Several people involved with the Southside Community Gardens group, along with local leaders and other people active in the sustainability community in the Lehigh Valley, attended the following event in Easton, PA, on November 12th at 7:30 p.m. in Lafayette College’s Oechsle Hall: “Green the Ghetto: And How Much It Won’t Cost Us,” with Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx (www.ssbx.org).  The success of this event, for which the attendance and response was significant, speaks to the fact that there is growing interest in the Lehigh Valley in the work we are trying to do, and attests that there are like-minded groups and individuals in the area with whom we can partner as we move forward in our efforts to bring the positive effects of community gardening, greenways, and sustainable living to the southside of Bethlehem.  While the scope of the work of Sustainable South Bronx may seem beyond our immediate goals at this point in time, and especially at this early stage, SSBX, whose work is also connected to a planned greenway, is instructive for our project; it serves as a resource and guide we can look to during the initial stages of our work in Bethlehem’s Southside, and an inspiration as we consider expanding our vision in the future.

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#1 Leonardo DiCaprio

Ok, so he had a few cheesy one-liner’s in Titanic, but he had tons of other truly great films throughout his career. And aside from his red-hot and stellar list of top billing films, Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the sexiest Activists taking a lead for the green initiative.

Sexy Leonardo DiCaprio Saves the Earth

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#2 Angelina Jolie

She  has enough children to fill a tribe, once a carried a vile of her lover’s  blood around her neck; however, she is gorgeous and one of the world’s most generous benefactors. She is also probably one of the most recognized representatives of UNICEF and a huge children’s advocate (with the exception of Audrey Hepburn maybe). Angelina Jolie has donated her time and money supporting environmental initiatives and much more. Going, Going Green appreciates and recognizes her amazing contributions to the world.

Angelina Jolie: Sexiest Activist in the World

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#3 Demi Moore

Demi Moore is a beautiful actress with a stellar career and great family. Over the years she has contributed millions of dollars to help protect the environment.  She is definitely a woman with beauty and purpose.

Demi Moore is a Hot Activist

At Abenefit2u we are always keen to find new ways to make our business more environmentally friendly. We are therefore delighted that the company that hosts our website, 1&1 Webhosting, also have the same principles and have a green energy policy in place.

As a result this means our website, www.abenefit2u.com, is powered by renewable energy. On a bigger scale this means than 1&1 are helping to save 30,000 tons of CO2 produced each year.

Here is some information taken from the 1&1 Webhosting website which details their green policy:

We are proud to be the first large web host who relies solely on renewable energy. 1&1 now utilise wind, water and solar power in accordance with the Renewable Energy Certification System (RECS).

In our European data centres, we currently run some 40,000 servers which consume between 50 and 60 GWh per year. Hence, by switching to environmentally friendly energy we can significantly contribute to environmental protection.

In addition to 1&1’s data centres, two large office buildings (in Karlsruhe, Germany) with 1,300 employees are supplied with renewable energy.

Within 1&1’s data centres in Germany, 1&1 hosts data from customers in the UK, Germany, France and Spain as well as from the email providers GMX and WEB.DE, whose customers will now use ‘Green mailboxes’.

1&1 use energy efficiently
“We not only desire clean energy, but we also want to use as little energy as possible,” says Achim Weiss. “Thus, for example, for many years we have been using highly efficient power supplies with less than 20 per cent heat loss and omit any unnecessary components within our servers. As soon as the outside temperature falls below 10 degrees, we cool our data centre using open-air coolers and that works without energy-eating compressors”. Software too, can help save electrical power – Based on a Linux platform, 1&1 has developed its own operating system that enables the data of up to 10,000 customers fit on one server and thus saves valuable resources.

Abenefit2u are proud to be working with a company that is so committed to utilising renewable energy.

The Equator Principles
www.equator-principles.com

I am a big fan of innocent smoothies, not only for the taste, but also for the environmental ethos that the company has. I was particularly pleased when they launched the ‘buy one grow one tree’ campaign. Last year innocent drinks managed to plant 164,020 trees to aid communities in India and Africa and this year they are trying to beat that target.

It was very easy to take part, you simply picked up one of their promotional packs and entered the unique code that was on the back of the carton into their website. Innocent then donates money on your behalf to grow trees on your behalf in India.

To read more about their work visit their website: www.innocentdrinks.co.uk

The promotion had now come to an end (I cannot find any more promotional smoothies in the shops near me!) and I am pleased to say that I was able to contribute 8 trees towards this very worthy cause.

Abenefit2u Fun Run staff have received ‘Recycle your unwanted jewellery’ envelopes from Marie Curie Cancer Care.

As this is their diamond anniversary year, they are asking supporters to help raise funds by donating jewellery they no longer wear or need. The donations will go towards more care for terminally ill patients. Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high quality nursing, totally free, to give people with terminal cancer and other illnesses the choice of dying at home, supported by their families.

Abenefit2u staff have posted off their envelopes, not quite ‘laden with gold’ but a few valuables that will help towards a very good cause.

We thought we would post a blog on this recycling and fund raising idea in case any of our clients or candidates would like to do the same.

Postage free envelopes are available through www.mariecurie.org.uk

Or you can hand in your jewellery (with or without an envelope) to Laura Ashley stores or Marie Curie Care shops in their special collection boxes any time between May 1^st through to July 31^st 2008.

Abenefit2u continue to strive towards a ‘paperless office’.

70% of our the bills and invoices are now paid on line and we are working hard on the other 30% of our suppliers…

We have just upgraded our phone systems this week and were delighted to discover BT’s online billing offer. When we sign up for their on-line paper free billing not only do we make a financial saving of £15.00 a year (and as you know Abenefit2u tries to use it’s end of year profit for good causes as well as ensuring happy employees and a healthy business) but BT will donate a tree for the Woodland Trust to plant on Abenefit2u’s behalf, and here at Abenefit2u we love nothing more than planting trees!

General Assembly

Sixty-first session

Agenda item 113

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly

[without reference to a Main committee (A/61/L.39/Rev.1 and Add.1)]

61/225. World Diabetes Day

The General Assembly,

Recalling the 2005 World Summit Outcome¹ and the United Nations Millennium Declaration,² as well as the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields, in particular the health-related development goals set out therein, and its resolutions 58/3 of 27 October 2003, 60/35 of 30 November 2005 and 60/265 of 30 June 2006,

Recognizing that strengthening public-health and health-care delivery systems is critical to achieving internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals,

Recognizing also that diabetes is a chronic, debilitating and costly disease associated with severe complications, which poses severe risks for families, Member States and the entire world and serious challenges to the achievement of internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals,

Recalling World Health Assembly resolutions WHA42.36 of 19 May 1989 on the prevention and control of diabetes mellitus³ and WHA57.17 of 22 May 2004 on a global strategy on diet, physical activity and health,⁴

Welcoming the fact that the International Diabetes Federation has been observing 14 November as World Diabetes Day at a global level since 1991, with co-sponsorship of the World Health Organization,

Recognizing the urgent need to pursue multilateral efforts to promote and improve human health, and provide access to treatment and health-care education,

1.Decides to designate 14 November, the current World Diabetes Day, as a United Nations Day, to be observed every year beginning in 2007;

2. Invites all Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to observe World Diabetes Day in an appropriate manner, in order to raise public awareness on diabetes and related complications as well as on its prevention and care, including through education and the mass media;

3. Encourages Member States to develop national policies for the prevention, treatment and care of diabetes in line with the sustainable development of their health-care systems, taking into account the internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Member States and organizations of the United Nations system.

83rd plenary meeting
20 December 2006

¹ See resolution 60/1.

² See resolution 55/2.

³ See World Health Organization, Forty-second World Health Assembly, Geneva 8-19 May 1989, Resolutions and Decisions, Annexes (WHA42/1989/REC/1).

⁴ Ibid., Fifty-seventh World Health Assembly, Geneva, 17-22 May 2004, Resolutions and Decisions, Annexes (WHA57/2004/REC/1)

Break the Silence

The IDF Youth Ambassadors are the sister diabetes youth group to the Novo Nordisk International Youth Panel, which I am grateful and lucky to be a part of. Through videos like this and any other way possible, we hope to bring awareness to today’s youth the gravity of diabetes in the modern world.

In an article yesterday (French Revolution: Rentable bikes every 900 feet) from the Christian Science Monitor, the new program (entitled Velib for velo-bicycle and liberte-freedom) is described as “freedom from too many cars and carbon fumes.”

The article emphasizes the green aspect of the program. By installing bikes all over the city, officials hope to overcome some of the problems of modern city living, like smog, congestion, and unbelievable traffic jams. However, the article doesn’t seem to mention another important aspect and beneficial side effect of the program: public health.

Even France, a country known for rich foods and thin denizen, has increasing problems with diabetes and obesity. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of diabetes in France in 2000 was 1,710,000. That number is expected to jump to 2,645,000 by the year 2030. Still, France is ahead of the game in terms of numbers, countries like the US, India and China are currently faring far worse. Maybe we should take a hard look at France, and copy programs like bicycle rental with abandon.

When I visited Copenhagen, Denmark a few summers ago, I noticed a similar program in effect. All around the city, massive bike parking lots highlighted the Danish dedication to healthy, green living. Although I didn’t have the chance to rent and ride while I was there, I certainly hope to during some future trip.

I would absolutely love to see programs like Velib here in the States, but I can’t help but think that it’s not very likely or possible in most places around the US. Yes, we do have some urban hot spots (New York or DC, anyone?) that could do with a bit more of a get-up-and-go-exercise-in-a-green-way approach to the daily commute, but it somehow doesn’t fit into the American vision of wide open spaces and big cars to travel them in. Outside of a few select urban hotspots, much of America could fit into either suburban sprawl or rural. Neither of which are highly conducive to a jaunty bike ride to the store. Even I am wary of biking the 10 miles to the grocery store when I all I need is milk and eggs. Maybe by redesigning our urban centers to be more bike and pedestrian friendly, and less car-centric, we can cultivate the bicycle culture.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0706/p01s06-woeu.html