http://www.cchange.net Covering the transformations to social, environment and economic sustainability Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:08:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Sea Change Radio covers the transformations to social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Change is accelerating in positive and negative directions: the clock is ticking in the race to see which will tip first—the problems or the solutions. Join Sea Change's Host, Alex Wise, as he provides in-depth analysis to help our audience understand possible remedies and potential pitfalls. Sea Change interviews sustainability experts including Paul Hawken, Stewart Brand, Bill McKibben, Van Jones, Lester Brown, and many others. Sea Change airs on over 30 radio stations around the country. Alex Wise clean Alex Wise awise@cchange.net awise@cchange.net (Alex Wise) 2007-2011 Making Connections for Sustainability Sustainability, Climate Change, Human Rights, Environment, Corporate Responsibility, Socially Responsible Investing, Accountability, Stakeholders, Clean Tech, Renewable Energy, Green Jobs, Wealth Divide http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/cwr-images-archive/SeaChangeRadioTAG_square144_sm.jpg http://www.cchange.net Weekly http://www.cchange.net/2010/10/05/van-jones-a-conversation-with-americas-green-jobs-guru/ http://www.cchange.net/2010/10/05/van-jones-a-conversation-with-americas-green-jobs-guru/#comments Wed, 06 Oct 2010 04:41:53 +0000 Alex Wise http://www.cchange.net/?p=2871 http://www.cchange.net/2010/10/05/van-jones-a-conversation-with-americas-green-jobs-guru/feed/ 0 alex wise,Barack Obama,center for american progress,ella baker center,ella baker center for human rights,environmentalists,green for all,Green Jobs,human rights,new york times bestseller,princeton university,social justice organizations This week on Sea Change Radio, host Alex Wise speaks with one of the leader's of a new generation of environmentalists, Van Jones. Jones is the founder of Green For All, an organization that advocates for green-worker training, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Van-Jones-e1286328830257-150x150.jpg)This week on Sea Change Radio, host Alex Wise (http://www.cchange.net/about/alex-wise/) speaks with one of the leader's of a new generation of environmentalists, Van Jones (http://www.vanjones.net). Jones is the founder of Green For All (http://www.greenforall.org/), an organization that advocates for green-worker training, in addition to two social justice organizations,  the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights (http://www.ellabakercenter.org/) and Color of Change (http://colorofchange.org/). The author of  the New York Times Bestseller, The Green Collar Economy, Jones served under President Barack Obama as the Special Adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation , and in 2009 was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Jones is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress, where he leads their Green Opportunity Initiative and is a visiting fellow at Princeton University. Sea Change Radio talks with Jones about helping make the green jobs movement relevant for all people, identifying the problems with the process and his thoughts on the tactics of those working against progress. Alex Wise clean http://www.cchange.net/2010/01/08/tiaa-cref-divests-from-genocide/ http://www.cchange.net/2010/01/08/tiaa-cref-divests-from-genocide/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:55:09 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=2272 http://www.cchange.net/2010/01/08/tiaa-cref-divests-from-genocide/feed/ 2 human rights,Investors Against Genocide,NewsAnalysis,tiaa cref This week’s NewsAnalysis from the Sea Change Radio Headlines Anchor, Tania Haldar Hart: - So, what's the connection between investing and genocide in the first place??  I'm no expert on the ethics of investing but I was intrigued by recent news that T... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/TaniaHaldarHart-150x150.jpg)This week’s NewsAnalysis from the Sea Change Radio Headlines Anchor, Tania Haldar Hart (http://www.cchange.net/about/tania-haldar-hart/): So, what's the connection between investing and genocide in the first place??  I'm no expert on the ethics of investing but I was intrigued by recent news (http://www.tiaa-cref.org/about/press/about_us/releases/pressrelease313.html) that TIAA-CREF (http://www.tiaa-cref.org/), the huge retirement fund for teachers and academics, divested its holdings in companies considered complicit with genocide.  Following up on its March 2009 commitment, TIAA-CREF sold all of its holdings in four Asian state-owned oil companies. Its research showed continued complicity in Sudanese genocide at PetroChina, CNPC Hong Kong, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Sinopec. Financial analysis also showed that divestment would have an insignificant impact on the performance of retirees’ portfolios. Investors Against Genocide (http://investorsagainstgenocide.net/) is a non-profit which advocates for investors to divest shares in companies linked to genocide.  IAG successfully campaigned to convince TIAA-CREF to set an example, leading the way to genocide-free investing. The intention is to sever the ties between genocidal regimes and mutual fund portfolios with the goal of drying up the streams of funding that support this abuse of basic human rights. IAG’s intentions are clear but how realistic are the ultimate goals that the Government of Sudan end its deadly genocide in Darfur and that investment firms avoid investing in genocide? How much of a difference can divestment really make in upholding humanitarian causes?? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, or on our Facebook fan page. For the Sea Change NewsAnalysis, I'm Tania Haldar Hart. Bill Baue clean 1:55 http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/05/viewpoint-the-looting-of-equatorial-guinea/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/05/viewpoint-the-looting-of-equatorial-guinea/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:44:30 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=1517 http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/05/viewpoint-the-looting-of-equatorial-guinea/feed/ 1 Arvind Ganesan,Equatorial Guinea,human rights,Human Rights Watch In July 2009, Human Rights Watch released a report entitled Well Oiled: Oil and Human Rights in Equatorial Guinea.  In this commentary, HRW Director of Business and Human Rights Arvind Ganesan links this tiny Sub-Sahara African countries’ oil wealth to... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/arvind_ganesan_web-150x150.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/WellOiled.jpg)In July 2009, Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/) released a report entitled Well Oiled: Oil and Hum... Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/05/home-home-on-the-web-advancing-business-human-rights-in-the-digital-world/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/05/home-home-on-the-web-advancing-business-human-rights-in-the-digital-world/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:09:55 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=1508 http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/05/home-home-on-the-web-advancing-business-human-rights-in-the-digital-world/feed/ 0 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/27/justice-in-the-environment/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/27/justice-in-the-environment/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 22:01:04 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=890 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/27/justice-in-the-environment/feed/ 0 corporate governance,human rights,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,jim boyce,leslie lowe,political economy research institute,Shareholder Engagement,Sustainable Public Policy,toxics release inventory Jim Boyce of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst talks about the new report, Justice in the Air.  It looks at EPA data showing that the toxins spewing from company smokestacks hit minorities and... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/jimboyce-136x150.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/leslielowe-143x150.jpg) Jim Boyce (http://www.peri.umass.edu/PERI-Staff.211.0.html#c121) of the Political Economy Research Institute (http://www.peri.umass.edu/) (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst talks about the new report, Justice in the Air (http://www.peri.umass.edu/justice/).  It looks at EPA data showing that the toxins spewing from company smokestacks hit minorities and the poor hardest.  And Leslie Lowe (http://www.iccr.org/about/staff/staff11_ll.php) of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (http://www.iccr.org/) talks about Chevron's refusal to disclose the $27 billion liability it faces in a court case happening in the Amazonian rainforests of Ecuador.  The company is accused of dumping toxic oil byproducts from years of drilling, damaging the environment and the health of residents. Sea Change Radio Co-Host Bill Baue recently spoke with Justice in the Air lead author Jim Boyce in the WMUA (http://www.wmua.org/) studios at the University of Massachusetts.  Boyce explains how the  report builds on PERI's work in the Corporate Toxics Information Project (http://www.peri.umass.edu/ctip_research/) for the past several years compiling the Toxic 100 (http://www.peri.umass.edu/toxic100/) -- the top 100 corporate air polluters in the US.  This year, with the help of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (http://college.usc.edu/geography/ESPE/pere.html) at the University of Southern California, the project added an environmental justice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_justice) component, looking at the impact of pollution on the poor, and people of color.   Boyce distinguishes between environmental justice and traditional environmentalism, which does not take social justice or racism into account.  He also explains how the report slices and dices the data by race and income, as well as by state and municipalities.  He also discusses the "TRI Effect (http://books.google.com/books?id=ovijnnKLw_0C&dq=James+T.+Hamilton,+'Regulation+through+Revelation&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=Z60dSqGNMoi0NZD6pcQF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPP1,M1)" (referring to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (http://www.epa.gov/TRI/)), where the very act of disclosure leads to companies reducing their toxic emissions without further regulation -- though he acknowledges the limits of this effect, and therefore the need for stronger regulation. Leslie Lowe runs the energy and environment program at ICCR, a coalition of 300 faith-based institutional investors with over $100 billion in assets that conducts shareowner action.  In other words, they talk with companies on improving environmental, social, and governance performance.  And when talks stall, they file shareowner resolutions, airing the issue at annual shareholder meetings.  Almost a half-decade ago, Bill Baue interviewed Leslie for a series of articles (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/1681.html) on Chevron failing to disclose to investors the risks it faces from a lawsuit over environmental and human health damages in the Ecuadorian rainforest (Chevron issued a statement (http://www.texaco.com/sitelets/ecuador/en/releases/2005-04-25.aspx) responding to this article on its website (http://www.texaco.com/sitelets/ecuador/en/) on the Ecuador case.)   Bill Baue caught up with Lowe on the day Chevron hosted its annual general meeting, where it faced a resolution (http://trilliuminvest.com/resolutions/stockholder-proposal-report-on-global-environmental-standards/) asking it to disclose more information on the risks it faces from this lawsuit. She provides background (http://chevrontoxico.com/) on the case before discussing more recent developments (http://truecostofchevron.com/report.html), such as New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sending a letter to Chevron Bill Baue clean 29:30 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/20/mining-for-disclosure/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/20/mining-for-disclosure/#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 18:35:21 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=881 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/20/mining-for-disclosure/feed/ 0 Arvind Ganesan,Bennett Freeman,calvert,EITI,human rights,Human Rights Watch,oxfam america,Sustainable Public Policy The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, or EITI, is the focus of today's show.  First, we hear from Bennett Freeman, who serves on the EITI board.  Then, we hear from Arvind Ganesan of Human Rights Watch, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/bennett-freeman-125x150.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/arvind_ganesan_web-150x150.jpg) The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (http://eitransparency.org/), or EITI, is the focus of today's show.  First, we hear from Bennett Freeman (http://www.calvertgroup.com/about-sri-analysts.html), who serves (http://eitransparency.org/node/208) on the EITI board (http://eitransparency.org/about/board).  Then, we hear from Arvind Ganesan (http://www.hrw.org/en/bios/arvind-ganesan) of Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/), who shares some concerns about EITI with Sea Change Radio Co-Host Bill Baue. The "resource curse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_curse)."  That's the term for "developing" countries whose wealth of natural resources fuels corruption.  Oil and mining companies from developed countries pay taxes and other fees that are intended to help governments lift their citizens out of poverty.  But some of these payments are siphoned into private pockets -- essentially amounting to bribes. That's where the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative comes in.  At the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development (http://www.un.org/events/wssd/) in Johannesburg, South Africa, then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair unveiled (http://eitransparency.org/eiti/history) EITI as a way to combat corruption.  The initiative calls for companies to “publish what you pay” and for governments to “publish what you earn.”  Any differences between the two point to corruption. On May 15, the EITI board met in Washington, DC, where President Obama's Deputy Assistant Michael Froman reported that  "the Obama Administration strongly supports EITI (http://eitransparency.org/node/765)."  At that meeting, Albania, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Zambia were accepted as EITI Candidates. At the EITI Global Conference in February, Azerbaijan was the first (and still only) country accepted as EITI compliant (http://eitransparency.org/node/727), meaning it has passed a validation assuring it meets transparency standards. Between these two meetings, Sea Change Radio spoke with Bennett Freeman.  He's Senior Vice President for Social Research and Policy at Calvert, the socially responsible mutual fund firm.  He also serves on the board of Oxfam America (http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whoweare/welcome_to_oxfam/board), as well as the board of EITI.  He has deep experience on business and human rights.  Freeman served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (http://www.state.gov/g/drl/) in the State Department under Bill Clinton.  After that, he wrote one of the first-ever Human Rights Impact Assessments (http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/indonesia/STAGING/home_assets/downloads/h/Tangguh_HRIA.pdf), for the oil company BP. Freeman discusses the significance of the recent disclosure by mining company Rio Tinto of its payments to countries where it operates (http://www.publishwhatyoupay.org/en/resources/rio-tinto-takes-step-towards-transparency-publishing-payments-governments).  Publish What You Pay (http://www.publishwhatyoupay.org/), a UK-based NGO that spurred the whole extractives transparency movement, applauded Rio Tinto while also pushing for deeper disclosure. Freeman also discusses the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act (http://financialservices.house.gov/press110/press051908.shtml) (EITDA), proposed last year by Barney Frank (D-MA) in the House (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h6066:) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in the Senate (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN03389:).  Freeman says that the bill will be re-introduced this spring, and has greater chance of passage in the current political climate.  This legislation highlights the tension in the world of corporate responsibility between voluntary initiatives, such as EITI, and mandatory standards, such as the EITDA. Bill Baue clean 28:31 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/06/community-governance/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/06/community-governance/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 19:35:37 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=840 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/06/community-governance/feed/ 0 Community Economic Engagement,community governance,corporate governance,Fair Trade,Fair Trade Towns,Green Living,human rights,jessie smith noyes foundation,Labor Rights,Local Living Economies,Shareholder Engagement,southwest organizing project Longtime shareowner activist Steve Viederman discusses the notion of community governance, where communities reclaim democratic power of self-determination from corporations and other external forces.  Exemplifying community governance is the Fair Trad... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/steveviederman-150x150.jpg)Longtime shareowner activist Steve Viederman (http://www.sustainability.com/about/profile.asp?id=84) discusses the notion of community governance, where communities reclaim democratic power of self-determination from corporations and other external forces.  Exemplifying community governance is the Fair Trade Towns (http://www.fairtradetownsusa.org/) movement, where communities commit to supporting Fair Trade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade) commodities such as coffee and cocoa.  We speak about Fair Trade Towns and World Fair Trade Day (http://www.worldfairtradeday09.org/) with Amherst Fair Trade Partnership (http://www.myspace.com/amherstfairtrade) Chair Yuri Friman and Bart's Cafe (http://www.bartshomemade.com/greenfield.htm) owner Al Sax, who is coordinating the launch of the fourth Fair Trade Town here in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Valley) where we produce Sea Change Radio.  And finally, this week's ViewPoint comes from Liana Foxvog of SweatFree Communities (http://www.sweatfree.org/) on its latest report, Subsidizing Sweatshops II, which identifies how communities can advocate for their state and local governments to avoid buying products such as firefighter uniforms produced in sweatshop conditions. In November 2008, Steve Viederman met with some of the best community organizers in the country at the the South by Southwest Learning Continuum: Southern Echo (http://southernecho.org/s/) from Jackson, Mississippi; Southwest Workers Union (http://www.swunion.org/) (SWU) from San Antonio, Texas; and SouthWest Organizing Project (http://www.swopblogger.org/) (SWOP) from Albuquerque, New Mexico.    "Community governance" was the buzz -- in other words, communities reclaiming democratic power of self-determination from corporations and other external forces.   As longtime president of the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation (http://www.noyes.org/), Viederman helped steer grants to community organizations working to empower citizens and protect their local environment.  For example, the Noyes Foundation helped SWOP engage with Intel (http://www.noyes.org/97pres.html) over environmental issues such as water use and toxics in its New Mexico chip manufacturing facility.  On a recent visit to his grandchildren, Viederman stopped by the studios to chat about community governance. Among other things, he distinguished between communities as stakeholders, the current terminology, and stakeowners, the term Viederman proposes as a more accurate description of communities' rights and responsibilities.   (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/fairtradetown-150x150.jpg)Next, there's a movement afoot for communities to use their collective consumer power to promote Fair Trade, which sets a fair price for commodities like coffee and cocoa and deals directly with worker cooperatives to empower growers globally.  Fair Trade Towns is gaining steam in the US, particularly here in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts where we produce Sea Change Radio.  To find out more, we invited Yuri Friman, Chair of the Amherst Fair Trade Partnership, and Al Sax, who's helping launch Greenfield as the fourth Fair Trade Town in the Valley, into the studio. Bill Baue clean 29:31 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/06/viewpoint-communities-going-sweat-free/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/06/viewpoint-communities-going-sweat-free/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 19:34:25 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=847 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/06/viewpoint-communities-going-sweat-free/feed/ 0 human rights,Labor Rights,Liana Foxvog,Local Living Economies,Sustainable Business,Sustainable Public Policy,SweatFree Communities,sweatshops Currently, communities are unwittingly supporting sweatshop labor when state and local governments use tax dollars to buy things such as firefighter uniforms.  Liana Foxvog, National Organizer of the advocacy organization SweatFree Communities, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/lianafoxvog.jpg)Currently, communities are unwittingly supporting sweatshop labor when state and local governments use tax dollars to buy things such as firefighter uniforms.  Liana Foxvog, National Organizer of the advocacy organization SweatFree Communities (http://www.sweatfree.org/), discusses findings of Subsidizing Sweatshops II (http://www.sweatfree.org/subsidizing), the latest research on sweatshops perpetuated by government contracts. Guillermo Cosajay works in a garment factory making apparel for the government. When his vision started going blurry, he didn’t know why. Then he looked at his glasses and saw they were covered with oil. But the glasses weren’t keeping the oil out of his eyes. Cosajay told researchers from SweatFree Communities, “The thread uses lots of oil. So when you are working, there is a part of the machine that shoots oil into your eyes.” Guillermo brought this issue to several supervisors, but to no avail. A new report by Sweat Free Communities, Subsidizing Sweatshops II, shines a light on workers' rights violations in seven factories like the one Cosajay works in. It also looks at how our tax dollars can foster workers' rights --and economic recovery-- rather than fuel the race to the bottom. A previous exposé last summer profiled four of the same factories. Since the first report (http://www.sweatfree.org/subsidizing1), the stock market crashed. That's brought increased attention to jobs and insecurity. But, long before news of the crisis hit the airwaves, most of the world’s population had been experiencing a quieter, less-publicized economic crisis. The workers we interviewed face a daily crisis. Families can't make ends meet on their wages. They go to work sick because they can't afford to lose a day’s pay.  People are fired and blacklisted when they try to organize. Workers are laid off--often without warning or adequate severance pay--when factories move for cheaper labor. The collapse on Wall Street only made things go from already bad to worse. Companies tell workers that they should be happy to have a job-- and never mind about the poor conditions. Guillermo Portalatin, a worker at Eagle Industries, who makes Army and law enforcement apparel, said: “The workers have a lot of fear because of the economic situation. The company takes advantage of that. They told us recently not to listen to radios, and when somebody asked for a raise, the supervisor said we were lucky to be working.” Portalatin and Cosajay don’t work in a third world sweatshop. They work in Massachusetts. Ongoing SweatFree Communities’ research shows that a family of four with two adults working at the factory make only 60-65% of a living wage. The company’s family health insurance plan costs 80% of their monthly earnings, so workers don’t buy into it. Workers say that time-keeping and surveillance create an uncomfortable work environment. They told us of incidents of favoritism, sexual harassment, ethnic discrimination, and monitoring of union supporters. In addition to shooting oil, health and safety concerns include heat exhaustion and fainting, accidents involving forklifts hitting sewing machine operators, and cuts from sharp material. Equally concerning is management’s unresponsiveness to workers' requests for safety equipment and improvements in the working environment. Workers at Eagle and many other factories are organizing for a seat at the negotiating table with management. Tax-payers can act in solidarity with workers by asking state and local officials to adopt sweatshop-free procurement laws and join the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium (http://buysweatfree.org/). Those actions will help ensure that our tax dollars no longer subsidize sweatshop conditions--and instead provide incentives for companies to improve conditions and respect workers' rights. For the Sea Change ViewPoint, I’m Liana Foxvog of SweatFree Communities. Bill Baue clean 3:47 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/01/a-new-morality-for-capitalism/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/01/a-new-morality-for-capitalism/#comments Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:40:21 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=748 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/01/a-new-morality-for-capitalism/feed/ 0 Alternative Economic Models,Community Economic Engagement,hazel henderson,human rights,Labor Rights,Sustainable Public Policy,William Greider William Greider talks about a new moral order for capitalism, drawing from his new book .  And in the Sea Change ViewPoint, Hazel Henderson of Ethical Markets Media predicts the rise of "new financiers" whose prime currency is information, not money. - (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/williamgreider-150x150.jpg) William Greider (http://williamgreider.com/about) talks about a new moral order for capitalism, drawing from his new book .  And in the Sea Change ViewPoint, Hazel Henderson (http://www.hazelhenderson.com/) of Ethical Markets Media (http://www.ethicalmarkets.com/) predicts the rise of "new financiers" whose prime currency is information, not money. Journalist Bill Greider has been writing about capitalism and democracy for decades. And about how these two value systems are in collision. National Affairs Correspondent (http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/william_greider) for The Nation (http://www.thenation.com/) and author of numerous books (http://williamgreider.com/books), Grieder wrote about globalization in (http://www.amazon.com/One-World-Ready-Not-Capitalism/dp/0684835541%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CD9RCQYM0TBVH55NB82%26tag%3Dviaposit-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0684835541), the military-industrial complex in (http://www.amazon.com/Fortress-America-American-Military-Consequences/dp/1891620452%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CD9RCQYM0TBVH55NB82%26tag%3Dviaposit-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1891620452), and creating a moral economy in  (http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Capitalism-Opening-Paths-Economy/dp/0684862204%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CD9RCQYM0TBVH55NB82%26tag%3Dviaposit-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0684862204).  His new book is COME HOME, AMERICA: The Rise and Fall (and Redeeming Promise) of Our Country. Sea Change Radio Co-Host Francesca Rheannon started by asking Greider what lessons he drew from AIG bonus scandal and their relevance to his book. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/25/seeding-the-solidarity-economy/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/25/seeding-the-solidarity-economy/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:03:49 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=729 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/25/seeding-the-solidarity-economy/feed/ 0 Alternative Economic Models,center for popular economics,chilo villarreal,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,emily kawano,Fair Trade,forum on solidarity economy,Green Jobs,Green Living,human rights,Labor Rights The Center for Popular Economics (CPE) recently hosted the first Forum on the Solidarity Economy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst -- home of Sea Change Radio.  CPE Executive Director Emily Kawano explains the theory and practice behind the s... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/solidarityeconomy.gif)The Center for Popular Economics (http://www.populareconomics.org/) (CPE) recently hosted the first Forum on the Solidarity Economy (http://www.populareconomics.org/ussen/node/99) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst -- home of Sea Change Radio.  CPE Executive Director Emily Kawano (http://www.populareconomics.org/bios/kawano_e.htm) explains the theory and practice behind the solidarity economy, and discusses strategies and next steps for the US Solidarity Economy Network (http://www.populareconomics.org/ussen/) in cultivating a socially and environmentally sustainable economy.  And Chilo Villarreal (http://www.ruralco.org/aboutus/board.html) of the Coalición Rural (http://www.ruralco.org/index.html) in Mexico illustrates solidarity economy concepts through story.   Finally, the News Analysis examines the business of water. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/emilykawano.jpg)As our existing economy collapses under the weight of its own unsustainable growth, what economic forms will replace this failed system?  Policymakers bend over backwards to prop up a the broken status quo, while idealists around the world envision more equitable and ecological alternatives.  The solidarity economy -- that's one such vision.  Last week, these visionaries traveled from around the world to the Forum on the Solidarity Economy here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, hosted by the Center for Popular Economics.  This week, after the dust had settled, Center for Popular Economics Executive Director Emily Kawano visited us in the WMUA studios.  Sea Change Host Bill Baue opened the conversation by asking Emily, what is a solidarity economy, and what role can it play in helping fix the current economic breakdown? Kawano identifies three priorities for advancing the solidarity economy by focusing on leverage points where the current economic system is failing or has gaps: housing, finance, and cooperatives. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/chilovillarreal.tiff)The colorful wrap draped across her back immediately caught the eye of Sea Change Host Bill Baue at the Forum on the Solidarity Economy.  When he saw her later in an empty classroom, he jumped at the chance for an interview.  She introduced herself as Altagracia Villarreal -- but everybody knows her as Chilo.  Since 1995, she's served on the board of the Coalicion Rural, a collaboration between 17 organization in Mexico.  Its partner in the US, the Rural Coalition, is made up of 70 to 80 organizations throughout the country.  He opened by asking Chilo how she defines solidarity economy, and later asked Chilo to describe a specific example that illustrates the solidarity economy in action, and she answered in both Spanish and English.  You'll hear her Spanish underneath her English response. Bill Baue clean 29:30 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/25/newsanalysis-the-business-of-water/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/25/newsanalysis-the-business-of-water/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:03:06 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=736 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/25/newsanalysis-the-business-of-water/feed/ 0 Climate Change,corporate accountability,human rights,Sustainable Business,sustainable water alliance,United Nations,world water day,world water forum Sea Change Host Francesca Rheannon brings us the Sea Change News Analysis examining the sustainability of water as a business proposition.  The News Analysis draws on content from the CSRwire.com News Alert by Sea Change Host Bill Baue. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/francescarheannon.jpg) Sea Change Host Francesca Rheannon brings us the Sea Change News Analysis examining the sustainability of water as a business proposition.  The News Analysis draws on content from the CSRwire.com News Alert by Sea Change Host Bill Baue.  For information not included in this version, check out the post (http://www.csrwire.com/News/14898.html) on CSRwire.com. Water sustains life, but too much can flood us, and too little can strangle us with thirst. As climate change threatens to swamp us with higher sea levels and dry out farmlands around the world through drought, we have to be more mindful in our relationship with water. The UN estimates that a billion people in the developing world lack access to water (http://www.worldwaterday.net/index.cfm?objectid=E39A970B-F1F6-6035-B9F75093B863ED13). That's billion with a "b". And that figure is projected to grow to two out of three people in the near future. It's a matter of life, death, and justice. United Nations World Water Day (http://www.worldwaterday.net/) was Sunday, March 22. A proliferation of events, forums, and reports marked the event. At the 5th World Water Forum (http://www.worldwaterforum5.org/)in Instanbul, a gathering of business leaders pledged themselves to the so-called CEO Water Mandate (http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/news_events/9.1_news_archives/2009_03_11/ADL_Report.pdf). A private-public initiative of the UN Global Compact (http://www.unglobalcompact.org/), the mandate is billed as a socially responsible guide for corporations in dealing with global water issues. It aims to promote partnerships between businesses, NGOs and governments. And it claims to promotes transparency in corporate activity and stakeholder involvement. But water justice activists meeting at the Alternative Water Forum (http://alternatifsuforumu.org/en/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1) elsewhere in Instanbul called the Forum's corporate-driven agenda hypocritical (http://www.alternet.org/water/131846/world_water_forum_starts_with_a_bang%3A_activists_challenge_corporate_hypocrisy/). They claim that the transnational corporations and financial institutions taking the CEO Water Mandate pledge are more focused on maximizing profits than solving the water access crisis. In fact, they say, the two goals are in conflict with each other--and charge that the record of signatories to the mandate show that. Coca-Cola has drained critical water supplies from Indian farm to supply its plants. Suez is one of the world’s largest privatizers of water services. Nestle, Pepsico and Groupe Danone are among the world's biggest producers of bottled water, which not only appropriates large quantities of water for private use, but also had been credited with creating a major pollution problem--plastic bottles. The main problem, the protestors say, it that the Mandate has no way for ordinary people to hold the corporations accountable. Since it's voluntary, transparency and stakeholder involvement is also voluntary. And the activists question whether anything short of mandatory accountability can bridge the gap between the drive for profits and the goal of better corporate social responsibility. Water justice advocates Corporate Accountability International (http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/) and the Polaris Institute (http://www.polarisinstitute.org/) are calling on UN leaders to withdraw from the program. Firms that make water their business say that in a time of declining government revenues, privatizing water brings in investment for infrastructure. Others counter that the remedy lies not in privatization, but in shifting tax revenues toward water. Is it possible to develop a business model that is both profitable AND supports equitable access to water? That's a question the Sustainable Water Alliance (http://www.sustainablewateralliance.org/) has been pondering. Bill Baue clean 3:40 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/11/building-green/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/11/building-green/#comments Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:01:47 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=657 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/11/building-green/feed/ 2 Alex Wilson,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,Erin Gorman,Fair Trade,Green Building,Green Jobs,Green Living,human rights,Karl Frisch,Labor Rights,Local Living Economies BuildingGreen.com founder Alex Wilson discusses the history, current state, and future of the green building movement. Erin Gorman, CEO of Divine Chocolate USA, welcomes the move by Cadbury to source Fairtrade cocoa from the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in ... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/alexwilson-150x150.jpg) BuildingGreen.com (http://www.buildinggreen.com/) founder Alex Wilson (http://www.buildinggreen.com/about/staff.cfm) discusses the history, current state, and future of the green building movement. Erin Gorman, CEO of Divine Chocolate USA (http://www.divinechocolateusa.com/), welcomes the move by Cadbury to source Fairtrade cocoa (http://www.csrwire.com/News/14719.html) from the Kuapa Kokoo (http://www.kuapakokoogh.com/) cooperative in Ghana that owns Divine, and Bama Athreya of the International Labor Rights Forum (http://www.laborrights.org/) also applauds (http://www.laborrights.org/stop-child-labor/cocoa-campaign/1971) Cadbury's move.  And Karl Frisch (http://www.karlfrisch.com/) of Media Matters (http://mediamatters.org/) brings us the ViewPoint on how the mainstream media is dropping the ball on covering climate change. Alex Wilson founded BuildingGreen in 1985, when the green building movement was in its infancy.  As executive editor of Environmental Building News (http://www.buildinggreen.com/articles/), the bible of green building, Wilson has provided the information that has formed the building blocks of the movement.  In November 2008, Wilson received the Leadership Award for Education (http://www.buildinggreen.com/press/leadership_award.cfm) from the US Green Building Council (http://www.usgbc.org/), whose board he served on from 2000 until 2005, the crucial period when the organization created the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) (http://www.usgbc.org/leed/) certification. Wilson launches the conversation with a primer on green building and its history, starting with an explanation of LEED.  He then compares indigenous structural design, such as the Anasazi, who oriented their dwellings toward the sun to capture solar energy, compared to design that developed in the age of cheap fossil fuel, which abandoned age-old principles of efficiency.  Wilson points out, however, that the Anasazi  civilization collapsed due to reliance on unsustainable water use -- a fate our current culture may share with them. Wilson highlights solutions, such as green roofs (http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/2009/1/30/Integrate-Food-Production-and-Green-Building/) and urban agriculture which integrates into the built environment (http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/2009/1/29/Growing-Food-Locally-Integrating-Agriculture-Into-the-Built-Environment/), citing the example of City Farm (http://www.resourcecenterchicago.org/70thfarm.html) in Chicago.  He then proposes the idea of passive survivability (http://www.buildinggreen.com/live/index.cfm/2008/10/14/On-the-Path-to-Passive-Survivability), the notion of designing our buildings to survive the kinds of challenges that will become more prevalent as the climate changes, such as power outages and water shortages.  The beauty of this idea is that it's exactly the kind of design we need to achieve sustainability. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/11/newsanalysis-fairtrade-cocoa-goes-big-league/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/11/newsanalysis-fairtrade-cocoa-goes-big-league/#comments Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:59:49 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=653 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/11/newsanalysis-fairtrade-cocoa-goes-big-league/feed/ 0 child labor,Community Economic Engagement,equal exchange,Erin Gorman,Fair Trade,Ghana,human rights,Labor Rights,Local Living Economies,Social Entrepreneurs,Sustainable Business,West Africa Cadbury, the popular British chocolate maker, just agreed to source Fairtrade cocoa for Cadbury Dairy Milk, the top-selling chocolate bar in the UK. The move effectively triples sales of Fairtrade cocoa for farmers in Ghana, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/cadburydairymilk-150x150.jpg) Cadbury (http://www.cadbury.com/Pages/Home.aspx), the popular British chocolate maker, just agreed to source Fairtrade cocoa for Cadbury Dairy Milk (http://www.csrwire.com/News/14719.html), the top-selling chocolate bar in the UK. The move effectively triples sales of Fairtrade cocoa for farmers in Ghana, where Cadbury sources from Kuapa Kokoo (http://www.kuapakokoogh.com/).  It was one of the first cooperatives there to be Fairtrade (http://www.fairtrade.net/) certified in the '90s.  In the late '90s, Kuapa Kokoo also started its own brand, Divine Chocolate, to keep more of the value that typically gets skimmed by middle-men and big chocolate companies.  Erin Gorman, CEO of the Divine Chocolate USA (http://www.divinechocolateusa.com/), welcomes the move, which validates its model of Fairtrade sourcing.   Bama Athreya, executive director of the activist NGO International Labor Rights Forum (http://www.laborrights.org/) (ILRF), also supports the development (http://www.laborrights.org/stop-child-labor/cocoa-campaign/1971).  (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/bamaathreya-150x150.jpg)Athreya and other activists have been campaigning for over eight years to convince major chocolate companies such as Nestle, Mars, and Hershey's to purchase Fairtrade cocoa.  The Commitment to Ethical Cocoa Sourcing (http://www.laborrights.org/stop-child-labor/cocoa-campaign/resources/861), a set of guidelines signed by activists and progressive chocolate companies such as Equal Exchange (http://www.equalexchange.coop/), argues that Fairtrade helps stop the worst forms of child labor and trafficked labor.   Both are widespread problems on cocoa farms in West Africa. Chocolate companies balked at the Fairtrade solution.   Erin Gorman of Divine points out how Fairtrade addresses not just the symptom of child labor, but also the root causes that underpin child labor.  Check out the Divine Chocolate website for videos of Kuapa Kokoo (Gorman of Divine points out how Fairtrade addresses not just the symptom of child labor, but also the root causes that underpin child labor.) members. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/25/trends-wikis-for-human-rights/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/25/trends-wikis-for-human-rights/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:58:40 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=593 http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/25/trends-wikis-for-human-rights/feed/ 0 BASESwiki,Caroline Rees,corporate social responsibility,Harvard,Harvard Kennedy School,human rights,John Ruggie,judicial dispute resolution,United Nations Sea Change Radio looks at the trend of corporate social responsibility using Web 2.0 tools.  In this case, a wiki -- BASESwiki, specifically (BASES stands for Business and Society Exploring Solutions.)  The project was spearheaded by Caroline Rees of t... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/carolinerees.jpg) Sea Change Radio looks at the trend of corporate social responsibility using Web 2.0 tools.  In this case, a wiki -- BASESwiki (http://www.baseswiki.org/En), specifically (BASES stands for Business and Society Exploring Solutions.)  The project was spearheaded by Caroline Rees (http://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/caroline-rees) of the Harvard Kennedy School Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative (http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/CSRI/).  She collaborates there with Professor John Ruggie (http://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/john-ruggie), who is also the United Nations Special Representative on Business and Human Rights (http://www.business-humanrights.org/Gettingstarted/UNSpecialRepresentative).  Working on BASESwiki as part of Ruggie's team, Rees seeks to leverage the democratic, interactive power of a wiki to gather information on non-judicial dispute resolution at the intersection of business and human rights.   Translated into English, that's companies, governments, and others working with human rights abuse victims to find solutions outside the courtroom.  Sea Change Radio Co-Host Bill Baue speaks with Rees about  non-judicial dispute resolution, and why her team chose to use a Web 2.0 application to address this issue. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/25/viewpoint-efca-human-rights-imperative/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/25/viewpoint-efca-human-rights-imperative/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:51:11 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=588 http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/25/viewpoint-efca-human-rights-imperative/feed/ 0 Arvind Ganesan,corporate governance,EFCA,Employee Free Choice Act,human rights,Human Rights Watch,Labor Rights,Sustainable Public Policy In January 2009, Human Rights Watch issued a briefing paper entitled Employee Free Choice Act: A Human Rights Imperative.  The paper details some of the glaring deficiencies in current US labor law that significantly impair the right of workers to free... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/arvindganesan-150x150.jpg) In January 2009, Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/) issued a briefing paper entitled Employee Free Choice Act: A Human Rights Imperative (http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/01/27/united-states-employee-free-choice-act).  The paper details some of the glaring deficiencies in current US labor law that significantly impair the right of workers to freely choose whether to form a union.  It recommends that the US Congress pass the Employee Free Choice Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_Free_Choice_Act) to help remedy these shortcomings and bring US law closer to international standards. Arvind Ganesan (http://www.hrw.org/en/bios/arvind-ganesan), Director of Business and Human Rights at Human Rights Watch, brings us this week's ViewPoint.  When President Obama was campaigning, he promised to support the Employee Free Choice Act. The EFCA, as it is known, would strengthen workers' rights protections in the US and bring them more in line with international standards that the US claims to support. Former President George W. Bush promised to veto it if it ever hit his desk, but now with a Democratically-controlled Congress and White House, there's renewed momentum to pass the bill. And--predictably-- outspoken opposition. EFCA would stiffen currently weak penalties against employers who violate labor laws. It would not undermine the principle of a secret ballot, as some anti-EFCA groups charge. Instead, it would give workers the choice of an election or card-check, preserving their right to a secret ballot if they, not their employers, choose. Current US labor law is a lamb where workers need a lion to champion their rights. It lets employers do all sorts of things to keep workers from unionizing. They can stage one-sided, aggressive anti-union campaigns. They can deny union organizers a chance to respond or even state their views. They can force a union election on workers in order to use the pre-election period to campaign against the union. Even if employers break the law, the penalties are so trivial that companies often treat them as a cost of doing business. Say an employer threatens to close the workplace or suggests employees might lose their benefits if they unionize. The penalty is to post a notice in a lunchroom or some other prominent place promising not to do it again. If they use security cameras to spy on workers who are organizing, the cameras just have to be readjusted.  Worse still, if an employer illegally fires, demotes, or suspends a worker for trying to unionize – the penalty is to reinstate her to her previous post and pay back wages, minus any she earned in the interim. Pretty cheap for an employer, since a few thousand dollars in wages is a nominal cost to thwart a union. And the years of legal wrangling it takes to resolve these cases, means workers often move on to new jobs because they can’t afford to wait for reinstatement. Then there are the enforcement delays. Workers wait about nine months for an administrative law judge to issue a decision in their case. It takes an average of over three years between that filing and a decision on any appeal to the full National Labor Relations Board in Washington, DC. These obstacles are often too big for a worker or a nascent union to overcome. Even if they do, they may not be able to reach a collective agreement because the law doesn't really punish employers who engage in bad-faith negotiating. All that's required is to start the negotiations over, leading to a Groundhog Day-like cycle that doesn't resolve a thing. An employer can basically wage a war of attrition, and win. EFCA would strengthen workers rights, not undermine them as so many of its opponents charge. And in a time of grave economic uncertainty for millions, protecting the rights of individual breadwinners is a change we need. For the Sea Change ViewPoint, Bill Baue clean