Thursday, June 5, 2008

It's time to get to the point (seven).

People are hungry. Really hungry.

Desperate for food
So hungry that in many parts of the world people are seeing themselves forced to eat tree bark or mud pies (literally mud with salt and butter) to quell hunger pangs. The world food crisis is here. A complex problem brought about by bad government policies, soaring oil costs, use of grain-based ethanol, emerging economies like China who are suddently eating more meat and of course climate change.

What can be done?
The G8 leaders are currently in Rome, trying to figure this thing out. Some, like Canada, are pledging extra cash to inject immediate relief for this global crisis. And it's a good start. But here's the thing, to really make an impact towards eliminating global poverty rich countries need to commit -- not promise, offer vague pledges, pat eachother on the back -- but really commit and follow through on giving 0.7% of their GNP to international aid.

For this we need the political will.
Canadians can rally behind this with pride because hey, it was our idea to begin with! Former Prime Minister Pearson headed the committee who calculated this magic number. We've promised to do it many times... but we haven't actually done it. In 2007, Canada gave a paltry 0.28% -- a fraction of what we can easily afford to give and must give.

So that's where you come in.
It's time to send-off Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the upcoming G8 Summit in Japan with this message: “Get to the Point Seven Percent!”

There are many reasons to do this and a few ways to achieve this; send a quick note and participate in a Make Poverty History group event in your area - like ours


My friend Filomena made an excellent point to me the other day, she said "... I also think that much of the world has a lot of rethinking to do about how and what we consume - and more so what we waste."

Food for thought.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Earth Hour - Solidarity With The Poor

So we're turning off the lights for an hour tonight in celebration of Earth Hour.

Turning off the lights hopefully only being the umbrella term for 'shut down all energy-sucking appliances, take the plugs out of the socket, turn off the power bars, don't drive your car, ... really, really, really try and get off the grid for at least one hour'. Naturally, essential services not-withstanding.

I'm really excited about tonight for a variety of reasons. The big one being that individuals and companies around the world are on-board for this event which is not only symbolic but will have a real impact on reduction of carbon emissions even just from the one hour. This is a big deal because it shows recognition of the climate crisis situation and an outlet to do something about it. Obviously, one hour with the lights off will not solve our problems but what lifestyle changes we continue to implement in our lives definitely can. The World Wildlife Fund's thought of that and created The Good Life, a handy checklist that you can consume in easy-to-chew bite size pieces.

But the real hope I have for tonight's event is that as people shut off the lights the proverbial lightbulb will go on in their heads and maybe they will make a connection to those around the world who just don't have it as easy as we do. In fact our greedy consumption of energy and resources causing the climate crisis we're in has adversely impacted the poor... who didn't even create the problem.

By reducing our impact on the world's resources to what should only be our fair share; if we make a conscious effort to curb our consumption of energy then not only will we be doing right by our planet but also showing solidarity with the poor.

Monday, March 24, 2008

We Are All Interconnected

The Sweater Story

It's spring cleaning time, and you know what that means.

How many of us at this time of year go through our closets and clear out gently used items like clothing, housewares, etc and donate them to your local Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul Society or church's Bundle Sunday? We usually forget about them, never expecting to see them again.

Acumen Fund founder Jacqueline Novogratz tells a 'sweater story' which will make you smile and prove how amazing our interconnectedness is... even if we don't think about it too much.

The 'sweater story' is interesting because it shows us the big picture, it demonstrates how what we do at home impacts the other side of the world.

Solutions for Africa

Most Africans will probably tell you that they don't want your charity... they want to do it for themselves. And they are! Amazing success stories brought about through micro credit finance, bed nets, drip irrigation and other sustainable and scaleable models.

Watch the vid clip... it's food for thought on traditional aid vs. fresh solutions.