EarthAction

Introduction to Blogging

Becca, one of my fellow interns, has put together an awesome, extremely useful guide to blogging,specifically aimed at organizations. She originally wrote the guide for EarthAction, but we thought it was so valuable that we wanted to share it with you! I'll let her introduce it:

"EarthAction is currently in the process of redesigning and redefining our presence online, so that we can better connect with our partner organizations and individuals, forge new relationships, and take advantage of the incredible information dissemination capabilities of the internet.  This has been and is a serious learning process for us.  We want to share the information and resources we are using with others (non-profits especially) who are considering establishing or readjusting their online presence.  We are definitely still learning ourselves, and it's never too late to try something new.  Especially for non-profits, it is essential to utilize the internet to its full potential."

Read the guide in its entirety - click here!

What useful advice did we not include? Please share your comments with us!

(Photo courtesy of Flickr user fd, shared under a Creative Commons license.)

60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).   The declaration consists of 30 articles that specify the rights the General Assembly agreed are Human Rights guaranteed to all people.   If, like me, you have only heard repeated references to the Declaration of Human Rights but haven't read it for yourself, now is a great time to click on over to the UN page where they have it translated in many different languages.  (The Guinness Book of Records places the UDHR as the most translated document in the world!)

In honor of the document's 60th Anniversary, UBUNTU (World Forum of Civil Society Networks) has written a statement emphasizing that all Human Rights are "universal, indivisible, and interdependent."  They further call for:

1. The Human Right to Peace.

2. The Human Right to Development (including food, water, the satisfaction of basic needs) 

3. The Human Right to the Environment.  (acknowledging that "current production and consumption models are unsustainable")

EarthAction was one of the first 50 signatories on the UBUNTU document, alongside other supporters such as Noam Chomsky and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate).  You can click here to read the statement in full and to sign your name.  It's a great opportunity to evaluate how we are protecting those rights that are expressed in the original Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and what steps need to be taken for a sustainable future.

(Image is of Eleanoor Roosevelt reading a Spanish translation of the UDHR, author unknown)

Mining Issue in El Salvador

Hi Everyone!  I'm Meghan (also known as Piña) and for my first post, I'd like to bring your attention to a gold mining issue in El Salvador.  Pacific Rim, a Canadian mining company, is trying to start a new mining project in San Isidro.  San Isidro is in the providence of Cabañas, where according to the UN 55% of the population live below the poverty line.

The campesinos (peasant farmers) of the region are concerned that Pacific Rim will take 30,000 Liters of water a day, from the same place they only get water once a week.  Rights Action, a NGO that works in Central America, has been working on the mining issue since the start and has experience with similar issues in all of Central America.  For more information and actions to take please visit their website at: this "Take Action" page.

This same post, in Spanish:

Hola a todas! Soy Meghan (también me conocen como Piña) y para mi primera post quiziera llamarles la atención a un problema de extraer oro en El Salvador.  Pacific-Rim, una companía canadience, está tratando de empezar una mina de oro en San Isidro. San Isidro está en la provencia de Las Cabañas, donde según las NU 55% de la población está bajo la  linea de pobreza.

Los campesinos de la región están preocupados que la mina de Pacific Rim tomará 30,000 litros de agua  diario de la misma lugar donde viene el agua de la comunidad solo una vez a la semana.  Rights Action, una ONG que trabaja en América Central, han trabjado en ese problema desde su comienzo y tienen experiencia en otros casos similares en América Central.  Para más información y acciones que puedan tomar por favor viste su citio: www.rightsaction.org (en inglés y español). Cualquier pregunta, información que tienen, o si quieran saber más de El Salvador por favor compartélo.

Howdy and Hello.

Greetings!  This is my very first blog post, so I thought I would introduce myself.  Firstly, I’m Becca, and I’m an intern here.  I get to work with an incredible boss, Lois Barber (the Director of EarthAction), Ginger, who just came on with EarthAction, and three other amazing interns- Ananda, Greer, and Meghan (or Piña, as she likes to be called.)  You’ll be hearing from them soon.

Ananda, Greer, Meghan and I are all first years at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. It’s a small, alternative school full of eccentric and passionate students (which probably accurately describes us too.)  You design your own course of academic study here.  (That is, after your first year.  In your first year there are much more specific requirements you have to meet.)  There is more room to explore seemingly different areas of interest.  Personally, I’m trying to juggle my love of literature, writing, theatre, environmental studies/activism, outdoor education, speaking Spanish/Latin American affairs, a new found interest in dance, learning how to climb and do yoga, vegetariansim/health issues, and… well, there’s more, actually.  Yes, I know this is ridiculous.  At least I’m in a place where this is the norm.

Anyways, all of us here at EarthAction are super excited to be starting this blog up.  EarthAction has a pretty impressive history (Just click on Successes or Past Campaigns to see for yourself!)  Here are only a few of my favorite highlights:   
-Increased funding for primary education in multiple countries (Education for All campaign, 2001)
-Ratification of the The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) (Desertification campaign, 06-07.  By the way, Lois has a great story about how she got former President Bill Clinton to use the exact language she wrote in addressing desertification issues.)
-Saving Rainforests. (Imataca Forest Reserve, Venezuela, campaign, 1998)

Lois has been doing this for a long time, addressing climate change issues since 1995.  EarthAction has always worked to better global society on many fronts- from ending logging to working with the UN to raise the age and conditions of child soldiers.  It’s not just about environmental affairs or social justice issues- they’re all related, and we’re in this together to improve the world for everyone.

The heart of EarthAction has always been about community, which is why we’re so excited to be redesigning and refocusing our presence online.  We want to be more connected with our partner organizations, individuals, and you!  Even though we’re still in the process of transitioning and figuring this out, we hope that you’ll continue to check back in with us (consider subscribing to our RSS feed!), leave a comment or shoot an e-mail, and tell your friends about us. 

Stay tuned for personal stories, ways you can get involved, and more info on our current campaign on renewable energy!

P.S.
I want to share the link to this interview with the amazing climber Chris Sharma.  He’s interviewed by Waylon Lewis of Elephant  magazine, fabulous independent media from my hometown of Boulder, Colorado.  Even if you’re not interested in climbing, there are some great thoughts shared.

(The photo of Hampshire College's admissions building was taken by me.)

Hello world.

Welcome to EarthAction’s blog. Over the past 16 years, EarthAction has had a great track record helping to solve the world’s most critical environment, peace, and justice problems. Now, we are very excited to start our first ever blog to help you turn your concern, outrage, and passion into meaningful action. We’ll invite you to join in EarthAction’s campaigns and bring you news about other campaigns where you can make a difference.

Over time, we plan to bring you the voices, stories and ideas for a better world from EarthAction’s 2,600 Partner Organizations in over 165 countries. And we look forward to hearing your ideas for creating a more just, peaceful and sustainable planet.