Causecast - Latest News

No Drugs Down The Drain Week: Los Angeles Fights Pharmaceutical Pollution

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:25:10 -0800

by ERICA LIEPMANN, Causecast Associate Editor You may have flushed some expired meds down the drain without even thinking. Heck, your mom may have even told you to. Turns out, pharmaceutical pollution is a huge issue for the nation and Californians especially. That's why California Environmental Protection Agency officials and water companies alike are trying to raise awareness about pharmaceutical pollution with the No Drugs Down The Drain Week. This second annual holiday kicks off November 9 this year. The state of California is home to over 36 million people and we don't have enough water to go around. We're stealing from the Colorado river and still constantly in danger of drought. So, perhaps contaminating the water we do have with prescription meds isn't such a good idea? Those disposed of pills end up in our drinking water - looks like we might all be on some medications we didn't know about? The pharmaceuticals have some pretty funky consequences for our fish too. It's just no bueno all around. What to do? The message of this week is pretty simple: no flushing your unused pills away, dispose of them safely. Here's the L.A. Department of Public Works' tips for how to get rid of those pills the right way. And this isn't just an L.A. thing - no matter where you live, don't dump those extra meds down the drain! Photo by Charles Williams, flickr.

Screw It, Let's Talk Politics And Religion

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:12:20 -0800

by NAOMI HIRABAYASHI, originally published on The Huffington Post. Metro NY recently reported that Facebook has "hopped aboard the peace train with its new Peace Dot domain." This quote makes me happy because I imagine the Facebook logo drowning in hemp jewelry and Grateful Dead tee shirts holding up earnest peace signs waving goodbye to Papa Zuckerberg before heading to a d-list version of Woodstock somewhere in the midwest ... all aboard the good 'ole peace train. But all Facebook logo hippie jokes aside, this is a powerful example of the legitimacy of the social media and cause hybrid as well as a provoking example of social interaction across lifestyle and cultural barriers. Peace Dot is a campaign put on by Stanford University and is the brainchild of Stanford's Persuasive Technology Lab- which markets itself as an attempt to harness computing power as a force for social change (take THAT other college persuasive technology labs!). According to the Metro article, the Peace Dot campaign on Facebook allows visitors to analyze Facebook connections between publicly warring factions, i.e. friend invites between Israelis and Palestinians, or sharing among U.S. Liberals and Conservatives. According to the site, Facebook believes that by enabling people from diverse backgrounds to easily connect and share their ideas, they can decrease world conflict in the short and long term. It's a micro example of what I hope is a shift in popular perceptions concerning social discourse and debate. Through Peace Dot on Facebook, you witness users making connections that contradict deeply ingrained social soundbites. I mean how on earth could a Liberal and a Conservative become friends on Facebook? What if somehow, someway they end up talking politics and religion? You can't talk about that. Why? Because politics and religion are arguably the most controversial- and in turn- important issues in our society. So basically, don't talk about anything that's important. What if you realize you don't agree on something? Or (and I shake as I write this) you are from differing political parties? Of course, we imagine violent bar conversations at mind-numbing escalating decibel levels while drunk buddies spew low verbal blows all because they found out their fraternity brother (who they THOUGHT was their brother for life) is a damn tree hugger who believes that global warming is a real threat. Granted, this without a doubt happens (I've hung out in Midtown Manhattan far too many times to know) but it doesn't have to be this way. I took an Advanced Thinking class in college (insert: pretentious class name) where our professor walked us through an interesting exercise on social debate. He divided the room based on varying stances on very controversial issues and then matched people up based on those differing opinions. One person could only ask questions for the first half (i.e. why do you think you have this belief, what part of your background led you to form this belief) that lasted for ten minutes and then they switched. So instead of the normal unproductive style of discussing intense social issues (where you scream over top of each other and don't listen to the end of what someone is saying because you're about to jump in with your BETTER and SMARTER rebuttal) you're forced to listen. And instead of the conversations being filled with attempted contradictions and interruptions, the two parties reached an understanding that though very different, each opinion on the matter was just in it's own light. Of course the world is a far more complicated place than our sweet little college class in Southern Virginia. There are countless circumstances that lead people to a place where they cannot reasonably argue about their beliefs and last of all discuss them with contradicting parties. We are passionate, volatile, emotional and righteous beings. But we all walk this earth, breathing the same air one beat at a time. We need do a better job at respecting each other's differences, listening to each other's differing opinions and accepting that all of the above is not only okay, but the necessary way to interact. And if this is all a little too kumbaya for you, your cynicism is welcome but I assure you it's not productive. There are people out there who know that without near nauseating levels of idealism, we wouldn't have enough hope to fight for social change. These people are all part of a massive, motivated and addicting machine that produces real world change despite cultural, socio-economic, religious, regional and political barriers. To name a few: Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes, Scott Harrison of Charity Water, Ami Dar of Idealist, Nancy Lublin of DoSomething, Marvelyn Brown author of Young, Beautiful & (HIV) Positive, Maggie Doyne of BlinkNow.org, Raj Gilda of Lend-a-Hand India, Dr. Bruce Charash of DoctoDock.org, Golzar Naghshineh Selbe of Making Waves, Saving Lives, Toby Daniels of ThinkSocial and MacDella Cooper of MCF. But what do I know? I'm just a wide-eyed youngster who would rather see people get along instead of not get along, and would rather hold the door for a stranger instead of elbowing them to get that last seat on the subway. Kids these days.

Hope Plus: Online Global Activism Portal To Launch In December

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:22:25 -0800

by ERICA LIEPMANN, Causecast Associate Editor Set to launch in December at the Copenhagen Climate Summit, the team behind PoliticsOnline are brewing up a new online web portal to connect activists around the world to create change. The site's goals are targeted at facilitating individual projects, like building schools, and getting web attention for NGOs online. The site will be called Hope Plus and is the brainchild of PoliticsOnline founder Phil Noble, who was inspired by his work for the BBC Action Network. The Action Network was a short-lived nationwide British site targeted at getting everyday people involved in local activism. Hope Plus aims to be an international hub and will have versions in several languages (not sure which languages yet). Companies like Microsoft and IBM are involved in the creation of the site, and Bill Gates and President Barack Obama have been invited to back the site. Given the ongoing global philanthropy of the Gates Foundation and President Obama's commitment to community volunteerism with the United We Serve Campaign, they are certainly two important voices for change, who just might get on board with Hope Plus. The site sounds bit like Causecast, yes, that's why we're challenging them to a battle: who can change the world first! Kidding, kidding. All jokes aside, the more the merrier! Keep your eyes out in December for the unveiling of Hope Plus. Photo by NIOSH - Nat Inst for Occupational Safety & Health, flickr.

House Leaders Expected To Finally Vote On Health Care Bill

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:20:05 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer House leaders are gearing up for a historic Saturday morning vote on the long-awaited, highly anticipated health care legislation. So much for taking the weekend off. This is the third With the clock winding down and the GOP banded together in strong opposition of the legislation, the House Dems need all the support they can get. In order for the bill to pass the House, they need to acquire 218 signatures from their 258 member caucus. Anything less that the 218 votes needed could result in a delay on tomorrow's scheduled debate. House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is confident that the state gubernatorial elections won by Democrats will give them the support needed. Tuesday's off-cycle elections lends a few extra voting numbers in support of the legislation. Impeccable timing, right? In a statement made this week about the significance of the bill, Pelosi said, "We have a historic opportunity for us to again provide quality health care for all Americans. It is something that many of us have worked our whole political lifetimes on." Yesterday, President Obama issued his presidential stamp of approval on the bill, also acknowledging the crucial support of AARP. If those folks are behind the passage of the bill, there's a pretty good chance momentum is as well. House Democrats released the current version of the bill last week with 42 pages of amendments and the most significant changes to public health care system since Medicare was created more than 40 years ago. Revisions are expected to continue until the debate is held Saturday morning. The current bill is available for public review, but you better get reading on it soon if you're going to finish it by Saturday - it's nearly 2,000 pages long. The bill itself calls for $1.055 trillion dollars in spending to cover health care cost for 36 million Americans through 2019. The Republicans have released an alternative piece of legislation that would cost only $60 billion through 2019, but covers only three million Americans. As the Dems gear up for what they hope will be a successful weekend session, the bill opposition does what opposition does best and stands in protest outside of the Capitol. That's right, the tea parties are back. Their chant? "Kill the Bill." Well, at least they rhyme well. Washington is full of rumors of hostile government health care takeover and the end of Medicare for seniors and exorbitant tax increase for the rest of us. One thing is certain - Saturday is going to be an exciting day in the nation's capitol. Read the full text of the bill (or at least check out the overview) on Open Congress. Contact your Representative and let them know your position and how you want to be represented. Go high-tech on this one - you can even Tweet your representative! Photo by Noclip, Wikimedia Commons.

Wind Turbines Inspired By Bumble Bees

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:31:49 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer The Wavelength xBee Alpha Wind is the company's newest effort in biomimicry technology and it's creating a buzz among bioenergy enthusiasts. The xBee is a wind turbine prototype inspired by the wing movement of a bumble bee. Don't worry. There's no stinger. With its 19 foot wingspan, the xBee moves in a insect-like motion, as opposed to the circular motion of a standard windmill. Wavelength calls the xBee, " an attempt to break the mold of everyday windmill solutions that are, at best, 30 percent efficient, and seek efficiency from biological sources such as the movement of bumblebees, hummingbirds, and dragonflies." In theory, the xBee alpha model can be mounted vertically or horizontally. The goal is to develop a turbine system that can be used in urban areas as a back up power source and as an alternative to the standard, more expensive, wind turbine energy currently available. Companies, like Wavelength, are finding the value, and logic, in creating energy efficient solutions to complex technologies by emulating some of the genius biological ideas found in nature. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, AeroVironment is working on a prototype flapping-wing unmanned aircraft inspired by the bio-mechanic motion of a hummingbird. The University of Florida is developing an eco-friendly coating for sea bound ships that mimics shark skin. The coating prevents the growth of marine algae and the collection of stowaway barnacles. Whether it's a bumble bee or hummingbird inspired innovation, there's a pretty good chance that our future in alternative energy might be more "natural" than anyone ever imagined. Maybe the next Prius will look more like a hippo. Wait. It already kind of does. Check out Wavelength's xBee prototype demonstration: For more information on biomimicry technology, check out Wavelength's Bio Inspirations. For other green alternatives, check out Global Green USA or join the We Can Solve It Movement to be part of the solution to finding cleaner, more efficient energy. Photo by cygnus921, flickr.

Forbes Names America's Top Toxic Cities

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:36:24 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer If you live anywhere near a metropolitan area, chances are your home could appear somewhere on Forbe's Top Toxic Cities List. Taking a look at the 40 largest cities in the United States and digging into EPA statistics on population density, the amount of environmental waste, the number of toxin-releasing chemical plants in the area and overall air quality, Forbes released its take on the nation's most toxic places to live. Atlanta, Georgia takes the cake as America's most toxic city. Nice work, HOTlanta. In Atlanta's defense, the finding does give some lenience to the fact that Atlanta is closely neighbored by Marietta and Sandy Springs, both booming suburban areas that house major chemical plants. Contaminants from the factories can seep into the ground and water supply. Not to mention, undetected leaks discharge harmful substances into the air. The presence of chemical waste and inefficient alternatives to current methods of disposal contribute to Atlanta's position as the toxic capital of the United States. The Peachtree City is followed by: 2. Detroit 3. Houston 4. Chicago 5. Philadelphia 6. Cleveland 7. Los Angeles 8. Jacksonville 9. Baltimore 10. Portland Regardless of the how toxic each city is ranked, the bottom line is the same - U.S. cities are producing a lot of carbon waste. Even with plans to reduce emissions, clean up is not cheap. The EPA expects the cost to reduce pollution levels in the next year will run the feds about $10.5 billion. Amidst the polluted clouds hovering over America's most toxic cities, there is some good news. Forbes' report also included the least toxic cities. Las Vegas tops the list as America's least toxic city, followed by: 2. Sacramento 3. Riverside 4. Austin 5. Seattle 6. San Diego 7. Virginia Beach 8. San Jose 9. New York 10. Phoenix It's a little surprising to see New York on the "Least Toxic List," right? Here's the deal - New York is one of those cities that actually benefits from population density. With all those people potentially clogging the roads, very few New Yorkers actually drive and opt, instead, for the mass transit alternative, essentially cutting back on potential carbon emissions. Spend one afternoon on the subway in New York and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Be part of the solution to clean up our toxic cities. Opt for cleaner energy, support green innovation and demand change from the factories and businesses contributing most to polluting the environment. Photo by james.rintamaki, flickr.

China Censors Berlin Wall Related Tweets

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:18:10 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer This weekend, the whole world is gearing up for the celebration of the twenty year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Well, almost the whole world - save the 1.2 billion people living in China. The collapse of the Berlin Wall has long been a sensitive subject for those in power in China because of its proximity in time to the Tiananmen Square incident that occurred just months before. Turns out 1989 was a pretty big year for man vs. the system - all over the world. In an effort to keep the spirit of Communism alive in Asia, the Chinese Government has blocked its citizens from taking part in the cyber-festivities happening on the Fall of the Berlin Wall Twitter Page. The Twitter page was created to provide a means for people all over the world to express their responses and wishes leading up to the anniversary on November 9. Since the October 20 launch of the Twitter page, more than 2,000 Chinese Internet users have expressed their sentiments about the anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall - of course, these responses came before the site was blocked. Ironically, most of the comments were a demand for an end to Chinese censorship. The Twitter blockade is not the first episode in Chinese web censorship. Prior to the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident in June, Chinese censors launched a major blackout against web users in China to minimize support for democracy. If you pretend Tiananmen Square never happened, maybe everyone will just forget. Currently there are only 14,000 Chinese Facebook users taking part in the world's largest social network. It's not because they're not interested; it's because they're not allowed. Chinese censors have blocked citizens from the site, along with other sites like YouTube, Flickr, and even Hotmail. Chinese Internet users are imploring their government to stop with the Internet censorship and take down what they are calling "the Great Firewall." So censorship continues in China as the rest of the world remembers 20 years of post-wall Germany. Follow the Berlin Wall Twitter Page and be part of the movement to end unnecessary censorship in China. To find out what websites are blocked in China and what you can do to support the collapse of "the Great Firewall," check out the Great Firewall webpage. Photo by exfordy, flickr.

The Goodfight: Selling Records, Saving Lives

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:36:28 -0800

by PHILIP ROSS, Causecast Editor Selling records to save lives: the Goodfight, a Peach State based band with water security on the mind, is selling records - and giving 100 percent of the sales to charity. In fact, charity: water, to be precise, a nonprofit fighting global illness by providing the poor with access to clean water. I could say more, but I'd rather you get the scoop straight from the source: You can listen to and purchase Goodfight's latest album "Good & Evil" online, knowing that your ten bucks is bringing clean water to people in poverty. Pass it along, tell your friends! You can also donate directly to charity: water, where your money will be used to dig wells in underdeveloped areas around the globe.

Senate Committee Passes Carbon Cap And Trade Plan Without Republican Support

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:14:51 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer The Senate Democrats have gone rogue, passing a Carbon Cap and Trade plan against the demands of the impending GOP boycott. The bill, which creates a plan to reduce carbon emission, won committee approval with the support of 11 of the 12 Democrats present and in spite of the absence of all seven Republicans. Sometime it really does pay to play the majority card. GOP members of the Environment and Public Works Committee have been boycotting the committee meetings since Tuesday in hopes of delaying a final decision until the EPA could review that plan. Under a cap and trade program, the federal government would issue a limited number of permits to companies; each permit allowing emission of one metric ton of carbon waste. Companies can use, trade or sell the permits before they are surrendered to the EPA once carbon has been emitted. Kind of like carbon baseball cards. Republicans accuse the current legislation of being rushed and lacking adequate study on economic impact, while majority leader, Barbara Boxer, criticizes the minority of dragging their feet in making any kind of move toward emission regulation. Republican committee minority leader, James Inhofe, calls the approval of the bill a “nuclear option” that breaks “the rules and long-standing precedent” of the environment committee. Looks like there's some trouble in paradise for the EPW Committee. A similar bill, currently in committee in the house calls for a cut of 17 percent of emissions from 2005 standards, while the Senate bills calls for a 20 percent reduction. As the Cap and Trade bill heads to the Senate floor, Washington continues to struggle to come up with a responsible solution to the impact the United States has on global warming. Contact your Senator and let them know that it is there responsibility to take action. Waiting to find a solution could result in irreversible damage to our planet. Photo by Wikimedia Commons.

The Pilot Whales Of The North Atlantic

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:27:49 -0800

by PHILIP ROSS, Causecast Editor Perusing my e-mail inbox, I stumbled upon a chain mail titled World SHAME and, being the curious cat that I am, I opened it. I ended up scrolling through a series of photos showing the massacre of hundreds and hundreds of small whales on an island somewhere in Europe. My initial reaction was what you would expect: disgust, and a desire to immediately sign the petition at the bottom of the e-mail to stop whale slaughter. Then the wheels in my head started turning, and I had this overwhelming desire to learn more. So with some research, this is what I came up with: Grindadráp. It means “whale hunt” in Faroese, and it happens once a year on the Faroe Islands, a Danish territory located about half way between Scotland and Iceland. Around 1,000 pilot whales are killed during this celebrated butchering. It’s a family affair, with children, moms and dads lining the shoreline to witness. The images we see in the media of this event are gruesome, to the say the least - blood-stained beaches riddled with the convulsing, twitching, thrashing bodies of pilot whales, the young men hunched over their catch, knives in hand, cutting away at the flesh of these sleek sea voyagers, while an eager audience looks on with enthusiasm and satisfaction. Crimson water and writhing whale bodies; enough to churn the most resilient of stomachs. Local Faroe say this ritual is of dietary value - whale meat being the staple protein source for the Faroe population. The catch is distributed equally among the communities for consumption, regardless of who participates in the hunt, providing their supply of meat for the year. I checked the U.S Fish and Wildlife threatened and endangered species list, and the pilot whale was no where to be found. In fact, I learned that about a million of these beautiful creatures still exist in the wild, and, at the rate the Faroese are catching them, this does not pose a threat to the pilot whale population. While I’m an animal lover at heart, I’m also not a full vegetarian. Slap a hunk of raw tuna on my plate and I find my nirvana. I also enjoy chicken, yet have phased red meat and pork out of my diet for good. This decision stems from three convictions: one, the negative environmental implications of cattle farms; two, the horrible conditions in which livestock in the U.S. is raised; and three, the fact that millions of people around the world go without food while we pump our cattle full of grain - sustenance that could easily support human life instead. But, as a fish eater, I can’t blame someone for killing and eating something from the sea. On the other hand, the Faroese Ministry of Health has issued statements regarding the health concerns associated with whale meat consumption, citing the high levels of contaminants - including mercury (another consequence of man's uncanny ability to pollute the natural world) - in whale blubber. This evidence has shown that eating pilot whale meat is dangerous to the human body, and should only happen on occasion. In my opinion, the way in which the pilot whales around the Faroe islands are killed for consumption is a far more humane way of providing food for a nation of 48,000 than the methods employed in the U.S. The deaths of the pilot whales are quick, in stark contrast to the suffering our livestock endure throughout their miserable life spans. Chickens stored in cramped, dilapidated structures, their beaks severed, their bodies pumped full of hormones until they can no longer stand. Cattle branded time and time again, castrated with a pair of sheers and without anesthetics, only to live life prodded, poked and tormented, to meet their end by the brunt of a wooden club or nail gun. I think we need to see dramatic transformations take place in the American meat industry before we tackle issues over whaling. Or this particular issue of whaling. While scrolling through article after article from small, local news sources, discussing the Faroe island pilot whale killings, something began to bother me. Many people write that they are “shocked” this sort of thing could happen in Europe. One blogger commented that she thought this sort of “barbaric practice” only happened in “third world” countries - as if being European, western, and white somehow puts you above this sort of thing. The assumption is somewhere along the lines, I’m guessing, that in a “civilized,” developed nation, how can this happen? This, i think, is the real catastrophe. But in the end, you be the judge: is grindadráp a justifiable part of Faroese culture, or an unnecessary massacre of animal life? If you’re gut tells you that whale life should be preserved, not hunted down, sign the petition to stop the whale killings in the Faroe Islands. Also, check out Farm Sanctuary, an organization working to end the cruel treatment of animals in industries that treat them as money-making commodities. You can donate to their cause to help transform the American meat industry. Another organization advocating the fair treatment of animals is the Humane Society. You can donate to help the Humans Society bring justice to all life on earth. Photo by ahisgett, flickr.

Toyota Engineering Emissions Absorbing Flowers

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:07:15 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer We all know Toyota manufacturers reliable vehicles, but as it turns out the inventor of the revolutionary Prius hybrid also has a green thumb. After years of criticism for their green-vehicle that comes with a less than eco-friendly production process, Toyota has decided to rectify their hypocrisy. With flowers. These are not the "I'm Sorry" flowers you're thinking of. Toyota is literally engineering a hybrid flora that absorbs the carbon emitted with each manufactured Prius. Genius. These mutant cherry sage/gardenia buds have been engineered to specifically cut back on carbon waste and increased surface temperature around the factory by absorbing the nitrogen oxides released in the manufacturing process. Lower surface temperature means less heat and therefore less energy used by the factory's cooling system. Prior to the development of flower solution, Toyota justified the increased emissions output in Prius production by the vehicle's reduced emissions once the keys make it to the hands of consumers. Of course, skeptics will question the effectiveness of this blooming idea, but you have to give Toyota some credit for thinking outside the (garden) box. Toyota's carbon-reducing flowers are not the first in Toyota ingenuity aimed at cutting back on energy - the plant is also surrounded by slow growing grass that only needs to be mowed once a year. Toyota is doing their part to offset carbon emissions. Since 1990, they have cut their emissions by 55 percent. Find ways to reduce your own carbon footprint by checking out Causecast featured green organization Global Green USA for other innovative solutions for cutting back. Photo by aussiegall, flickr.

Buy Responsibly Campaigns For Fair Trade

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:46:47 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer Our insatiable demand for stuff results in a great deal of pressure for cheaper goods. But we rarely take a step back to consider that our addiction to consumerism is one of the largest driving forces behind the atrocities of human trafficking and forced labor. Think about it: cheap stuff requires cheap labor. In an effort to fight against the inhumane side-effects of hyper-consumption, the International Organization for Migration has launched the Buy Responsibly campaign. The campaign is designed to encourage consumers to take charge of their purchasing and do their part to end human trafficking. A "gray industry" of exploited human labor develops when governments fail to protect the rights of workers. This "gray industry" threatens the assurance of humane working conditions and fair pay. It's not just the government though; private companies have a responsibility to ensure the proper treatment of their employees. In fact, in many countries, corporations are better equipped to take care of their workers than the government is. However, the reality is that they don't always do it. And the way human trafficking relates to our consumer addiction is just plain staggering. Check this out: • Worldwide, approximately 12.3 million people are believed to be working in conditions of forced and exploited labor. • Even in industrialized countries, 113,000 people work in conditions of forced labor. • In the United Kingdom, between 500,000 and 600,000 irregular migrants are believed to work in exploitative conditions. • The Philippines, along with many other countries, are active supporters of human trafficking because of the economic benefits that countries gain from the remittance amount. • South Africa is expected to see an increase in the amount of prostitution during the upcoming 2010 World Cup. While Buy Responsibly is a Euro-centric project (for the most part), the principles are not limited to Europe. With that in mind, who would you believe holds the record for consumption? No surprise there - Americans are the biggest consumers. Here's the Buy Responsibly Public Service Announcement. You'll never look at the tomatoes in your salad the same way again. Here's what you should do, and a little bit about what you should NOT do: • DO make a conscious effort to buy Fair Trade products. Fair Trade products ensure economic, environmental and social standards are fair to the consumer and producer. Fair Trade USA offers a list of companies that are Fair Trade Certified. • DO let companies know that the proper treatment of their workers is a significant factor in your purchases. Companies can't function without consumers, so realizing that human rights could affect their bottom line should push them in the right direction. • DON'T launch a boycott without all the facts. Boycotting certain products could have adverse effects on those involved in production - like total unemployment. Plus, slave-trade is wide spread. If you boycott everything, you're going to eventually end up naked and really hungry. Boycott with specific demands and tangible goals in mind. • DO stop the boycott once companies implement change. Ethical changes are a good thing. Companies deserve to be rewarded when they make the effort to adjust their business to reflect ethical practices. Photo by austinevan, flickr.

Palm Oil Vs. Rainforests

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:15:57 -0800

by CAROL RASAPHANGTHONG, Video Intern Ever wonder what ingredients are in the items that you consume daily? Ever notice that palm oil is found in quite a few of the products that we use or eat all the time? I ran across this video by 3BLMedia and it really intrigued and educated me on the roots of palm oil manufacturing. It turns out that giant palm oil plantations from Southeast Asia to South America are destroying the rainforests to expand their plantations. Animals such as orangutans and sun bears are affected by this just as much as the people and farmers who once lived on the land and were involuntarily removed in order to make room for more of these plantations. Many plantation workers work in harsh conditions and are exposed to toxic pesticides. Amongst many other causes, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is fighting to stop the clearing of rainforests for industrial palm oil and soy plantations. RAN is researching products that have palm oil in them and are looking for palm-oil free alternatives that are eco-friendly. Not only does the expansion of plantations affect animals, people and the rainforest, but it affects the climate as well. What can you do? For starters, check out the video below. Then learn how you can take action. Photo by tauntingpanda, flickr.

Bassnectar On President Obama, The Internet, And Inspiring Youth Culture To Impact Change

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:39:34 -0800

by NICHOLAS CHUNG, Causecast Writer

Bassnectar is Lorin Ashton’s multi-faceted electronic music and social experimentation project. Started in nineties San Francisco, Bassnectar’s open-sourced “Omni-tempo maximalism” combines beats and bass-lines across genres, rhythms, and time signatures to create infectiously raw, danceable tunes, connecting youth culture with social action. Causecast’s Brandon Deroche spoke with Bassnectar’s Lorin Ashton at this year’s Austin City Limits Festival on Obama, the Internet, Bassnetwork, local activism, and what motivates him to impact social change.

Causecast: It feels to me like we're living in a very unique time in history. Technology has made it possible to connect with people anywhere in the world, and to me it feels like we’re on the brink of something, some sort of shift in culture. I’m wondering if you would agree with that? Ashton: I tend not to get caught up too much in the present day to day, because I think a lot of these things tend to move in cycles, politically. I also don't feel intelligent enough to pass judgment all the time since a lot of times when i have done so in the past, I turned out to be a 180 degrees wrong. Or sometimes there are just situations that are complex politically, like you're given a choice between Democrats and Republicans in this country, and both of them are controlled by the same corporations or competing corporations. So, you find yourself spending all this time and energy supporting Obama, because you know McCain is a fucking horrible man, but then you get Obama and you realize you've been duped: He's controlled by the banks and lobbyists (right at the time the economy is completely swiped by the banks and called a "bailout"). You end up asking yourself 'why did I put all this energy into that guy who's just faked me out?' So if you asked someone a year ago about Obama, they would've said one thing and now they're going to say another thing, so making a judgment about the present is less important to me than coming down to basic human principles.

“I want to create kind of a magnetic phenomenon that would inspire youth culture and make youth culture curious.”
-Lorin Ashton

The most important to me is empathy, which is, I think, one of the defining characteristics of a human; the ability to intellectually perceive another person's experience and care about it. And I think most of us humans care about all the other humans, for the most part. And we can be jerks and we can be lazy, but we're also caring individuals and caring creatures. So I think that to educate people and then let their own internal empathy be the gauge that anticipates what kind of response they're going to have, is a really safe way to play it. As opposed to telling people 'here's what to think and here's what to do,' it's more like, 'here's some unbiased information, why don't you compare that up to your internal systems of morals and what do you feel like doing about it?' For the most part, it just comes down to the fact that people are uneducated. They don't know what's going on with the issues and they don't know what to do about it. So I think that empowering people by educating them to what's going on and then empowering them about what they can do about it is key. That way you don't even need to get bogged down by the issues, because you might be rooting for the wrong side and not even knowing it.
“...the cause is aided by me not being preachy and not betraying the sentiment of inspiration with doctrine or dogma and just kinda building a slow building relationship with the community...I think we all have our roles and trying to do everything doesn’t make sense.”
-Lorin Ashton

And that's basically the philosophy behind Bassnectar at this point: I want to create kind of a magnetic phenomenon that would inspire youth culture and make youth culture curious, thus expanding my sphere of influence, and my ability to interact and contribute on a deeper lever. I have some strong counter-culture beliefs and a lot of energy to act on on them, to make a social impact, because I care. While studying politics in college, I took was a class about this woman named Hannah Arendt, who wrote about how to expand your sphere of appearance, or your sphere of influence. You could use various techniques; terrorism, like the Unabomber, or you could use fame like Michael Moore or John Stewart or you could use politics like Rush Limbaugh or Tom DeLay, or whatever, or you could use money. And since I don't have any of that I chose to use music as a way to gather attention and then be able to deliver energy towards the areas that I think are important in life, which would be education, health, family - basic principles that are lost in the inundated shuffle of stupid gossip macabre media stories, and pointless sidetrack political distraction ceremonies. There's a lot in our society that's been boiled down to easily digested sound-bites, to a corporate, marketable, product. And I think that there's a lot to life that supersedes that, and so to an under-funded-education-system bred population, which is the youth culture we have today, I feel really excited about contributing to their education and helping to inspire them. CC: Would you say that is what drives you? Ashton: Well, I definitely have to say, right off the bat, that I change my mind a lot. And I change my focus a lot, which I think is healthy. But sometimes I feel extremely focused on one political objective, and at that time I'll obsess about it and spend all my time broadcasting my thoughts on the issue. And then other times, like I said, my focus is much more general, basically more humanistic. At that point I almost think that the cause is aided by me not being preachy and not betraying the sentiment of inspiration with doctrine or dogma, but rather by building a relationship with the community, developing perspective and waiting for the ideal time/context to discuss it. I think we all have our roles and trying to do everything at once doesn't make sense; it is a team effort. So, what I'm focused on doing is creating this really weird anomaly, and letting people enjoy it and finding others creative partners and contributors to enrich it with content and to find local organizations to feature at every stop on the tour, or to interact with online, etc.

“...bringing exposure to those causes [I‘d like to facilitate] or inspiring people to get involved with them...that’s what Bassnectar is about...”
-Lorin Ashton

And, that works really well in my experience, as a way of combining music with substance. It's not setting people up for burnout, because it's really easy. And that's good, because the odds are daunting in the war between the serfs and the lords. There's only a couple Lords, and they own everything, they control us all, and we're all kind of stupid and living in the mud, and working for the Lords. And that's still true today; it's not really about nationalism, that's kind of a disguise - it's about corporatism. And the people who own it were born into it: it's a lineage. I don't think it's so much of a conspiracy; I just think it's a reality. You and I would probably be a lot different if we were born from this long line of upper class people, and always told that wealth was our right, we'd probably be assholes. We probably would not be here in Austin, Texas talking about art and social change. We'd probably be behind closed doors talking about how to keep our money. I have compassion and understanding for that. I don't approve of that, but I can understand it. So, I do think it's a daunting task to try and take that on. Taking baby steps helps people not get burned out.

CC: Is there a specific cause you’re passionate about? Ashton: Yeah there's a couple things. One is facilitation. I feel like there's so many very proper nonprofits and organizations, but a lot of times when I come up with an idea, I'm tempted to start a new organization that focuses on it. But if you do your research, you find out there's five to 500 other pre-existing organizations doing the same thing, so I'm just really interested in facilitation. Whether that's bringing exposure to those causes or inspiring people to get involved with them, and that's what Bassnectar is about: contributing to people's sense of education, empowerment, exchange of ideas, mental health, quality of life. At least that's the intention. However, that said, to contradict myself, I think one of the potential weaknesses of the liberal Left is that we're too divided. Everyone has their own cause and pet project ('save the trees,' or 'save the forest,' or 'save the whales,' or 'gay marriage') and most of it is pretty proper and comes from a good place, but then you look at the Right, and they're all in line and organized with deadly precision: Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, they'll die for the cause and they are focused. And that's why they succeed a lot in politics, because they have this cut-throat loyalty to their speaking points. Meanwhile those of us with a more independent, liberal outlook are watered down by caring about too many things at once, giving voice to all of our passions. And I'm guilty of that, too, because, like I said, I want to facilitate causes that people are passionate about. It's riding that balance between not letting the messages get too cluttered, but also supporting everyone and giving everyone a voice. The following videos will be shown during the November 7 Bassnectar show in Detroit to bring awareness to four great organizations - Alternatives for Girls, Focus Hope, Youthville Detroit, and the Heidelberg Project: For more on Bassnectar, visit: www.bassnectar.net. Read more Causecast musician interviews at www.causecast.org/music. photo 1 by amy hd, flickr. photo 2 by amy hd, flickr. photo 3 by Julio Enriquez, flickr.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Daughter Moves In As New Civil Rights Leader

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:36:41 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer It appears that a gift for tackling civil rights issues might be somewhat of a hereditary trait. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference named Bernice King as the new leader of the US Civil Rights movement. Yes, this Revered King is related to that Reverend King. It's in the blood. Bernice King is the youngest child of the late Dr. Martin Luther King who co-founded the SCLC movement in the late 1950s. Bernice King will serve as the first female president in SCLC history and the third King family member to fill the position. Ms. King's election comes at a crucial time for the organization that has suffered damaging setbacks in influence due to internal conflict and differences of opinion on current civil rights issues. King has vowed to use her influence as a means to find common ground between civil rights leaders of the 1960s and the civil rights movement of today. In response to the announcement of her election, King remarked, "I stand before you as a daughter of the civil rights movement calling forth the daughters and sons of the next generation of social change. I am a King, yet I am mindful that I am not the only one." The SCLC has about 10,000 members and about 80 chapters in 17 states. The organization was founded in the height of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s following the Rosa Parks incident in Montgomery. Since its inception, the organization has seen its share of success and controversy. Most recently, it has been widely criticized by others in the civil rights movement for its hands off approach to issues of the gay community - King herself having led an anti-gay-marriage march in 2004. While America continues to struggle to define civil rights for all individuals regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or socio-economic status, civil rights organizations of all kinds fight to keep the issues of all humans fresh in the minds of policy makers and the general public alike. The Leadership Conference of Civil Rights is an extensive network of organizations working to secure and preserve the rights of all Americans. Check out who is involved and what you can do to take action in protecting civil rights for all Americans. Photo by Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, wikimedia.

Americans Lack Diabetes Awareness

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:33:42 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer Aside from her collection of amazing recipes, my Grandma left my family one other thing: diabetes. My Grandpa has it, my dad has it, and so does his brother. Given our genetics, my brother and I are pretty good candidates, and, as it turns out, so are one in every three other Americans. Even with a relatively alarming risk rate, Americans are pretty ignorant when it comes to the facts about "the betes". The American Diabetes Association conducted a pretty intense survey interrogating more than two thousand men and women across the country. They found that most people don't know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and, even more alarming, many of those questioned had no idea that diabetes can actually lead to death if neglected. That's not good considering one American is diagnosed with diabetes every 20 seconds. Here are the facts you need to know about diabetes: • Diabetes causes more deaths a year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. • Type 1 diabetes is caused by genetics and unknown factors that trigger the onset of the disease; type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics and lifestyle factors. • Symptoms include: extreme hunger, extreme thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, unusual weight loss and unexplained tiredness. • Genetics, age, and lifestyle play into risk factors. Obesity increases risk. Being over 45 increases risk. Poor diet increases risk. And as unfair as it is, race and ethnicity can be a risk factor. Latinos and African Americans are twice as likely to develop diabetes as Caucasians. • Diabetes can lead to additional health issues like kidney problems, heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, depression, eye problems and sometimes even blindness. • There is no cure for diabetes, but there is treatment. • Type II Diabetes can be prevented. A balanced diet and adequate exercise is the best way to fight back against the risk of diabetes. Lifestyle is everything. To find out if you might be at risk and to learn more check out the American Diabetes Association Risk test. Once you know the facts, test your diabetes prowess with the Diabetes Quiz. Don't get too cocky- this quiz is tough. Let's just say my score won me a "Try Again" at the end. Photo by AlishaV, flickr.

Twenty Years After The Collapse Of The Berlin Wall

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:45:25 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer November ninth marks the 20 year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which triggered the collapse of communism that would spread throughout Eastern Europe in the years to follow. The Berlin Wall was the iconic symbol of the proverbial iron curtain that separated a free Europe from the communist east and divided the city of Berlin for nearly 30 years. The day the wall fell there was no press release, no news conference, just thousands of Germans who found their voice after four decades of being silenced and divided. With the collapse of the wall they said, "Enough is enough." Eventually the media did show up to find East Germans toppling over the top of the wall separating them from the West. No guns. No war. Just peaceful revolution. The collapse of the Berlin wall is more than an event to fill a few pages of high school history books. Twenty years later, it still represents a shift in paradigm for human rights throughout the Eastern Communist Corridor. For 40 years, the citizens of the Soviet Union and it's allied nations were cut off from basic human rights of religion, free speech, entrepreneurship. Even the freedom to travel was minimized. Once the wall crumbled, so did the oppression of government over its people. As Germany remembers the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the global community watches on and the party begins. Hotel rooms in Berlin are booked solid through the next week. U2 is throwing a free concert. And of course, MTV is hosting the 2009 European Video Music Awards from where else, but Berlin. Los Angeles is hosting it's own remembrance festivities as only L.A. can. Don't worry the Cold War communists have not relocated to Southern California. Los Angeles based nonprofit Wende Museum, has erected ten slabs of the former wall down Wilshire Boulevard in front of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The remnants stand as a symbol of the diverse interpretations of what the wall symbolizes. Artists from all over the world have been invited to contribute their own ideas and add their own take on the significance of the wall to history and today. Wende is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and enabling access to Cold War-era artifacts from Eastern Europe. The display will remain on Wilshire until November 8. On the 9, well, the wall comes down. If you're in L.A., go check it out. The threat of human rights violations of all kinds still oppresses societies in many parts of the world. Virtually every continent is plagued by some form of human rights issues. The collapse of the wall, as a triumph over oppression, represents hope for millions around the world who are denied basic human rights by their own governments. Nonprofit organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch work tirelessly to ensure justice for those afflicted by human rights violations around the world. Donate. Advocate. Educate. Do something on behalf of those around the world who are denied to right to basic freedoms. Photo by Wikimedia Commons.

African Nations Boycott Climate Talks In Barcelona

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:43:55 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer We're still about a month out from the U.N. Climate Conference scheduled to take place in Copenhagen this December, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of time for a little pre-conference drama leading up to the historic gathering. This week, leaders from around the world are meeting in Barcelona for a pre-Copenhagen Ad Hoc working session. Yesterday the session started with some interesting news. Africa decided to boycott. For a few hours, 55 African nations dug their heels in protest against what they felt was a mediocre commitment to change from the participating Western nations. Ultimately, the issue seems to come down to a conflicting opinion of who is responsible for climate change and who should pay to fix it. If the song "We're Not Gonna Take It" wasn't playing softly in the background, it should have been. The stand off lasted several hours resulting in African delegates missing the majority of Tuesday morning's Climate Change meetings. After reaching some level of compromise, the delegates returned for meetings Tuesday evening, but the overall principle of demand for more change hangs heavy in Barcelona and will likely carry over to Copenhagen. African delegates are asking the western industrial countries to cut current emission levels 40 percent by 2020, a big difference from largely agreed upon 10 percent (or less) commitment. As one of the world's biggest polluters, the U.S. has committed a dismal four percent cut in emissions compared to levels in 1990. Though the boycott has ended, these African nations have made a clear point through their demonstration. They are not content with the current commitment to solving the global climate crisis and are prepared to make a scene if necessary. African nations have good reason to be so passionate about this topic; should climate change continue on its current trajectory, Africa stands to endure the worst consequences of anywhere on planet. Africa is not alone in their efforts to broaden the global commitment to solving the climate crisis. Yesterday's boycott received expressed support from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group, and a number of Latin America countries. The general consensus is that those in support of the boycott are displeased with the idea that the substandard commitment of Western industrial countries may result in an imbalanced commitment required from developing nations. Eventually, every nation will need to come to an agreement on what must be done about the climate crisis and the resolutions reached in Copenhagen stand to produce some serious drama should the current conflict continue. If you haven't signed the Seal the Deal petition, urging a viable solution to Climate Change to be reached in Copenhagen, sign it now. The U.S. remains one of the largest polluters and stingiest contributors to solving the Climate Crisis. Add your voice to the We Can Solve It campaign, hoping to find a solution to cleaner emissions and urging our government to do the right thing in their commitment to a solution. Photo by Marcello Casal JR/ABr, Wikimedia Commons.

How To Work At A Farmers Market

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:23:30 -0800

by CLAIRE GRINTON, Contributing Writer Farmers markets have rapidly become a regular structure in communities across the nation. For many Americans, who have become aware of the despicable conditions of factory farms and the damaging effects they have on the environment, eating locally is the only way to go. With more than 4,800 farmers markets of various sizes already established in the U.S., there's a huge demand for dedicated individuals to make these events happen. From the sales folks on the ground to those establishing and maintaining the stands, farmers markets owe their success to the hard-working people behind them. If you've been thinking about working with a farmers market, read on to find out how you can get in on the action. Step One: Choosing Your Career Path There are three basic avenues to choose from when looking to work at a farmers market: tabling, selling produce, and working behind the scenes. The first step to a successful relationship with the farmers market is figuring out where you'd like to get involved most. Tabling When it comes down to the nitty-gritty, a farmers market can't survive without the folks at the tables, talking to the locals about the produce and the farming techniques used to harvest them. While some farms have a dedicated team that goes out to various farmer's markets throughout the week, many hire contractors to work at farmers markets a few times a week or less. Selling Your Own Produce If instead you want to sell your own products at a farmers market, there may be a couple of options for you. While farmers markets at their root are meant to specifically sell produce, herbs, meat, cheese, and flowers, many also allow the sale of jams and jellies, honey, bread and other baked goods, maple syrup, and vinegars, as well as crafts, such as candles, soap, clothing, and knit pieces. This can also be a great community for artists to come together to help each other out, share tools and materials, and collaborate. Many farmers markets also welcome local musicians, who can play for exposure, sell their music, and make a couple tips. Going to these diverse, vibrant marketplaces is often seen as an event, a destination for the community, so getting involved can introduce you and your wares to a great community. Working Behind The Scenes Farmers markets also require the help of folks behind the scenes. Talk to your local organization to find their current hiring needs. Just like any other business, farmers market organizations need managing coordinators, marketing and promotion staff, communication directors, project managers, and community liaisons. Many associations also rely on volunteer services, for everything from graphic design and promotions to on-the-ground manpower. Step Two: Search And Apply Now that you've weighed the pros and cons of each vocational avenue, it's time to apply. There are a number of different ways you can apply for these positions. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce or find your state's Farmers Market Association or organization, who can provide you with a list of farms that need help. Craigslist is also a great place to find contract work for farmers markets - try checking under "sales" or "food/beverage/hospitality." If you want to work specifically at your local farmers market, you can also approach the farmers represented there and see where there's a need for help. Getting involved can be a long process, so it's best to contact your local farmers market as soon as you're ready to commit. Each market has different guidelines for what they sell, so contact your local farmers market or your state association to see if your products are included on the list of sellable wares. Most markets require you bring even basic structural elements like your own tables or tents, though this will also vary from market to market; some spaces are dedicated to the farmers market and will have some of the basic infrastructure, while others set up and break down every season or every week. Remember that some markets require a larger time commitment than others, but don't fret if you only want to show up a few times throughout the season; many markets have spaces that rotate sponsors, so you can sign up for a handful of events. Step Three: Understand What's Required Now that you've applied, read through this list of job requirements and see if the commitment to early mornings, independent transportation, and so on, work for you. • The early bird gets the worm...and the farmers market gigs. Because many markets open in the wee hours of the morning, each station needs to get the products to the market and get set up bright and early. • Some gigs require a car or available, reliable transportation, as most positions require you go to the farm to pick up the items. • You may not be working the fields, but you'll still be breaking a sweat. As one lad from Happy Boy Farms at my local farmers market cautioned, it's a demanding job. Loading produce onto flats at the farm, getting them into vans and onto the tables at the market, and reloading the remaining produce at the end of the day is much more labor-intensive than many realize. • Lastly, you'll need to be passionate about local food and be ready to learn a bit about farming techniques. Of course, it's always helpful to be confident chatting with strangers and fielding questions. In the meantime, help support your local farmers market by regularly attending to purchase fresh produce and other wares. Show your support by picking up some great "I (lettuce)" stickers and bookmarks from the Farmers Market Coalition. Lastly, if your community doesn't already have a farmers market, you can help start one! Get the word out in your community, contact farmers with existing CSA programs, and put your hopes in motion - you'll be doing a service to your local farmers, your community, and yourself. Photo by NatalieMaynor, flickr.

TNT: Tanaka's Ideas On Saving Water

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:21 -0800

Tanaka's tip of the day: My mom always stressed 5 minute showers and now I know why (it wasn't to shorten my shower karoake sessions either)! As I watch the trailer for Flow, I can't help but wonder what my fellow Causecast team and I can do to prevent unnecessary water loss. I collect my thoughts and brainstorm ideas...in the office I know we have aerators on our bathroom faucets and low-flow toilets...this makes me happy. I am glad we have brought it up to make sure we fill the dishwasher completely before running it. The main goal, in and out of the office, is to make sure we aren't running water when we don't need to. It's just so easy to forget! For instance, when we wash dishes we lather up those plates with soap and tend to forget the water we are wasting before finally rinsing them off. I can point the finger at myself for this, but I've seriously been noticing it and trying to stop myself. I see it done at my other job a lot, and I have ran over to turn off the faucet plenty of times while running a few words by my coworkers. The first time I am nice, but the next few times...I turn into the Hulk! Or maybe sharing this visual water meter will help others' get an idea of where we're at in the struggle to save water. I saw the severity of the problem first hand when I went to Lake Mead a couple of years ago. It was crazy to see where the water line was and where it dropped down to; it had to be around 30-feet or more. Crazy! So maybe we should just read up on ways to save water in the office and at home together. You can even hint to your boss that installing some WaterSense Products throughout the building might be a brilliant, and thrifty, idea. Don't forget that saving water also includes using the right cleaning products. If you save your greywater while washing dishes or extra runoff from a shower, make sure any soap you use is natural and nontoxic or else saving that extra water is useless! So what can you do with the extra water that you heroically saved from the gutters? You can quench your garden's thirst! Having native plants in your office or home will also help conserve water, because in LA, for instance, native plants and grass that need to be watered less frequently. You can also look into alternative sprinkler systems that could mean water savings for you. Do you see water runoff on your neighborhood sidewalks due to leaky sprinklers? Are people leaving their hoses on while washing their cars? Or are your local restaurants serving you water even when you don't request it? If you tend to be non-confrontational, you can give them a friendly nudge to change their wasteful ways by having someone else confront them for you! Don't worry they usually get a friendly warning first, but to report any water wasting situations just call 1-800-DIAL-DWP. Passionate about water saving solutions in your area or around the world? Get involved! Organizations like Drop in the Bucket and charity: water try to find a ways to fight the water crisis in developing nations. Photo by Reiner Schubert, flickr.

Green Events Around Los Angeles

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:27:29 -0800

Random tips from Tammy: Check out the green business conference this weekend, November 7-8, 2009! Opportunity Green is bringing together some of the greatest minds of our new green economy, including this year's top 25 green business start-ups! I think Novomer is a great one...a green plastic alternative would be phenomenal! If the green business thing doesn't interest you as much, there are actually quite a few environmentally friendly events going on this week! This is for you LA kids! Nor Cal don't worry, you aren't forgotten. Tapped is hosting a screening in Mt. Shasta, California! The event is on November 5th and you can find all the details on their events page. Too bad it's a ten-hour drive...I was really contemplating a road trip (though the carbon footprint from that trek would defeat the whole purpose!) Okay, and this isn't really going on this week per say, but check it out! Al Gore is having an event in Beverly Hills to promote his new book, "Our Choice". I may have to scrounge up an extra $40 to attend this event!! Donations anyone?? Photo by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino23, flickr.

Word Of The Week: Water!

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:44:26 -0800

Tammy's tip: Well, it's no tip. Actually, I would rather hear your tips for the week! E-mail us at TheGreenProject@Causecast.org! This week is all about water. We have all taken it for granted, letting the water run, or running the dishwasher when there really isn't anything to wash and even taking those extra-long showers on bitter cold, winter mornings...in L.A., anyways, you get the point. Truth is, water is one of the largest crises of our time. Estimates place around 1.1 billion people have insufficient, inconsistent, and unsafe drinking water supplies. That's one in six of us. And in 2004 there were 2.2 million deaths related to unsafe drinking water, most being children under the age of five. So how do we become more water-wise? The best way to start is to find and fix leaks around the house. Switch out your appliances for water-saving devices. That can be anything from faucet aerators to front loading clothes washers. Check your toilets too. High efficiency toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush or less. And third, eat lower on the food chain! That one will be the hardest one for me. I keep saying that I am ready to take on the vegetarian challenge but...on my budget, I already feel like a scavenger, scrounging around the office for scraps! Food Management week...it's on people. I'm taking on a local-foods, vegetarian diet and hopefully I can stick to it! Check out local rebate programs!!! Now that's beyond water-wise...that's borderline genius. We are all on a budget these days so your local community may offer rebates for buying more efficient appliances, I know Santa Monica does! So go on a [smart] shopping spree! Luckily, the Causecast HQ is already on its way to being water-wise. We have low-flow toilets and faucet aerators in the bathrooms. We decided to opt for ice trays instead of the ice machine...and we are planning some inventive ways to recycle our office cooler! Any ideas?? For a little more info you can check out California's Save Our Water campaign which has some useful tools for offices, homes, and gardens. You should also check this out if you are working out of Santa Monica. They offer free water efficiency assessments through their Green Business Program! If you get a chance, you should definitely check out the FLOW documentary this week! Photo by idreamofdaylight, flickr.

Introducing: The 2009 Causecast Campus Rep Team

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:27:05 -0800

by JON KALAN, Outreach Coordinator Causecast is marching offline and onto a campus near you! We know that students are often the most inspired, idealistic, and passionate individuals in the world, making them an integral part of the Causecast community. In our "inaugural class" of representatives, we have found eight creative, talented, and dedicated activists steadily building a network of change-makers across the country. With the help of Causecast, these philanthropic pupils will be inter-connecting their campuses' cause-related organizations and encouraging students to share their visions for changing the world. But that's not all! Most importantly, our campus representatives will be creating a Causecast microcosm on each of their campuses. By collaborating with other student groups at their colleges on events, screenings, fundraisers and more, they will be building an interactive network of activists to help transform individual interest into collective action. The movement also continues online. Our reps are actively managing social media sites and developing new ways to keep students posted on all the cause-related news, events, and groups on their campuses. Check out these videos from each of our reps (we could have introduced them ourselves, but what's the fun in that?). Feeling inspired? Want to get Causecast on your campus? Find out how you can join the movement and become a campus representative by emailing us at Campusconnect@causecast.org Randy Scott Carroll- Liberty University, VA Brianna Glandorf- Chapman University, CA Mallory Benedict- University of Missouri (Mizzou), MO Kristin Van Oss- Grand Valley State University, MI Kelly Tang- University of California, Los Angeles, CA Cassandra Conrad- San Francisco State University, CA Shane Boyar- University of Florida, FL Kristina Klausser- University of North Florida, FL Photo by dsopfe, flickr.

Human Rights Film Festival Showcases Young Filmmakers

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:56:43 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer There are few things more inspiring than seeing the idea of change through a child's perspective. I feel old saying that, but it's true. There's a hope there that is still pure; the peak of idealism. It's powerful. That's probably why Human Rights Watch and Adobe Youth Voices are combining their forces of forward-thinking activism and cutting edge technology to showcase the talent of young filmmakers from around the world. The two organizations are hosting their third annual Youth Producing Change Program to challenge youth to use the platform to expose current issues and join the effort to increase awareness on global human rights concerns. The program is seeking aspiring filmmakers ages 19 and under to use their creativity to share their perspective on human rights issues within their own communities. All you need is a great idea, a digital camera, and maybe a decent editing program. Here's the cool part- the selected films will premier at the 2010 Human Rights Watch International Film Festivals in New York, London and San Francisco. Plus, the films will be part of the 2010 Traveling Film Festival and be distributed to teachers throughout the United States. Not a bad start if you're looking for a break in movie-making. Human Rights Watch is among the most influential organizations in defending and protecting human rights around the world. They bring justice to those rendered voiceless by human rights violations. To you evil dictators and human rights violators, these are not the people you want to mess with. They find justice where others believe justice impossible and believe in the voice of youth to communicate the need for lasting change. If you're a young filmmaker, here's what you need to do: • Know the deadline: You have until December 10 to submit your film. Don't panic. That's plenty of time! • Once your film is made, visit the HRW Youth Producing Change website for specific instructions and submit your film. • Make a copy of your film because, regardless of whether or not your film is selected, HRW is going to keep your DVD. If you, like myself, are a few years past the prime aspiring filmmaker age, don't lose heart. There is plenty of action at HRW. You can, of course, donate. Non-profits can always use your cash. Or take action. Let those representing you in Washington know about the current issues HRW is tackling and what they can do to demand change. Stay informed. Educate others. Do your part and raise your voice on behalf of those that are silenced. Check out the winners for the 2009 Youth Producing Change Program. Photo by Stephane Tougard, flickr.

America's Electronic Waste Is Filling Landfills Worldwide

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:56:57 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer The idea that "newer is better" may not be so great. There's a pretty nasty downside to acquiring the newest and fastest technology. It starts with one nasty, toxic, earth-killing word: e-waste. And we have a lot of it. Obviously, when you replaced your standard boob-tube with the slick light-weight HD flat screen, your old box had to go somewhere to die, R.I.P., but did you spend much time thinking about where it spent those final days? Most people don't. Unless e-waste is properly recycled or donated to someone, like Grandma who is still oblivious to the idea of television in living color, chances are your old electronics will end up in a heaping pile of toxic melted plastic and broken glass somewhere in Africa, India or China. Here's the problem: with a population puts the United States near the one-third earmark for the world's largest nations, the United States is by far one of the largest producers of e-waste. To make matters worse, our country lacks a comprehensive plan of action on e-waste disposal. According to the EPA, 4.6 million tons of e-waste are dumped into US landfills each year. The federal government leaves it up to the states and only 19 states currently have regulatory systems in place, with 14 others are working on a plan. California, along with only a handful of states, is leading the way by mandating "take-back"laws. The laws require manufacturers to receive electronics discarded by consumers. Furthermore, California is the only state that requires collection and recycling of rechargeable batteries. Some states recycle computers but not televisions, while others will take laptops but not desktop computers. Ultimately, this means that the US only disposes about twenty-percent of the e-waste safely. Across the pond, the European Union has mandated an e-waste program that limits the amount of electronic waste disposed and requires "take-back" programs with manufacturers. EU legislation also requires alternatives to heavy metals and other toxic materials found in electronic equipment. So what do we do? Well, we could ease our collective conscious by recycling our e-waste, but even that presents an additional list of problems. Recycled e-waste is often shipped off to enormous dumps in five main locations around the world. Two are in Africa and three in Asia. This exportation results in toxic amounts of waste sifted for usable materials by unprotected workers who ultimately face unknown health risks from exposure to hazardous materials. The practice of exporting e-waste is perfectly legal in some countries, but not so much in others; it's just not very ethical or earth-friendly for that matter. Since nearly every option for disposing old electronics eventually lands them in a landfill somewhere in the world, I came up with my own list of eco-conscious ways to move on to the newest technology (with some help from Greenpeace) without the guilt of contributing to the destruction of our planet: •Quit buying the PC model and just go for the Mac. You might have to spend a few hundred dollars more initially, but you'll look cooler, you'll feel cooler and with the never obsolete Apple brand you're technology will last 4 times as long as the PC alternative. •Cut back on your technology addiction. Newer isn't always better, especially when the newest leaves the latter in a heaping pile of toxic waste. Think of it like marriage- til death do us part. Pick a television or a computer that you can commit to until the screen goes black for good. •When you're ready to buy a new TV, do not, under any circumstances, throw your old one away. Sell it, donate it, return it to the manufacturer or use it as a vintage garden box in your yard. Just don't leave it on the curb! •Check with your city for local electronics recycling centers and other options for proper disposal. In Minneapolis you can contact ReThink Recycle for the best ways to reduce your e-waste. In Los Angeles you can drop off your consumer electronics at the Household Hazardous/Electronic Waste Collection Event. There's one just about every weekend somewhere in the LA area. Just don't haul your old refrigerator. They won't take it. •Know what you're getting into. Buy products from companies that are making a conscious effort to clean up their act. •Go a little greener. Cutting your electronic use will greatly reduce your carbon footprint. Find an alternative- like riding your sweet eco-friendly bamboo bike instead of watching hours of TiVo. For more information on what you can do to cut back on e-waste or for other solutions, like purchasing products with a longer life span, check out Greenpeace's guide to purchasing greener electronics.

Photo by sneak046, flickr.

Happy Birthday KIVA!

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:10:02 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer Today marks the four year anniversary for featured Causecast partner and peer-to-peer micro-lending network, KIVA. What better way to celebrate four years of giving than to reach the $100 million mark in loans, with a whopping $60 million in loans in the last twelve months? Since its 2005 launch, more than half a million KIVA lenders have invested in 239,000 microbusinesses in more than 50 countries around the world- not to mention an appearance on Oprah and a Frontline special. Four years ago, KIVA started as an idea to bring the genius of micro-entrepreneurship from the world of big investment to the average would-be- philanthropist. Realizing that not everyone can make a huge investment, but anyone can make some investment, KIVA has set out to redefine micro-lending in a way that let's do-gooders of all kinds be part of the revolutionary concept of microfinance in the developing world. By empowering small business owners with micro-loans, usually a few hundred dollars, and partnering with lenders, who usually invest about $25, KIVA proves that a little really does go a long way. This is how it works: KIVA works with Field Partners around the world to find entrepreneurs in need of a microloan. KIVA lenders, people like us, make a small investment and together provide a single loan. The borrower repays the loan over time and usually in about twelve months the loan is repaid and ready to be returned or reinvested. It works. And this is how I know: I was a senior in college finishing up my senior thesis on the impact of microfinance on global poverty when I discovered KIVA, thanks to the Google "I'm feeling lucky" button. Knowing that talk is cheap, but action says everything, I invested $50 in two small businesses in Africa, just to test the theory. For a poor college student- that's a serious investment. A few years later, I've been repaid and reinvested my initial seed eight times. That same $50 has been part of sixteen different KIVA loans. In fact, I thought I'd check out my KIVA account and had the chance to reinvest again today. Happy birthday, KIVA. If you live in the Bay Area, KIVA is hosting a birthday party at The David Brown Center in Berkeley. It will run you about twenty bucks- all proceeds going back into KIVA. You don't have to live by the bay to celebrate with KIVA. Be a part of the thousands that have given microloans to bring hope to small business entrepreneurs around the world and make an investment today. From all of at Causecast- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIVA. Looking forward to the next $100 million. Photo by Jessica N. Diamond, flickr.

U.N. Investigator Deported After Zimbabwe Officials Retract Invitation

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:53:16 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer Pending allegations of human rights violations and a continued struggle for political stability led Zimbabwe government officials to extend an invite to the United Nations to visit the country on a fact-finding mission earlier this month. UN torture expert, Manfred Nowak, was scheduled to visit the country to investigate the allegations of torture and humans rights violations- including the arrest, harassment and intimidation of human rights activists for their defense of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change party. Upon his arrival for the week long investigation, Nowak was met by immigration officials who informed him that he was being refused entry despite his valid visa. DEPORTED. Needless to say, Mr. Nowak was not happy. In a statement made after the incident, Nowak remarked , "I deeply regret that the Government has deprived me of the possibility to objectively assess the situation of torture and ill-treatment through gathering on the spot evidence from all available sources, including governmental and non-governmental sources, victims and witnesses, as well as visits to various places of detention." For more than twenty years, the dictatorial regime of Robert Mugabe, posing as a consociational democratic government, has denied any violation of human rights in Zimbabwe. All the while citizens are left homeless, dying of preventable disease and living in fear of what their government might do to them if they speak out. The highly charged 2008 presidential election resulted in a "shared-power" decision between Mugabe and the opposing party's elected Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai. Sharing power with an evil dictator? Good luck with that. As it turns out the marriage of the opposing parties isn't working out so well. Tsvangirai doesn't trust Mugabe. Mugabe doesn't like Tsvangiarai. So the rest of South Africa is stepping in for some marriage counseling. Talks among officials from Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia will begin Thursday in an effort to solve the constant political struggle in Zimbabwe that has contributed to ongoing human rights violations. Following his deportation last week, Mr. Nowak also voiced concerns that, where allegations of human rights violations are concerned, in Zimbabwe - time is of the essence. It is still unknown who exactly denied the UN official entry into the country, but Nowak blames Mugabe and remarked that his refused entry into Zimbabwe is evidence of where the power lies in Zimbabwe. I don't think Nowak is a big believer in the whole "shared power" idea either. As the government continues to struggle to work out its internal differences, it's the citizens of Zimbabwe that suffer the most. Mugabe's failed land reform projects have left millions displaced from their homes. Inflation in Zimbabwe continues to soar, and is so high that in January of this year the country was forced to mint a $50 billion note and unemployment has risen to exceed 85 percent, launching more than 80 percent of the population into poverty. Causecast featured Organization, Amnesty International USA, is working hard to monitor human rights issues and provide critical information on the situation in Zimbabwe. Be part of the action. Become a member and donate to Amnesty or learn how you can educate others and stand in solidarity with those in Zimbabwe and around the world who suffer violation of their most basic human rights. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Lock, Wikimedia Commons.

President Of Sudan Launches Website In An Effort To Improve His Image

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:42:27 -0800

by CLAIRE GRINTON, Contributing Writer Propaganda has a long history in times of both war and peace; this time it's gone high-tech. A new website posted by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has many outraged at the audacity of the President to so glibly ignore the violence in Darfur and feign innocence. President al-Bashir was arrested in July of 2008 for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity for his role in the extreme violence that has racked Darfur, but was not prosecuted due to "insufficient evidence." Despite the well-documented, violent conflicts between the Janjaweed militia and a number of groups including the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), al-Bashir remains a candidate for the 2010 Presidential election, running against the current leader of the SPLA, Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit. Many feel al-Bashir's new website isn't speaking to his constituents so much, perhaps because they know that an olive branch logo and fancy sound clips won't distract them from the violence in their own backyard. No, the site seems to be working to garner sympathy and support from the wider world, as evidenced by its English text. According to the site, al-Bashir's priorities are "freedom, development, peace." The headlines speak of his positive actions, though admittedly any candidate would do the same, but the difference is that the stories al-Bashir leaves out are ones of death, destruction, and displacement. Americans took offense at the words of Obama's pastor; just imagine if Obama had 20 years of genocide under his belt before he ran for President. Al-Bashir is not alone in using the internet and some heavy-handed PR in attempt to sway the public opinion, his running mate is using the same tactic. If you're not buying al-Bashir's PR stunt, here's what you can do: • Stay informed about the violence in Darfur with the help of sites like change.org's Daily Darfur and Save Darfur. • Sign the petition to urge Obama to make Darfur a priority in his upcoming trip to the East. • The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir in March of 2009 with seven counts against him. Talk to your community about the violence in Darfur and help raise awareness for al-Bashir's crimes, so that we may eventually hold him responsible and keep him from continuing on as a leader in Sudan.

TNT: Becoming Energy Wise

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:48:58 -0800

Tammy's tip of the day: Try unplugging those laptops and let them breathe! It'll keep your computer battery kickin' and save some power! Ever heard of Environmentaland?? Well...you may be a little late to check it out if you're from the Los Angeles area but the word is that they'll be hitting the streets of Portland, Oregon soon- anyone up for a road trip?! I had the opportunity to check out Environmentaland's Closing Night party and it was amazing! (Yea, I realize I'm a little late on the news but from now on I can promise you will be getting more Tammy-time, all the time!) Anyways, the place was full of green theme-park attractions, including desert miniature golf! Some of my personal favorites were the decorate your own baby blue trashcan station, and generate your own energy seesaw! The seesaw was embarrassingly loud (due to the siren that went off every time you jumped on the thing) but it brought me back to some great childhood memories...aw! Long story short, and in an effort to avoid ruining it for those who have yet to experience Environmentaland, check out their site and find out more about the other Global Inheritance projects! (Oh...and E-mail me if you are down for a road trip to Portland!) So, last week TNT took on energy efficiency. What exactly did we tackle? Try 24 Cfls and a 30+ foot-tall ceiling. Hopefully, your office or home won't be so challenging. I mean, honestly, it didn't take long, but for a girl with a (slight) fear of heights it was...well, let's just say I'm glad that it's over! I'm also glad to say that our bathrooms at Causecast were pretty energy efficient on their own. Light timers were installed into each of the bathrooms which can really save on energy when you are in a hectic office space. So energy tips for today? Unplug those laptops. From what I hear, continuously charging your laptop only decreases the life of battery and wastes electricity at the same time! Anything that is plugged into an outlet is sucking up energy, even after you unplug your computer or even your cellphone charger. While we're on cell phone chargers, check out this sweet new universal phone charger! That would save us a few extra tons of unwanted electronic waste too! Back to charging your laptop, if you are as forgetful as I am, maybe you should look into a Smart Strip. These power strips help out the absent-minded, like myself, by automatically switching off outlets that don't need the energy. These are next on our shopping list! Oh, and for my fear of heights...I fared pretty well! We did take out one, rather unfortunate, little plant on our road to energy-efficiency. Don't worry, we nursed the little guy back to health!

We The People Festival Returns November 21

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:20:24 -0800

BY NICHOLAS CHUNG, Causecast Writer The ambitious We the People festival is counting down to its fourth extravaganza on November 21. The homepage for the event gives some sense of the forces that fuel the multimedia festival’s mission to stimulate “social awareness...within the urban community to inspire the involvement and active participation of the conscious youth populous throughout the country." Promoting “non-partisan, non-violent, environmentally, and politically conscious views” through a combination of raw, loud, art, music, and political culture, this mash-up of a festival seeks to have a lot of everything for its revelers. More than thirty artists, including will.i.am, Social Distortion, and Madvillain, to name a few, will perform on two “massive” outdoor stages, sharing the spotlight with speakers Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Kim Barnouin, and Christopher Darden, President and CEO of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, best-selling nutritionist and author of Skinny Bitch, and legal guru cum-best-selling author, respectively. Then there is the Art is a Hammer Exhibit, which, in looking to the Russian Futurist energies in its title, features compound installations of “hyper-sized smashed up wet-paint loudness, street vandal propaganda pressure, and original counter-culture mess-makers.” Take a social manifesto to empower youth, throw in some street, some grad-school degrees, a crowd of famous artists and performers, and add exclamation points to everything: it’s the 4th annual We the People festival in Los Angeles. Be there. A limited number of tickets are available now for $40. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. and close at 1am at the L.A. Center Studios, 450 S. Bixel Street. For more information, visit: http://wethepeoplefestival.com Photo by nanpalmero, flickr.

Changing the World Online, Being a Conscious Foodie, and LA Hates Cars on Hype To Habit

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:07:26 -0800

This Week's Hype To Habit is about knowing thyself: knowing the Carbon footprint of what you eat, knowing Los Angeles politics are confusing, and knowing how to save the world w/ social networking. Read through the articles to find Creative Solutions on each story. The Conscious Foodie by Jennifer Morone The more we understand and are conscious of our food system, where our food comes from, how it was grown, how it comes to us, what we choose and how we prepare it the better we can improve the environment as well as our bodies, minds and spirits. Read more... LA Announces, Ends Free Parking Program for Clean Air Vehicles by Kevin McCann According to a recent announcement by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, the city’s free-parking-for-clean-air-vehicles program…is over. Read more... 10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media by Admin Citizen journalism, open government, status updates, community building, information sharing, crowdsourcing, and the election of a President. (In the spirit of sharesourscing, we are happy to partake in this community piece led by MaxGladwell.) Read more...

Ten Things You Should Know About Swine Flu/H1N1

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:26:50 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer The leaves are changing and the temperature is dropping - you know what that means. Flu season. Chances are if you haven't had swine flu this year, also known as H1N1, you probably know someone who has. This particular brand of flu has caused a bit of pandemonium for everyone from conspiracy theorists to elementary school parents. And for good reason; this is not your average flu. From 2005 until February of 2009, there were only 12 documented cases of swine flu. Currently, reports show that the rogue flu strain is considered widespread in all but nine states. Before you stop eating pork and barricade yourself indoors for the winter, let's check the facts. There are a few things you should know about the swine flu, how you can prevent it and what you can do if it shows up in your home. 1. Swine flu is also known as H1N1 virus. The two are basically the same thing, however, H1N1 refers to a specific type-A influenza that is present in pigs. It's actually one of four type-A flu viruses. Calling the virus "H1N1" prevents confusion with other strains of the virus. Plus, pig farmers were getting pretty mad a few months ago when their pork product sales plummeted after the initial outbreak. So, for sake of the livelihood of pig-farmers everywhere - it's probably best to refer to the virus as "H1N1" and not so much swine flu. 2. You cannot catch H1N1 from eating pork. Swine flu is not transmitted by food consumption, so if you want to have sausage on your pizza, rest assured. Just make sure that, as with all meat, you cook it to an internal temperature of 160°F. That will kill any bacteria that might be in the meat. 3. H1N1 can be transmitted several ways. You can get H1N1 from contact with an infected pig, but unless you frequent petting zoos or live on a farm, you're far more likely to acquire the flu from another human. Like other flu viruses, transmission of H1N1 passes from person to person through coughing, sneezing, sharing a coke - anything where your eyes, nose, or mouth comes in contact with an infected person's germs. 4. Younger people are more likely to contract the virus. Most reported H1N1 cases have been victims from newborns to 24 years of age. Some have speculated that due to a minor presence of H1N1 in the 1950s, people older than 65 may have some immunity to the virus. While that could be true, it's more likely that children are more susceptible because they spend all day in school together and they share everything- paper, cookies, boogies. Elementary school is like a cesspool of disease, so lather your kids up with sanitizer and talk to them about washing their hands with soap. 5. H1N1 symptoms are similar to normal flu symptoms but can cause further complications if left untreated. If you think you or a family member might have contracted H1N1, these are the symptoms to watch for: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Sounds pretty standard, but it's a good idea to check in with your doctor for a definite diagnosis. Call your doctor immediately if you have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, experience pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, experience sudden dizziness, confusion, severe or persistent vomiting, symptoms improve and return with fever and worse cough. 6. You don't need to be a hero to survive swine flu. If you or your children are diagnosed with H1N1, don't try to tough it out. See your doctor and get the necessary antibiotics. And please, do everyone a favor and stay home. Going to work or sending your kids to school will just expose others to the illness. Plan to be out of commission for about a week. Even if the kids say they are feeling better, the CDC recommends staying home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone. 7. H1N1 is a mild illness for most healthy people. Most will recover with some rest and fluids, and a couple boxes of Thera-flu. 8. Vaccinations are available, but check with your doctor before vaccinating yourself or your children. It's tempting to get everyone vaccinated, but because vaccinations are in high demand for at-risk groups, healthy people between 25-64 years of age are not recommended to receive vaccination at this point. Drink plenty of water and get some over the counter medication. You'll be like new in a few days. Vaccinations for H1N1 are newly developed, so those with severe allergic reactions or serious illness are urged to wait or not get the vaccine at all. 9. Here's the good news - there are really simple steps you can take to protect your health and preventing an H1N1 virus intrusion in your home. • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. • Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. • Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. • Try to avoid close contact with sick people. 10. For more information on H1N1, the vaccinations, or other tips for protecting your family: • Ask your health care provider for the vaccine package insert or ask for suggestions on other sources of information. • Call your local or state health department for information specific to your area. • Contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. • Visit the website at http://www.flu.gov. • If you're one of the 4.4 million iPhone users be sure to download the Swine Flu app created by Harvard Medical School with real time updates, information on outbreaks and a symptom checker if you feel like you might be coming down with H1N1. There really is an app for everything. Photo by so.salem, flickr.

The First Ever World Pneumonia Day

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:50:21 -0800

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer This year, the world will celebrate the first ever World Pneumonia Day. The global effort will take place Monday, November 2 with the ultimate goal of bringing attention to the preventable deaths caused by pneumonia each year. World Pneumonia Day is a collaborative effort of more than 50 child health organizations, including international governments, NGOs, community-based organizations, individuals and research institutions that have combined their influence to form the Global Coalition Against Pneumonia. Pneumonia is one of those diseases that is preventable, completely treatable, but often ends in death because it goes untreated or undetected until its too late. Pneumonia remains one of the largest killers in developing world - claiming more victims than malaria, AIDS, and measles combined. There are proven vaccinations available, but often cost or limited access prevent those affected in the developing world from taking the necessary steps to avert the disease. Neglecting the symptoms eventually leads to serious complication and, tragically, can ultimately end in death. Here are the facts: • Pneumonia kills more than two million children under the age of five every year, taking more victims than any other disease. • Every 15 seconds, pneumonia claims the life of another child. • Globally, bacteria such as Hib and pneumococcus are estimated to cause more than 50 percent of pneumonia deaths in children under five years of age. • The groups most at risk for developing pneumonia are children under five and adults over 65. • Tobacco smoke and other indoor air pollution can also increase chances of being more susceptible to pneumonia. • Those living HIV positive face a much greater chance of dying from pneumonia complications. • Malnourishment leading to a weakened immune system creates a higher risk for serious complications from pneumonia. • Besides vaccination, contracting pneumonia can be greatly reduced with simple hand-washing and limiting exposure to pollutants. • Experts believe that exclusive breast-feeding, vaccinations and antibiotics can prevent 1.2 million deaths caused by pneumonia annually. That would decrease pneumonia deaths by sixty-percent. Addressing the mortality rate associated with pneumonia is key to reaching the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of reducing the child mortality rate by two-thirds. Here are FIVE things you can do to help raise awareness and bring an end to the preventable deaths caused by pneumonia: • Take this interactive quiz to test your pneumonia knowledge. • Sign the pledge to fight pneumonia and join the coalition. • Donate to Save the Children's efforts to fight pneumonia and other preventable diseases around the world. • Educate others about pneumonia prevention, diagnosis and treatment. • Find World Pneumonia Day activities in your area and get involved. Photo by Julien Harneis, flickr.

Random Thought: A Way To Brighten Your Day

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:13:10 -0800

Tanaka's random thought... Looking for more ways to add natural light in your office or home? This should add some sunshine to your day! Sun Aire Skylights. We are looking into this one for the CC Headquarters...we'll keep you posted on all the latest developments! Have a sunny day! Photo by Zitona, flickr.

Youth Homelessness Awareness Month - How To Get Involved

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:37:11 -0800

by CLAIRE GRINTON, Contributing Writer This month is Youth Homelessness Awareness Month, and it has come not a moment too soon. Teen homelessness rates have soared in the U.S., with fewer jobs available for teens to help their family financially and more stresses pushing more kids to leave their homes and live on the streets. With more than three-quarters of these cases going unreported by parents and caretakers, many times there is no one even looking for these kids, and too often, they aren't trusting of the help that occasionally is offered to them. Children make up 27% -- the fastest growing segment -- of the U.S. homeless population, and there's no end in sight; the recession has forced many families out of their homes, making these youth just another group on the long list of victims, moving from couch to couch, shelter to shelter. But for many, economic stresses are just another ingredient in dysfunctional home lives, leading many to run away. They escape their home only to find new dangers and challenges; as many have pointed out, it's not that these youth are living on the streets -- they're surviving, at best. And while Obama's economic stimulus plan has funneled $1.5 billion to fight homelessness, virtually all of that money goes to homeless families, not unaccompanied youth. As a result, nonprofits and private charities have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders in this upcoming year; it is estimated there will be a 10-20% increase in homelessness this year, many of them children. Causecast is proud to welcome StandUp for Kids as a new featured non-profit, an organization dedicated to being advocates for at-risk youth and kids on the streets. StandUp for Kids works to get abused youth into shelters and away from their abusers through the Don't Run Away Program. They're also instrumental in helping street kids get their own apartments and teaching them the basic skills they need to live on their own. They're not alone in the fight. This month marked the third year of the Virgin Mobile FreeFest, working to help end youth homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness has initiated a new program to focus particularly on youth and get them the help they need through early intervention, long-term housing, and after-care services for youth coming from foster care and correctional settings. You too can help, particularly this month: •Volunteer with StandUp for Kids. You can also donate $5 right now by texting STANDUP to 85944 on your mobile phone (don't forget to reply YES to the confirmation message). •Participate in peer outreach and community-based outreach to prevent youth homelessness in the first place. If you think someone you know is considering running away or already has, call 1-800-RUNAWAY or contact the Family and Youth Services Bureau to help find shelter for a homeless youth. •Let your state representatives know that we need more affordable housing options for young adults. •Stay up to date on upcoming opportunities with Causecast and Huffington Post Impact this month and get involved to help end youth homelessness. •Read the latest blog post from filmmaker Michael Hubbard, who discusses his experiences working with homeless families in Los Angeles for the Heartfelt Foundation. Photo by Sukanto Debnath, flickr

Indian Engineer Builds Glaciers To Fight Global Warming

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:24:28 -0700

by JEFF FOSTER, Stand-Up Comedian and Editor of TheLean.org For most of us, global warming is something we basically have to take sitting down. Sure, it's important to use energy-efficient appliances, take the bus, and bring your own shopping bag, but we always wonder just how much of an impact installing one fluorescent light bulb will make, and the effort may feel futile sometimes. We do what we can, but we never know if our collective effort will actually make a meaningful impact. Well, most of us don't, anyway. Chewang Norphel, a 76 year old civil engineer in India, wanted to make sure he saw a positive difference in his lifetime, so he figured out a way to replace some of the rapidly melting Himalayan glaciers, which are heavily relied upon for runoff during the growing season and feed the region's most important rivers. Global warming has caused a noticeable increase in their depletion rate, which has been tied to a rise in the occurrence of devastating floods. Norphel has already created 12 new glaciers by using a pipe system to divert melting glacier water into areas shaded from direct sunlight by mountains, where it remains frozen throughout the winter and melts into the river system in the spring. Despite some limited financial support and recognition from the Indian government, Norphel must rely on local villagers to continue his work after his death, so he has created training CDs to pass on his knowledge. A year after his retirement, Norphel became Watershed Development Project Manager for Leh Nutrition Project, a non-governmental organization that addresses the irrigation crisis currently facing the Ladakh region, which receives only about 50 mm of rainfall per year. Unilateral glacier-building may not be up everyone's avenue, but we can all do a little more than slap an "At Least the War on the Environment is Going Well" bumper sticker on our Hummer. In fact, reforestation is a hot area to volunteer in right now. Since forests absorb carbon and release oxygen, they are an essential defense against global warming. Check out VolunteerMatch for opportunities. You can also make your voice heard. Greenpeace is circulating a massive petition asking world leaders to make an effective global climate treaty at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Sign it! Photo by wildxplorer, flickr.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:48:14 -0700

Hype To Habit

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:02:06 -0700

Changing the World Online, Being a Conscious Foodie, and LA Hates Cars (2 November 2009)

This Week's Hype To Habit is about knowing the CO2 footprint of what you eat, LA politics are confusing, and how to save the world w/ social networking. The Conscious Foodie LA Announces, Ends Free Parking Program for Clean Air Vehicles 10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media

Mountaintop Removal, Ecofont, and Swimming In Sewers (15 October 2009)

This week’s Hype To Habit is all about the home and how a few parts of your daily life have a dramatic impact on the environment. Read through the articles to find Creative Solutions on each story. EPA Approves More Mountaintop Removal Sites
Stop Wasteful Printing
You Have to Pay to Play…at the Beach.

Recycled Jeans, America Spams Alot, and Wet Grass (16 September 2009)

This week’s Hype To Habit is all about the home and how a few parts of your daily life have a dramatic impact on the environment. Read through the articles to find Creative Solutions on each story. Eco Hipsters Saying No to Jeans
Spam Causing Large Amount of GHG Emissions
City of LA Announces New Water Restrictions & Rate Plan

UNICEF Investigates High Child Mortality Rates In Sudanese Orphanages

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:15:22 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer War and political instability destroy the infrastructure of a nation, leaving the most vulnerable citizens to suffer the collateral damage. This week, reports were released that reveal 77 orphans died in Sudan's main orphanage in Mygomo during the month of September. This shockingly high death rate has lead UNICEF to launch an investigation. On average, the orphanage has about a 12-15 percent mortality rate among children, although the figures from the month of September exceed 25 percent. The aftermath of 20 years of civil war in Sudan has stripped the country of a sufficient health care system, leading to an increase in maternal and infant mortality. Proper prenatal care is simply unavailable for expectant mothers, creating an increase in premature births or birth complications that result in the death of the mother, child or both. In addition to maternal mortality issues, abandonment has contributed to an alarming rate of orphaned children in the country. The odds are stacked against children who do survive birth in war-torn Sudan, with an average of 305,000 children under the age of five dying each year of preventable causes - a third of them dying within the first 28 days of life. UNICEF reports show that 26,000 women die annually in Sudan of complications while giving birth. To put that in perspective, Sudan has a population of over 40 million, while all of Latin America and the Caribbean have a collective population of 550 million, and average about 10,000 maternal deaths each year. Sudan's mortality issue is off the charts. The situation in Sudan has improved dramatically since the end of the violent conflict in 2005. A decade ago, child mortality soared past seventy-five percent, however U.N. officials still call the current situation horrifying and urgent. Even with the conflict stabilizing in the last few years, peace is still a distant prospect in Sudan. Newly appointed U.N. representative to Sudan, Nils Kastberg, reports seeing nearly 20 tanks rolling through Mygomo for every one ambulance. With a new goal of seeing ambulances outnumber tanks, in turn trading hopes of stability for violence, Katsberg remarks that, "Sudan, more than ever, needs peace." The tragedy in Sudan has been called the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of our time, with decades of war resulting in widespread poverty and displacement, largely neglected by the West until recently. We can help end the crisis in one of Africa's most war torn nations. There are hundreds of humanitarian organizations working to bring peace and sustainability to a country that has known nothing but war for two decades. • Southern Sudan Humanitarian provides medical supplies, food, and clean water with the help of local volunteers. SSH also builds schools and hires teachers to provide the opportunity for education in a country that has a70 percent illiteracy rate. • UNICEF is a branch of the United Nations committed to providing aid, including food and medicine, to millions of children around the world. • CARE provides primary health services to curb mortality rates and teaches life-saving sanitation techniques to health care providers. • Action Against Hunger provides training for health care professionals, medical supplies, water sanitation, agricultural training and emergency relief to eradicate malnutrition and other results of extreme poverty. Photo by CG2_SoulArtist, flickr.

Universal Cell Phone Charger Can Save Millions Of Tons Of Carbon Emissions

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:03:19 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer My iPhone and I just celebrated our first anniversary together. That's right - for the first time I have spent an entire year with a single mobile device and we are still going strong. I have commitment issues, what can I say. Before I met iPhone, I was constantly swapping out mobile phones - at least one a year or whenever I could finagle my way out of paying retail for the newest, most efficient technology. Do you know what comes with every mobile phone you purchase? A new, and completely different, phone charger. We can't just throw the old charger away, so what do we do? Throw it in the junk drawer with the ten other phone chargers that also no longer serve a purpose. Not exactly the most resourceful use of our outdated electronics. It's not just me though, globally we dispose of 51,000 tons of useless cell phone chargers each year, translating to millions of tons of carbon waste. Recognizing the need to cut back on the waste, the European Union has become one of the first governing bodies to urge mobile phone manufacturers to develop a universal charger to eliminate the outrageous waste produced by obsolete phone chargers. A new universal charger was approved this week by the International Telecommunication Union (a branch of the United Nations), choosing the micro-USB adapter as the universal mobile device charger. The new chargers will be considerably more energy efficient than current chargers, creating a reduction of nearly 14 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. While the new technology will not be "forced" on cell phone manufacturers, it will be available for them to adopt as they produce new phones in 2010. Sony Ericsson plans to implement the universal charger with their 2010 products. The GSM Association (the group responsible for the 3G network) estimates that the technology will be made widely available by mid-2012. As for my iPhone and me, we're pretty committed. But if things do fizzle out, I'll rebound with a new iPhone because the next generation Apple device will definitely be making the upgrade to the universal charger. Before you replace your current mobile device, think about waiting a few months. By this time next year, you can replace your phone and never have to purchase another charger again. For more information on what devices are currently compatible, visit GSM World. The current list is short, but will grow within the next year. A note to the inquiring quasi-techno-savvy: yes, micro-USB and mini-USB are totally different. Photo by uxud, flickr.

Energy Savings Are A GO!

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:13:00 -0700

Tanaka time!! Hmm...where do I begin?! Changing household light bulbs are simple, but when having to change floodlights that hang 12 to 15 feet up...that becomes a little bit of a challenge! But not really, a fellow Causecast employee, Shane, was kind enough to bring in his Light Bulb Changer made by Giraffe. It is an adjustable 11-foot pole with what looks like a sunflower head on the top that can fit any size bulb that you need to change. I stood under the bulbs as I tried to twist each one off, praying that they wouldn't fall on me like an apple from a tree. I had to first check what kind of flood light to get, what watts it took, and just an overall description of the bulb so I had an idea what I'd be looking for at the store later. All the while doing this, I thought of how my efforts probably were not going unnoticed because I was right in front of our CEO's office. Glass windows where he and his guests could probably see my circus act as I struggled to keep the bulb from falling on my head. I felt like a circus kid who would balance an umbrella or some foreign object on their nose for an audience's "oooohs" and "aaahhhs". But I think I looked more foolish at the time... Let the work continue! I figured out what bulb we would need to replace for non-efficient ones, and 24 seemed to be the lucky number when I came to the final count. Let there be light! Tammy & I took our trip to Costco to pick up the floodlights. We needed them in bulk and at a good price, and we got a good price indeed! The bulbs we got were a 4-pack of Feit Electric Conserv Energy Indoor/Outdoor Floodlights. On the box it read that the CFL floodlights would replace a traditional 120 watt bulb with 23 watts. Energy savings here we come!!! When Tammy and I finally made it to the checkout counter, the Costco worker informed us there was a limit to how many we could buy. We both looked at each other in disappointment and confusion. We had 24 lights to get, and we really did not want to have to make a second trip for the rest. Luckily, the Costco manager said the bulbs we were getting were okay to buy in bulk, I held back tears of joy after he stated that! (Not literally..) Today, Tammy and I got to Causecast early to change out the bulbs. I gave up on the light bulb changer Shane supplied, and switched over to our gigantic Causecast ladder. Let me tell you, I felt like a handyman; all I needed was a handyman's belt, boots, and jeans that would slightly fit over my bottom. (Sike!) Hmmm, possible Halloween costume??? In the end, changing out the bulbs didn't take too long. We won't have to worry about changing those lights for awhile. Also, since Feit Electric states on the box that the lights last five times longer and they use 75% less energy, we'll be off the hook for years! Can I get a whoop whoop? (Sooo 90's...) Our next goal for this week, informing fellow Causecasters to unplug their laptops when they are already fully charged. And hopefully, making it a habit to unplug everything before we leave at the end of the day, because even though something may be turned "off" it's still using energy if it's plugged in. We call these "Energy Vampires" and energy vampires usually lose 75% of their lifespan when they're not in use (that's because there is still an electric current flowing when plugged in). Food for thought: • If your CFLs break, make sure to take these steps for a safe cleanup. • Now what do you do with the old bulbs? Don't throw them away! Find the nearest location for recycling your bulbs the right way rather than leaving them in landfills. • When you're leaving a room that you won't be coming back to for awhile, turn off the lights and unplug appliances that are not in use. • Clean the coils underneath and in the back of your refrigerator (if possible). • Try not to use your air conditioner and opt for a fan for warm days. Pile on the clothing and blankets during the cold days instead of using your heater! Body warmth people... *wink* Want to know more about saving energy for businesses in particular? Follow these instructions from Flex Your Power Best Practice Guides. Don't forget to send us your energy saving tips and stories at TheGreenProject@Causecast.org You could be featured on our blog!!!

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:14:19 -0700

How To Work At A Farmers Market
(Added 11/4/09) How To Have An Eco-Friendly Halloween
(Added 10/28/09) How To Win A Nobel Peace Prize
(Added 10/27/09) How To Eat Sustainable Seafood
(Added 10/20/09) How To Enjoy L.A. Without A Car
(Added 10/13/09) How To Become A Teacher
(Added 10/6/09) How To Promote Gay Rights
(Added 9/29/09) How To Dispose Of Electronics
(Added 9/22/09) How To Raise Money For A Nonprofit
(Added 9/15/09) How To Support Teachers
(Added 9/8/09) How To Host A Green BBQ
(Added 9/5/09) How To Use Public Transportation
(Added 9/1/09) How To Properly Recycle
(Added 8/25/09) How To Conserve Electricity
(Added 8/18/09) How To Donate Blood, Platelets And Plasma
(Added 8/11/09) How To Help End Human Trafficking
(Added 8/4/09) How To Reduce Your Red Meat Consumption
(Added 7/27/09) How To Start A Nonprofit
(Added 7/21/09) How To Raise Healthy Children
(Added 7/13/09) How To Eat Raw
(Added 7/9/09) How To Buy Fair Trade Products
(Added 7/7/09) How To Ethically Adopt A Pet
(Added 7/6/09) How To Conserve Paper
(Added 7/1/09) How To Eat Locally
(Added 6/30/09) How To Get An HIV Test
(Added 6/22/09)

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:03:26 -0700

Tanaka Brings It Home. Get out of the office and put your water IQ to the test at home and around your community. Photo by Reiner Schubert, flickr. (Added 11/4/09) Here's a green idea: go to an eco-conscious event or conference this week! There is a long list of events going on every week. These are just a few ideas for you eco-friendly folk around the Los Angeles area. Photo by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino23, flickr. (Added 11/3/09) Water is the word... Water is all the rage around the Causecast office right now and for good reason. Water is one of the greatest crises of our time! Photo by Tambako the Jaguar, flickr. (Added 11/3/09) The Fight For Energy-Efficiency! We've brightened up our Causecast HQ with a full new set of CFLs! No casualties to speak of though a few plants may have suffered in the process... (Added 11/2/09) Random Thought... Here is a way to brighten your day...or your home and office! (Added 11/2/09) Energy savings are a GO! Energy savings and near death experiences...well, not really. See how Tanaka tackled energy efficiency around the CC headquarters. (Added 10/29/09) What's Tanaka's take on energy-efficiency? Our Energy Week is under way...check out our energy plans for the office and find out a few great tips for saving energy on your own! (Added 10/28/09) Causecast Is Going Green! So...why green? As a Causecast community we are trying to create change. Well, this is your chance to join us while we green our lives and our office! (Added 10/20/09) The Eight Week Plan. Here is a brief idea of what we'll be up to over the next eight weeks! (Added 10/20/09) Meet Tanaka! Wondering what T&T is all about? Well this is the 'about me' you've all been waiting for... Go Green Team! (Added 10/20/09) Meet Tammy! Get to know the other half of the Green Team! (Added 10/20/09)

Yes Men Hoax Attacks Chamber Of Commerce Over Climate Change

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:51:30 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer April Fools day came a little late this year when an environmental activist group known as the Yes Men faked a Chamber of Commerce Meeting in Washington D.C. last week. The hoax was so convincing that the Washington Post and Reuters, along with other press, bought in and showed up to report on the conference. The group, pretending to be representatives from the Chamber, announced plans to change their position on climate legislation from quiet opposition to full endorsement. That would be pretty big news - if it were true. The charade nearly came to a screeching halt when actual Chamber of Commerce media relations director, Eric Wohlschlegel, burst into the room, calling the man conducting the conference a fake. The response of the poster Chamber of Commerce representative? Well, he called Wohlschlegel the fraud, leaving the press to their own devices in deciding which man was actually a Chamber rep. The "official" information printed on Chamber of Commerce letterhead distributed during the meeting made it pretty tough to determine who was in fact representing the Chamber. Definitely the most exciting day the Chamber has seen in quite some time. Maybe ever. The Chamber of Commerce has taken a more conservative road in addressing climate change, favoring carbon taxes to legislation demanding industry emission reform. Quiet opposition? Not after the faux-conference. The only thing Wohlschlegel confirmed in his attempt to halt the hoax was how against climate change legislation the Chamber actually is. "Economy first", right, guys? Here's how the hoax went down: On Monday, the Chamber of Commerce filed a law suit against the Yes Men over the posed briefing citing copyright infringement and trademark violation. The Chamber accuses the pair of exploiting intellectual property for "personal financial gain." So much for opposing frivolous legal battles. In addition to the lawsuit, the Chamber has launched a fund-raising page asking for support as they fight against the attack of activist groups like the Yes Men. The Yes Men responded to the Chamber's claims with something that resembles gratitude, accepting the accusations of being "Left Wing Extremists." They also acknowledge the Chamber's need to raise funds, if anything to make amends for the $35 million they have spent in lobbying fees this year. It's passive-aggressive activism at it's finest. You don't have to pull off an elaborate hoax on a U.S. Chamber of Commerce to make an impact on the progress of climate change legislation. It's probably not worth the impending lawsuit that will likely follow. But you can be part of the movement to demand change when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. • Contact your state representative and let them know that you intend to hold them accountable for what they do or don't do about global warming. • Let the Chamber of Commerce know that slow movement on climate change is the same as no movement. • Find out what companies are dissolving their membership with the Chamber in response to their lack of action. • Make a commitment to buy from companies that are making a conscious effort to cut back on carbon emissions. Visit the Environment section and check out Global Inheritance for more information on finding greener solutions. Photo of the Yes Men by Tavis, Wikimedia Commons.

Schools4Schools Offers A New Twist To The Competition

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:57:55 -0700

by TAMMY ROSECRANS, Causecast Editor "Fourth time is the charm!" That's what our beloved Jason Russell is calling out to all Invisible Children fans. The question is, are you interested in a trip to Uganda?? The Schools4Schools program challenges schools to raise awareness for the violence that has transpired over the last two decades in northern Uganda. The campaign engages students by pairing their schools with secondary schools in northern Uganda. The best part? The school that raises the most money wins a trip to Uganda to visit their partner school! So? It's been done before, you may say... Well, there is a new twist! IC has just announced that in addition to the original campaign, there is now a November competition! It doesn't matter how much money you have raised thus far; this is an entirely new competition. Now there are two chances to win that coveted trip to northern Uganda! This new video explains it all... From the boys of IC: Nearly $75,000 has been raised this year alone! Keep it up kids! Or if you're still unsure about this whole IC craze, check out this quick and easy guide to what Invisible Children is all about! Photo by jakeliefer, flickr.

Book Fairs Ban Children's Books With Same Sex Parents

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:20:31 -0700

by CLAIRE MORGENSTERN, Contributing Writer If you were anything like the nerd I was in elementary school, you'll remember the annual Scholastic book fair as one of the best days of the year. You show up at the door with your class, a parent volunteer hands you a wish list and a pencil, and you can walk around the display and write down any book you want on the list. Well, now even the universally-loved, blatantly uncontroversial book fair has become restrictive and politicized. This year, Scholastic has banned one of its books, Luv ya Bunches, from the ranks of its selections - because a main character in the book has lesbian parents. Scholastic cited "offensive language" and the same-sex parents of Milla, one of the four elementary school-age girls featured in the book, as grounds for omitting the book from the selection of reading material available at its book fairs, according to an October 21 article published in the School Library Journal. Reportedly, the company sent the book's editor a letter asking the author of the book, Lauren Myracle, to omit words like "geez," "crap" and "sucks" - the extent of the "offensive language" - and to make Milla's parents a heterosexual couple. Myracle agreed to remove the language in question but held firm on her decision to give Milla two moms. Scholastic argued that the change was required to "meet the norms" of the communities that host the book fairs. But whose norms are those, exactly? "Over 200,000 kids in America are raised by same-sex parents, just like Milla. It's not an issue to clean up or hide away," Myracle is quoted as saying in the Journal. "In my opinion, it's not an 'issue' at all. The issue, as I see it, is that kids benefit hugely from seeing themselves reflected positively in the books they read. It's an extremely empowering and validating experience." This is not the first time that Myracle has faced censorship of her work. Her TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R series was among the ten most frequently challenged books of 2008 for "offensive language," "sexually explicit" content, and "unsuited to age group," according to the American Library Association (ALA). Myracle's latest censorship challenge ironically came on the heels of Banned Books Week (Sept. 26-Oct. 3), an annual celebration of intellectual freedom featuring books that have been banned or restricted in the past. The good news is that the book will continue to be available in the Scholastic Book Club catalog that thousands of youngsters receive on a regular basis. In addition, the title was one of only 18 books included on a list of "Teachers' Picks." But while educators seem to think the book is appropriate for their students, Scholastic said that one of the reasons the book was vetoed from the book fair line-up was that the company didn't want to deal with letters from homophobic parents - exactly the opposite of the message of tolerance and inclusion we should be sending to children, blogger Michael Jones argues on Change.org. Moreover, Scholastic stated that it will monitor the public's reactions to the book going forward in order to decide whether or not to include it among the books offered in next year's fair. So make your voice heard! Send a letter to Scholastic and tell them not to censor books that are inclusive of all types of families. Photo by San Jose Library, flickr.

Comprehensive Sex Education Funding Still At Odds With Abstinence-Only Curriculum

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:43:27 -0700

by CLAIRE GRINTON, Contributing Writer In May, President Obama cut the Title V grant program and all funding for abstinence-only sex education, but the fight for comprehensive sex education isn't over yet. Last month, the Senate Finance Committee accepted an amendment to the health care reform bill sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch that added $50 million in funding for abstinence-only sex education. The ever-important bill is under high levels of scrutiny, but the addition of this amendment brings to light the fact that comprehensive sex education is still a matter that our officials and communities are struggling with. As abstinence-only education grew through the 90's and the early 2000's to reach about one-third of high school students in the U.S., research was showing that the initial age of sexual activity did not go up, nor did the cases of STDs and teen pregnancy go down. Further, two major reviews of abstinence-only curriculum found that they often had striking inaccuracies, including claims that condoms would give you cancer, or that STDs are a guaranteed consequence to having sex at or before 14. On the flip side, a study of 48 comprehensive programs found that two-thirds of the programs either reduced frequency of sexual activity or number of sexual partners. Considering the opportunities available with health care reform on the table, now is the time to support the programs that are truly working. • Amplify Your Voice has some great suggestions for how you can get involved, including signing the petition to advocate steady funding for the REAL Act, which will provide youth with comprehensive sexuality education. Other considerations specifically for students include writing an OpEd piece for your school newspaper, or getting in touch with your campus radio station to set up an interview to share your viewpoints and help other students get involved. • October 28 was National Comprehensive Sex Education Call-In Day, but if you missed it, you can still let Congress know you do not support the Hatch amendment by calling your state senators and asking to speak with their health aide. Be sure to be prepared with some talking points. • Write to your local school district and make your case for comprehensive sex education if they are still following abstinence-only curriculum. • Take to your blog and share with others the positive results of comprehensive sex education curriculum. Encourage others to share what they learn, and let them know how they can help as well. Photo by aaron anderer, flickr.

Karate Grannies: Kenyan Women Learning Self Defense

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:48:27 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer They may look sweet, but you don't want to mess with the elderly women of the Koragocho slum of Nairobi, Kenya. They will fight back. Literally. With crime, particularly the rape of older women, in the region reaching rates that leave police unable to regulate effectively, would-be victims are left to their own devices of self-protection. So, the grannies of Nairobi have taken to self-defense of the Asian-persuasion, schooling themselves in karate. For decades, crime against women in Kenya has gone relatively unpunished. Men get away with rape and murder, while the government fails to provide adequate housing for the country's millions of urban poor residing in slums. Ignorance and indifference fuel the violent crimes as men justify the rape of women as a means of cleansing them for their sins. Older women are targeted because of their perceived inability to fight back and the likelihood that they are AIDS free. U.N. reports suggest that the increase in sexual violence in a country is evidence of the collapse of social order. In Kenya, the political debacle of 2007 has contributed greatly to the increase in violent crime, and with the local and national law enforcement unable or unwilling to provide the necessary protection, women face the greatest brunt of civil frustration. In addition to the daunting political obstacles, addressing the issue of rape in Kenya is an uphill battle for women in a country where marital rape is not recognized as a criminal act and rape by police or state officials constituting torture is perfectly legal. With the government of Kenya failing miserably to secure basic human rights, women are left powerless and susceptible to potential attack. The San Francisco-based organization, I'm Worth Defending, is working to train Kenyan women, ranging from their 40s to 80s, in self-defense to drastically reduce their chances of falling victim to a violent crime encounter. I'm Worth Defending was founded in 2001 after writer/activist, Lee Sinclair, visited Nairobi with a mission of finding a sustainable, responsible organization working to avert the AIDS crisis in Kenya. What she stumbled upon in the process was the neglected issue of violence against women and children in the country. Sinclair first began teaching children self-defense techniques before working with the older women of the slums. Currently, the organization partners with the Dolphin Anti-Rape Outreach to train the women in defense techniques. Since the beginning of the program, perception of the Koragocho slum grannies has changed drastically. There are whispers of how dangerous they are. That they are trained fighters. That they use their walking sticks as deadly weapons of destruction. I'm telling you - you don't want to mess with these women. The new I'm Worth Defending program will launch this fall. The message the organization hopes to convey to women involved is that they are powerful and capable of defending themselves. Here's the CNN spot on the Karate grannies: Organizations around the world are working to end all crime that violates human rights, including the rape of women. Amnesty International USA relies on public support in not only revealing issues of human rights violation, but also taking action in ending all forms of abuse. You can join the cause or donate to their efforts around the world. And of course, you can throw some to I'm Worth Defending folks too. Photo by frerieke, flickr.

Winners Of U.N. Video Contest Become Citizen Ambassadors

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:18:31 -0700

by PHILIP ROSS, Causecast Editor Early this month, the U.N. invited the public to submit videos of themselves expressing what they would say if given the chance to speak to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. The winners of the competition have been chosen, and were given the opportunity to attend the 64th U.N. Day at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Friday. Check out the winning submissions! Might give you some pointers for next year! Emily Troutman from the USA: Jeremy Walker of Canada: Breno Coelho from Brazil: Maricarmen Ortega of Mexico: Kirsty Matthews of Canada:

Basketball Creates World Peace

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:11:11 -0700

By MATT BRIONES, Video Intern Immediately drawn by the word BASKETBALL, I was excited to see how the sport was capable of contributing to a cause. Inspired by the fundamentals of the game, Causecast user jdbasketball has used basketball to create a connection among today’s youth, in the hopes of promoting peace across the globe. Reaching almost 15,000 kids in eight different countries, jdbasketball uses the game to encourage kids to reevaluate the way they think about their relationships with others and the environment that surrounds them. Through playing basketball, kids around the world are given the opportunity to connect with other kids from different backgrounds and cultures. I love how the video demonstrates the importance and simplicity of educating young people about how peace can come from mutual understanding. These kids are getting the opportunity to discover, first hand, that both on and off the court, we are all inherently connected. Check out jdbasketball's blog documenting his travels and this video:

U.S. Military To Obama: Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:26:01 -0700

by PHILIP ROSS, Causecast Editor Since its establishment in 1993, more than 13,000 gay and lesbian service men and women have been discharged from the military under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (shortened DADT) law. One thousand of these held “critical occupations," such as engineers and translators. United States Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, is urging President Obama to follow through with the promises he made during his campaign to repeal this unfair and unfounded mandate. There are a number of financial, practical, and moral reasons why this ban is a hindrance to the United States. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has estimated that it costs the federal government $10,000 to discharge and replace a service member. At 13,000 discharges, that’s approximately 130 million dollars in the past 16 years – a steep price to pay to simply replace able-bodied men and women, willing to risk their lives for their country, because of their sexual orientations. Couldn't that money go to something more obligatory, like, let's say, ending child sex slavery abroad as well as here in the U.S.? Putting food on the plates of those going without? Helping to pay off the hospital bills of those in debt from the high cost of health care in our country? No, pulling homosexuals out of military service is a far more prudent use of our federal funding. Obama has recently stated that he still intends to propose the appeal to congress, but has yet to specify when he intends to do so. Since his presidency started, hundreds of men and women have been discharged from the service under DADT. From Change.org: Really, what it sounds like is that Obama wants "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" overturned, but on his timeline. And that's the problem -- ending discrimination only fits well into a timeline if you're not the one being victimized by it. Meanwhile, for the tens of thousands of gay soldiers who've been discharged from the military or told they're not good enough to get in, the time is now for an immediate repeal. The fear is that, if we wait much longer, proponents of the ban would have more time to organize and possibly sway public opinion which, according to recent surveys, is far more in favor of appealing the ban than ever before. You can show your support by signing Care2's petition to repeal DADT. Also, send a message to your Congressional representatives urging them to support the repeal of this discriminatory policy. Photo by The U.S. Army, flickr.

Tanaka's Take On Energy Efficiency

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:47:40 -0700

Tanaka's goin' green and you should too! Get your green on! Yup, it's T&T's first week towards greening the Causecast office and changing some of our own daily habits. This week we are focusing on things that need to be changed to save energy. First off, switching out those old fashioned light bulbs! CFL and LED lights are our best friends! Not only do they save energy and money over time, they will literally pay for themselves, seriously! Sustainable Works has taught us that CFLs use one-fourth the energy in contrast to non-energy efficient bulbs. Also, changing your lights to CFLs can reduce your electricity usage by 75 percent! If you are looking into LEDs then kudos to you! LED lights may actually outlast CFLs by 10 times. LEDs have a life of their own and the their age proves it! A LED lifespan is around 15 years. If you are interested in learning what type of bulb is best for your business or home join the rest of the geeks! Energy Star also gives you a visual chart of which bulbs you should use for ceiling fans, sconces, or outdoor lamps, etc. I think we also need to take a moment to look back on a good idea the Europeans had- and it would be awesome if we could follow in their footsteps on this one. The EU decided that starting in September 2009 they would ban the use of conventional incandescent light bulbs. Think of all the energy they are saving by making everyone assimilate to CFL or LED lights! "The report also says the switch will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 12 million metric tonnes (13.2 million tonnes) a year, and save energy equivalent to the consumption of 11 million European households." This literally takes my breath away...who knew a light bulb could make such an impact right?! *High five* to the EU! So my advice to you is to checkout your nearest hardware stores for great deals on CFLs or LEDs, and while your at it, checkout Huffington Post's advice for the 7 Best CFL Bulbs For The Green Shopper. So start twistin'! Lefty Lucy those old bulbs and Righty Tighty those energy efficient ones! By the way, are you thinking of ways your business or home can be more energy efficient and increase sustainability? Check out Sustainable Works Business, Residential, Community,or Student Greening Programs for ideas. Got an itch to volunteer to spread some green love? Global Green USA always has something going on.

How To Have An Eco-Friendly Halloween

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:19:42 -0700

by CLAIRE MORGENSTERN, Contributing Writer While Halloween may not have its own food drive, gift giveaway, and other charitable events like its upstaging counterparts Thanksgiving and Christmas, there are ways to give back even while your kids (or you!) are raking in treats door to door like they're, well, candy. Here's how you can use this year's holiday as an opportunity to support fair trade cocoa farmers and owners of local family farms, denounce oil drilling and water pollution, and make a few small changes that will minimize your family's impact on the environment this Halloween. Step One: Decorations • Save energy. Replace some of those gaudy black and orange bulbs out front with the original energy efficient light source—candles. If you're not into potential fire hazards, go for LED lights, which are cheaper and last longer than regular incandescents. Check out these orange LED lights we found for less than $20. • Go local by visiting a nearby farm and picking your own pumpkins. If possible, look for a farm that grows organic or pesticide-free pumpkins. They leave less of a carbon footprint, and purchasing one (or two, or three) allows you to support farmers in your area who are using sustainable practices. • Nature is the best decorator. Use leaves, nuts, cornhusks, gourds, and anything else you can find in your backyard to make your house look festive this year in place of store-bought items made of synthetic materials that take energy to produce and aren’t recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable. Step Two: Costumes • Get creative. Try fashioning a costume out of clothes you and your kids already have. Try to use recycled or recyclable materials to construct the rest. Check out these eco-friendly costumes designed to raise awareness of environmental issues from our friends at Care2. • If you do decide to purchase a costume, try to avoid those made with petroleum-based products, which require oil drilling, and conventional dyes, which cause water pollution. Look for 100% cotton—bonus points if the cotton is organic. Step Three: Trick or Treating • Participate in Reverse Trick-or-Treating. Rather than toting your kids around your neighborhood to receive candy from adults, use the opportunity to take them door-to-door and distribute Fair Trade certified chocolate to their neighbors instead. They'll also distribute cards to each recipient explaining the poverty and child labor in the cocoa industry that goes into producing much of the mainstream candy purchased during Halloween and throughout the year, and how purchasing Fair Trade chocolate ensures that cocoa farmers are fairly compensated for their work. Order Fair Trade chocolate online, or purchase a Reverse Trick-or-Treating kit for your brood. • Check the labels. Avoid candy made with palm oil instead of cocoa butter. Palm oil is a cheap, inferior substitute for the real thing—but more importantly, cultivation of the ingredient has contributed to deforestation and environmental destruction in Africa and Southeast Asia. In a recent eco-scandal, officials found that chocolate giant Cadbury was replacing the cocoa butter in their products with palm oil. Advocacy groups put the pressure on, and Cadbury relented. Go democracy! • Make avoiding GMO your MO. Several major candy companies, including Hershey's and Mars, use sugar made from genetically-modified (GMO) beets covered in pesticides. Despite a federal ruling last month stating that GMO sugar crops should have never been allowed to make their way into our food supply, U.S. candy makers continue to use them. While we have your attention on the matter, sign Care2's petition to end Hershey's and Mars' use of GMO sugar. • Because of health and safety worries, it may be hard to avoid giving out (and raking in) individually wrapped, fun size sweets. But you can opt for non-food treats such as plastic toys (recycled, of course), temporary tattoos, cheap jewelry, key chains, puzzles, and anything else that’s pocket-sized, non-toxic, and fun. Check out this list of eco-friendly Halloween treat alternatives from Green Halloween. • Take a shakable flashlight along on your trick-or-treating trek instead of a conventional battery operated one. They're energy-saving and fun to use. • Use reusable containers to collect candy as you go door to door. There’s no need to go out and buy one—an old pillowcase works just as well. Photo by Matt loves kicks, flickr.

Madonna To Build School For Girls In Malawi

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:03:30 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer Move over Oprah, here comes Madonna. In the trend of celebrity do-gooders, Madonna is the latest to commit to education in Africa. The Queen of Pop announced on the Raising Malawi website plans to found a school for girls in Malawi as an effort to empower young women to become their nations future leaders. In partnership with the local Malawian Ministry of Education, Raising Malawi School for Girls is set to open in 2011, providing an opportunity of secondary education that is often lost for young girls in the developing world. The school is expected to cost approximately $15 million, and will be open to approximately 500 students it's first year. Why Malawi? Besides that fact that Madonna's two adopted children are from Malawi, the Sub-Saharan African nation is a prime candidate for humanitarian support. With a population of 12 million, Malawi has one of the largest per capita AIDS populations coming in near 12 percent. More than 67,000 people die each year of HIV leaving Malawi with more than 500,000 children left orphaned to the disease. Poverty and disease contribute to the poor provision of education, even at the primary level, creating funding issues for students and a lack of capable teachers. Raising Malawi is a volunteer organization with a mission to help Malawian orphans by providing food water, medical care and education. The organization was founded in 2006, by Madonna and Michael Berg as an effort eradicate the extreme poverty that victimizes the country's children. You can get involved with Raising Malawi by spreading awareness about the organization's work and contributing funding to their cause. Soon, you can take action by purchasing sweet Malawi gear from their store - coming soon. One hundred percent of all proceeds go to support children in Malawi. Check out Madonna's blog about Malawi on Huffington Post Impact. I Live Here is another organization working to improve the lives of orphaned children in Malawi. Check out their work to bring hope to imprisoned orphans in a juvenile prison. Photo by Adam Sammler, Wikimedia Commons.

Uzbekistan Embargo Lifted, Human Rights Watch Reacts

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:29:53 -0700

by TAMMY ROSECRANS, Causecast Editor Uzbekistan is a country riddled with humanitarian crises. The authoritarian government is known for its lack of an independent judicial branch and wide spread human rights abuses against civilians and activists. October 27, it was announced that the European Union has lifted its embargo on the country. The EU placed the sanctions following the Andijan Massacre where hundreds of unarmed protesters were massacred for speaking out against poverty and government oppression. Human Rights Watch, among others, continues to speak out on the EU's apparent lack of consideration for the people of Uzbekistan. Claiming the "The EU is rewarding Tashkent with a stamp of approval at a time when it could not have deserved it less," HRW calls on the EU to toughen up their human rights policy. From Human Rights Watch: The European Union's decision today to lift the arms embargo against Uzbekistan despite its atrocious human rights record is an unconscionable abdication of responsibility toward Uzbek victims of abuse, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, and Reporters Without Borders said today. The decision underscores the EU's lack of resolve in the face of Uzbekistan's intransigence and severely undermines its global standing and credibility as a principled promoter of human rights, the groups said. "With today's decision the EU has effectively abandoned the cause of human rights in Uzbekistan," said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The EU keeps reiterating its demands for human rights but then never actually holds Uzbekistan to those standards, making these demands ring hollow." Photo by Shark Shots, flickr.

Los Amigos Invisibles On El Sistema, How Technology Has Impacted Change And A Shifting Culture

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:15:52 -0700

Since 1995, Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles have been releasing albums and touring the world, picking up a Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Latin Album along the way. Causecast's Brandon Deroche caught up with a few of the guys at this year's Austin City Limit's Festival to get their take on social change. CC: Music festivals like this always remind me of a cultural shift I feel, or at least hope, is taking place on a larger level. Do you feel it? Armando: Definitely, there's so many interesting things happening culturally and so many things happening worldwide. Technology has been a part of it, definitely. The fact that you can pretty much have a pen-pal all the way in Turkey while you're here and share the music with them and people being able to listen to music from all over, music has become a much more universal language then it was before. Not so long ago, 10-20 years ago, you would only have access to whatever record was in your local record store and whatever was put on your local radio station. Right now, it's like an overwhelming overload of music and culture all around, so you really have to find your own calling within that melting pot and pick from there. That's very interesting because it's very democratic in a way, but also overpowering, overwhelming. CC: Being a musician, how do you see your role in the change that's happening, if any? Armando: I had the chance to recently be at the U2 360 tour. Those guys, and Bono himself, he's a super activist kind of guy. The fact that he can move such an amazing amount of masses and try and tell them what he thinks is right and also use the power that he has to speak to political figures and actually lend money from their shows. The whole (RED) Zone thing was all donated to the (RED) organization, for people with AIDS. Of course depending on where you're at in the music pyramid, you'll have more of the ability to express your thoughts to a larger audience. But music has always been either a means to release yourself from stress, or the means to express yourself and your ideas. CC: Are there any causes in particular that you're passionate about? Armando: Individually, each one has their own stuff. I would say that personally I'm very concerned about the environment and also about gay rights. I think we should begin recognizing that no matter what your sexual preference is you should be able to live your life the way you want it to be. Catire: I dont know, Los Amigos, we are not too loud about promoting a cause. As Armando said, each person maybe has something in which personally we'd like to be involved. Personally, I would say something like Live Earth. Something related to the conservation of the planet. You know, using less garbage, less plastic, recycled...that kind of thing. I would say I would dedicate my time to a cause like that, to preserve the earth. Cheo: Yeah I think the band has been involved with a lot of benefits and whatever we can do as musicians and play, we do it whenever we can. But as a person, I'm part of the company of a nonprofit called AID for AIDS in New York. It's gets AIDS medicines for pro-conscious, poor neighborhoods. Also, I'm involved in some Parkinson's Disease research in Venezuela and part of the company of a wheelchair foundation. It's my mother in law's foundation, so I'm involved as well. CC: The music industry has changed a lot since you've started even, do find things to be more difficult today to progress as a band? Catire: Well I think actually having a band, no matter what time, has always been hard. Getting people together, doing the same work for a long period of time, so I think having a band has always been hard from day zero. The Beatles, the greatest band, they split. So these days, the music industry is kind of like mutating to some place nobody knows. But I think what I can recommend to people starting in this business is to be very passionate about what they do, and to believe in themselves. I mean, wherever the business is going to go, if they work hard... We found that those networks like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and our website...there are like several thousand more that we don't pay attention to, but the ones we pay attention to, we found is a good way to hear feedback from our fans. CC: Who has been inspirational in your life to make you want to be active? Cheo: I think there's a lot of people that do that. The effect that music and people that surround musicians...U2, Michael Franti... The fact that musicians can raise awareness of some stuff that's not under your nose or so obvious for a lot of people, it's always a good situation. We definitely need to use that power. CC: Has there been anyone in Venezuela? Cheo: There's a person later on that's been in the spotlight which is an old musician, and old director called Maestro Abreu. He put together a program where like young kids from all over the country can learn how to play, they can learn music, and actually they'll qualify to play in the orchestra in the city. So the best of those kids will play in the national orchestra and they're touring all over the world. One of the best examples is Gustavo Dudamel, he came out of that place. A method called El Sistema. He came out of that and that's a great example in Venezuela of how music can change a country. Those kids would be doing who knows what if they weren't into music. For more on Los Amigos Invisibles visit amigosinvisibles.com. Read more Causecast music interviews at www.causecast.org/music.

Argonne Omnivorous Car Engine Is In The Works

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:28:42 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer Typically mixing spark-ignited fuels isn't a very good idea. If you try to run a vehicle that is calibrated for petroleum-based gasoline on an alternative fuel like ethanol, chances are you'll find yourself hitch-hiking to the closest mechanic. Until now, that is. Argonne, a laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy is currently working to create an omnivorous engine for consumer vehicles. The engine will reach optimal performance by combining the use of several kinds of fuel from both fossil and renewable resources. As an omnivore, myself, I think it sounds like a pretty great way to make cars more fuel efficient. Argonne's goal in developing the omnivorous engine is to achieve higher levels of fuel efficiency and in turn reduce fuel consumption. The engine will optimize fuel injection with an engine management network of electronic sensors that detect the fuel composition best suited for various driving conditions. Don't worry, you won't be tested on that. The engine does the work; the consumer just drives. The idea is to allow a vehicle to travel further on the same amount of fuel. If the technology takes off and achieves sustainability in fuel consumption, it could mean getting 60 mpg on the highway without having to drop $40,000 on a hybrid. Argonne is not the first to tackle the concept of the omnivorous engine. Lotus Engineering debuted their breakthrough omnivorous engine prototype at the Geneva Motor Show in March of 2009. The Lotus design was unveiled a year after the company's release of their Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel, a synthetic fuel combining gasoline with alcohol-based fuels. Argonne's version of the omnivore engine is similar to the Lotus model, in that it is a single cylinder model, though necessary changes were made to increase the engine's efficiency. Eco-based fuels, like ethanol or butanol provide a great alternative to fossil fuels because of the renewable resources they are derived from. Unfortunately, using foodstuffs like corn to produce eco-fuel makes them pricier than their petroleum based counter parts, plus it affects other costs, like the price of milk and beef. Capitalism is a vicious cycle, isn't it? Argonne engineers are developing technology concepts allowing for extraction of eco-fuels from alternative resources like biomass and waste products, reducing waste, reducing prices and ultimately reducing dependency on foreign oil. Argonne Mechanical Engineer, Thomas Wallner, explains the concept of the omnivore engine: While the omnivore engine provides hope in alternatives to our current addiction to natural gas and fossil fuels, it may be a while before we see the conceptual data available for consumer use. Until scientists develop practical technology in the realm of affordable alternative fuels, make a concerted effort to reduce your own fuel consumption. Drive less. Carpool. Do a little research on the potential of alternative fuel use for your vehicle. Check out Global Green USA for other smart solutions to green your life. Photo by Argonne National Laboratory, flickr.

50 Kids Rescued From U.S. Prostitution

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:21 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer We know that human trafficking is still a major issue around the world, but we tend to forget it's a problem in our own backyards. Human trafficking, particularly child prostitution, is a major issue in the United States, and chances are it's happening in your city. This week, Federal agents arrested more than 700 individuals in a nationwide effort to crackdown on child prostitution in the U.S. So far, Operation Cross Country has led to the rescue of nearly one-thousand exploited children and the conviction of 510 pimps and their associates. Following the raid, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said, "It is repugnant that children in these times could be subjected to the great pain, suffering and indignity of being forced into sexual slavery for someone else's profit." Breuer added that this week's successful assault on the industry shows that "the scourge of child prostitution still exists on the streets of our cities." The most recent bust resulted in the rescue of fifty-two children in 36 different cities across the country. Most of the children rescued were girls who, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, fall victim to traffickers when they are around the age of 12, the age of your average pre-teen seventh grader. Experts believe that there are as many as 200,000 children involved in prostitution in the U.S. and that active trafficking rings are present in all 50 states. Worldwide, human trafficking victimizes more than 27 million individuals. That's nearly 75 percent of California's population. Yes, it's maddening that people would abuse children in the most unthinkable way, but there is a lot we can do to put an end to human trafficking, both in the U.S. and abroad. The first thing we need to do is stop ignoring the issue. It happens here. It's true. Sadly, child prostitution is an issue in most parts of the world. There are a number of organizations that exist to fight against human-trafficking, including child prostitution, and raise awareness to the issue. Here's the breakdown: • Abolish Slavery Coalition: dedicated to combating human trafficking and restoring dignity to victims. We organize and coordinate investigations and field operations to find, identify, and retrieve men, women, and children from slavery, providing for their safe aftercare and rehabilitation. • In the U.S., Children of the Night, a non-profit founded in the 1970s, which provides opportunities for volunteers to be part of the fight against child prostitution in Southern California. Take part in International Justice Mission's Weekend to End Slavery coming November 14-15. Watch the film The End of Slavery. Host a house party. Talk about the film. Find a way to get involved. Tell your Congressional representatives to support H.R. 1623, a bill that would restrict convicted sex traffickers' international travel, making them unable to continue trafficking children into the country. If you ever suspect child prostitution is going on in your community, contact the National Center for Mission and Exploited Children. If you're an iPhone user download the App for up-to-date info on missing and exploited children. Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography, flickr.

WFP Text Message Food Voucher Program Launches In Syria

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:51:01 -0700

by TAMMY ROSECRANS, Causecast Editor Here's to an all new level of text message mastery. Our thumbs may be growing tired of texting, but as the need for international communications grows, the applications for text messaging grow as well. The World Food Programme is set to launch a new program utilizing the mass application of text messaging and mobile phone use. Interestingly enough, more people have access to mobile phones than food these days so this new tool should go a long way. The pilot program will aid families with $22 per family member over two months, allow for more variety in the diets of recipients, while also promoting local economies. From the United Nations World Food Programme: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an electronic food voucher pilot project -- the first of its kind in the world to use mobile phone technology -- to aid 1,000 Iraqi refugee families in Syria. Iraqi refugees living in Damascus will receive a text message on their mobiles providing a code enabling them to cash in all or part of the “virtual voucher” at selected government shops. They will be able to exchange their electronic vouchers for rice, wheat flour, lentils, chickpeas, oil and canned fish, as well as cheese and eggs -- items that cannot usually be included in conventional aid baskets. For more information on mobile phones for change check out these case studies provided by the United Nations. Photo by Elvire.R., flickr.

Google Combats Climate Change

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:20:44 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer A little less talk and a lot more action. That's what Google is hoping to emanate with their push for eco-conscious operations as the world approaches the December Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. It's a good thing because Google is responsible for ridiculous amounts of energy consumption worldwide. Think about it, do you know how many people Google everyday? You would have to Google it to find out! By investing in renewable resources, raising global awareness on climate change, and their expanding energy efficient technology, Google sets the trend in doing green business. In the coming weeks, Google is expected to announce details on their collaboration with international space observation groups in an effort to curb deforestation. Google, with their satellite technology, will aid in monitoring forests and deforestation practices. Worldwide deforestation is blamed for emitting approximately twenty-percent of CO2 emissions and the only efficient way to measure changes in forest density is from space. With philanthropy in mind, Google.org has developed an initiative to pursue renewable energy that costs less than coal: RE. Currently they are working with solar and wind-powered technologies but are researching other resources as well, including renewable wave energy. Google Earth, you know the application where you can go Enemy of the State and get a satellite view of your neighbor's backyard, is unleashing new avenues in raising public awareness on Climate Change. Google Earth tours explain how we can fight climate change and further explores the solutions for managing impact. It gets better. For Blog Action Day, Google opened up their energy efficient headquarters for a cyber-tour. The Google HQ campus doesn't mess around. They have 9,212 solar panels producing enough renewable energy to power 1,000 homes. The facilities on campus are built from sustainable materials and are Cradle to Cradle certified. Employees can swap out their cars and carpool on the energy efficient company shuttle, ride their bikes, or use other methods of self powered transportation, to earn Google "points" that eventually translate into donation dollars for their favorite charity. This is my favorite: Google uses goats instead of lawnmowers to cut the grass on campus (for fire-hazard reduction). Seriously. The company says it is about the same cost as mowing, it's just a lot quieter and emits zero greenhouse gases. Nice work, Google. You can take part in the fight against climate change. The UN Climate Change Conference starts December 7 in Copenhagen. Be part of the millions demanding a solution and sign the Seal the Deal petition for action against climate change. If you have an innovative solution, Google is looking for a few creative brains to push their REGoogle Energy Team and who knows, maybe you and Google will stop Global Warming. I'm thinking a Nobel Prize could be in your future. Check out the videos on Google Earth tours and educate yourself on climate change. Photo by gruntzooki, flickr.

How To Win A Nobel Peace Prize

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:13:53 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer When Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work in microfinance, it was the climax of 30 years of developing his brilliant objective, all the while gaining enough recognition to even register on the Nobel Prize radar. Sound like a lot of work? It is. But, it's pretty amazing to have the title Nobel Prize Laureate follow your name every time it shows up in print. Yunus was the 87th recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and one of many brilliant minds who have been recognized for their contributions to the global peace effort. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded eighty-nine times since 1901 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to honor men and women for their outstanding achievements in peace. The establishment of the Prize came after the death of Alfred Nobel who left most of his wealth to the establishment of such an award. It was kind of big deal, since Nobel was also the guy who invented dynamite. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think about "peace." But Nobel saw his development of dynamite as a means of eventually eliminating the need for war. Beyond his adventures in experimenting with nitroglycerine, Nobel was also an activist, a writer, and an entrepreneur. Kind of a Jack of all Trades. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year, minus a few years in the early part of the last century (it's tough to give out a "Peace" prize when most of the world is at war with each other). The week-long ceremonies are held in Stockholm, Sweden where the laureate receives the Nobel Prize Medal, Nobel Prize Diploma and a handsome sum of cash. They give a nice long speech, their Nobel lecture, thanking the committee for finally recognizing their accomplishments and from that day forward, any book they write or article they publish or paper they sign is accompanied by the words "Nobel Peace Prize Winner." Sounds like a pretty good deal — especially considering the lifetime of achievement that comes before winning such an award. Before you go out and try to win your own Nobel Peace Prize there are a few things to consider that might help your odds. Step One: Do Something Big The first step to winning the peace prize is to identify a particular problem, and come up with a solution. Nothing to it, right? The long list of prize winners are peace activists, former presidents, inventors, world leaders, nonprofit organizations, even spiritual leaders. All laureates have made a significant contribution to the struggle for peace around the globe. To make the list you have do something really important. Like, end the Cold War, for example. Recent wins have shown significant contribution in the form of great ideas as opposed to widespread recognition. Muhammad Yunus's road to a Nobel nomination began with forty-two loans, sixty-two cents each, an experiment that has paved the way for millions to find a release from extreme poverty. Wangari Muta Maathai, Kenyan political activist, won the 2004 award for her efforts in saving Africa's rainforests. What did she do? She planted trees. Lots and lots of trees. The common thread that binds all laureates together is their ability to see a need for change and a contribution they can make to a solution. Under the scrutiny and skepticism of many, they press forward until a tipping point is reached and necessary change is made. It's a matter of asking the right questions What if? What if we could end this war? What if we could find equality? What if we could prevent climate change? What if we could eradicate poverty? That's big. Step Two: Make Friends With A Qualified Nominator The second leg of your journey towards the ultimate peace recognition is to schmooze with the top dogs. Not just anyone can make a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. Compared to the general population, there is a pretty short list of people who can actually nominate an individual or an organization, Al Gore being one of them. Unfortunately, you can't nominate yourself; if you want to be nominated, try making friends with the former vice president. That would definitely help your chances. Can't get a hold of him? Here's a list of others whose votes count: • Members of national assemblies and governments of states • Members of international courts • University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; director of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes • Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize • Board members of organizations who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize • Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; (proposals by members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after February 1) • Former advisers appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute. So put on a smile, and start schmoozing! Step Three: Be Better Than Gandhi Trumping Gandhi? Is that even ethical? Mahatma Gandhi is an international symbol of non-violence. He is the epitome of peace — this little man with perfectly round glasses quietly refusing to eat until all Indians are granted equal rights. Sounds pretty peaceful. Ultimately, it was effective. Yet Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize even though he was nominated five times. The final nomination came days before Gandhi's assassination in 1948. The Nobel committee refused to award the prize because no living suitable candidate was available to receive the reward. Gandhi had no possessions and no will, so even if he had won, there was no one to accept it. While a posthumous award was considered, it was never granted because the committee determined that the winner should at least be living when the decision was made. Don't let Gandhi's fate discourage you. His nomination came in the 1930s and 40s, right at the end of British colonization. It wasn't exactly a good time for an Eastern man to be nominated for an award generally given to Europeans until that point. If anything, there was major political drama that surrounded the nomination. If Gandhi won, what would that do to Norway's relations with Great Britain? It's not generally a good idea to anger a world power- especially during a world war. If you're going to win a Nobel Peace Prize: • Make sure your contribution in securing peace doesn't interfere with anyone else's geopolitical relations. • Get a really good security team and try to not get assassinated before your nomination is confirmed. • Make sure your non-violent protest doesn't lead to actual violence. • If there is a chance you may not survive to receive your award, leave a will. That way someone gets it. Things may have been different for Gandhi had his peaceful protest taken place a generation or two later. Regardless, it wasn't the prize he was after- it was the change, and he got that. Give (something other than) Peace A Chance. While the Nobel Peace Prize is the oldest award given by the Nobel Foundation, it is not the only prize given. There are six awards, including: Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Literature, and Medicine. Since its inception, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to more than 800 individuals and organizations in the six categories. Other recipients include Milton Friedman who won in 1976 for his work in Economics, and Albert Einstein, who won in 1921 for his work in theoretical physics. Chances are, had Alfred Nobel been nominated for a prize, he would have likely won a prize in chemistry, not necessarily Peace - especially with dynamite playing a major role in the World Wars. Step Four: Be Part Of Something Bigger Than Yourself. Let's face it. Chances are, unless you're on a lengthy hunger strike that could secure political independence for an entire country, the odds of winning a Nobel Peace Prize are not in your favor. The best way to make lasting impact in the way of world peace is to join a cause. Be part of a cause that is greater than you could ever be on your own. One voice is often difficult to hear, but many voices with the same message are hard to ignore. Invisible Children is trying to end a war in Uganda. charity:water is finding new ways to make sure water is available to everyone regardless of where they live. Peace One Day is bringing global attention to the need to end war one day at a time. Free the Slaves is liberating those oppressed in human trafficking around the world. You could be part of a movement that one day could be recognized by the global community for their impact in affirming peace. And that is how you will win a Nobel Peace Prize. We hear Obama has a four-step program as well, only his involves gaining international attention by winning the presidency. While this may make you a guaranteed shoo-in, our plan promises success without having your name on a presidential ballot. Just know, 2010 could be your year. Photo by andresmh, flickr.

The ABCs (And K's) Of Vitamin Deficiency

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:19:17 -0700

Originally posted by Allison Ford, DivineCaroline. In the sixth grade, we spent a large portion of health class talking about nutrition. We learned about the food pyramid, cholesterol, and the mechanics of the digestive system. We also spent an inordinate amount of time discussing nutrition-related diseases like rickets, scurvy, and beriberi. I’m not sure why our teachers thought that a group of well-fed children from Ohio were at risk of developing such archaic diseases of malnutrition, yet we spent more time learning about the poor dietary habits of seventeenth-century pirates than we did learning about the consequences of real-life nutritional deficiencies or about the actual nutritional benefits of vitamins. As Americans during a time of relative plenty, we don’t have to worry about some of the most destructive forms of malnutrition, but a lopsided diet that deprives the body of vitamins and minerals can still take a big toll on our health. Vitamin A It’s not true that eating carrots can make your eyesight better, but not ingesting vitamin A can have disastrous consequences. Also called retinol, it’s required to produce a photoreceptor pigment in the retina, as well as maintain skin health. Due to a rice-based diet, vitamin A deficiency is still rampant in Asia, where it’s the most common cause of childhood blindness. In adults, it cripples the immune system, causes skin problems, and destroys the eyes. The first symptom is usually night blindness, followed by the failure of the eye to lubricate itself by producing tears. Eventually, patches of dead skin and other secretions can build up on the conjunctiva, and lesions develop on the cornea. Vitamin A deficiencies can also cause the skin to harden and crack, including the mucous membranes in the lungs, digestive system, and urinary tracts. To prevent it, eat plenty of dark, leafy-green vegetables such as spinach and kale, as well as bright-colored fruits like papayas and mangoes. Egg yolk, liver, and fish oil can also be helpful. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, so eating it with some kind of dietary fat increases the amount of the vitamin that the liver can absorb. B Vitamins The B-complex vitamins are a large group of important nutrients. Most of these vitamins, including niacin and thiamine, are nearly ubiquitous, so a deficiency is quite rare, but too little B9, also called folate or folic acid, can cause anemia, weight loss, weakness, heart murmurs, and loss of appetite. Folate is especially important for pregnant women, as inadequate intake can result in low birth weight or spinal tube defects. Breastfeeding women and smokers should ingest large amounts of folate. Dairy is a poor source of the nutrient, but melons, strawberries, oranges, beans, and asparagus contain plenty. A deficiency of vitamin B12, which plays a vital role in the synthesis of DNA and brain functions, is a common form of malnutrition in America. The risk if B12 deficiency increases with age, and according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, about 15 percent of adults sixty-five years and older are affected. It causes anemia, paresthesia, neuropathy in the limbs, and erosion of the spinal column. It’s also linked to memory loss, depression, dementia, and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Elderly people with light diets and chronic alcoholics have an increased risk for developing a B12 deficiency, as do vegans, since they don’t eat a diet rich in dairy or certain meat products that provide all the B12 a person needs. Vitamin C The quintessential C deficiency is scurvy, a disease of bleeding gums that can also cause poor wound healing and anemia. A person would need to abstain for several weeks in order to deplete all reserves of this nutrient, so few people are at risk of developing a severe deficiency. The current recommended daily allowance for vitamin C is 75 mg daily for women and 90 mg for men. Pregnant or lactating women need a little more, and smokers need almost twice as much as the RDA, since the habit depletes vitamin C at a greater rate. Even without a complete deficiency, people who are low on vitamin C find that it can cause problems processing and eliminating cholesterol and can also cause the immune system to work less effectively. Vitamin D In children, a deficiency of Vitamin D results in rickets, a disease of skeletal deformities. The vitamin is in charge of maintaining calcium levels in the body and aids in our bones’ absorption of calcium, so it’s important for adults, too. Some data also suggests that adequate vitamin D intake can provide protection from osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer. A deficiency of the vitamin leads to bone problems like osteoporosis. People at the most risk for vitamin D deficiency are the elderly, the obese, and infants who breastfed exclusively, since breast milk is not an adequate source of the vitamin. Vitamin K This vitamin has an essential role in blood clotting. Our bodies get vitamin K from our diet, including green leafy vegetables like broccoli and collard greens, and from our intestinal tract, where it’s produced by bacteria. When the body doesn’t have enough, it can result in bleeding disorders, heavy periods, nosebleeds, easy bruising, and anemia. Salicylates are substances found in foods like nuts, fruits, spices, and mints, and they can block the absorption of vitamin K, causing a deficiency. In fact, aspirin is a salicylate, and the absorption-blocking action is how it keeps blood from coagulating. People on anti-coagulant drugs are actually cautioned to avoid foods with vitamin K, to prevent the vitamin from counteracting the medication. A lackluster diet isn’t the only way to develop a vitamin deficiency; diseases like Crohn’s, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, and others can prevent the absorption of vitamins in the digestive tract. Because most diets provide enough vitamins (even American diets), a serious deficiency is often a sign of one of these underlying conditions. Though most people can rest easily knowing that they’ll never experience rickets, pellagra, or tetany, vitamin deficiencies are still serious concerns with serious consequences. Photo by Lintilla, flickr.

United Nations Adopts Declaration Of Rights For Indigenous People

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:58:45 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer The rights of indigenous people have long been a topic of debate among the world powers. Even decades after the decline of colonization, the remnants of injustice remain. We'll skip the history lesson, and just agree that nothing good ever comes from one group of humans believing their rights are more important than anyone else's rights. Following more than twenty years of debate, the United Nations has finally adopted a landmark manifesto of basic human rights for the approximately 400 million indigenous people around the world. The document comes as an effort to rectify the historical injustice and ongoing discrimination against indigenous peoples around the world. In the past, basic human rights for the indigenous have been largely ignored by state governments, often leaving indigenous groups marginalized and disenfranchised in their own countries. The Declaration of Rights for Indigenous People, originally drafted in 2006, is an effort to preserve the principles of equality and respect among all peoples, and "emphasizes the need to maintain indigenous tradition and preserve culture." The document defines individual and shared rights of indigenous people extending beyond basic rights, to also include economic and social development, as well as religious recognition. While the text is not binding, it does create a great deal of pressure for nations that are currently in arrant violation of the rights declared. It's all about positive peer pressure. Studies are currently under way to assess the conditions of indigenous groups with a goal of resolving the disconnect between policy and the rights of indigenous people when it comes to state priorities. Often times, nations will operate by a standard of asking forgiveness, rather than permission, when it comes to what land they commandeer and whose rights they infringe upon. Indigenous groups are often threatened, bullied or forced from their land in the spirit of economic developments, the benefits of which don't usually apply to them. The Declaration encourages civil interaction between state governments and indigenous peoples. Most countries studied have been open to the evaluation of their progress and supported the adoption of the declaration. Yet, others have criticized and refused to support the document, citing encroachment on state sovereignty and confusion over the definition of "indigenous peoples." Canada, for example, has affirmed the "spirit of the document," but could not support the declaration itself because it "contains provisions that are fundamentally incompatible with Canada's constitutional framework." Oh, Canada. Now, before you start blaming our northern neighbors, you should know the Canadians are not alone in their apprehension to support the document. The United States and Australia were among the initial hold outs (and past indigenous peoples' rights violators, I might add), citing concern over the integrity of the political systems that stand to be reformed under the current text of the document. However, the U.S. has expressed interest in re-evaluating their position on the declaration and our friends down under have taken steps to improve the socioeconomic conditions of indigenous groups. While the actual practice of the Declaration of Rights continues to develop, the adoption of the document and the effort to bring awareness to the need for equality is a step in the right direction. The United Nations notes that the document is not a new provision of human rights, but is actually based on existing rights that are already guaranteed by the United Nations system, but over time, have been grossly denied to indigenous peoples. It's not a matter of adding anything new, so much as setting things right that should have already been solved, while creating a constructive framework for the future. To view the entire Declaration of Rights for Indigenous Peoples and learn more about the history and development of the Declaration, visit the United Nations Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues. Check out Causecast featured organization, Amnesty International for information on Human Rights issues around the world and how you can be part of fight for human rights. Photo by Keith Bacongco, flickr.

Swedish Food Labels Now Include Carbon Emissions

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:48:50 -0700

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer If you're a calorie counter, chances are you pay close attention to the nutritional facts mandated on food products. It's always a little more unnerving to consume an entire candy bar after you read that it contains 400 calories and 24 grams of fat. No thanks. What if your candy bar nutrition facts also included the C02 emitted in its production process? That might be enough to kill your appetite. This summer, Sweden became the first country to include carbon output associated with food products, ranging from veggies to fast food. Carbon facts are showing up in grocery stores and restaurants around the country. Experts say that making simple changes to what you eat can be just as effective as changing your driving habits or limiting you energy usage at home. It turns out that watching what you eat may do more than just benefit your waistline - you might help reduce the impact of climate change. The new green dietary guidelines propose substituting carrots for cucumbers, chicken or beans for beef and limiting fish consumption because of the current European shortage in seafood. While the Swedish concept is still in the trial stage, and consumers are still trying to figure out what exactly the carbon numbers on nutrition labels actually mean, Swedish experts are optimistic that eco-conscious dining will cut energy emissions. Current studies show that if Swedes buy with carbon emissions in mind, they could cut their energy consumption by up to 50 percent. Re-thinking they way we eat and how it affects the environment is not just a Swedish phenomenon, it may be coming to the U.S. too. Superstore chain, Walmart, may be known for their less than stellar labor practices, but they're rapidly trying to become an environmentally saavy company. Who would have thought? Walmart's developing sustainability index will require companies that sell products to Walmart to disclose their carbon footprint by releasing how sustainable they are in terms of energy and climate, material efficiency, natural resources, and community. The information will be displayed on each Walmart product, letting consumers know that product's carbon output. Maybe old Walmart will change their name to Wal"green". Wait, that one's taken. It may be a while until the global community buys into carbon labeling, but there are ways you can "green" your diet. Buy locally. Buy fewer products packaged in plastic. Whenever possible avoid using those plastic grocery store bags - ask for paper or invest in some reusable bags. To calculate your food's carbon emissions, check out the Bon Appetite Carbon Calculator. For other ways to save energy and cut carbon emissions, get informed on the We Can Solve it site and become part of the solution to global warming. Photo by gwire, flickr.

Tegan and Sara on Gay Rights and the Risks of Being Out in the Music Industry

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:34:26 -0700

by NICHOLAS CHUNG, Causecast Writer

Identical twin Indie duo Tegan and Sara have been busy winning awards and producing work across genres since they first burst onto the scene in Canada back in 1995. Since then, they have been vocal in their support for various causes, including gay rights. Causecast’s Brandon Deroche recently caught up with the twins to discuss their take on Prop 8, civil marriage in Canada, community service, the Love Unites movement and being out in the music industry.

CC: What are the causes you're passionate about? Tegan: Well, obviously most recently, our last American tour kind of fell at the exact same time as the American election. Obviously the election itself was extremely important to us, but the whole Prop 8 thing was very close to home for us as gay artists; we were obviously really hoping that Prop 8 would not pass in California. I was here for a month and a half after that, so I went to all the marches and you know, blogged online and tried to get people to support. Sara and I both did the Love Unites posters. We really tried to get involved and sort of wrap my head around how that happened. Like how California itself wasn't supportive of gay marriage just didn't seem to make much sense at the time. It was very anti-climatic to hear that President Obama was President, and then to hear that Prop 8 passed - it was like "ehh, I'm sad and happy all at the same time.” So confusing...so Prop 8 was kind of the last thing that we got involved in. We're obviously still monitoring all of that and doing what we can to make sure that people know that still needs to change obviously.

“We weren't a gay band, we were gay people in a band.”
- Sara Quinn

Before that, the last thing we did was a huge fundraiser for an organization back home in Canada, in British Columbia specifically, that raises money for kids from low income or single parent families to do music lessons. They do basically like a certain amount of scholarships a year, so that was the last big thing we were in because obviously being musicians...when we were growing up, we came from a single parent family, my grandparents helped out. They bought us our first piano. We were lucky we had family members to help us out, but lots of kids, there's no funds for them to get into music now that schools are cutting all their music programs. It's really sad, so this organization started and approached us because one of our dear friends who was our lawyer, he passed away from cancer, and they started this portion of the charity that was in his name and we were like "Oh my God this is so amazing!" So that's the last big thing that we did. CC: Have you had many of your fans share stories? Sara: Yeah. I mean, countless. Especially since we were 'out' when we started our career like 10 years ago, so it was always something that the fans have been aware of. So there was obviously in the beginning a lot of kids interested in the band I think for really personal reasons. I don't think they weren't interested in us as musicians too, but I think that, I mean I know from even when we were teenagers growing up, people that were even just like queer allies like Kathleen Hanna or Ani DiFranco or whatever...those people, their statements, even just talking about it, using the words, were so important and I think that lots of people don't even realize that even gay people now who didn't necessarily grow up in the 80's or 90's or whatever where things weren't spoken about so casually in press or on television, when somebody who you looked up to and respected would talk about it there was a relief, someone you could identify with. So much about culture is about seeing ourselves - on television or in film, in music, in magazines. So often we don't see people who resemble us. We see the real extremes or the fringe of what represents us, but I remember when we first started just touring and playing music and talking about it in the press. It was like we were kind of the first young people who were in a band, and we weren't a gay band, we were gay people in a band. I think that was a huge distinction when we first started playing music. So the stories are endless. It's not even just kids who are gay, but it's as heart wrenching as parents, it's siblings, it's people in the military, it's just people in general who maybe were a bit close minded about things and then they meet us and they start talking to us and we sort of push those boundaries. We're not like a "Oh, we don't wanna talk about it cause we don't want our band to be that kind of band." We are those kind of people. So if that makes our band that kind of band then...it's not even a question, I just can't even imagine it. We also really early on realized we were not a political band, but we were super political people and we knew that there was a change coming. We were right at the beginning of that change and I think it was super important for Tegan and I at whatever cost, being out, whatever effect that was going to have on our career, we knew we wanted to be a part of that movement and we didn’t want to be one of the bands that like came out later when it was safe. Like, we wanted to be...we were willing to take that risk. CC: What's the difference in laws in Canada regarding gay marriage? Sara: We're allowed to get married! (laughs) Tegan: 2004 was when it was common law. It only became legal to get married. But I think it was actually 2006 that it became legal to actually get married. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that it was a little later... Sara: The civil marriage act went through in 2004. It was at an interesting time because it was when we still had a liberal government and they were just about to be thrown out and the conservative party, our sort of republican party, was about to come in. It was one of the last things that our prime minister did. Tegan: Let's google it! Sara: For real! I just did it actually because for the Love Unites, the Shepard Fairey poster...the Love Unites, it's a big campaign happening right now. As artists you had to change it or augment it somehow. So I actually wrote a huge chunk of our prime minister at the time, Paul Martin's, speech. I found it one of the most inspiring speeches of a political person, in our time anyways. It was in 2004, so I do know, but I do appreciate it. Tegan's been spending a lot of time in America so she's working on American years now... Tegan: Well I just remember 2004 and I don't remember it happening then, but maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just really old. Sara: What did happen that was really interesting is that Paul Martin gave this speech where it was very specific that no religious person, no priest, no church was going to be forced to do this. Tegan: Like to marry people... Sara: Yeah it wasn't about forcing this on these people or whatever. Tegan: Like, "Everyone has to be gay now." Sara: "All the priests must marry." (laughs) But what I think what was so important about his speech was, and the part that really resonated with me at the time was that we should never have the minority unprotected, and the majority's whim should never affect the minority's. Tegan: It shouldn't be left up to a vote is basically what he said. Which was profound... Sara: Or a fad. Because if it's not written into the constitution which is the debate, I think in America, and oh my God I can't even imagine this happening in America, but Paul Martin wanted it to be written into our constitution as in it could never change. You could not have a conservative government come in and go... Tegan: Which is what the conservative government was threatening to do.

“We also really early on realized we were not a political band, but we were super political people and we knew that there was a change coming.”
- Sara Quinn

Sara: So Paul Martin wanted it to be into the constitution which did not happen. The conservative party came into power and put it to a vote and thank God, it went through. It still got passed, and so now it is in our constitution meaning it can never change. I think that is what is so important for me as a gay person, as someone watching this happen, the idea that you could make something legal or give a right to somebody and take it back. Which is what is so obviously harmful and horrifying about Prop 8 is that it was something that was happening and everybody was into, and now its been taken away. I think that, you know, when it comes to human rights this is not like you know, you're allowed to wear pink and now you're not allowed to wear pink, this is like a serious...this is something serious and it's affecting people. The thing that I love about a lot of the press that's been happening in States about it, for the people who are really fighting this, for the people who really don't want this to happen, I would love to just sit down and talk to people because I can't imagine how it would even impact their lives in anyway. We're good ambassadors for Canada, because it's not changed anything. Tegan: That is what was so sad about being here after the election and going to all those rallies. The first night after the election, after the rallies, I was standing with this older Filipino woman, who was like, in her seventies, and could, like, barely speak English, and her arms wrapped around her son and his partner, and she had one of those big, like, you know, signs that you put the top over you on either side, you know - Sara: Sandwich board. Tegan: Sandwich board, thank you. That says, you know, “Give back my son’s rights.” And I was just like, “ff…” and I had these two women on the other side of us who were like in their seventies and had been together ever since they were in their early thirties and had photos of them in their thirties and photos of them in their seventies on this big signs, and I was just standing there, and I was like, I feel so sad that these older grandmas are so terrifying to people, it’s terrifying that these two little old grandmas want to crawl into bed together, who probably don’t even sleep in the same bed, if they’re anything like my own grandparents, they’re probably in separate beds by now, and it’s so weird when you get into the thick of it, you know, when you’re right standing there with those people, and it’s like, “Why is everybody so afraid right now,” I do not understand. What’s frightening is going to a town hall meeting, and people have automatic weapons. No, no gay people have weapons, you know, we were unarmed gay people, and we just wanted to ruin our lives by getting married. That’s all we wanted. You know, it’s terrifying. It was so sad. And I had just started dating, just a few months before, a girl who had never dated girls before, and that first night we got back to the car and she just broke down, started sobbing. And I was like, (laughs) “Oh my god, okay,” and she was just like, “This is horrible! They can’t do this to us!” And in my head, I was like, “Oh that’s so cute,” and I wanted to kinda be like, “Well, you’ve been straight for thirty-three years, I mean, c’mon, it’s not you that they’re doing this to,” but I was like, “Oh, it’s okay”…but I was like, this sucks, this is stupid, like, and you just articulate… Sara: No! But you know, that’s the thing. No one else is articulate from the other side. You know, you’re just in that moment, and all the speakers were swearing, like, “Fuck this and fuck that, and blah blah blah,” and you’re just like, “Fuck yeah, totally, this is stupid.” Totally. It doesn’t make any sense. Anyway, sad. Happy and sad, at the same time.

"It’s like, oh, Ellen’s on TV, it’s fine, the gay movement is over. We’re equal, everyone’s fine."
- Tegan Quinn

CC: In terms of gay rights and so forth, but also in a general sense, despite Prop 8 and all that, do you guys feel optimistic? Sara: The last ten years, because we’ve been such public figures over the last ten years, I feel like we’ve had a very heightened experience with how things have changed, for women and also for gay people, and for - Tegan: - for Americans… Sara: Well, for everybody. Speaking more generally, I feel very optimistic, in some territories, obviously, where things are going, and I think America, specifically, where things are going, I think we’ll continue to move in a great direction, when it comes to gay rights, and unions and all that stuff, but… Sara: Even things like health care, you know? The idea that they’re about to come closer than they’ve probably ever come in America- Tegan: -Yeah. There’s so much change happening right now, and it’s really easy to get discouraged, but when I think about ten years ago doing press, or you know, being gay and coming to the US, like I just went on a holiday to San Diego, and I was just walking around holding my girlfriend’s hand in the Gaslamp district, and I thought to myself, you know, I probably wouldn’t have done that ten years ago. It really does feel different, it feels like there’s less stigma. I was saying recently, that from our own perspective in press, the significance of us being gay is starting to, like, it’s not that big of a deal, it’s still important, which we’re like, it’s important, you know, we want to make sure that everyone is comfortable and knows whatever, but it doesn’t feel like it’s something that separates us from people anymore, it’s just an adjective to describe us or something. So, I feel optimistic and I feel things are really changing, but I still feel in some places it’s really sad and it’s still really horrible, and it gets really easy because it’s in the mainstream, it’s like, oh, Ellen’s on TV, it’s fine, the gay movement is over. We’re equal, everyone’s fine. If you can have a number one talk-show, it’s okay to be gay. It’s like, it’s really different for women than it is for men, you know? A lot of my gay guy friends, you know, have gotten beat up in the village. In Vancouver. And not my friends, but you know, like gay men are getting beat up in the village in Vancouver - Vancouver! You know, it’s like, Gaylandia! I’m just like, "what happened? How did that happen?" So, I think there have been major improvements to the condition for women and gay people in North America but there’s still these horrible, horrible sections of society that are so close-minded. It’s awful. Terrible. CC: How do you feel that music can play a role in creating social change and pushing things forward? Sara: Obviously, there’s not been some huge wave of political music which is tough because and sometimes I find that political music is usually is so marginalized because it’s political, that it doesn’t have the impact that say, a pop band, like U2 being political, but still making pop music, with the occasional political song, how impactful that can be. So I’m thinking that, currently, though, you have really articulate, well-spoken musicians who are out canvassing and talking about things that matter to them. You know, for us, obviously, we talk a lot about gay rights and being gay and sexism and feminism, and all of those kind of things. But you have tons of people who are talking eloquently in the press right now about things like health care. And, in Montreal, for example, I’m really aware of, I love that the people in the Arcade Fire are constantly talking about Haiti and the things that are going on in the countries that are important to them, or where they’re from or whatever. So when you see people not just talking about themselves or their music, I find it inspiring. I love it. And I never think when I see a band talking about something that is important to them that they’re preaching, or that they’re trying to push something down, you know, your throat. After the end of a long day, to be honest, it’s nice to kind of talk about other people’s problems, and other people’s issues, and not necessarily just talk about, well, like, on tour relationships, and it didn’t work out, I’m sorry, I wrote a bunch songs about it, and it’s kind of nice to know that you are here for some other important reason, and I think a lot of bands are just chomping at the bit to talk about something that they care about, you know? CC: I like to ask people, you know, everyone uses the word “peace” a lot in terms of causes and social change, but what really is peace? What does peace mean to you guys? Tegan: (Sigh) We’re like, we’re not peaceful…(both laugh) There’s so much unrest and especially when you’re…there’s this cycle of things don’t feel right, so I will make things better and there’s this always trying to make change and I guess like even on a probably cellular level, just genetically, we come from this very violent past of hunting and gathering and changing and fighting and wars and whatever and, I mean, when I think of that old-school cliché of, like, you know, give peace a chance, or like, we just want peace in the world, that is when I start to feel really cynical, like I can’t imagine a world where there isn’t conflict, where there isn’t the neighbor telling the other neighbor to get off his land, whether it’s as epic as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or it’s just like my neighbors who actually fight over getting each other’s shit off of each other’s lawn - Sara: There’s a terrible story on Dateline about a guy who shot his neighbor because he had a rock on his property, it’s terrible. Tegan: I mean, it is. It’s terrifying. I mean I would love to think that we can get to this place where there’s peace within, I’m not sure, like, you know, like that you can find that there will be periods in our history where there won’t be so much unrest, war and all of those things like that…

"And, maybe that’s peace, knowing that a set of needs will be provided, and it will never be taken away, that’s your bloody right…"
- Tegan Quinn

Sara: I think that’s where it has to start. I think that’s where it has to start you know, maybe it was very lofty at one point, like peace, like, no wars! Disarming nuclear weapons! You know, it was very ambitious. And I don’t think that we have to give up on all that, but it starts with one person. It starts with hopefully one person that spreads to everybody else, where you can accept who you are, you can be comfortable with who you are and be comfortable with what you have and want the best for the people around you and whenever I think of peace it’s like sort of like you’re not leaving a situation where you hopefully have not destroyed that situation that person, that environment, that country when you went into it…and yourself, you know ultimately - Tegan: I also feel like when your needs are being met, when you have this whole idea of something that have will not be taken away, I wonder if a lot of conflict comes from people having to struggle for something over and over and over again. Certainly, with health care, talk about it all the time - in Canada, it’s not perfect; my dad will chew you an earful for like three hours about how our health care system is not perfect but I never worry about health care. I do not worry that I will ever hurt myself and be turned away or have to mortgage my house or my parents will become bankrupt because I broke my foot, like, I don’t ever have that worry. And that has gotta do something to you as a human being, to grow up in a place where you never worry about that. There is always going to be a bed and a doctor and no bill. Like, that’s just - I never think about that. And when you really talk to an American, and you say that to them, they’re just like, what is that even like? And, maybe that’s peace, knowing that a set of needs will be provided, and it will never be taken away, that’s your bloody right, you just will always have those rights, and I think that we’d have a lot less unrest in the world if we just provided basic needs for everybody and that it was guaranteed that it will never be taken away. And I’m not talking about ponies and Corvettes, either, I’m talking about, you know? Just the needle in the bum and some antibiotics. Just that dream that everybody wants. You know? Tegan and Sara release their sixth full-length studio album, Sainthood, October 27. For more on Tegan and Sara, visit: www.teganandsara.com. Read more Causecast musician interviews at www.causecast.org/music. Photo 1 by Brian Teutsch, flickr. Photo 2 by Amanda M. Hatfield, flickr. Photo 3 by ecodallaluna, flickr. Photo 4 by soeljo, flickr.

Ten Things You Should Know About Electric Cars

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:54:52 -0700

by AARON HORWITZ, Contributing Writer 1. A true electric vehicle is one that is able to run off an internal battery and thus does not rely on traditional gasoline. While these vehicles do need to be recharged much more frequently than a gas-powered vehicle needs to be fueled, emissions are far lower (in fact, non-existent) and the price of recharging costs far less than the price of refueling. 2. The technology and research required to develop a successful full-electric vehicle and to produce its battery have historically been far more difficult to develop and more expensive to produce than gas-powered vehicles, a possible reason for their lack of success thus far. 3. A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two distinct power sources, usually an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Unlike true electric vehicles, most hybrids require gasoline as their primary fuel source. The electric component of their engine allows for greater gas mileage and far lower emissions than a purely gas-powered vehicle. 4. Hybrids most commonly run (silently in fact) off an electric battery until they reach a speed of about 15 miles per hour, at which point the gas engine (and the noise) kicks in. This is one factor that accounts for their superior gas mileage over strictly gas-fueled engines. Unlike electric vehicles, hybrids never need to be plugged in; their battery recharges itself while the vehicle is in use. 5. The first mass-produced electric vehicle in the United States was GM's EV1, officially put on the market in California and Arizona on December 5th, 1996. The no-emissions EV-1 was capable of 75 miles on a single charge with the massive stock 1,100 lbs battery. The vehicle, which GM promised would pave the way for a future of electric vehicles, proved to be short-lived, as GM officially terminated the lease-only vehicles in 2003, ordering them all to be destroyed. 6. The reasons for the demise of the EV1 have been widely debated by industry analysts and conspiracy theorists alike, resulting in the creation of an award-winning but controversial 2006 documentary on the subject, Who Killed the Electric Car? 7. The failure of the EV1 experiment put a damper on the immediate future of electric vehicles, but the window it opened, coupled with rising gas prices, paved the way for the uprising and eventual success of the hybrid vehicle, led far and away by the Toyota Prius. 8. The Prius first premiered in Japan in 1997, and was eventually released worldwide in 2001. In 2007, it sold 180,000 units, and in early 2008, eclipsed the Ford Explorer by selling 20,000 units in just a month's time. The United States EPA recognizes it as America's most fuel efficient vehicle, and classifies it under SULEV, or Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle. Since its creation and massive success, nearly every major auto manufacturer has gotten into the hybrid market, converting many of their current automobiles and SUVs into hybrid models. 9. With the increasing success of the Hybrid and the ever-rising costs of gas prices, major auto manufacturers are hard at work to develop the first widely manufactured electric vehicles. The Chevy Volt looks to be the first on the market. The Volt will still have a gasoline component, though that's more of an option than a necessity; the car will be able to drive up to 40 miles without using a drop, and then can be recharged again. Nissan's upcoming, fully-electric Leaf, however, looks to best even that. 10. Carbon emissions from cars and trucks account for almost a fourth of the United States' annual greenhouse gas emissions. Cutting down on automobile emissions is an important step to our national, and international, fight against global climate change. In addition to the environmental benefits of owning a hybrid or electric vehicle, and the obvious savings on gas expenses, the government also offers tax incentives to owners. So, what are ya waitin' for? Photo by Argonne National Laboratory, flickr.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:12:01 -0700

Featured Interview:

Bassnectar on Obama, the internet, and inspiring youth culture to impact change.
(Added 11/04/09) Los Amigos Invisibles on El Sistema, how technology has impacted change and a shifting culture.
(Added 10/28/09) Tegan and Sara on gay rights and the risks of being out while shaping their career in the music industry.
(Added 10/26/09) Underoath on consumerism in America, Invisible Children, and Wal-Mart alternatives.
(Added 10/21/09) State Radio on volunteerism, justice for Troy Davis, and Sudanese refuge camps.
(Added 10/19/09) Thrice on working with Blood:Water Mission and the state of the music industry.
(Added 10/16/09) Brandon Boyd of Incubus on TOMS Shoes and the higher form of communication in music.
(Added 10/13/09) HAIM on battling diabetes, peace in the Middle East, and the joys of social media.
(Added 10/12/09) Paperbird on self empowerment, dumpster diving, and building a community through music.
(Added 9/29/09) The Dodos on Denmark's Roskilde Festival, phthalates, and of course - the vibraphone.
(Added 9/23/09) Mike Einziger of Incubus on consciousness, Nazi rallies, and hippie chicks on acid.
(Added 9/15/09) India.Arie on inspiration, being free of ego, and the power of music.
(Added 9/10/09) Alejandro Escovedo on social change, the 1960s, and his bout with Hepatitis C.
(Added 9/4/09) Jon Foreman of Switchfoot / Fiction Family on Darfur, peace, and what it means to be active.
(Added 8/26/09)

High School Students Compete To Build Green Cars

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:20:25 -0700

by CLAIRE MORGENSTERN, Contributing Writer This spring and summer, 43 teams of experts who have designed innovative, super-efficient cars capable of netting 100 miles to the gallon will compete in for a $10 million dollar prize—including a group of students at an inner-city high school in Philadelphia. The contest, called the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, is meant to produce prototypes for fuel-efficient vehicles that could potentially be turned into a line of “real” cars that could be sold to consumers, meaning that they're safe, reliable, and capable of being mass produced. The 43 finalist teams were chosen last Tuesday from a pool of 97 initial designs, and contestants range from giants such as California electric car manufacturers Aptera Motors and Tesla Motors, air-powered car maker Zero Pollution Motors, and German diesel-powered car manufacturer Loremo to tech-savvy engineers from Silicon Valley and teams of college students from such high-ranking universities as Cornell, and finally, to a group of 15 high school students at the Academy for Automotive and Mechanical Engineering in West Philly. The Philadelphia team has been receiving attention not just for their underdog status (they are the only high school team in the competition), but also for the quality of the two vehicles they decided to enter. The EVX Focus, their submission in the “mainstream” category, is a model of the Ford Focus modified to burn both gas and bio-butanol. The group’s prototype in the “alternative” category, the EVX GT, modifies the existing frame of a Factory Five GT to create a two-seater biodiesel hybrid sports car that will easily exceed the minimum 100 mpg standard that the contest rules dictate. However, these teens aren’t exactly novices in the world of auto-building competitions, either. The Hybrid X team has entered and won similar competitions over the last 11 years. In 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2007 they conquered the Tour de Sol (renamed the 21st Century Automotive Challenge in 2007), in which contestants must build hybrid or biodiesel vehicles capable of being driven 150 miles at a minimum of 100 mpg. Some of the team’s past projects have included a soybean-fueled sports car and a hybrid vehicle that could go from 0 to 60 in four seconds and got 60 miles per gallon of biodiesel. We’re not the only ones who have noticed. Exxon-Mobil recently awarded the group $25,000 to be put towards their current projects. The team’s success has also helped put this small urban high school, originally designed to prepare low-income students for careers in the auto industry after high school or college, on the map. At the same time, the opportunity to pour their energy and free time into developing green automotive technology provides an alternative for some of the school’s students to becoming involved in the pervasive drugs and violence in their own neighborhoods. So regardless of whether or not the group wins the X prize, it’s a win-win for all involved. If the team does win the competition, however, they’re planning to put $7.5 million in a scholarship fund to give back to the institution that gave them the opportunity to win in the first place. Photo by Seattle Municipal Archives, flickr.

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“We weren't a gay band, we were gay people in a band.”- Sara Quinn

“We also really early on realized we were not a political band, but we were super political people and we knew that there was a change coming.”- Sara Quinn

"It’s like, oh, Ellen’s on TV, it’s fine, the gay movement is over. We’re equal, everyone’s fine."- Tegan Quinn

"And, maybe that’s peace, knowing that a set of needs will be provided, and it will never be taken away, that’s your bloody right…"- Tegan Quinn

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High School Students Compete To Build Green Cars

“I want to create kind of a magnetic phenomenon that would inspire youth culture and make youth culture curious.”
-Lorin Ashton

“...the cause is aided by me not being preachy and not betraying the sentiment of inspiration with doctrine or dogma and just kinda building a slow building relationship with the community...I think we all have our roles and trying to do everything doesn’t make sense.”
-Lorin Ashton

“...bringing exposure to those causes [I‘d like to facilitate] or inspiring people to get involved with them...that’s what Bassnectar is about...”
-Lorin Ashton

“We weren't a gay band, we were gay people in a band.”
- Sara Quinn

“We also really early on realized we were not a political band, but we were super political people and we knew that there was a change coming.”
- Sara Quinn

"It’s like, oh, Ellen’s on TV, it’s fine, the gay movement is over. We’re equal, everyone’s fine."
- Tegan Quinn

"And, maybe that’s peace, knowing that a set of needs will be provided, and it will never be taken away, that’s your bloody right…"
- Tegan Quinn