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Case Study - Curitiba, Brazil (4) 2002 WSSD (72) Information and resources for WSSD: Johannesburg, 26 Aug - 4 Sep 2002.

Sustainable Agriculture@ (53)

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The Natural Step

The Natural Step's mission is to accelerate global sustainability by guiding companies and governments onto an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable path. We are working together with some of the largest resource users on the planet to create solutions, innovative models and tools that will lead the transition to a sustainable future. A non-profit, international organization, we use a set of scientifically proven sustainability principles to transform debate into useful discussion and to drive innovation. Through cutting edge research, services and education we are helping to define the emerging field of sustainability and seeding the foundation for global transformation.

http://www.naturalstep.org.nz/

(Added: Mon May 05 2003   Modified: Fri Sep 15 2006   Hits: 133)

Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC Group)

ETC group is dedicated to the conservation and sustainable advancement of cultural and ecological diversity and human rights. To this end, ETC group supports socially responsible developments of technologies useful to the poor and marginalized and it addresses international governance issues and corporate power. ETC group works in partnership with civil society organizations (CSOs) for cooperative and sustainable self-reliance within disadvantaged societies, by providing information and analysis of socioeconomic and technological trends and alternatives. This work requires joint actions in community, regional, and global fora. ETC group's strength is in the research and analysis of technological information (particularly but not exclusively plant genetic resources, biotechnologies, and [in general] biological diversity), and in the development of strategic options related to the socioeconomic ramifications of new technologies.

http://www.etcgroup.org/

(Added: Wed Apr 23 2003   Modified: Fri Dec 09 2005   Hits: 332)

ANPED -The Northern Alliance for Sustainability

ANPED, The Northern Alliance for Sustainability, is a democratic network that links NGOs and voluntary organisations in all parts of the Northern hemisphere, including North America, Western Europe, Central Europe and Eastern Europe Caucacus Central Asia (CE-EECCA). It was founded in 1990 as the Alliance of Northern People for Environment and Development. The impetus for the network was the preparatory process for UNCED in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe area. ANPED works to promote sustainable societies worldwide. We do this by supporting grassroots activity and participatory democracy and linking NGOs who share our aims. Our aims are to link activities, exchange information and skills on issues of sustainable development and participatory democracy. ANPED brings together groups working on environment, development and health. Our role is to provide services to our member groups, particularly those in CE and the EECCA. These include informational and co-ordinational support. By working on cross-cutting issues which fit into various political processes and organising 'skill-share' sessions, ANPED endeavours to build the capacity of individual NGOs.

http://www.anped.org/

(Added: Tue Apr 22 2003   Modified: Fri Dec 09 2005   Hits: 333)

Organic Farming Flourishes in Cuba

They call it "la esquina verde," or "the green corner." It's in a residential neighborhood of Havana, where Ydelio Yzquierdo and two other men grow lettuce, parsley, basil and a variety of other vegetables on a plot about a city block long and a half-block wide. It's one of several thousand organic gardens - known here as organoponicos - that have sprung up in Cuba in the past 10 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a severe downturn in Cuban food production. As a result, Cuba's organic food movement has made the country a world leader in low-input sustainable agriculture. Organoponicos range from less than an acre to six acres. It's estimated that Cuba, an island country about the size of Pennsylvania, has more than 81,000 acres of organoponicos. The gardens produce about 250 pounds of food a year for each of Cuba's 11 million people and have generated 300,000 jobs, said Peter Rosset, co-director of Food First and the Institute for Food and Development Policy in Oakland.

http://www.foodfirst.org/archive/media/news/2003/organicincuba.html

(Added: Fri Apr 11 2003   Modified: Wed Feb 14 2007   Hits: 172)

Debt and Sustainable Human Development (pdf)

UNDP Technical Advisory Paper No. 4. Management Development and Governance Division Bureau for Development Policy. This paper sets out how the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has defined its role in assisting heavily indebted poor countries. The interven- tions identified are consistent with UNDP's mandate in sustainable human development, and follow three main lines of action: Advocating additional debt relief; Promoting National Partnership Facilities; Capacity-building for effective debt management.

http://mirror.undp.org/magnet/docs/efa/techpaper4/default.htm

(Added: Tue Mar 18 2003   Modified: Tue Feb 13 2007   Hits: 218)

Earth Policy Institute

The Earth Policy Institute is dedicated to providing a vision of what an environmentally sustainable economy - an eco-economy - looks like, as well as a roadmap of how to get from here to there.

http://www.earth-policy.org/

(Added: Sun Feb 23 2003   Modified: Fri Dec 09 2005   Hits: 230)

Restructuring the Energy Economy

Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute writes that the key to restoring climate stability is shifting from a fossil fuel based energy economy to one based on renewable sources of energy and hydrogen. Advancing technologies in the design of wind turbines that have dramatically lowered the cost of wind generated electricity to the point where it can be used to produce hydrogen from water, along with the evolution of fuel cell engines, have set the stage for a dramatic restructuring of the world energy economy. The good news is that this shift is under way. The bad news is that it is not happening nearly fast enough to avoid a climate disrupting buildup in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2003/2003-02-20b.asp

(Added: Sun Feb 23 2003   Modified: Wed Dec 07 2005   Hits: 275)

Global Issues

This comprehensive web site looks into global issues that affect everyone and aims to show how most issues are inter-related. It contains over 5000 links to external articles, web sites reports and analysis. The issues covered range from trade, poverty and globalization, to human rights, geopolitics and the environment.

http://www.globalissues.org/

(Added: Wed Feb 19 2003   Modified: Wed Dec 07 2005   Hits: 156)

UNEP Looks at Making Green "Cool"

Hoping to make sustainable living more "cool," the United Nations Environment Programme is launching a new initiative aimed at improving the image of environmentally friendly lifestyle choices. The plan was devised with the help of social scientists. February 5, 2003, ENS.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2003/2003-02-05-06.asp

(Added: Fri Feb 07 2003   Modified: Wed Dec 07 2005   Hits: 204)

State of the World 2003

If we are going to reverse biodiversity loss, dampen the effects of global warming, and eliminate the scourge of persistent poverty, we need to reinvent ourselves-as individuals, as societies, as corporations, and as governments. In this 20th anniversary edition of a Worldwatch classic, the Institute's highly respected interdisciplinary research team argues that past successes-such as the elimination of smallpox and the encouraging drop in birth rates in many countries-prove that humanity is capable of redirecting itself in positive ways. Most encouraging, the world is sitting on the cusp of similar successes that could usher in a sustainable human civilization. The use of clean, renewable energy technologies, like wind turbines and photovoltaics for example, is growing at over 25 percent per year, and they are increasingly competitive with fossil fuels. Organic farming is the fastest-growing sector of the world agricultural economy, with the potential to rejuvenate rural communities from the Philippines to Sweden. And a quickening of religious interest in humanity's place in the natural environment could awaken a powerful new constituency to the cause of sustainability. The challenges are still immense, of course, as the book also documents, but the building blocks for a historic reinvention of human civilization are now within reach.

http://worldwatch.org/pubs/sow/2003/

(Added: Thu Jan 23 2003   Modified: Wed Dec 07 2005   Hits: 212)

Hello Life

Hello Life is a web-based voluntary effort featuring initiatives dedicated to improving the lives of people worldwide. The aim is to embrace life: and to help those less fortunate to embrace it as well. Each month, Hello Life features an extraordinary individual initiative or South-based organization that has made the difference where it counts: at the grassroots.

http://www.hellolife.org

(Added: Wed Jan 22 2003   Modified: Fri Dec 09 2005   Hits: 147)

Eco-Expo NZ

A project aimed at developing demonstration sites that will entertain while informing visitors about our precious environment and the options for sustainable living. Permanent "Expos", which demonstrate ecological land-use, healthy aquatic habitat, rare native plants, eco logical building, energy systems and more. We have plans for a lot of fun features to appeal to all ages. While a place of education and research, the Expo can not be a dry and boring place.

http://www.eco-expo.org/

(Added: Thu Dec 19 2002   Modified: Wed Dec 07 2005   Hits: 141)

Can sustainability sell?

Author(s): UNEP; McCann-Erickson World Group. Produced by: UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) (2002). On the basis of consumer studies, the collective authors of this report argue that far from depressing sales, sustainable principles could be essential to protect both brand health and future profitability... (Eldis) Includes case studies on DuPont, MasterCard, IKEA, General Motors, Turin and Unilever

http://www.uneptie.org/PC/sustain/reports/advertising/can-sustainability-Sell%20.pdf

(Added: Mon Nov 25 2002   Modified: Wed Nov 29 2006   Hits: 298)

Redefining Progress

Redefining progress is a non-profit public policy organization that creates policies and tools to encourage accurate market prices, to protect our common social and natural assets, and to foster social and economic sustainability.

http://www.redefiningprogress.org/

(Added: Wed Nov 20 2002   Modified: Fri Dec 09 2005   Hits: 155)

Sustainable Development in Asia

On-line publication from Asian Development Bank.

http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Sustainable_Dev/default.asp#contents

(Added: Tue Nov 12 2002   Modified: Wed Dec 07 2005   Hits: 138)

Sustainable Development Research Institute (SDRI)

The Sustainable Development Research Institute (SDRI) was established in April 1991 to foster policy relevant research on sustainable development. The Institute encourages interdisciplinary collaboration among the faculty, departments and centres at UBC, as well as other institutes and programs undertaking sustainable development research in Canada and around the world. SDRI attempts to break away from the restrictions imposed by the traditional compartmentalization of research, and transcends disciplinary boundaries in its search for solutions.

http://www.sdri.ubc.ca/

(Added: Tue Nov 12 2002   Modified: Fri Dec 09 2005   Hits: 172)

Sustainable Development: Lessons Learned & Challenges Ahead

By Frannie A. Léautier, Vice President, World Bank Institute. The World Bank provided more than $17,000 million in loans last year to more than 100 developing countries, with the primary goal of helping to reduce poverty. Believing that knowledge builds capacity, and capacity building leads to growth, security, and empowerment of the poor, much of the bank's work has focused on promoting learning and the sharing of knowledge and experience. The bank's learning approaches include innovations such as global electronic knowledge networks and distance learning to extend the reach of knowledge and learning, which lead to an improved quality of life and a reduction in poverty worldwide.

http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0402/ijge/gj05.htm

(Added: Tue Nov 12 2002   Modified: Wed Dec 07 2005   Hits: 225)

The objective of Sustainable Development: are we coming closer?

by René Von Schomberg (European Commission Directorate General for Research). Part of a series of Foresight Working Papers which aims to stimulate discussion among policy-makers at all levels and the foresight research community at large.This Foresight paper makes the case for an international "third" arena for long-term policy planning in order to allow for regulatory mechanisms beyond national planning and global market regulation. The paper proposes a research agenda to underpin the emergence of such an arena.

http://www.cordis.lu/rtd2002/foresight/working.htm

(Added: Tue Nov 12 2002   Modified: Wed Dec 07 2005   Hits: 280)

What the (NZ) Government failed to tell us about the Earth Summit in Johannesburg

By Dr. Jane Kelsey is a Professor of Law at Auckland University. 21 october 2002. Having recently attended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) briefing on the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, I was appalled at how sanitised it was.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0210/S00136.htm

(Added: Mon Oct 21 2002   Modified: Mon Dec 05 2005   Hits: 166)

Building on Hidden Opportunities to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals

Poverty reduction through conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Growing concern over the effects of biodiversity loss on progress towards sustainable development led to the establishment of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992. To date over 180 countries have ratified it demonstrating a significant global commitment to the cause. The CBD presents a comprehensive series of pragmatic and innovative principles for action, which have been further elaborated by six Conferences of the Parties. Yet there has been insufficient advancement in operational terms. This lack of progress should be taken very seriously as biodiversity loss, together with other forms of environmental degradation, has the potential to undermine progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals . It is also essential to acknowledge that the 'environment', including biodiversity, offers many interesting poverty reduction opportunities - yet these are often overlooked, and may function outside the prevailing policy environment.

http://www.undp.org/equatorinitiative/documents/pdf/poverty_reduction.pdf

(Added: Tue Sep 24 2002   Modified: Mon Jul 02 2007   Hits: 245)

A vision of dystopia

The Guardian 22 August 2002: New York City in 2022. Half the 40 million people in the swarming metropolis are unemployed, the air is thick with pollution, food and water are as precious as jewels. This was the world of the future as envisaged in the sci-fi thriller, Soylent Green, in 1973. Now, according to the World Bank, it could come true unless there are dramatic and immediate changes to the way we live.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,12374,782799,00.html

(Added: Thu Sep 19 2002   Modified: Mon Dec 05 2005   Hits: 344)

Asia-Pacific countries paying heavy price for 'grow now, clean up later' policy, UN says

UN News 30 August - Countries in Asia and the Pacific are paying heavily for a "grow now, clean up later" environmental policy, resulting in major ecological problems, including shrinking forests, widespread land degradation and an overall increase in pollution, according to a new United Nations study.

http://www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=4586&Cr=asia&Cr1=pacific

(Added: Thu Sep 19 2002   Modified: Mon Dec 05 2005   Hits: 310)

The future of multilateralism

By Dr Claude Martin, Director General of WWF International, based in Gland, Switzerland. 4 September 2002 The World Summit on Sustainable Development has failed to come up with a comprehensive action plan for sustainable development. Instead, the result is a compromise that merely maintains the status quo. What then is the future of multilateral attempts to address poverty eradication and environmental protection?

http://www.panda.org/news/features/story.cfm?id=3141

(Added: Mon Sep 09 2002   Modified: Mon Dec 05 2005   Hits: 103)

Summit Secretary-General Says Completed Negotiations Provide a Solid Foundation For Action

Johannesburg, 2 September. Agreement was reached on the last remaining provisions of the Plan of Implementation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, concluding negotiations that have taken place over nine months on three continents, and that will guide implementation for actions to achieve sustainable development.

http://www.un.org/events/wssd/pressreleases/completenegotiations.pdf#search=%22Summit%20Secretary-General%20Says%20Completed%20Negotiations%20Provide%20a%20Solid%20Foundation%20For%20Action%22

(Added: Wed Sep 04 2002   Modified: Fri Sep 15 2006   Hits: 87)

Marches Highlight Breach in Trust

By Farah Khan, 2nd Sept. A teetering World Summit inside the Sandton Convention Centre - the reasons volubly displayed outside where a sea of protestors arrived after a nine km long march. The series of protest marches on Saturday highlighted the issues still cleaving apart the summit as ministers arrived to sign a final deal: how to define globalisation, how to deal with an unjust trade regime, how to deal with debt and what to do about social exclusion. "The landless have landed; water for the thirsty," shouted a leader aboard an open truck as it wound its way to a stop at Speakers Corner, the barricaded spot the UN has set aside for the range of protests that have wound their way to the World Summit venue throughout the week. Sat's first march was the largest, at between 15, 000 and 20, 000 people. It yoked together the nationally and internationally excluded; and the glitterati of the left, including the Canadian author Naomi Klein and Food First's Annuradha Mittal. (TerraViva)

http://www.ipsnews.net/riomas10/0209_12.shtml

(Added: Tue Sep 03 2002   Modified: Mon Dec 05 2005   Hits: 94)

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