Do you know the Better Cotton Initiative? Also known as BCI, it “exists to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future. “BCI works with a diverse range of stakeholders to promote measurable and continuing improvements for the environment, […]

Bridges to Justice

In recognition of the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) is dedicated to protecting the basic legal rights of ordinary citizens in developing countries. Specifically, IBJ works to guarantee all citizens the right to competent legal representation, the right to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment, […]

Wow. That’s the reaction when reading the short profiles of the 26 social entrepreneurs who are the 2012 awardees of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. The Schwab Foundation’s press release lists some of the 2012 awardees: Veronica Colondam of YCAB Foundation (Indonesia), Ronald Bruder and Jamie McAuliffe of Education For Employment  (United States), Jane Hunt […]

Regina Yau, Founder and President of The Pixel Project, a “complete virtual, volunteer-led global nonprofit organisation whose mission is to raise awareness, funds and volunteer power for the cause to end violence against women” recently wrote that her charity uses “positive images, ideas and strategies to power our campaigns and empower survivors and supporters to take action. […]

Unsung Peace Heroes is a project developed by Butterfly Works and Media Focus on Africa Foundation. It began as a way to “recognize individuals and organizations that participated in peace efforts in the violent aftermath of the December 2007 Kenyan general election.” According to the Unsung Peace Heroes website, the Peace Heroes are ordinary people […]

Gender-focused research initiatives are alive and kicking. They include Catalyst, a non-profit membership organization founded in 1962 that expands opportunities for women and business, and the Closing the Global Gender Gap Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School. According to the Kennedy School, the three purposes of this Initiative are: “to examine and quantify the impact of specific policy interventions, […]

The Ocean Health Index is the new and “first comprehensive global measurement of ocean health that includes people as part of the ocean ecosystem. It scientifically compares and combines all dimensions of ocean health – biological, physical, economic and social – in order to generate an objective and accurate snapshot of the health of the […]

Everyone seems enthralled with the news about NASA’s Curiosity Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Whether or not you’re for space exploration, the feats performed to land Curiosity on Mars are amazing. Check out the space images or ask Dr. C. a question about Mars!  

According to the Global Agenda Council on Oceans, a World Economic Forum select group of experts looking for solutions to today’s challenges in the field of oceans, shipping significantly impacts our oceans as 90% of the global trade volume is carried on ships. But perhaps in part due to the high profile pollution disasters of recent decades, shipping industry […]

Iodine-131 and cesium-134/137 are radioactive isotopes that have been released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as a consequence of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. Large amounts of this radioactive material have gone into the Pacific Ocean. That’s the bad news. The good news is that scientists at the University of Tsukuba in the Kantō […]