Meetings on climate change

On Sunday, October 10 -- that's 10/10/10, a date to remember -- we will gather in climate "work parties" around the globe to demonstrate our determination and trumpet a call to our governments: "We're getting to work... what about you?"

The more of us take part, the more unmistakable our message of determination to defeat climate change. And these parties won't just be vitally important; they'll be fun, too. Click below to find an event near you and RSVP (or register an event of your own) -- it's time to roll up our sleeves and take action:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_work_party/?vl

The timing is critical: in the weeks and months to come, governments will make important decisions about whether to keep striving for a global climate treaty. All year, they've been reeling from last December's Copenhagen summit, where leaders failed to reach a legally binding agreement -- or even commit to developing one. Today, if politicians think that the public outcry for climate action has ended, they will succumb to the whispers of the fossil fuel lobby -- and simply give up on reaching a real deal.

But even as governments dither, the climate crisis itself is accelerating. 2010 is the hottest year on record. Climate-linked natural disasters, like the floods in Pakistan, have claimed thousands of lives. And scientists say the the picture is only getting worse. Our movement must race ahead more quickly than the crisis itself -- and pull the politicians along with us.

By demonstrating our willingness to take action, the Global Work Party issues a challenge to our leaders. Local events include tree plantings in rural Tanzania, solar installation in China, and an international bike-ride from Jordan to Israel -- along with much simpler events organized by small groups of friends. Wherever we are and however we get involved, we're making a point: if we're driving solutions to climate change within our own communities, our political leaders have no excuse not to get to work nationally and globally.

The more of us join, the more powerful our message. 10/10/10 is just days away, and it's easy to get involved -- click to sign up:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_work_party/?vl

Although time is short to confront climate change, the climate movement itself -- from the perspective of history -- is young. Abolishing the trans-Atlantic slave trade and ending apartheid took decades. But climate change, because of its unique threat to everyone everywhere, has a special power to unite people across all lines and boundaries -- if we let ourselves believe that progress is possible.

Last year saw an extraordinary wave of activity, with successive global days of action (21 September, 24 October, and 12/12) that drove heads of government from around the world to personally attend the Copenhagen summit. It was breathtaking, but it wasn't enough. This weekend, let's renew our commitment to the fight of six billion lifetimes -- and show that we're not going anywhere as long as we've got a planet to save.

Blog action day: blog about water

Hey Blog Action Day bloggers, Since our announcement last week, more than 1600 bloggers from 100 countries have registered to participate in Blog Action Day 2010, focused on the issue of water. If you haven't signed up yet, you can register here. Many of you have asked us how you can get more involved. Here are three ways you can help make Blog Action Day 2010 a success, and be part of the effort to save the 3800 children who die each day from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities: Embed an action widget: Together with US Fund for UNICEF, we're helping to build a movement of people across the world calling on UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon to accelerate the UN's work to supply clean, safe drinking water to the world's poorest populations. You can help this movement by grabbing our interactive action widget and embedding it on your blog, empowering your readers to join the cause. Raise funds for water: We've partnered with leading organizations to enable you to raise money to provide clean drinking water to those in need. Among these is charity: water, which allows you to create a fundraising page to raise money to build wells in Africa. You can also directly donate through Water.org, an organization co-founded by Matt Damon. Just $25 provides clean water for a lifetime for one person. Spread the Word: We need your help to spread the word about Blog Action Day 2010 across the web. Take a moment to tell your friends to sign up via email, Facebook and Twitter. The more voices we have involved in the conversation, the greater our collective impact. Blog Action Day 2010 is shaping up to be the biggest online day of action around water to date. But we need your help to make it even more successful. By registering your blog, embedding an action widget, fundraising for clean water and spreading the word, you're helping shed light on an often over-looked, yet incredibly important issue. We'll keep you updated with any Blog Action Day developments as we get closer to the 15th, but in the meantime don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Notes from underground: Happy Spring Day! Happy New Year!

For Orthodox Christians, today is the beginning of the new church year, and also a day of prayer for thwe creation and the environment. If you are interested, you can read more here: Notes from underground: Happy Spring Day! Happy New Year!:

Today, we are told, is officially the start of Spring, and it is also New Year's Day -- welcome to the year 7519 (I think).

Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe: Air conditioning: Fossil fuels used for AC in the US is same as all power used in Africa

Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe: Air conditioning: Fossil fuels used for AC in the US is same as all power used in Africa: "Air conditioning guzzles 15 per cent of total American energy consumption, higher than any other country, using the same amount of fossil fuel as the whole of Africa employs for all its energy needs. Global air-conditioning demands cannot be quantified, but this summer's high temperatures have prompted a surge in air con sales in China, for example. While British air conditioning is less of a societal 'must-have', according to the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), its use is set to swell here by 50 per cent over the next 20 years."

A tsunami of pesticides

The Asian tsunami of 2004 is said to have killed over 200 000 people, but as many people are killed every year through pesticides, according to this article.

ZCommunications | The Killing Fields Of Multi-National Corporations by Vandana Shiva | ZSpace:

The Bhopal gas tragedy was the worst industrial disaster in human history. Twenty-five thousand people died, 500,000 were injured, and the injustice done to the victims of Bhopal over the past 25 years will go down as the worst case of jurisprudence ever.



The gas leak in Bhopal in December 1984 was from the Union Carbide pesticide plant which manufactured 'carabaryl' (trade name 'sevin') - a pesticide used mostly in cotton plants. It was, in fact, because of the Bhopal gas tragedy and the tragedy of extremist violence in Punjab that I woke up to the fact that agriculture had become a war zone. Pesticides are war chemicals that kill - every year 220,000 people are killed by pesticides worldwide.

SAFCEI AGM 10 August 2010

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: 10 August 2010

Notice is hereby given of the fourth Annual General Meeting of the Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute, which will be held at St Francis of Assisi Anglican Church, 44 Tyrone Avenue, Parkview, Johannesburg on Tuesday 10 August 2010. (For directions, if needed, ?: 011 646 2660.)

The gathering will start with a finger supper at 17h30 for 18h00, with the meeting itself beginning at 19h00. RSVP for catering purposes by 6 August.

Thank you.

We also hereby give formal notice of our intention to change SAFCEI's financial year to coincide with the calendar year as from 1 January 2011.

This will be discussed at the AGM.

Bishop Geoff Davies
Executive Director
~~~~~~~~

For catering purposes, please respond by Friday 6 August 2010 and include the following info:

Name(s):
Faith community/organisation you represent:
Phone number:
Email:
Any dietary requirements.

RSVP by 6 August 2010: email: secretary@safcei.org.za /Tel: 021 701 8145 (am
only) / fax: 086 696 9666 / mail to SAFCEI, Box 106, Kalk Bay, 7990.

Green Prophet Flies To: Mazen Abboud’s Environment Blog in Lebanon | Green Prophet

Green Prophet Flies To: Mazen Abboud’s Environment Blog in Lebanon | Green Prophet:

The growing awareness of environmental issues throughout the Middle East is manifested in the Internet, which includes an ever growing number of websites, forums and blogs focusing on the environment. Some of the blogs are written in Arabic, others are written in Arabic and include translation into English, and, yet, others are written only in English.

In this weekly review “Green Prophet Flies To…”, we’ll look at a blog from a different country in the Middle East. We aim to give clues to the current environmental issues that each country is dealing with, as well as talk about the identity of the bloggers and the environmental agendas they pursue in their own countries and in the region at large. Here you will find valuable data, opinions and news on environmental topics and exploits which are not discussed anywhere else.

This week we fly to Lebanon and look at Mazen Abboud’s Blog, active from April 2009. In his blog Mazen Abboud writes that he is “an environmentalist, a freelance journalist and a businessman.”