blog.51give.com

51Give.com is looking for volunteers to help develop www.51give.org to help orphans and rebuild schools after the Earthquake, please email volunteer@51give.com

For immediate relief, one of the best things to do is send a few SMS to the China mobile number to donate. The simplest way to do that is to send ‘1? or ‘2? by SMS to 1069999301, to donate 1 or 2 RMB to the Red Cross Society of China. The number of SMS donations is not limited and China Mobile users can send up to ‘30′ in one message. Other ways to donate here.

We all know about the devastating earthquake in Sichuan, China. But why did so many schools collapse? So far the estimates are near to 7,000.

This is a question being asked by many in China and has got a rapid response from the government.

“If quality problems do exist in the school buildings, we will punish those responsible severely and give the public a satisfactory answer,” Han Jin, head of the Ministry of Education’s development and planning department, said on Friday’s state-run forum.

Also state ran People’s Daily is keeping a pretty open policy with lively debate on the subject on their discussion forum. Users are freely pointing out corners must have been cut on the school construction.

On the international media -Time Magazine’s online edition:

“It was built out of tofu,” says Hu Yuefu, 44, of the school building that collapsed in the magnitude 7.9 quake and killed his 15-year-old daughter Huishan. He believes local government officials and the building contractors are responsible. As he speaks, a crowd gathers around to listen and offer their support. “I hope there is an investigation,” Hu says. “Otherwise, there are a thousand parents who would beat them to death.”

Other media praised Wen Jia Bao for moving so quickly, something that doesn’t always happen in other countries, remember Katrina.

Following on from my previous posting, now Nortel China employees have raised so far 320,000 rmb fully on their own backs and now Nortel has agreed to match this figure up to 100,000 USD (700,000RMB).

The challenge of survival is today, however soon the even bigger challenge of rebuilding lives, business and homes will begin.

Today the Red Cross ww.redcross.org.cn can help with immediate needs.

Soon when the rebuilding begins 51Give will to take an active role, we are currently in talks with partners on the next steps to make a difference.

51Give team

Earthquake Disaster - We are all the same

I am amazed at the generosity of people in China. For example, in 2 hours the Nortel Beijng employees gave 135,000 RMB to this cause and they are expecting more to be given this week.

Many gave 200-500 RMB each which would be like an average employing giving 150-300 USD each.

Open the attached slide pack, it reminds us after all the talk we are all the same.

Daniel

April 22nd 2008 marks the 38th anniversary of Earth Day.  Started in 1970 in the US as a way to demonstrate public concern for the environment, Earth Day has become an international celebration.  It is the only holiday unconnected to a single religion, person, culture, or country and serves as a platform by which citizens of the world can come together united in a common cause that we all can agree on: the protection of our shared home.

John C. Whitikar  has an excellent article that sheds insight into the forces that came together to cause the first Earth Day.  He served as president Nixon’s Cabinet Secretary and relates what happened to cause the creation of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in the US as a result of the first Earth Day celebration.  At that time in the US there were few laws specifically pertaining to the environment.  Businesses were given free reign to push the economy forward and little thought was giving to industrial by-products such as waste water, smoke, car and factory emissions, or types of pesticides and fertilizers used.  All was considered appropriate if it helped to enrich America.  Then a ground swell of public opinion, fanned by scientific research and increasing awareness by the news media, began to make people realize that pushing America forward could not be the only priority, especially if it led to such a lower quality of life and the pollution of their homes.

Balancing economic growth and environmental protection has long been a difficult task for not only the US, but for every country.  Public opinion polls show that most people are concerned about the environment, and most report they are willing to pay a little higher taxes if it means it will protect the environment.  However, everyone also wants an increased standard of living.  We all want to provide a better life for our children and provide them with the opportunities that we never had.  Unfortunately we can’t have both of these at the highest possible level.  We can’t have the highest possible economic growth while still creating the greenest and most pristine earth imaginable.  A balance must be struck between the two, and that is where the arguments begin.  Some would favor a greener earth and reduced economic growth while others feel that for them economic growth is currently slightly more important than creating more environmental regulations.   Both sides agree that both are important, but the balance between them is frequently argued.  This disagreement extends beyond people to cities, regions, organizations, governments, political parties, states, countries, and continents.  Each has a different experience with their surrounding environment and each is in a different stage of economic growth and so each has their own opinion about what the perfect mix is and how to achieve it.

One thing that is commonly agreed upon is that it will take more than just one action to solve the problem.  There is no one law to enact or no one action that will result in all types of pollution being cleaned up and all people benefiting economically.  It will take a variety of actions across many areas to more our world in the right direction.  Actions that have the power to both lift people economically and also protect the environment are especially helpful as they serve a dual purpose and benefit everyone. This is precisely what microfinance is able to do.  By providing people with small loans they are able to enrich their own life as well as their family’s without the bad environmental effects opening a large factory might have.  Often they are even able to begin environmentally helpful businesses such as farming local food, starting recycling facilities, harvesting wild medicinal plants, or creating jobs where they can work from home.  This is why we stay committed to the principles of microfinance. It has been proven to be an effective way to create economic gains and also to provide green jobs that can benefit the earth at the same time.

If you know of a micro-entrepreneur who’s been able to start a green business because of a micro-loan then please comment below and tell us about it, or post it in our forum to begin discussing it with other members.

Through the joint efforts of the central and local governments (each contributing about 23 billion Yuan) the number of rural people in China with access to safe drinking water has reached 340 million.  By 2010 the aim is to provide safe water to another 160 million people and eradicate the problem by 2015.  Current estimates are that approximately 200 million people remain without a safe supply of drinking water.

For more details see the report in the People’s Daily Online

If you can’t answer that question off the top of your head then odds are you weren’t participating in Earth Hour ‘08. Last year in Sydney for one hour in the evening more than 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses turned off their lights for an hour to show their commitment to taking action against global warming. By turning off lights on the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, and at local residences and businesses they caused a 10.2% energy reduction that night.

Their success led to nearly 30 cities joining them this year, along with many individuals around the world, to make Earth Hour ‘08 a global event. Perhaps you’re wondering why with only 2 Asian cities officially participating, Bangkok and Manila, and only about 300,000 people joining, this really matters. Perhaps your thinking to yourself, turning off the lights for one hour, while leaving the fridge, computer, or even TV on, is a pretty pointless exercise. To be honest your probably right as far as the immediate impact this event had on lowering the amount of fossil fuels burned. Even if each of these people could turn off all the electricity in their home for the year, walk everywhere, give up their jobs, and only eating twigs, the sad fact is they wouldn’t change much of anything directly.

But that was never the point. And that’s why Earth Hour ‘08 was in fact successful. The point is to draw attention to a problem that’s far bigger than any one person’s consumption. The resources of the Earth are growing scarcer and without government intervention and business interests’ being aligned with our changed individual consumption there is no way it’s going to get better. Unfortunately governments and businesses have yet to be convinced that change is what we really want. They may hear us asking for for it, but they watch as we continue to consume more and more everyday and are convinced we really aren’t so excited about making changes if it means a little sacrifice on our parts.

Earth Hour ‘08 was a success because it begins to show governments and businesses that we are willing to change and that we do care. But one hour is not enough. We need to make these changes every day of our lives, and we need to make sure that others take notice. Let’s start now to spread the word about Earth Hour ‘09, plan activities with our friends to celebrate, and do our part to contribute to the betterment of the whole world.

Sign up for the WWF’s Earth Hour ‘09 and see pics from Earth Hour ‘08 at http://www.earthhour.org/

If anyone has pics of themselves celebrating Earth Hour ‘08 in China let us know by posting a link!

Shanghai - Crowne Plaza Fudan - Gets a green approval. What does it mean?

Posted in Environment | No Comments »