The Progressive Technology Project’s TechCamp is coming up soon.

June 12-15, at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN

Deadline for registration is May 25th.

PTP has designed a special training program for new and old organizers who are interested in building their technology skills. TechCamp training is designed to build the basic skills of community organizers in the key technology competencies for community organizing. If you’re working in community organizing, you’ll want to get to one of our TWO TechCamps in 2007!

You can register here.

If you have questions, call 866.298.6463 or email info@progressivetech.org .

Each 5th of May, Japan celebrates Children’s Day, or more specifically Boy’s Day. But this May 5th, 6 women from different sides of the world braved discomfort and made a stand to make a change. The 6 women were Solar Generation delegates working with Greenpeace to pressure the Asian Development Bank to fund the energy revolution at their annual meeting in Kyoto. To get our message across and to bring some colour to what was otherwise a boring meeting, we decided to stage a performance in keeping with our surroundings at the meeting’s opening reception.

Continue reading Kimono girls make a difference…

The fact that all biofuels are not created equal in terms of environmental benefits is starting to get more press coverage and policy-makers are being forced to face the issue of “deforestation biofuels” [search] — those like palm and soya oils that destroy rainforests releasing much more carbon than they prevent. The European Commission (EC) now admits that “Europe’s dash for biofuels could accelerate the destruction of tropical rainforests“. This is particularly gratifying because Ecological Internet was the first to raise the issue of deforestation biofuels internationally through several protests over recent years — including campaigning against EC arbitrary biofuel goals which did not differentiate between environmental desirability of biofuels produced locally and those sourced from cleared rainforests. Here is our most recent alert. There is now an entire movement spawned by our actions. Building awareness is one thing, but actually stopping the rush to deforestation biofuels is another. It is unconscionable that rather than reducing their energy use, both Europe and the U.S. are pushing biofuels as a means to continue their conspicuous consumption of energy. And Indonesia wants to be paid to protect their rainforests even as they ramp up rainforest destruction for oil palm plantations to produce biofuel, not appreciating that these plantations on peatlands that burn frequently is extremely poor tropical land managment. We must resist the expansion of rainforest biofuels — as the Dutch are trying to do — or we will lose both our rainforests and our climate system.

Posted by Page (in Amsterdam)

Yes, it’s a well-worn cliché: “the children are our future”. But it’s true, and Greenpeace has always been very active in educating kids about how they can be stewards of the Earth too. For instance, here in Amsterdam, we’ve used our ship the Sirius as a very cool classroom (ja, the link’s in Dutch, but trust me, that’s what it says).

Anyway, check it out. Greenpeace is heading for a couple of elementary schools in Anchorage, Alaska to tell kids how they can help the whales.

Continue reading Saving the whales, one classroom at a time!…

MEDIA VOLUNTEER WEBSITE NAMED AS HONOREE
FOR THE 11TH ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS

Prototype Site Earns Honors in Three Categories

May 8, 2007 – Last month, the Webby Awards, the leading international honor for the Web, honored the MediaVolunteer.org website in three categories: Activism, Best Practices, and Professional Services.

Hailed as the “Oscars of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile Websites. The awards are judged by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a global organization that includes David Bowie, Harvey Weinstein, Arianna Huffington, Matt Groening, Jamie Oliver, Internet inventor Vinton Cerf, and RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser.

“The Webby Awards are known for recognizing outstanding work that also sets Internet standards,” said Martin Kearns, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Green Media Toolshed. “We are proud that the Media Volunteer website is in the company of past honorees such as YouTube, MoveOn, Google, Yahoo and del.icio.us. The MediaVolunteer.org site takes a network-centric approach toward coordinating thousands of volunteers to synchronize around tasks that create change. Mediavolunteer.org is pioneering new territory by creating an online opportunity for contributors to donate their skill and intelligence to the causes they care about. Media Volunteer offers an easy way for people to ‘do something useful’ without joining lists or being a part of a petition. It is unique because volunteers can contribute time anonymously. It is easy because visitors help with just 12 minutes of their time while at their desk or home. Mediavolunteer.org supports more volunteering and better media exposure for good causes and important issues. Media Volunteer is a new way to engage volunteers and we look forward to exploring it further.”

The 11th Annual Webby Awards received a record 8,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states. Fewer than 15% were distinguished as an Official Honoree. This honor signifies an outstanding caliber of work.

Visit the honoree website at
http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_honorees.php?season=11.

About Media Volunteer:
The Media Volunteer Project is creating and maintaining a high quality media contact database that can be used by the progressive movement as they work to bring about the change that is so important to our society. Media Volunteer is a project of Green Media Toolshed. Visit www.mediavolunteer.org.

About Green Media Toolshed:
Green Media Toolshed (GMT) is a nonprofit organization that provides the environmental community with access to high quality communications tools for an affordable price. These tools give GMT members the ability to improve interaction with reporters and build their online presence through a number of customizable web tools. Visit www.greenmediatoolshed.org.

About The Webby Awards:
Hailed as the “Oscars of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile Websites. Established in 1996, the 11th Annual Webby Awards received a record 8,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include Adobe, The Creative Group, Verizon, AOL Video, dotMobi, Level3, Adweek, Fortune, Reuters, Variety, Wired, IDG: Brightcove, PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2advanced.Net, KobeMail, and Museum of the Moving Image.

About the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS):
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and interactive media. The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 500 members consisting of leading experts in a diverse range of fields, such as musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Internet inventor and Google Chief Internet Evangelist Vinton Cerf, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, and fashion designer Max Azria. For more information, visit www.iadas.net.

In order to get on with major reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, within both a still functional biosphere and viable capitalistic system, the price of emitting carbon must be set — and quickly and accurately. There are two primary methods of doing so – the establishment of carbon markets [search] and the levying of carbon taxes [search]. The conservative newspaper Financial Times favors carbon taxes, as does Ecological Internet within our Lincoln Plan carbon tax campaign, and today ran an interesting series of articles which essentially find a carbon tax to be easier and more effective in pricing carbon. A recent report likens the individual market in carbon credits to “Offsetting Indulgences for your Climate Sins“. The Financial Times was equally skeptical, as their investigation of carbon credit trading concludes: “Companies and individuals rushing to go green have been spending millions on ‘carbon credit’ projects that yield few if any environmental benefits.” They found some carbon reductions paid for in carbon offset schemes are never carried out, and others would have been made anyway. The European carbon market which has been in existence the longest and is most established has given out so many carbon credits that very little reductions in emissions were necessary by industry. Ecological Internet supports a global carbon market that is well regulated, but not as a replacement for carbon taxes, which we are convinced will address the issue of pricing carbon more quickly, effectively and simply. We concur that “while short-term politics favour markets, taxes would be better in the long term because industry needs certainty for investments… A government committing to painful taxes signals the seriousness of its intentions…”

Posted by Dave (in New York)

Great news folks – Ecuador has rejoined the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and will be voting for the whales in Alaska this month. Ecuador’s joining a few other new pro-whaling faces at the IWC, like Peru, Costa Rica and Cyprus, as well as Nicaragua, which has gone from being a pro-whaling nation to a pro-whale nation since last year’s meeting!

Ecuador’s Pacific waters are amongst the richest waters in the world – every year, more than 4,000 humpback whales migrate 7000km north from Antarctica to breed and give birth near Ecuador, to places like the famous Galapagos Islands. The Japanese whaling fleet plans to kill 50 of these whales next year.

I’ve got to love the translation on Prensa Latina, which refers to “bent-dorsal-fin” whales, meaning humpbacks. Ouch!

Continue reading Good News! Ecuador is voting for whales!…

Job Announcement:
National Youth Climate Summit Coordinator

Position: National Youth Climate Summit Coordinator
Organization: Energy Action Coalition (www.climatechallenge.org)
Salary: dependent upon experience
Location: Washington, D.C.
Time of Employment: May 2007 – March 2008
Deadline: Candidates are encouraged to apply immediately – we will be interviewing on a rolling basis.

**Please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@energyaction.net**

About the National Summit :
To strengthen the movement for real climate solutions in an effective and coordinated way, The Energy Action Coalition is holding the first ever large national summit with 3,000 – 5,000 young people to share best practices, build community, learn skills and solutions, set clear and ambitious plans for action, and impel federal action to make it happen. Leveraging the momentum we’ve built through the Campus Climate Challenge, the 41 partner organizations of the coalition will take this momentum beyond our campuses to a key place where this crisis must be addressed: Washington, DC. The summit will be in mid-February, 2008 at George Washington University.

Experience:
Ideal candidates should have working knowledge of/experience with the following:
*Large-scale event planning and logistics
*Youth climate organizing and/or youth empowerment
*Large-scale recruitment
*Experience working with diverse stakeholders in coalition

Responsibilities:
*Coordinate the National Summit Planning Committee of 50 students
*Oversee a comprehensive recruitment strategy designed to get a diverse attendance of 3,000 – 5,000 student and youth leaders
*Coordinate agenda development and recruit trainers for break-out sessions and workshops
*Confirm all auditoriums and break-out rooms for the Summit
*Work with George Washington University Students, Administrators, Faculty, and Staff to ensure maximum local buy-in and support
*Work with local colleges, universities, churches, and civic groups to obtain maximum free housing and discounted hotel rooms for students
*Coordinate National Mall rally and concert
*Set up congressional meetings and hearing participation
*Coordinate with summit sponsors to ensure smooth receipt and utilization of funds
*Oversee and develop travel and housing scholarship process
*Coordinate development and printing of national conference materials

About the Energy Action Coalition
Energy Action Coalition, founded on June 6th, 2004, is a project of 41 major environmental and social justice organizations in the U.S. and Canada working to unify the growing student and youth movement for clean energy. For a full list of partners go to: www.energyaction.net

Diversity
The Energy Action Coalition highly values diversity and encourages applicants from traditionally marginalized groups to apply for positions within the coalition. Energy Action has adopted the Principles of Environmental Justice, the Principles of Climate Justice, and the Principles of Working Together as operating principles for the Coalition. We seek to reflect this through our hiring and operations.

TAKE ACTION! Destroyer of ancient rainforests and indigenous livelihoods from Malaysia to Guyana now a publicly listed company that along with its financiers is facing renewed international protest

Indigenous people living in tropical rainforests in Malaysia and Guyana are stepping up the global campaign against the Samling group [search], one of Malaysia’s leading timber companies, and gravest threat to rainforests and their inhabitants worldwide. The Samling Group holds 1.6 million hectares of tropical rainforest concessions in Guyana and 1.4 million hectares in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. On the recent occasion of its public listing at the Hong Kong stock exchange, 37 organizations from 18 countries asked investors and banks to shun the company for its failure to comply with basic environmental and social standards. Please send a protest email targeting the banks funding Samling, asking them for a public statement to withdraw their support to Samling and refund of IPO profits. TAKE ACTION!