Category — Life

Indian Farmer

I recently had the pleasure of reading a truly inspiring story entitled, “Sowing Hope” about an amazing humanitarian named Joseph Curiale who is doing tremendous work in India. After having viewed a disturbing piece back in March on CNN about the thousands of South Indian farmers who have committed suicide because of a 7 year drought and their mounting debts, Los Angeles’ own, Joe Curiale, made the commitment to make a difference.

Due to the drought, more than 150,000 farmers have died countrywide and the numbers only continue to grow. As Joe mentions on his blog, with the desperate situation, many farmers feel that suicide is their only escape, leaving their young widows vulnerable to harassment from moneylenders, “…some of whom charge up to 450% interest (annually) and often demand partial repayment by raping the widows… An Indian film director had told me of one village where the moneylender would rape the women right in front of their husbands, further pushing them to suicide…” [Read more →]

Since the start of 2001, Paris has seen an increase in bicycle use of over 48%. July 15th, 2007 marked the starting point of a major transformation in the way people will travel around the French capital. With the setting up of Vélib, the world’s most ambitious program aimed at facilitating bicycle access — now thousands of bicycles are available from hundreds of stations close to major public transport hubs spread out across the city.

The membership fees of 29 euros/per year increase with each 1/2 hour added, the first one being free, rendering the ride virtually free if you consider a report from”L’observatoire des déplacements dans la capitale” dated from 2005 estimating the average ride to last for 25 minutes .

The system is accessible to ages 14 and up. At the stations, the computer terminals enable you to:
- obtain one-day and seven-day subscriptions
- recharge your account (long duration)
- obtain information ( particularly which other stations are nearby and whether they are available).

Once you have finished your journey, all you have to do is deposit the bicycle back at any Vélib station.

Enjoy the ride!

Russell Simmons, the godfather of hip-hop at the helm of Rush Communications, a $300+ million conglomerate reaching beyond music to include clothing companies, arts, nonprofit organizations, and diamonds, who in the past has used street smarts and a bling bling Rolodex to achieve social and political goals ranging from overturning certain restrictive New York State drug laws to encouraging voter registration, has published a new self-help book, Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success. In it, he explains how readers can use yoga and Buddhism to find what he calls the “sweet spot”: one’s life’s work and mission. Simmons preaches about the practice of love and encourages readers to listen to their inner voice.

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GRAIN a 16th year hold international non-governmental organization (NGO) which promotes the sustainable management and use of agricultural biodiversity based on people’s control over genetic resources and local knowledge, has just published a special issue of Seedling which focuses on biofuels, or as they like to call them, agrofuels.
In this special edition, Seedling argues that the wide-scale cultivation of agrofuels will actually make things worse in many parts of the world, notably South-east Asia and the Amazon basin where the drying of peat lands and the felling of tropical forest will release far more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than will be saved by using agrofuels.

More than 30 groups from around the world are calling for a Moratorium to stop the EU rush for biofuels (or agrofuels). They warn that agrofuel production for EU markets will accelerate climate change, destroy biodiversity and uproot local communities.
2007-06-27 | Joint Press Release by EcoNexus, Biofuelwatch, Corporate Europe Observatory.

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Sir Richard Branson is on a roll…the President of Virgin Atlantic has delivered the first batch of motorcycles that will help to bring much-needed medical support to small villages and communities in Kenya and throughout Africa.

The money for the motorcycles was raised by Virgin Atlantic’s patrons, the onboard charity appeal and by staff who took part in a wide range of fundraising events over the past year. The money was then donated to support the work of the charity Riders for Health. Riders for Health has been working in Africa for close to two decades and will be purchasing and maintaining the motorcycles. The motorcycles will allow a team of healthcare workers to provide rural communities with improved access to essential drugs and basic health services.

Click on http://www.riders.org/en/html/movies_ewan.php to watch an inspiring film that provides greater insight into the work of Riders for Health. The film is narrated by biker and actor Ewan McGregor. For more information on the work of Riders for Health please log onto Riders.org.

Are you planning your big day, looking for ways to make it memorable while also being good for the planet? Sit back, relax, take a deep breath…we’ve got just the thing that’s going to get the ball rolling. It’s no secret that the $70 billion wedding industry is seeing more and more signs of eco-friendly sensibilities taking root. Books about green weddings are showing up all the time.

From Michelle Kozin’s “Organic Weddings”, Carol Reed-Jones’ “Green Weddings That Don’t Cost the Earth” to Emily Anderson’s “Eco-Chic Weddings” – and of course, let’s not forget the current issue of the bridal magazine The Knot that features a special section on green weddings. Are you looking for a place to register, register for wedding gifts with a socially and environmentally responsible company like Gaiam (800/869-3603). Gaiam offers an array of green products for the home, from hemp rugs to recycled glass dishware. Have everything you’ll need already? Consider asking your guests to donate to a charity/nonprofit in lieu of gifts. A big warm “Thank You” to all our readers out there who contributed by sending in some groovy wedding planning tips of their own…a few we particularly enjoyed discovering:

• Request organic & fair trade. Go local with your food & drink to cut on food miles.
• Source recycled materials for your invitations, or just use e-mail.
• Use biodegradable confetti, or collect petals from flowers a florist was throwing out.
• Offset the carbon emissions produced by your wedding (and honeymoon flights) through

Happy Wedding Day!

In a recently published article on AlterNet, Dara Colwell sites how Americans are working harder than ever before and are doing so at a greater cost to the environment. Even though research continues to suggest that practicing a simpler lifestyle, while using fewer resources, makes people happier.

“We now seem more determined than ever to work harder and produce more stuff, which creates a bizarre paradox: We are proudly breaking our backs to decrease the carrying capacity of the planet,” says Conrad Schmidt, an internationally known social activist and founder of the Work Less Party, (the Vancouver-based initiative aimed at moving to a 32-hour work week — a radical departure from the in early, out late cycle we’ve grown so accustomed to. “Choosing to work less is the biggest environmental issue no one’s talking about.”
[Read more →]

“The one thing, on which we can all agree, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor. God is in the slums and in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. 6,500 Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store. This is not about charity, this is about Justice and Equality.”

–Bono

This small book, based upon the speech given by Bono at the 2006 NPB, delivers an inspiring and powerful message. Here, in Bono’s own words, is a reflection on his own faith and a challenge to people of all faiths to reach across boundaries and come together on behalf of what the Scriptures call “the least of these.”

SEE ON THE MOVE

BUY ON THE MOVE

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