see in the world.

"On the part of the students, to whom the future of our nation and the world belongs, B4E mindfulness skills and practices have developed a new standard of behavioral excellence. Our students have hopes to become agents of social change and role models to their peers, to their colleagues in other schools, to their parents at home and members of their immediate communities." –  Emmanuel Ivorgba, founder of Creative Minds International Academy in Jos, Nigeria

“The extraordinary work of Between4Eyes to bring mindfulness and positive character development to conflict and post-conflict communities is inspiring and so important in our world today where the capacity to cultivate compassion in our daily lives can help to bring about a more peaceful world.” – Richard Davidson, Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry

"To create a truly livable world, free from the kind of conflict and war we see today, understanding our emotions is essential. I see the launching of Between Four Eyes' programs in Africa and the Middle East as a very healthy, and needed, step toward this goal." – Paul Ekman, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California Medical School, author of Emotions Revealed, and co-author (with the Dalai Lama) of Emotional Awareness.

For more information, contact:

Veronica Wilson

veronicaw(at)btwn4eyes.org

www.betweenfoureyes.org

Between Four Eyes is a project of Tides, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 23, 2009

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals for key administration posts: Philip Mudd, Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security; Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, State Department; Eric P. Schwartz, Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration, State Department; and Edward M. Avalos, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, United States Department of Agriculture.

President Obama said, "As we work to solve the problems our nation faces, my administration will be strengthened by the addition of these dedicated individuals. I am confident that they will meet the expectations the American people demand and deserve of their public servants."

...

Eric P. Schwartz, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration, State Department

Eric P. Schwartz is Executive Director of the Connect U.S. Fund, a foundation/NGO initiative focused on foreign and international affairs, and Visiting Lecturer of Public and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.  Between 2005 and 2007, he served as UN Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, working to promote coordination, accountability to donors and beneficiaries, and best practices in the recovery effort.  Prior to that, he served as lead expert on conflict prevention and reconstruction for the Congressionally mandated Task Force on United Nations Reform, and as a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.  Between 1993 and 2001, Schwartz served at the National Security Council, ultimately as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs.  For eight years, he was the NSC official responsible for refugee issues, and managed Administration policy responses on the rescue of Kurdish refugees from Northern Iraq, the resettlement of Vietnamese boat people, and safe haven for Haitian refugees and Kosovars.  Prior to that, he served at the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, where he  was responsible for most of the Committee's work on Asian refugee issues, including Vietnamese boat people, Laotian refugees and the U.S. immigration issues relating to the transfer of sovereignty in Hong Kong.

> Click here to read the full release.

I'm delighted that today we are launching a new venture -- The Huffington Post Investigative Fund. This nonprofit Fund will produce a wide-range of investigative journalism created by both staff reporters and freelance writers.

As the newspaper industry continues to contract, one of the most commonly voiced fears is that serious investigative journalism will be among the victims of the scaleback. And, indeed, many newspapers are drastically reducing their investigative teams. Yet, given the multiple crises we are living through, investigative journalism is all the more important. As a result, all who recognize the indispensable role good journalism plays in our democracy are looking for ways to preserve it during this transitional period for the media. For too long, whether it's coverage of the war in Iraq or the economic meltdown, we've had too many autopsies and not enough biopsies. The HuffFund is our attempt to change this. It will also provide new opportunities for seasoned journalists who have been laid off or forced into early retirement.

The pieces developed by the Fund will range from long-form investigations to short breaking news stories and will be presented in a variety of media, including text, audio and video. And, in the open source spirit of the Web, all of the content the Fund produces will be free for anyone to publish.

Picture a large pool of reporters -- some on staff, and many freelancers -- proposing stories and also receiving assignments from Investigative Fund editors.

This investigative initiative is being funded by The Huffington Post and The Atlantic Philanthropies, and will be headed by Nick Penniman, founder of The American News Project, which will be folded into the Fund. Nick and I first worked together back in 2000 when we organized the Shadow Conventions to address issues -- poverty, the failed drug war, and money in politics - that neither political party was focusing on. We've stayed in touch ever since, and I am really looking forward to working with him on producing journalism with real impact.

We'll start with a budget of $1.75 million -- and continue to raise funds and expand the project as we move forward.

We are delighted that we will be working on this venture with a number of partners, including the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and NYU's Jay Rosen. This is our second collaboration with Jay, after teaming up to launch OffTheBus, which produced great citizen-powered coverage of the 2008 campaign.

The Fund is ready to interview potential editors and reporters and also to start receiving proposals for investigative projects. The focus at the beginning is going to be on investigating aspects of the economic crisis. So please email resumes and pitches -- as well any ideas and tips you may have about what should be investigated -- to HuffPostFund(at)gmail.com.

A recent letter to the editor penned by The Center for Environment and Population (CEP), a Tides project, on The Benefits of Family Planning for the Environment was published in the New York Times.

This outreach is part of CEP's nationwide campaign to gain support for international family planning, reproductive health, and other population issues specifically using the environmental rationale. As part of this effort, CEP is talking to the White House (Office of Science and Technology, CEQ, and U.S. AID), the UN, UN Foundation, PPFA, NGOs, scientists, scholars, policymakers, and others so that cross-sectoral expertise can be represented on the policy issues. CEP wants environment experts at the family planning table and population experts at environment and climate change tables. It all reflects a growing interest on the part of the U.S. government, policymakers, and the public on the science-based linkages between population and the environment. 

> Click here to read the full letter on the New York Times' website.

For more information on Tides project The Center for Environment and Population, see www.cepnet.org.

The Alliance was formed in direct response to a groundbreaking report released in the spring of 2008 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which concluded that America's eldercare workforce is dangerously understaffed and unprepared to care for the rapidly growing number of older adults in the U.S.

The IOM report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, explained that by 2030, the number of Americans 65 or older will nearly double to 77 million, and roughly 20 percent of these adults will have five or more chronic health problems. At the same time, there are serious anticipated shortfalls across the eldercare workforce of professionals and direct care workers.

"Eldercare is projected to be the fastest-growing employment sector in the healthcare industry, and strengthening these caregiving fields is essential to quality of care for older adults in America and may also drive long-term employment and economic growth," said Alice H. Hedt, who was named EWA Project Director during the Alliance's D.C. meeting.

Further limiting older Americans' access to quality of care, both direct-care workers and the family caregivers who provide countless hours of care are inadequately trained and prepared, according to the IOM report.

In immediate response to the eldercare workforce crisis, the Alliance is proposing to:

• Strengthen the direct-care workforce through better training, supervision and improved compensation;
• Address clinician and faculty shortages, through incentives such as loan         forgiveness, increased public funding for training, and better compensation;
• Ensure a competent workforce by encouraging agencies and organizations         that certify and regulate the eldercare workforce to require demonstrated and continued competence; and
• Redesign health care delivery by adopting cost-effective care coordination models.

"EWA's goal is to develop practical solutions that will build a caring and competent workforce providing high-quality, culturally sensitive, person-directed, and family-focused care for America's elders," said Ms. Hedt, who has more than 25 years of experience designing, advocating for, and implementing innovative eldercare programs. Most recently she was the Executive Director of NCCNHR: The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care.

The Alliance will be partnering with older adults and their family members as well as national organizations to work with the Obama Administration and Congress to effect changes that improve health care and care for America's elders. The Atlantic Philanthropies and the John A. Hartford Foundation provided funds for the development of the Alliance, and Atlantic has committed one million dollars for Alliance activities.

To highlight the importance of strengthening both the professional health care workforce and the direct-care workforce, EWA has appointed Steven L. Dawson, president of PHI, and Nancy Lundebjerg, Chief Operating Officer of the American Geriatrics Society, co-conveners of the Alliance. PHI is a national nonprofit working to improve the quality of eldercare and disability services by supporting quality jobs for direct-care workers. The American Geriatrics Society is a national nonprofit that brings together health professionals devoted to improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people.

About the Eldercare Workforce Alliance

The Eldercare Workforce Alliance is a group of 25 national organizations, joined together to address the immediate and future workforce crisis in caring for an aging America. The Alliance is a Project of the Tides Center and the Tides Advocacy Fund. Alliance members believe that:

• An essential step in addressing our fragmented health and long-term care system is to adopt care models that provide well-coordinated, person-directed and family-focused services across settings.
• All unpaid caregivers -- including family, friends and other caregivers--should be supported and have opportunities to acquire the needed skills, knowledge, and information to care appropriately for older adults.
• Resolving the workforce crisis requires addressing recruitment, retention, training and compensation issues across the direct-care and professional health care workforce -- which is essential to improve the quality of care and quality of life for older adults.

About The Atlantic Philanthropies

The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Atlantic focuses on four critical social problems: Aging, Disadvantaged Children & Youth, Population Health, and Reconciliation & Human Rights. Programs funded by Atlantic operate in Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam. To learn more, please visit: www.atlanticphilanthropies.org.

About the John A. Hartford Foundation

Founded in 1929, the John A. Hartford Foundation is a committed champion of training, research and service system innovations that promote the health and independence of America's older adults. Through its grantmaking, the Foundation seeks to strengthen the nation's capacity to provide effective, affordable care to this rapidly increasing older population by educating "aging-prepared" health professionals (physicians, nurses, social workers), and developing innovations that improve and better integrate health and supportive services. The Foundation was established by John A. Hartford. Mr. Hartford and his brother, George L. Hartford, both former chief executives of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, left the bulk of their estates to the Foundation upon their deaths in the 1950s. Additional information about the Foundation and it programs is available on our Web site www.jhartfound.org.

MEMBERS OF THE ELDERCARE WORKFORCE ALLIANCE

• AARP
• Alzheimer's Association
• American Academy of Nursing
• American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
• American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
• American Geriatrics Society
• American Medical Association
• American Medical Directors Association
• American Nurses Association
• American Psychological Association
• American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
• American Society on Aging
• Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations
• Council on Social Work Education
• Direct Care Alliance
• Family Caregiver Alliance
• Gerontological Society of America
• National Alliance for Caregiving
• National Council on Aging
• National Hispanic Council on Aging
• NCCNHR: The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-term Care
• NCB Capital Impact/THE GREEN HOUSE(R) Project
• New York Academy of Medicine/Social Work Leadership Institute
• PHI
• Visiting Nurse Associations of America

The resolutions have been submitted to leading Internet service providers (ISPs) in the U.S., including AT&T (NYSE:T); Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR); CenturyTel, Inc. (NYSE: CTL); Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA); EarthLink Inc. (NASDAQ:ELNK); Embarq Corporation (NYSE:EQ); Knology Inc. (NASDAQ:KNOL); Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE:S); Qwest Communications International (NYSE:Q); and Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ).   Resolutions may be filed with additional ISPs.

The investor coalition includes the New York City Pension Funds and leading socially responsible investment firms Trillium Asset Management Corp., Boston Common Asset Management, Calvert Asset Management Company, Domini Social Investments, Harrington Investments and the As You Sow Foundation.  The coalition will seek support from additional shareholders in voting for the resolutions.  The New York City Pension Funds collectively hold more than 10.5 million shares in the six ISPs where they are the lead filer.

The coalition has been organized by the Open Media and Information Companies Initiative - Open MIC (www.openmic.org) - a non-profit media policy group that works to foster a diverse media environment through market based solutions.  

The resolutions highlight the vital role played by ISPs in providing Internet access to more than 211 million Americans - or 70% of the U.S. population - who use the Internet daily.   They point out that ISPs are managing traffic, insuring communication, and forging rules that shape, enable and limit the public's Internet use.  

Noting that ISP network management practices have come under public scrutiny by consumer and civil liberties groups, regulatory authorities and shareholders, the resolutions assert that "Internet network management is a significant public policy issue; failure to fully and publicly address this issue poses potential competitive, legal and reputational harm" to each of the companies.

The resolutions, which are intended for consideration at the companies' 2009 annual shareholder meetings, call on the board of each ISP to issue a report examining the effects of the company's Internet network management practices on the public's expectations of privacy and freedom of expression on the Internet.

"With greater numbers of people using the Internet for everything from shopping to healthcare, Internet network management and its effect on the user have become significant public policy concerns," said New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr., in announcing resolutions filed on behalf of the New York City Pension Funds. "These ISPs are among the biggest in the world and if the network management practices are having an effect on how the public perceives the companies, we as shareholders have a right to know what that effect may be."

Farnum Brown of Trillium Asset Management, which has filed resolutions with several of the ISPs, said: "These companies have responded to the challenges of managing the Internet in a patchwork, ad hoc fashion.  In so doing they've failed to notice the profound social policy issues they've unwittingly engaged.  Americans are concerned about how their use of the Internet is monitored.  They're concerned about whether their privacy and freedom of expression are respected by the companies that manage the Internet.  We as shareholders believe it is in these companies' best business interests to respond to those concerns."

Michael Connor, Executive Director of Open MIC, noted recent Congressional scrutiny of ISPs' use of so-called "deep packet inspection" technology, which can provide individual personal data based on a user's Internet traffic.   In another case, the Federal Communications Commission voted in August to punish Comcast Corp. for its surreptitious interference with subscribers' use of peer-to-peer software applications.

At the time, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Comcast's network management amounted to "looking inside its subscribers' communications, blocking that communication when it uses a particular application regardless of whether there is congestion on the network, hiding what it is doing by making consumers think the problem is their own, and lying about it to the public..."

"There are multiple examples that raise concerns regarding Internet management practices," said Connor.  "As the growth of digital media accelerates - with new electronic devices, new forms of delivery, and increased demand for Internet bandwidth - privacy and freedom of expression will increasingly be front-page issues, commanding shareholder attention."

About Open MIC

The Open Media and Information Companies Initiative -- Open MIC -- is a non-profit organization working to promote a vibrant, diverse media ecosystem through market-based solutions. Founded in late 2006, Open MIC is a project of the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

For more information, contact:

Michael Connor

Executive Director. Open MIC

212.537.9401

mconnor(at)openmic.org

www.openmic.org