The Tomales Bay Institute, one of
three new Earth Island projects adopted last October, has a mission to
resurrect the idea of the “commons” in American public life so that it
becomes equal to the market in terms of media reporting and public
protection and support. The commons - our shared environmental and
social heritage - is the unspoken link between many environmental and
other problems that beset Americans today, from the decline of
neighborhoods and communities to the commercial enclosure of the gene
pool, knowledge and artistic creation.
The World Sustainability Hearings project [see advertisement on page 39 of the EIJ] is organizing a parallel event to the United Nations’ Rio+10
Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in South Africa,
September 2002, in collaboration with major global and regional NGOs.
Ordinary people from around the world will testify as to what has
happened in their communities in the 10 years since the 1992 Rio
conference when the UN committed itself to address critical
environmental and social-justice problems.
City Talk organizes debates on topical issues in sustainable development through meetings, print and broadcast media, and the Internet [see article “Africans Talk about Sustainability,” in this issue of the EIJ].
Debates are both local and international, introducing voices from the
outside to question what has been taken for granted and consider the
impacts on the outside world. City Talk has begun its work in Entebbe,
Uganda, and will facilitate joint debates with a US sister city during
2002.
Global Service Corps is a founding member of Bay Area
International Development Organizations (BAIDO), a network of 45 member
organizations involving thousands of people in northern California and
touching the lives of millions in developing countries. BAIDO members
represent a wealth of in-depth knowledge and personal experience about
the developing world. Together they promote an understanding of the
challenges faced by people globally and the solutions people are
finding. For more information see www.baido.org.
Climate Solutions co-hosted a press conference on November 16
with Washington Governor Gary Locke to publicize their report, “Poised
for Profit: How Clean Energy Can Power the Next High-Tech Job Surge in
the Northwest.” The report, and comments from Oregon’s governor,
Portland’s mayor and other prominent elected officials, can be
downloaded at www.climatesolutions.org.
Anne Brower, Dave Brower’s wife, companion and collaborator,
died at home after a long illness on November 14, at the age of 88.
With Anne’s passing, the EII community has lost another giant. Our
prayers are with the Brower family who have lost both David and Anne in
the space of just over a year. Anne was a devoted mother of four and
grandmother of three, a sharp-witted editor and interviewer, a beloved
member of the University of California Berkeley staff for many decades
(including the Anthropology Department and UC Press, where she met
Dave), an impossibly patient wife for more than 57 years, and the
secret voice behind many of Dave’s best one-liners. Rest in peace,
Anne. You will be missed.
Mangrove Action Project’s (MAP) 2001 International Children’s
Art and Poetry Calendar is now available. MAP has created this colorful
work in celebration of its 10th anniversary. The calendar features the
art and poetry of children from 14 mangrove nations. Your contributions
help support MAP’s ongoing work to protect mangrove forests. For
samples of the calendar and ordering information, go to www.earthisland.org/map/calendar.htm.
Grassroots Globalization Network (GGN) held an open forum on
California’s North Coast in November 2001 to promote an independent
business alliance. GGN also recently published the article “Renowned US
Economists Denounce Corporate-led Globalization” on CommonDreams.org.
The article and GGN’s first working paper, “Economic Democracy in
Practice: The Benefits of Cooperatives,” can both be found at www.earthisland.org/ggn.
WildFutures (formerly The Wildlife Network) has released a new film, On Nature’s Terms: Predators and People Co-existing in Harmony. Produced by awardwinning filmmaker John de Graaf, the film documents
the uplifting story of how ordinary citizens, biologists,
conservationists, agency personnel, ranchers and homeowners are
protecting, maintaining and restoring large predator habitats in the
western US. The 25-minute video showcases scenes from Wyoming to
California of the US Forest Service removing roads, ranchers using
non-lethal methods of predator control and biologists studying urban
wildlife. To order, send a check or purchase order for $20 (includes
tax, shipping and handling) to WildFutures/EII [353 Wallace Way, NE, Suite 12, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, snegri@igc.org, or call (206) 780-9718 with credit card number].
Earth Island Journal was nominated for the UTNE Reader’s Alternative Press Award in the “Best Scientific and Environmental
Reporting” category - an award it previously won two years in a row. In
September, the Orlo Foundation conducted a survey of 49 environmental
magazines and selected Earth Island Journal as “the number one
environmental publication in the US.”
David Brower has been honored with a memorial sculpture designed by internationally acclaimed Finnish-American sculptor Eino [www.eino.org].
Entitled “Spaceship Earth,” the 15-foot-diameter, blue quartzite sphere
will weigh approximately 350,000 pounds and will feature a life-size
bronze figure of David near its apex. If you would like to suggest (or
donate) an appropriate site for the sculpture, please contact Dave
Phillips (415) 788-3666, ext. 145, davep@earthisland.org.
Seeking Inspiration? Have a glance at www.wildnesswithin.com, an elegant collection of enviromental essays, photos and news, compiled by Bob Brower in honor of his dad, Dave.
We don’t have a paywall because, as a nonprofit publication, our mission is to inform, educate and inspire action to protect our living world. Which is why we rely on readers like you for support. If you believe in the work we do, please consider making a tax-deductible year-end donation to our Green Journalism Fund.
DonateGet four issues of the magazine at the discounted rate of $20.