activism

Excellent article about Chinese environmentalist Wu Lihong and his efforts to fight the contamination of Lake Tai.

Quoted: Pollution has reached epidemic proportions in China, in part because the ruling Communist Party still treats environmental advocates as bigger threats than the degradation of air, water and soil that prompts them to speak out.

Quoted: Is small still beautiful? We think it is. In an increasingly divided and fragile world, Practical Action aims to demonstrate and advocate the sustainable use of technology to reduce poverty in developing countries.

Cool, I never knew about this movement. It's interesting, the relationship between economy and ecology.

Quoted: The Chipko movement (literally "to hug" in Hindi) was a group of peasants in the Uttarakhand region of India who acted to prevent the felling of trees and reclaim their traditional forest rights that were threatened by the contractor system of the state Forest Department. The movement began in Chamoli district in 1973 and spread throughout the Uttarakhand Himalayas by the end of the decade.

Great story about how one guy who bothered to report something wrong probably ended up saving lives around the world.

Quoted: Eduardo Arias’s glance at an ingredient list led to a worldwide hunt for tainted toothpaste.

Quoted: The Building and Social Housing Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2006 World Habitat Awards competition for innovative and sustainable housing solutions...

Cameron Sinclair is doing an amazing job at finding ways for architects to help solve global problems. This article provides a brief overview of the recently launched Open Architecture Network.

Quoted: The network, which launched in March at the 2007 TED Conference, has a simple mission: to generate design opportunities that will improve living standards. It plans to do this by offering an online database of plans and discussion on how to make architecture work for everyone.

A database of environmental organizations and taxonomy of their areas of focus.

Quoted: WiserEarth is a community directory and networking forum for not for profit and non-governmental organizations addressing the central issues of our day: climate change, poverty, the environment, peace, water, hunger, social justice, conservation, human rights, and more. Content is created by people like you from around the world.

Hmmm...lame or brilliant? I'm not sure.

Quoted: Carpenters locals across the country are outsourcing their picket lines, hiring the homeless, students, retirees and day laborers to get their message across. Larry Hujo, a spokesman for the Indiana-Kentucky Regional Council of Carpenters, calls it a "shift in the paradigm" of picketing.

An interview with Yanar Mohammed, an Iraqi feminist and founder of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI).

Quoted: Mohammed is an architect and sculptor who was raised in Iraq, earning undergraduate and master’s degrees at Baghdad University. In 1993, she and her family moved to Canada, in part to escape the dim economic prospects of her home country under international sanctions. In Canada, she raised a son, now 18, but after the 2003 invasion, she decided to return from an exile she describes as happy. In addition to founding OWFI, she has been featured in the New York Times, NPR and Democracy Now!, and was named a finalist for the 1325 Award recognizing international women leaders.