TODO: Figure out what the title should be

"I need Advertising," said Earth.

04.20.2012 - 05:27PM

If Earth had an ad budget, it would hire Earth Advertising, or at least that was my assumption when I invented the agency in 1999, originally eFlicks Media. “Earth needs a good ad agency,” Walter Cronkite had suggested to me back then.

Here on the eve of Earth Day, there is tremendous pressure to share what it’s been like over the past 13 years since Earth Advertising hatched in Soundtrack Studios. It’s been up and down. The fisheries went down, the trash went up. Water down. Temperature up. Species down. Chemicals up.

But, Earth Day is a day of celebration, not mourning. Although not the kind of celebrating we’re used to. Celebrating without plastic balloons, stirrers, straws, cups, bottles, bags, plates, forks, spoons and other harmful substances. We can celebrate by refusing single use disposable plastic on Earth Day. I know I’ve given up all these addictions, including on special occasions. Believe me, I fall off the wagon. But I get right back on. You can even take a pledge. Go to http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/support/pledge/

But I digress. If Earth did have a budget for an ad campaign clearly nobody would ever agree on which agency to hire anyway. And should it be positive or negative?

With the help of Stuart Ross, an advisor to Earth Advertising, we brainstorm the idea via social media. His ideas arrive by simple text, “What if there was an RFP?” I text him back that I love it. “Help Wanted. Mid-sized terrestrial planet seeking immediate advertising support.”

Objective? Long-term sustainable relationship with inhabitants.

Single Most Important Message? Help Wanted.

Most Valuable Available Asset? Unlimited intellectual capital.

Single Most Limiting Factor? Natural resources.

Single Biggest Challenge? Old habits.

Metrics for Success? Cleaner atmosphere. Fresher water. Healthier people. Abundant fisheries. Fertile land. Swimmable oceans. Peaceful co-existence.

As the world turns its attention to Rio+20, the 20^-year anniversary of the first global Earth Summit, an RFP from Earth is a novel idea. World leaders need our community’s help right now. They need a collective RFP.

Submit your creative ideas today for a two-page RFP from Earth to rfp@earthadvertising.com.

Connect with us on Twitter: @earthadv.

"I need advertising," said the Earth.

04.19.2012 - 07:18PM

If Earth had an ad budget, it would hire Earth Advertising, or at least that was my assumption when I invented the agency in 1999, originally called eFlicks Media. “Earth needs a good ad agency,” Walter Cronkite had suggested to me then.

On the eve of Earth Day, there is tremendous pressure to share what it’s been like over the past 13 years since Earth Advertising hatched in Soundtrack Studios. It’s been up and down. The fisheries went down, the trash went up. Water down. Temperature up. Species down. Chemicals up.

But, Earth Day is a day of celebration, not mourning. Although it is not the kind of celebrating we’re used to. Celebrating without plastic balloons, stirrers, straws, cups, bottles, bags, plates, forks, spoons and other harmful substances.

We can celebrate by refusing single use disposal plastic on Earth Day. I know I’ve given up all these addictions, including on special occasions. Believe me, I fall off the wagon. But I get right back on. You can even take a pledge .

But I digress. If Earth did have a budget for an ad campaign clearly nobody would ever agree on which agency to hire anyway. And should it be positive or negative? With the help of Stuart Ross, an advisor to Earth Advertising, we brainstorm the idea via social media.

His ideas arrive by simple text, “What if there was an RFP?” I text him back that I love it. “Help Wanted. Mid-sized terrestrial planet seeking immediate advertising support.”

Objective? Long-term sustainable relationship with inhabitants.

Metrics of Success? Less CO2 in atmosphere. More fresh water. Health. Fisheries come back. Oceans you can swim in.

Don't wait. Send your ideas to rfp@earthadvertising.com.

KaBOOM! Welcomes New Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, James Siegal

04.18.2012 - 10:18AM

KaBOOM! is pleased to announce that James Siegal, most recently Chief of Staff for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), will join the national non-profit as its Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Current COO, Bruce Bowman, will move into the new role of President.

“James brings a wealth of experience that will help us accelerate our impact, advance the movement to save play and create an environment in which all children can thrive,” says Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO of KaBOOM!.

As EVP and COO, Siegal will focus on the partnerships and capacity needed to advance the KaBOOM! three-pronged strategy of mapping, building and advocating for play spaces.

Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. To fight this Play Deficit, Hammond founded non-profit KaBOOM! in 1996 in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since then, KaBOOM! has used crowd sourcing to map 89,445 places to play, worked with volunteers to build 2,072 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country.

"KaBOOM! is an incredible organization that enriches children’s lives and has empowered thousands of communities to make positive and lasting change," says Siegal. "I am honored and excited to join its ranks, both as a professional and as a father.”

Current Chief Operating Officer, Bruce Bowman, is being named President, a new position for KaBOOM!. In this role Bowman will be responsible for leveraging new, large-scale business opportunities that support the organization’s strategic plan.

As CNCS Chief of Staff, Siegal was responsible for providing overall leadership and direction for the $1 billion federal agency that supports national service and promotes citizen engagement to address community challenges. Prior to CNCS, he was Vice President of Nonprofit Sector Programs and Practice at Independent Sector, the leading coalition of non-profits, foundations and corporate giving programs, where he designed and led initiatives that advance non-profit effectiveness, leadership and accountability. Siegal has also served as Charities Bureau Registration Section Chief and Assistant Attorney General for the New York State Attorney General and was an associate for global law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Siegal and his wife have three girls, age two, four and six, and he is very familiar with playgrounds and the importance of play!

Bowman served for several years on the KaBOOM! Board of Directors, before assuming the role of COO in 2006. Prior to joining KaBOOM! he was with Wild Oats Markets, Inc. which was an organic and all natural grocery retailer with $1.2 billion in annual sales. He came to Wild Oats from Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream where he was COO and part of their senior management team for six years. He first became involved with KaBOOM! when he was with Ben & Jerry’s and was instrumental in developing KaBERRY KaBOOM!, an ice cream flavor from which a portion of the sales was donated to KaBOOM!.

Book Launch at FHI 360 Globe Theater of Rippling: How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation

04.09.2012 - 09:56AM

Beverly Schwartz, VP of Global Marketing at Ashoka, will hold the official release of her new book-length work, Rippling: How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation, on April 11, 2012 at the FHI 360 Globe Theatre in DuPont Circle.

The event, hosted by FHI 360 and Ashoka in partnership with Politics and Prose, will feature a discussion and Q&A moderated by Gregory R. Niblett (Chief Strategy Officer of FHI 360) with Schwartz, Bill Drayton (Founder and Chair of Ashoka), and Aleta Margolis (Founder of the Centre for Inspired Teaching). The discussion will be followed by a reception and book signing. http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2590901456

Urgent social and environmental challenges require a collective re-imagining to foster widespread, systemic change. By drawing on a wealth of insights offered by some of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, Schwartz provides a colorfully illustrated blueprint for visionary thinking, and demonstrates how everyday people can drive meaningful change.

Schwartz cites five time-tested principles that define successful models of changemaking for both organizations and individual leaders, including 1) restructuring industry norms, 2) changing market dynamics, 3) using market forces to create social value, 4) advancing full citizenship, and 5) cultivating empathy. She demonstrates how these principles work with moving accounts about social entrepreneurs who are applying them and literally re-structuring the world, creating a powerful, positive effect. Each section includes reflections from thought leaders such as Arianna Huffington, Geeta Rao Gupta, Esther Dyson and Peter M. Senge.

“Rippling’s concepts are relevant and accessible for business of all sizes, from individual entrepreneurs to global corporations. Organizations that tap into the changemaker vision can spark innovation, engage employees, and better meet customer needs while improving the bottom lines for business and society as a whole,” explains Ronald L. Sargent, chairman and CEO, Staples, Inc.

The book clearly demonstrates that when empathy, creativity, passion, and persistence are combined, significant, life altering progress is indeed possible. To learn more go to www.ashoka.org/rippling

About Ashoka

Founded in 1980, Ashoka is the world’s working community of nearly 3000 leading social entrepreneurs. It champions the most important new social change ideas and supports the entrepreneurs behind them by helping them get started, grow, succeed, and collaborate. As Ashoka expands its capability to integrate and connect entrepreneurs around the world, it builds an entrepreneurial infrastructure that is supporting the fast-growing needs of the citizen sector. Ashoka’s vision is to create change today, for an Everyone A Changemaker™ society to become the reality of tomorrow. For more information, visit www.ashoka.org.

About FHI 360

This nonprofit human development organization is dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in education, health, nutrition, economic development, civil society, environment, gender, youth, research and technology – creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today's interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 60 countries and all U.S. states and territories www.fhi360.org

Politics and Prose

This is the most respected independent book store in the Washington DC area. Politics and Prose offers superior service and unusual book choices while also serving as a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. The owners pride themselves in having built a community and having the community build the store www.politics-prose.com

Small Business Owners Support President's Budget on Taxes, Infrastructure

02.13.2012 - 01:31PM

Small business owners favor key provisions of the President’s 2013 budget designed to support domestic job creation, modernize infrastructure and raise needed revenue with fairer taxes. These include increasing taxes on the wealthy, eliminating hedge fund manager tax breaks, ending tax deductions for shipping jobs overseas, closing corporate loopholes, investing in infrastructure, and keeping first responders and teachers on the job.

"Small business owners struggled through a recession we didn't cause yet we still lead the economy in job creation. So it's good to see the President propose steps that small business owners know will really jumpstart the economy – investing in infrastructure to create blue-collar jobs, keeping valuable service providers on the job, bringing manufacturing jobs back home and covering the cost by asking the wealthiest and big corporations to pay their fair share in taxes,” said Frank Knapp, President and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce and Vice Chair of the American Sustainable Business Council. “Austerity plans, like those that are causing riots in Europe, are wrong for America. We need investment in job growth. We are the 'job creators' – listen to us."

Small business owners made their views clear on taxes and investment in a recent nationwide survey in which 50 percent of respondents identified as Republican or independent-leaning Republican; 32 percent as Democrat or independent-leaning Democratic; and 15 percent as independent. Majorities in the scientific poll commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority, said the following:

Taxes

57 percent said individuals earning more than $1 million a year should pay a higher tax rate on the income over $1 million.
81 percent favor hedge fund managers paying taxes at the ordinary income tax rate, which currently tops out at 35 percent, rather than the 15 percent capital gains rate they pay now.
91 percent said that U.S. multinational corporations’ use of accounting loopholes to shift their U.S. profits to their offshore subsidiaries to avoid taxes is a problem.
When asked what would do the most to create jobs, small business owners chose eliminating incentives to move jobs overseas.
51 percent say tax cuts on taxable household income over $250,000 a year should expire (only 40 percent believe they should be extended).

Infrastructure and other Investment

69 percent of small business owners support committing $50 billion to new and existing infrastructure projects that would generate jobs—such as making improvements to road, bridge and water systems.
59 percent favor creating a nationwide wireless network and improving the accessibility of high-speed wireless services.
59 percent support creating a National Infrastructure Bank to help fund infrastructure, like roads, bridges, and water systems, via private and public capital.
53 percent favor spending $35 billion to prevent layoffs of police officers, teachers, and firefighters.

Read the poll reports here:

Small Business Owners’ Views on Taxes and How to Level the Playing Field with Big Business

Small Business Owner Opinions on Access to Credit and Proposals to Boost the Economy

“The American Sustainable Business Council supports the sensible tax and investment provisions in the President’s budget,” said David Levine, CEO of the American Sustainable Business Council. “The smart use of public funds for job creation, education, infrastructure and scientific research is crucial to restoring American leadership in world-class innovation, services and manufacturing.”

“As a successful corporate executive, I recognize that our tax code is unfair and replete with tax shelters and loopholes favoring the wealthy,” said Jack Kintslinger, chairman emeritus of KCI Technologies, Inc. and a member of Business for Shared Prosperity. “Most wealthy business executives I know are prepared to contribute more in taxes if the additional revenues are spent wisely. They know that they can spare paying higher taxes and that the nation desperately needs more revenue for essential services.”

“The combination of a hurting middle class, crumbling infrastructure and irresponsibly low taxes on the biggest corporations and richest Americans is no recipe for innovation, employment and national success,” said Jody Gorran, owner of Aquatherm Industries Inc., a manufacturer in New Jersey. “It’s time for big corporations and wealthy Americans to stop passing the buck, pay their fair share in taxes, create jobs here at home and invest in our nation’s future.”

Poll results reported in this statement represent findings from a scientific nationwide survey of 500 small business owners, commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority, and conducted by Lake Research Partners. The survey was conducted in December 2011 and January 2012. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%.

The American Sustainable Business Council is a growing coalition of business networks representing over 100,000 companies and 200,000 business leaders. ASBC advocates for public policies that meet the realities of the 21st century global economy. www.asbcouncil.org

Business for Shared Prosperity is a national network of forward-thinking business owners, executives and investors. BSP is a member of the American Sustainable Business Council. www.businessforsharedprosperity.org

Causes.com and AT&T Launch New Social Engagement Platform to Encourage Activism

12.15.2011 - 11:14AM

/PRNewswire/ - Just in time for the holiday season, Causes.com and AT&T* unveiled a first-of-its-kind community to encourage activism: Connect For Good. Through this platform, millions of people will be able to directly and positively impact some of the most relevant issues we face today: the dangers of texting and driving, the importance of recycling cell phones and the crisis of declining high school graduation rates.

Causes is the world's largest online platform for activism and philanthropy, empowering individuals to create grassroots communities called "causes" to take action on behalf of a specific issue or non-profit organization. The platform uses Facebook's social mobility to maximize the impact of collective action. Since 2007, Causes has brought together:

170 million Causes members
$40 million raised for 27,000 nonprofits
500,000 member-created causes

Starting today, members of the Causes.com community can use the Connect For Good platform to trigger contributions by AT&T to non-profit organizations including the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) and The Nature Conservancy. These organizations collectively will receive up to $200,000, thanks to the actions taken by the Causes Connect For Good community. For example, Causes.com members can generate two dollars for NOYS by taking a pledge not to text while driving and then can generate an additional two dollars for NOYS by sharing the pledge with their own network of friends on Facebook.

"The Causes Connect For Good platform enables consumers to take actions around important issues, giving them opportunities to support non-profit organizations like the National Organizations for Youth Safety and The Nature Conservancy," said Beth Shiroishi, vice president, Sustainability & Philanthropy at AT&T. "Our hope is that this initiative will connect like-minded individuals, empowering them to share their passion for social good with their friends and family – and ultimately making measurable and positive impact in our communities."

"Causes.com has over 170 million users who want to take collective action to change the world. Through the Connect For Good site, AT&T is enabling them to do just that," said James Windon, vice president, Business Development at Causes. "The Causes platform will provide AT&T with the tools to directly engage with millions of stakeholders with meaningful opportunities to take action and make a difference."

AT&T is committed to integrating sustainable business practices across its business and was recently added to Corporate Responsibility Magazine's 12th Annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List. AT&T was also included in the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI). Visit www.att.com/csr to learn more about sustainability at AT&T. Also visit www.att.com/csr to download the 2010 AT&T Sustainability Report.

For more information about Connect For Good or to generate money for NOYS, please visit www.causes.com/att

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About Philanthropy at AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives, AT&T has a long history of supporting projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. In 2010, more than $148.2 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

About Causes.com
Causes.com was started in 2007 by Napster creator and Facebook co-founder Sean Parker and early advisor Joe Green to give activists tools to make change. Causes currently has more than 170 million users who have created over 500,000 causes and raised $40 million for charity. The platform utilizes Facebook's social mobility to maximize the impact of collective action. Users can create or join a cause to support an issue or nonprofit they care about and mobilize their networks to donate, recruit and share to support the cause.

© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Iranian Underground Comes To NYC

12.12.2011 - 04:25PM

In the fight to move 80 million Iranians a few steps closer to freedom, Manhattan becomes a key battleground. On Tuesday, December 13th Iranian-American activists will be partnering with pro-democracy dissidents from within Iran to reach out and make their presence known to the West – first through a creative political protest targeting Russia, and then a virtual press conference where Iranians put their lives on the line to freely answer questions by Western journalists.

Their day begins in front of Russia's New York consulate in a protest over how Putin's administration has consistently defeated tougher sanctions upon the Islamic Republic. The centerpiece to the protest is a 30 foot mural created by famed New York graffiti artist Cycle.

From 11am to 2pm, the Russian Consulate will be faced with a scene of a sinister Vladamir Putin and Wen Jiabao sawing with machetes marked "VETO" at the ropes the character of the Free World is attempting to use to help the Iranian protestors break out of their imprisonment.

According to The New Iran, the non-profit organizing the joint American and Iranian activities, the depiction is an accurate representation of the cost to freedom that has resulted from Russia and China shielding the Iranian regime.

"The regime is hated by most Iranians," says Dr. Iman Foroutan, Chairman of The New Iran. "And it could not hold onto power without the help of certain governments taking advantage of the situation to plunder the natural resources of Iran."

"In exchange for oil and nuclear reactor contracts, Russia and China have used their veto power to water down or block the real pressure that could be put on the Islamic Republic," adds Dr. Bijan Karimi, Executive Director of The New Iran. "As a result, the regime feels free to ignore the international community, and is under no pressure to give power back to our people, respect human rights, or halt their nuclear ambitions."

But according to these activists, despite the risk of government reprisal, Iranians yearning for freedom will no longer be silent. From 3pm-5pm a select group of Western journalists will have the opportunity to speak with Iranians free of the usual government censors.

The Iranians will come from a broad cross section of Iranian society, and are risking imprisonment to give insight into how the Iranian people really feel about their government, share their thoughts on the headlines coming out of Iran today, and to alert the West to the fact that there really are Iranians willing to take action to replace the Islamic Republic with a functioning democracy.

One of the dissidents who will be speaking is an attorney whose task in the democratic underground has been secretly preparing the legal briefs necessary to prosecute select member of the Islamic Republic's hierarchy for war crimes as soon as the regime is toppled.

"The message here is that the Islamic Republic does not speak for the Iranian people," says Foroutan, "the Persian people have a rich culture of peace and progress. We were the first country to put human rights into law 2,500 years before the the United Nations was even a dream. If we want the world to be a safer place, we all need to support the Iranian Freedom movement."

ABOUT: The New Iran seeks to accelerate the non-violent downfall of the ruling Islamic Regime in Iran through providing a forum for unified action and transparent coordination among all reformers who seek to replace the Islamic Republic with a democratic, secular and pro-human rights government. For more, visit TheNewIran.com or connect with TNI on Facebook and Twitter.

A Divestment Christmas Carol

12.07.2011 - 11:07AM

On Saturday, December 3 at 11:00 AM, crowds gathered as members of Swarthmore Mountain Justice performed their own rendition of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. As the College’s Board of Managers met in a building just a short walk away, the group asked for full divestment of the college’s endowment from fossil fuel industries via creative performance.

In the 5 minute play, E.B. Neezer-Scrooge - standing in for the Board - is shown the way to a healthy endowment by the Ghosts of Investments Past, Present and Future. By working in solidarity with those communities already most effected by the extractive industry, Swarthmore students and the Board of Managers work together, as they did with South African Apartheid, to end the College’s financial complicity in unjust practices. Fossil fuel divestment, as stated by the play’s fictional Board Member, would represent a concrete way for the College to “bring its practices in line with its stated values of social justice.”

Mountain Justice also prepared Christmas stockings for each member of the Board, including a piece of coal and a letter directly asking them to support divestment. When group members arrived at the Managers’ scheduled meeting place, however, they found that the Managers had already disbanded for the weekend. MJ is now working on a public art installation and holiday greeting to make sure that the Managers receive the call to divest in time for the holidays.

Mountain Justice’s campaign is the first in the nation to call for divestment from not just coal, but from the entire fossil fuel industry. The group’s Statement of Intent can be found on Swarthmore College’s online newspaper, The Daily Gazette and at www.swatmountainjustice.wordpress.com.

Mountain Justice is a student direct action group at Swarthmore College confronting climate injustices through creative, strategic campaigns that target exploitative mountaintop removal coal mining, natural gas hydrofracking, and other extractive industries and their corporate financiers.

Swarthmore Mountain Justice: Street Theater Action 12.03.11 from Zein Nakhoda on Vimeo.

MEDIA ALERT: Iranian Dissidents Confront Russia With "Wall of Shame" Opposite NYC Consulate

12.06.2011 - 02:06PM

Next Tuesday, a massive 30 foot mural "WALL OF SHAME" by famed NYC graffiti artist CYCLE will confront the Russian Consulate showing the cost to freedom of Russia's corrupt "selling of their U.N. veto."

WHAT: A massive 30 foot GRAFFITI MURAL "WALL OF SHAME" by famed NYC graffiti artist CYCLE will confront the Russian Consulate with images showing the cost to freedom of Russia's corrupt "selling of their U.N. veto" to the Iranian regime.

WHO: Pro-Democracy Iranian dissidents organized by The New Iran Dr. Iman Foroutan, one of the world's leading Iranian activists

WHERE: Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York, 9 East 91 Street (btw.Madison and 5th Avenues)New York, NY

WHEN: Tuesday, December 13th 2011 from 11:30am-2:00pm

WHY: Russia has become a major obstacle to freedom within Iran and security for the whole world by their consistent blocking of sanctions against the Iranian regime. It is time that Russia be "called out" on their irresponsible use of their U.N. security council veto. The cost in Iranian lives and freedom, and world stability is far too high.

First book on Occupy Wall Street now available: "This Changes Everything"

11.16.2011 - 12:41PM

Berrett-Koehler Publishers and YES! Magazine are bringing the first substantive book on the Occupy Wall Street movement to bookstores nationwide on November 17, 2011—exactly two months since the initial Occupy encampment at Zuccotti Park in New York's financial distric.

This Changes Everything blends the voices of participants and organizers inside the Occupy Wall Street protests with those of such perceptive observers as Naomi Klein, David Korten, David Graeber, Rebecca Solnit, Chuck Collins, and Ralph Nader. It includes accounts published for the first time in this book and reports adapted for this book from YES! Magazine and elsewhere.

The book begins with an Introduction by YES! co-founder and executive editor Sarah van Gelder. Van Gelder shows how the movement erupted in response to decades of soaring inequality and disenfranchisement. In pointing to how the system is rigged to benefit the richest 1% at the expense of the 99%, the Occupy movement has named the key crisis of our time-something the political establishment had refused to do. It is transforming the frustration and isolation of the millions, who are losing access to a middle-class standard of living, into a potent force for change.

"This rapid publication is possible because YES! Magazine has been at the forefront of reporting on the Occupy Wall Street movement from the beginning," explains Steve Piersanti, President of Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

"This book captures an extraordinary moment, when people who have been sitting, frustrated, on the sidelines finally have a voice," explains YES! Magazine's Sarah van Gelder, editor of This Changes Everything. Adds Piersanti, "I believe that this book will not only be immediately useful in helping people everywhere understand the far-reaching impact of this movement-how it is truly changing everything-but that it will also stand the test of time as a profound analysis of its meaning and significance."

YES! Magazine is donating royalties from this book to support the Occupy movement and plans to give out 500 copies at Occupy sites. The book's initial press run is 10,000. Because of the high immediate demand, a second printing is planned for the week of November 14.

The Book: This Changes Everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement
By Sarah van Gelder and the Staff of YES! Magazine
(Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2011; 96 pages)

In Part One, people at the heart of the movement along with close observers describe the early, heady days of Occupy Wall Street and reflect on the challenges of implementing inclusive decision-making and authentic diversity, and dealing with violence.

Part Two explores ways to address gross inequality, the corruption of our money and banking systems, an unjust tax system, and the desperate need for jobs in a climate-constrained world.

Part Three is a selection of powerful ways the movement can move forward, with articles on the legal fiction of corporate personhood, accomplishments of past people's movements, lessons from the uprisings of the Arab Spring and Europe, and ways anyone can support the Occupy movement.

Spokesperson available: Sarah van Gelder, Co-founder and Executive Editor, YES! Magazine

Additional Spokespeople: Upon request

About Sarah van Gelder:

Sarah van Gelder edited This Changes Everything and wrote an original introduction to the book. As co-founder and executive editor of YES! Magazine, Sarah leads the framing and development of each issue of YES!. Sarah blogs regularly for YES! Magazine and Huffington Post, writes articles and op-eds, does interviews for YES! Magazine, and speaks on leading-edge innovations that show that another world is not only possible, it is being created today. Last month, Sarah van Gelder was featured on PBS' NewsHour program, talking about the Occupy movement. For complete video and transcript, see: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec11/protests2_10-17.html.

About YES! Magazine:

Since their founding in 1996, YES! Magazine and YesMagazine.org have been showing how powerful ideas fused with practical actions can drive profound change towards a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world. Project Censored calls YES! "the standard for solutions journalism." Democracy Now's Amy Goodman calls YES! a "vital voice of independent journalism." The Utne's Independent Media Awards have repeatedly recognized YES! Magazine; and Treehugger.com named YES! the best green business and politics website of 2011.

About Berrett-Koehler Publishers:

Berrett-Koehler Publishers was founded in 1992 by Steve Piersanti in San Francisco, CA. The mission-based publisher believes in "Creating a World That Works for All" and publishes an average of 40 titles per year that reflect that mission in the business, current affairs, and lifestyle categories. Berrett-Koehler Publishers is a Certified B Corporation.

Editor's Note: YES! Magazine is planning a Tweet Jam for the book on Friday, November 18. Join the conversation on Twitter: hashtag #owsbook!

Green America: Following President's Announcement, Keystone XL Pipeline Likely to Fail with Continued Public Opposition

11.11.2011 - 08:51AM

Green America welcomed yesterday’s decision by President Obama and the State Department to postpone further consideration of TransCanada’s Keystone XL oil pipeline pending another environmental impact review. This review process will likely extend into 2013 and offers the Administration additional opportunity to evaluate the consequences of this dangerous project.

If built, the Keystone XL pipeline would transport crude oil 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast. Extracting and refining oil from the Canadian tar sands is considered the most polluting and carbon intensive oil process on the planet.

While alternative routes for the pipeline are the focus of the new environmental review, citizen groups, environmentalists, scientists, Native Nations, and experts on energy policy and national security will continue to oppose the pipeline on many crucial grounds.

Fran Teplitz, Green America’s director of strategic outreach stated, “President Obama made the right call by interrupting the pipeline permitting process. Now we need to ensure now that this setback to construction translates into the cancellation of the project altogether. The issue is not that a new route is needed, but that the project as a whole is not needed.”

Green America supports the President’s concern for the impacts of the Keystone XL pipeline on “the health and safety of the American people as well as the environment.” Todd Larsen, director of Green America’s corporate responsibility programs added, “This pipeline represents exactly the wrong direction for our country. The United States urgently needs to invest in domestic renewable energy development as the climate crisis becomes increasingly dire.”

While some have hoped the pipeline would generate significant U.S. jobs in a time of high unemployment, it has become clear that TransCanada’s job creation claims were wildly exaggerated. Moreover, the pipeline could even wipe out existing U.S. jobs by causing fuel costs to increase in some regions and by diverting public funds to inevitable oil spill clean-ups and medical costs.

“Whether from the perspective of climate change, environmental protection, human health, or energy security, there is no good reason to build the Keystone XL pipeline. We need to make a clean energy economy our nation’s top priority. If we continuing organizing, we can ensure the KXL is cancelled, our carbon emissions are deeply reduced, and that we create the clean energy future required,” added Teplitz.

Green America is a national membership organization dedicated to harnessing the power of the economy and the marketplace for social justice and environmental sustainability.

Rock & Rawhide Fuses the Arts Community With Animal Shelters

11.08.2011 - 09:08AM

/PRNewswire/ - According to the Humane Society, 6-8 million dogs and cats are placed in kill shelters across the country each year. Of this amount, 3-4 MILLION are euthanized. The animals at these shelters suffer extreme stress from the deafening noise levels (often louder than a jackhammer), environmental conditions & many other factors in the shelter. Research shows that toys not only reduce noise levels and stress in shelter animals, but increases adoptability.

Rock & Rawhide is a newly formed organization which aims to increase adoptions and quality of life for dogs and cats in shelters with treat and distraction therapy. Through the collection of toys, rawhides, treats, blankets and towels at music gigs, DJ events, art, food and more, across the country, Rock & Rawhide will be able to lower the noise and stress levels at kill shelters, thereby giving dogs and cats the ability to express their real personalities to potential adoptees.

"We all know the arts can be a wonderful medium for delivering a message and healing. At Rock & Rawhide, we thought fusing music with benefiting the animals made perfect sense. We can't believe the support we are already receiving. So many toys and rawhides!" beamed Kylie Edmond, singer/songwriter and Co-Founder of Rock & Rawhide.

To do the job right, Rock & Rawhide must become an official charity. They are participating in a crowd-funding campaign at www.indiegogo.com/rockandrawhide to raise the funds to do so. And of course, they are always open to accepting items for the furry ones. Once the campaign goal is set, 100% of additional funds raised will go to purchasing toys, rawhides, treats, blankets and towels to deliver to shelters.

Besides donations, there are amazing packages to purchase at indiegogo.com at a bargain including: pre-Valentine's cooking lessons with animal loving Chef Carmen Gonzalez of Bravo's Top Chef Master fame; a $1,000 gift card for use at abstract artist DM Weil's amazing New Paltz gallery; Basic Obedience Training Sessions with the "best dog trainer in NYC" (New York Magazine) Kate Perry; life coach session with Tina Mertel; a song written just for you or a loved one by Lisa Redford; music CDs; Broadway memorabilia and so much more.

"It's a great way to donate while getting a little something for you, besides a smile. We have huge plans for Rock & Rawhide, and they all involve wagging tails and purrs," said Sean-Patrick M. Hillman, owner of PR firm Corbin-Hillman Communications and Rock & Rawhide Co-Founder.

"My wife and I saw a clear issue at New York City Animal Care & Control that we could help resolve. The idea that treat and distraction therapy can be used to help get these beautiful dogs and cats a loving home was something Kylie and I knew could be realized," continued Hillman.

The fund raising campaign will run now until December 5th, 2011. But donations of items will always be accepted. You can read more about it at www.indiegogo.com/rockandrawhide and www.facebook.com/rockandrawhide.

Colleges take Action on Bank Transfer Day

11.04.2011 - 12:57PM

Bank Transfer Day on College Campuses

When: November 4 & 5 2011

Where: 15+ Colleges Nationwide (Locations listed at bottom)

Media Contacts: Dan Apfel, Responsible Endowments Coalition 718-673-8669 / dan@endowmentethics.org

Annie McShiras, Responsible Endowments Coalition, 718-810-9407 / annie@endowmentethics.org

Contacts for Interviews Available at All Locations

On Bank Transfer Day, November 5^th, and on Friday, November 4^th, students at colleges from around the country will be moving their money from national banks into credit unions and community banks. They’ll also be educating themselves and each other about the problems with the banking system and the value of moving money into smaller banks and community development financial institutions. In the following weeks, they’ll be calling on their universities to do the same.

As an example, at Washington University in St. Louis, students will be gathering at a campus Bank of America branch, closing their accounts, and then heading to a local community development credit union, St. Louis Community Credit Union, to open new accounts, according to senior student Molly Gott.

At University of Pittsburgh students are showing the documentary Inside Job that explains the origins and university connections of the financial crisis and securing pledges from students to move their money, and to petition the university to invest in its community.

Students will be taking a variety of different actions to support this major national event.

Colleges with participating actions include:

Bennington College, Bennington, VT
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
Brown University, Providence, RI
College of Creative Studies, Detroit, MI
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
DePaul University, Chicago, IL
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL
Hampton University, Hampton, VA
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
New School University, New York, NY
Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT

Small Businesses to Supercommittee: Tax Reform Should Restore Lost Revenue, Not Reward Tax Dodgers

11.02.2011 - 09:47AM

Today, three business networks – Business for Shared Prosperity, the Main Street Alliance and the American Sustainable Business Council – submitted a joint letter to the Congressional Supercommittee on the deficit. The letter urges Supercommittee members to support tax reforms that raise revenues to restore America’s economic vitality, countering an all-out push from big business lobbyists for even more corporate tax breaks as the Supercommittee’s November 23 deadline looms.

“If I were a businessman competing with America, I’d be applauding more tax cuts for U.S. megacorporations and millionaires,” said Lew Prince, managing partner of Vintage Vinyl, an independent music store in St. Louis, MO with 22 employees, and Business for Shared Prosperity member. “Instead of investing in the 21^st century education, research and infrastructure we need to create jobs today and succeed in the future, we’re laying off teachers and letting our middle class crumble along with our bridges. The last thing we need is more cutbacks to pay for more tax cuts at the top.”

The joint letter outlines four core principles to ensure that tax reforms strengthen our economy:

The corporate tax code should ensure that all companies – large and small – pay a realistic and fair share toward the cost of public infrastructure and government services that underpin our economy.
The tax code should promote a level playing field between large multinational corporations and smaller, domestic businesses. We need to close loopholes that allow large multinational corporations to avoid their tax obligations by shifting U.S. profits offshore, rather than rewarding firms engaging in this practice with either short or permanent tax holidays.
Corporate tax reform needs to be revenue positive. It makes no sense to freeze the corporate income tax component of federal revenues at historically low levels, much less reduce them further.
The tax code should reflect longstanding principles of tax progressivity, in which those with higher incomes pay a larger share in taxes than those with lower incomes.

Business for Shared Prosperity, the Main Street Alliance, the American Sustainable Business Council and more than 300 other business organizations, owners and executives have signed a new petition, still collecting signatures, in support of corporate tax reform based on the principles above.

“Let me get this straight – the same corporate players that routinely use their market power to steamroll over small businesses are now asking us to foot the bill for their tax holidays?” said Aimee McQuilkin, owner of Betty’s Divine in Missoula, MT, referring to a push by the “WIN America Campaign” for a temporary or even permanent tax holiday for the return of off-shored profits. McQuilkin serves on the steering committee of the Montana Small Business Alliance, affiliated with the national Main Street Alliance network. “Enough is enough,” she added. “If you want to fly the American flag outside your corporate headquarters, you should be paying your way.”

More than 1,200 business people have signed onto a longer-standing Business Against Tax Haven Abuse statement at www.businessagainsttaxhavens.org.

“We need tax reform that rewards the real job creators, not the job destroyers,” said Frank Knapp, President and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce and Vice Chairman of the American Sustainable Business Council. “We need tax revenue to invest in a sustainable economy, not more tax and budget cuts that take money from Main Street customers while lining the pockets of quick buck artists on Wall Street.”

“Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” said Scott Klinger, tax policy director of Business for Shared Prosperity. “We can’t cut our way to recovery: The corporate tax share of federal receipts is already just 9%, way down from 32% in 1952. We need tax reform that stops corporate tax dodging instead of rewards it, levels the playing field between big business and small, and raises the revenues we need to rebuild our economy.”

“I’m tired of corporations cloaking their demand for more tax breaks in the guise of creating jobs, even as they lay off American workers,” said Jody Gorran, chairman of Aquatherm Industries Inc, in Lakewood, NJ, and a business member of the American Sustainable Business Council. “They can stop piling up record cash and begin hiring tomorrow. My company has been manufacturing in New Jersey for 22 years. It’s time for big corporations to stop passing the buck, pay their fair share in taxes and create jobs here at home.”

“At a time of unprecedented long-term unemployment, a glaring need for investment in our crumbling infrastructure and an educated workforce, and a realization that some of our largest banks and Fortune 500 companies are sitting on trillions of dollars – unwilling or unable to invest and hire American workers – our government has a responsibility to raise the revenues necessary to assure our economic recovery,” said Jim Houser, owner of Hawthorne Auto Clinic in Portland, Oregon and co-chair of the Main Street Alliance of Oregon. “There’s no excuse for delay now, given the length and depth of our current economic crisis.”

Note to editors: Small business owners available for comment.

Business for Shared Prosperity is a network of forward thinking business owners, executives and investors. BSP has organized petitions for positive corporate tax reform and for ending top-rate tax cuts, and produced related reports. BSP is a member of the American Sustainable Business Council. www.businessforsharedprosperity.org

The American Sustainable Business Council is a growing coalition of business networks and businesses committed to advancing policies that support a vibrant and sustainable economy. Today, the organizations in this partnership represent over 100,000 businesses and more than 200,000 entrepreneurs, owners, executives and investors. www.asbcouncil.org

The Main Street Alliance is a national network of state-based small business coalitions. MSA creates opportunities for small business owners to speak for themselves on issues that impact their businesses and local economies. www.mainstreetalliance.org

Bank of America Drops Fee After Massive Outcry on Change.org

11.01.2011 - 07:16PM

Bank of America announced Tuesday that it will drop its $5 debit card fee after more than 300,000 people from all 50 states joined a viral campaign on Change.org started by 22-year-old Bank of America customer Molly Katchpole.

The news follows a series of victories in copycat campaigns on Change.org calling on other major national banks to drop similar debit card fees. Citi, Chase, Wells Fargo and SunTrust all dropped debit card fees after Molly’s popular campaign inspired others to launch similar campaigns on Change.org against their banks.

“I knew that if enough people expressed their outrage to Bank of America, they would have to listen to their customers and reverse their debit fee plan,” said Molly Katchpole. “The American people bailed out Bank of America during a financial crisis the banks helped create. Bank of America paid zero dollars in federal income tax last year and thought they could squeeze more from the American people. The success off this campaign proves that ordinary people can successfully stand up to even the largest corporations.”

Molly’s campaign quickly became the largest consumer advocacy campaign ever run on Change.org, the world’s fastest-growing campaigns platform. At one point the campaign was attracting more than 3,000 new supporters an hour and more than 40,000 a day. Change.org said that the campaign serves as the latest evidence that social media platforms can match the power of major institutions like Bank of America.

"With people struggling economically across the country, the level of interest in this campaign is simply unprecedented,” said Change.org Founder Ben Rattray. “With no funding and while working two part-time jobs, a 22-year-old recruited hundreds of thousands of people from across the country to join her in challenging one of America's most powerful financial institutions. Not only did she win, but the success of her campaign drove all of the major banks into avoiding the same types of fees. Change.org is about empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the issues that matter to them, and Molly's campaign has clearly struck a nerve as a growing number of Americans take action to change our financial system."

Live signature totals from Molly Katchpole’s Bank of America campaign:
http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-bank-of-america-no-5-debit-card-fees

Journalists interested in contacting Bank of America’s public relations staff should try:

Scott Silvestri
Phone: 980.388.9921
scott.silvestri@bankofamerica.com

T.J. Crawford
Phone: 646.855.3301
tj.crawford@bankofamerica.com

Nicole Nastacie
Phone: 980.388.7252
nicole.nastacie@bankofamerica.com

Diane Wagner
Phone: 312.992.2370
diane.wagner@bankofamerica.com

For more information on Change.org, please visit: http://www.change.org/about.

Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change — growing by more than 400,000 new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.

Lipscomb University's Institute for Civic Leadership Announces Naki Osutei, VP, Toronto City Summit Alliance, as Speaker at the Third Annual Hispanic Forum

10.31.2011 - 12:18PM

Naki Osutei, vice president of strategy at the Toronto City Summit Alliance, will be the guest speaker at Lipscomb University's third annual Hispanic Forum, to be held Dec. 8 at 7:30 a.m.

The Hispanic Forum was created in the wake of Nashville’s January 2009 “English only” referendum. The proposal to declare English the only language to be used for city government operations was rejected, but the public controversy surrounding the measure sparked Lipscomb to hold an annual forum to bring together leaders from business, government, education, health care, advocacy and non-profit organizations to find common ground on the challenges facing Nashville’s growing Hispanic community.

This year’s forum, with the theme “Abriendo Puertas – Opening Doors for All,” will focus on the region’s diverse populations and seek to understand, recognize and build on the strength that diversity brings to our communities.

As the state with the third fastest-growing population of Hispanics since 2000, Tennessee is undergoing major population shifts. Hispanics make up 4.6 percent of the state’s population and 7.2 percent of the state’s population of children under 18.

Osutei’s career experience gives her a unique insight into ways Nashville’s leaders can address diversity issues. As the strategy and fundraising officer for the Toronto City Summit Alliance, Osutei works with a unique coalition of senior business, non-profit, government and community leaders who come together to address challenges to the Toronto region’s social and economic future.

She has also helped to develop rising civic leaders through the Alliance’s Emerging Leaders Network and DiverseCity: The Greater Toronto Leadership Project and served on the board of directors for St. Christopher House, one of Canada’s leading multiservice community agencies.

The Dec. 8 Hispanic Forum is co-sponsored by Lipscomb University’s Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership, Conexión Américas and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, three groups also interested in collaborative decision-making, developing emerging civic leaders and strengthening links between business and civic engagement.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean was the speaker at the first Hispanic Forum in 2009, which focused on collaborative solutions to individual and community needs. The forum resulted in at least one major collaboration that is in operation today – a partnership between Southern Hills Medical Center and the United Neighborhood Health Service to provide additional health services to the Hispanic and immigrant community.

Dr. Stella Flores, assistant professor of public policy and higher education at Vanderbilt University and a nationally known expert on the impact of state and federal policies on college access and completion, spoke at the second forum in 2010, which focused on ways to increase the number of Hispanic youth entering college.

In addition to establishing the Hispanic Forum, Lipscomb University has established several scholarships and a strong relationship with the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s Latino Achievers program in order to make a college education more accessible and affordable to Nashville’s Latino youth.

World's Largest Investors, Worth $20 Trillion, Step Up Call for Urgent Policy Action on Climate Change

10.20.2011 - 01:48PM

Despite the global economic crisis, and increased market volatility, the world’s largest investors today urged governments and international policy makers to take new and meaningful steps in the fight against climate change.

In a joint statement, the group of 285 investors representing more than $20 trillion in assets, stressed the urgent need for policy action which stimulates private sector investment into climate change solutions, creates jobs, and is essential for ensuring the long-term sustainability and stability of the world economic system.

Investor support for climate action has more than doubled since November 2008, when 150 investors with $9 trillion in assets under management first came together to urge government leaders to act on climate change.

Current levels of investments in low-carbon technology and infrastructure are substantially lower than the $500 billion per year deemed necessary by the International Energy Agency to hold the increase of global average temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius – the target agreed in Cancun last year.

Co-ordinated by three leading investor groups on climate change, the US-based Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), the European Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) and the Investors Group on Climate Change (IGCC) in Australia and New Zealand, alongside the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the Advisory Council of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the statement represents the largest ever grouping, by both number of signatories and assets under management, to call for policy action on climate change.

The statement is supported by the findings of a report commissioned by the three investor groups and UNEP FI. This report underscores the importance of investment-grade policy which will enable institutional investors to allocate capital towards climate change solutions, including appropriate government incentives to compensate for heightened risk and sufficient scale of technology deployment. The report also emphasises that long-term policy stability is critical and retroactive changes can significantly damage investor confidence. Contained within the report are case studies on the climate policies of six major emitters and further examples of investment-grade policy, which may prove instructive for national governments and negotiators considering future policy initiatives.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commented that “Governments have clearly signaled their intention to move towards a low-carbon future. To get there fast enough will require huge new investments in clean energy. This is the only way to guarantee the long-term sustainability and security of the world economic system and the stability of returns from global investment, a major part of which is directly linked to the pensions and life insurance of ordinary people around the world. This global investor group has seen this clearly. The Statement from major private sector investors will help to give governments both the confidence and the knowledge to put the right incentives and mechanisms in place”.

Investors sent the statement and report to the G20 and other governments in anticipation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at Durban in November/December. Investors will engage with policy makers there and call for domestic and international policy action including:

The definition by governments of clear short-, medium- and long-term greenhouse gas emission objectives and targets and comprehensive, enforceable legal mechanisms and timelines.
The creation of lasting financial incentives that shift the risk reward balance in favor of low-carbon assets.
The design of lasting and comprehensive policies that accelerate the deployment of energy efficiency, cleaner energy, renewable energy, green buildings, clean vehicles and fuels, among others.

International policy recommendations include:

Continued work towards a binding international climate change treaty that includes all major emitters and sets short-, mid-, and long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
Support the development of the Green Climate Fund and other comparable funding mechanisms.
Accelerate efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD and REDD+).

Stephanie Pfeifer, Executive Director at the IIGCC said: “Policy risk has a critical influence on investment in low-carbon growth areas such as renewable energy. Attracting capital at the scale required to meet climate change goals will only be possible when low carbon investments are seen as attractive relative to higher carbon investments. Determined leadership on national and international climate and energy policy will be fundamental in shifting this risk/return balance in favour of low carbon investments”.

Frank Pegan, Chair of IGCC Australia/New Zealand commented: “Individual nations will be in a stronger position to attract private capital to stimulate their economies by implementing clear and credible climate policies. As and when governments around the world show leadership and reduce policy risk around climate change for investors, the investment flows will follow”.

Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres and director of the Investor Network on Climate Risk said: “The global economy is moving towards a low-carbon future. The governments that act aggressively to enact strong, long-term climate and energy policy will reap the rewards. They will drive the innovation, maintain competitiveness in the 21st century and attract investment.”

Paul Clements Hunt, head of UNEP FI said: "The type of smart finance we are calling for, one that clears the way for the low-carbon economy’s vast business opportunities, could prompt the reversal of the current climate of economic insecurity. It holds the potential to act as a major driver of growth and job creation."

Dr. Wolfgang Engshuber, Chair, Advisory Council of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) remarked: "Climate change will transform economies throughout the world, creating new opportunities for investors. However, these will gain traction only if governments play their part in laying down well-designed and effective climate change policies. Without such a supportive regulatory environment, we will not see the level of investment that is needed to transform the world's energy supplies and transport systems. Investors will look for an outcome from Durban that goes a long way to provide them with the certainty they seek that concerned governments will indeed create and sustain such an environment".

Signatories to the statement include financial institutions, state treasurers, controllers, pension fund leaders, asset managers and foundations worldwide.

For further information, please contact:

Sebastien Malo, UNEP FI Communications, at +41 22 917 8465 / Mobile: +41 78 686 7022, or by email: sebastien.malo@unep.org.

Quintin Keanie, Capital MSL for IIGCC at +44 207 255 5154/ Mobile: +44 7956 683 274, or by email: quintin.keanie@capitalmsl.com.

Peyton Fleming for INCR at +617-733-6660 or by email: fleming@ceres.org.

Nathan Fabian for IGCC Australia/New Zealand at +61 2 9255 0291, or by email: nathan.fabian@igcc.org.au.

Surinder Hundal for UNPRI at +44 207 749 5145 /Mobile: +44 7508 403 990, or by email: surinder.hundal@unpri.org.

Notes to editors:

The 2011 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change and a list of signatories can be downloaded at http://investorsonclimatechange.com/.

The Statement and Report are two separate documents. It should not be assumed that signatories to the Statement also endorse the contents of the report.

About the investor groups:

The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) www.iigcc.org

The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) is a forum for collaboration on climate change for investors. IIGCC brings together European investors to engage with policymakers, companies and investors on addressing long-term risks and opportunities associated with climate change. The group currently has over 70 members, including many of the largest pension funds and asset managers in Europe, representing assets of around $10 trillion.

United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) www.unepfi.org

UNEP FI is a unique global partnership between the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the global financial sector. UNEP FI works closely with over 200 financial institutions who are signatories to the UNEP FI Statements. Its mission is to identify, promote, and realize the adoption of best environmental and sustainability practice at all levels of financial institution operations. www.unepfi.org

Investor Group on Climate Change Australia/New Zealand (IGCC) www.igcc.org.au

The IGCC represents institutional investors, with total funds under management of approximately $700 billion, and others in the investment community interested in the impact of climate change on investments. The IGCC aims to encourage government policies and investment practices that address the risks and opportunities of climate change, for the ultimate benefit of superannuants and unit holders.

Advisory Council - Principles for Responsible Investment Initiative (PRI) www.unpri.org

The Advisory Council is the strategic governance body of the Principles for Responsible Investment Initiative (PRI). Established in 2006, the PRI Initiative is managed by the PRI Secretariat to promote responsible investment and support investors by sharing best practice and facilitating collaboration.

Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR) www.incr.com

The Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR) is a North American network of institutional investors focused on addressing the financial risks and investment opportunities posed by climate change. INCR currently has over 100 members with more than US$10 trillion in assets. INCR is a project of Ceres, a coalition of investors and environmental groups working to integrate sustainability into the capital markets.

Green America: 6 Ways to Break Up With Your Bank

10.18.2011 - 06:04PM

Against the backdrop of an economy that has rebounded only for those at the very top, comes news of steeply increasing services charges, and new fees for services that used to be free. Among the most recent outrageous consumer gouging: the new $5 monthly debit card fee at Bank of America (that's $60 a year to use your own money!), and Citi charging up to $20 per month for not maintaining a minimum balance in checking accounts.

One Green America member said it best when she said her decision to break up with her bank was motivated simply by wanting to "find a bank that isn't mean." She moved her money to New Resource Bank, a member of our Green Business Network™. Green America has profiled New Resource's work to support a growing Fair Trade quinoa business, along with other green banks that are financing projects like affordable housing, inner-city food security, energy-efficiency retrofits, and solar energy for small businesses.

That's the power of breaking up with your mega-bank. First, you take money out of the old, corrupt economy. Then, when you shift your money into a community development bank or credit union, your money goes to work building the new economy.

Join our "Break up with Your Mega-Bank" Campaign today, and grow the green economy. When you decide to break up, we'd love to hear about it. Please tell us about it on our blog. Here are the top six ways to break up:

1. Open new checking and savings accounts -- Close your old mega-bank accounts, and find a new community development bank or credit union that matches your values better. Find your new community bank or credit union (for either your personal or business accounts) on page 20 of the clickable online version of our Community Investing Guide. Find more options via the Community Development Bankers' Association (www.cdbanks.org) and the Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (www.cdcu.coop). Remember to tell your old bank why you left.

2. Find a greener credit card -- Cut up your mega-bank credit cards and mail them back to the bank with a note about why you're leaving. Find greener credit card options affiliated with community development banks. The Green America credit card helps support our green economy programs. Other greener credit cards support local permaculture projects, protect the bioregion of the Pacific Northwest, or support carbon offset programs. (Find a list of greener credit cards in this article from the Green American.)

3. Get your faith community involved -- If you have influence over how your faith community or other community group does its banking, you can encourage them to also break up with their mega-bank, and shift their institutional banking to a community development institution. Our allies the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investing offer a free downloadable toolkit (scroll down the page to find it).

4. Get your alma mater involved -- The Responsible Endowment Coalition's "Move Your Money" Campaign provides resources and a handbook for shifting your college or university toward community development banking and investing.

5. Find a new financial planner -- If you use a financial planner from a corporate bank, investigate your options from more responsible financial networks like First Affirmative Financial Network or Progressive Asset Management. Or search for a financial planner near you at our GreenPages.org.

6. Invest in responsible mutual funds and loan funds -- Find options with a special emphasis on strengthening local communities beginning on page 21 of our clickable online Community Investing Guide, or search for other responsible mutual funds at our GreenPages.org.

Breaking up with your mega-bank sends a message as loud and clear as a bullhorn in the middle of Wall Street itself. You're shifting power and money away from Wall Street to Main Street -- to the green economy.

When you break up, please tell us your story on our blog or Facebook page.

Deborah Taylor Tate, Executive-in-Residence in Communication, Meets with White House Officials to Promote Healthy Images of Women in the Media

10.14.2011 - 04:20PM

Lipscomb University Executive-in-Residence Debi Taylor Tate took her campaign to reduce negative images of women and girls in the media to the White House this week.

Tate, a former Federal Communications Commissioner and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) Special Envoy for Child Online Protection, teaches communications law in Lipscomb’s Department of Communication and Journalism, but also continues her full slate of activities to promote the safety and enrichment of children using digital media of all types.

As co-chair of the Healthy MEdia: Commission for Positive Images of Women and Girls, along with Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis, Tate was invited to a roundtable discussion with the White House Office of Women and Girls along with the Girl Scouts of America and "I Am That Girl," a national nonprofit inspiring confidence in young women by building community and creating healthy media.

"This issue is about far more than body image and the lack of diversity of roles displayed to young women through the media," said Tate. "It is also about jobs in the 21^st century – increasingly in the high tech sector – and the education girls will need to compete in our global economy. We need to instill both skills and confidence in our young women to step up on the world stage, and it is truly gratifying to see these public private partnerships, as well as the White House, interested in making that happen."

The Healthy MEdia commission is the first national dialogue promoting positive and healthy images of girls and women. Partners include the National Telecommunications and Cable Association, the National Association of Broadcasters, the Creative Coalition and the Motion Picture Association of America. Its goals include creating a more positive media environment for kids including concrete recommendations to media and policy leaders as well as championing media who are promoting healthy, diverse and balanced images.

As part of the national discussion on creating a positive media environment for all children, a panel discussion and showing of the film "Miss Representation" will be part of the Economic Summit for Women in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Oct. 24. In addition, Lipscomb University’s HumanDocs Film Series will host an encore showing for the community at-large on Wednesday, Oct. 26.

"Miss Representation," directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, delves into how women are judged more strongly on their youth, beauty and sexuality than on their capacity as leaders. The film interweaves the stories of teenage girls with interviews of women leaders such as Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda to challenge the limited portrayal of women in the mainstream media.

The film was shown in July to the Healthy MEdia Commission, which includes such influential national figures as the president of The Style Network, the editor of Seventeen magazine and executives from Black Entertainment Television, Scripps Networks and others. It was selected for the Sundance Film Festival and then picked up by the Oprah Winfrey Network for distribution. It will air on OWN on Thursday, Oct. 20.

Tate has coordinated a panel on "Miss Representation" for the Economic Summit including Dr. Stacey Smith from the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California; Beth Curley, CEO of Nashville Public Television; and Linda Garceau, CEO of Centerstone Foundation, which raises money to support the services of Centerstone, the nation’s largest not-for-profit provider of community-based treatment for mental illness and addictions.

About Deborah Taylor Tate

While an FCC commissioner, Tate was a leading voice on issues affecting families and children. In 2009, she was named a World Telecommunications and Information Society Day Laureate for her international work regarding education, advocacy and protection of children online. Tate presently serves as a distinguished adjunct senior fellow at the Free State Foundation and Minority Media Telecommunications Council in Washington, D.C. She advises numerous national nonprofit organizations including Common Sense Media and serves on the board of HealthStream, a leading provider of online health care learning and research solutions.

About HumanDocs' screening of "Miss Representation"

Lipscomb University presents a free screening of “Miss Representation” at 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 26, in Ward Hall. The HumanDocs Film Series is a social-justice documentary series that aims to create a more just, peaceful and inclusive university and city. It is presented by the Lipscomb University School of Humanities within the College of Arts and Sciences.

About the Department of Communication and Journalism

The Lipscomb University Department of Communication and Journalism in the College of Arts and Sciences offers three majors (public communication and leadership, organizational communication and public relations, and journalism and new media) with a core curriculum designed to develop ethical, effective communicators for a digital age. Craig Carroll, named Public Relations Educator of the Year by PR News, leads a faculty that includes award-winning journalists and nationally recognized public relations professionals.

Occupy Wall Street: CSRwire's Joe Sibilia Goes Head On With FOX Business' John Stossel

10.12.2011 - 11:48PM

'Occupy Wall Street: Who Are They And What Do They Want?' was a lead topic on CSRwire Talkback last week, and the conversation continues this week with CSRwire CEO Joe Sibilia taking the stage with John Stossel and Erica Payne from the Agenda Project for Stossel's namesake program on FOX.

The show to air Thursday, October 13th, will address the current state of Occupy Wall Street: Why are the protestors angry and what is the role of business?

Addressing CSR and 'Occupy', Sibilia says, "A corporation has to be designed for the common good. Business has the innovation and the capacity to solve social and environmental problems. Business can be a solution, not a problem to what's happening to the quality of life."

As "The 99%" continues to draw the lines between Wall Street and the economic and environmental crisis the nation faces, socially responsible capitalism may well be the way forward.

Supported by Payne, Sibilia added, "The Occupy Wall Street protests are a reflection of the deeply-rooted frustration felt by people across the country and the world. It is also a reflection of the ethos of corporate social responsibility, which we have been a part of for the last 25 years."

Stay tuned for more on 'Stossel' airing Thursday, October 13th at 10 p.m. EST.

Stossel's "Occupy Wall Street" program will air on the FOX Business Network Thursday, October 13th at 10 p.m. EST. 'Stossel' re-airs Saturdays and Sundays at 9 p.m. and midnight EST.

About John Stossel
John Stossel joined FOX Business and FOX News in October 2009. His show, 'Stossel', airs on the FOX Business Network on Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST. Re-airing on Saturdays and Sundays at 9 p.m. and midnight EST.

He is The New York Times best-selling author of Give Me A Break and Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity. His "John Stossel's Take" commentaries take a skeptical look at a wide array of issues, such as education, the economy, parenting and more.

About Joe Sibilia
Joe Sibilia is CEO of CSRwire and co-author of Street Smart Sustainability: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Profitably Greening Your Organization's DNA.

Joe is available for interviews and speaking engagements. To discuss scheduling, contact Natalie Thomas, below.

About CSRwire
CSRwire is the leading global source of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability news. Founded in 1999 to advance the movement towards a more economically-just and environmentally-sustainable society and away from single bottom line capitalism, CSRwire has paved the way for new standards of corporate citizenship, earning the international respect of thought leaders, business leaders, academics, philanthropists, activists and the media community. Follow CSRwire on CSRwire.com, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.

Editor's Note: View the October 13th program here.

Iranian Opposition Calls for 'Iranian Fall'

09.29.2011 - 08:08PM

In the wake of the success of the 'Arab Spring', Iranian dissidents are boldly calling for an 'Iranian Fall', challenging the Islamic Republic in a fiery rebuttal to President Ahmadinejad's recent address to the United Nations.

"Neither Mr. Ahmadinejad nor the Islamic regime by any means represent the view and the will of the Iranian people," says Dr. Iman Foroutan, Chairman of The New Iran. "And we will no longer let Mr. Ahmadinejad’s statements go unchallenged. The world needs to hear the true voice of the Iranian people."

With strong ties to dissidents within Iran as well as Iranian democracy activists around the globe, The New Iran is in a unique position to broadcast their message. Explains Foroutan, "The New Iran was designed to serve as a collective voice and platform for unified action for the many opposition groups and individuals struggling to free the Iranian people."

In the wake of the brutal repression of the 2009 street protests that came to be known as the Green Revolution, Iranian dissidents went underground. But Iranians have watched carefully and learned from the successes of the Arab Spring.

"We now know that the number one tool in fighting dictatorships like the Islamic Republic is not allowing the regime to control the flow of information," says Foroutan. That is why The New Iran has crafted a detailed video rebuttal to President Ahmadinejad's September 22^nd speech to the United Nations General Assembly and also why the organization is distributing within Iran virtual private networks (VPNs) and other methods of overcoming censorship.

"We are inviting everyone who is against the regime to use our website (TheNewIran.com) which we have setup to be a kind of virtual freedom square," says Foroutan, who made his fortune as a social media entrepreneur and is well aware of the power of the Internet to spark rapid change.

Now, those in Iran who long for democracy are able to use VPNs to covertly reach a website where they can openly discuss a better future for their country. Based upon these interactions and in consultation with nation building experts, The New Iran has developed 5 Principles that will characterize the new Iranian government to replace the current regime – united, secular, humane, democratic, with distributed power. The New Iran is also in the process of finalizing a 4 Point Action Plan for the non-violent downfall of the Islamic Republic.

According to dissidents from across the country, the feeling is that the regime’s days are numbered, confides Foroutan. Iranians no longer feel they need to blindly accept what they are being told. “Mr. Ahmadinejad’s own words betray the corruption and hypocrisy of the regime he represents," says Foroutan, referring to how President Ahmadinejad repeatedly called for justice and security among nations in his U.N. speech, all the while pointing the finger at the United States and Europe.

"There can be no 'security for all' while the ruling clergy in Iran funds and encourages terrorism throughout the world," counters Foroutan in The New Iran's rebuttal. "And rather than 'defying oppression, corruption, and discrimination' these are the primary political tools of the corrupt clerics who are enforcing their will upon seventy million Iranian citizens and forcing millions into exile."

But The New Iran and the dissidents they represent do agree with one part of President Ahmadinejad's address. "He said that there is a great awakening going on in Islamic lands," relates Foroutan. "He could not be more correct."

In the end of The New Iran's rebuttal, Foroutan says on behalf of the thousands of dissidents his organization is in direct contact with, "Mr. Ahmadinejad, we now put you, your Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and your corrupt regime on notice. The 'Arab Spring' was only a start. The Iranian people are awake. And we no longer need dream of a better future. We are already creating it. May the Arab Spring soon be followed by an 'Iranian Autumn'."

About the New Iran

The New Iran seeks to accelerate the non-violent downfall of the ruling Islamic Regime in Iran through providing a forum for unified action and transparent coordination among all reformers who seek to replace the Islamic Republic with a democratic, secular and pro-human rights government.

For more, visit TheNewIran.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Tanzanian President H.E. Jakaya M. Kikwete Calls for United Nations Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to Include Oral Disease

09.22.2011 - 08:45AM

/PRNewswire/ - Sponsored by the United Republic of Tanzania, with support from the World Health Organization, and co-sponsored by the Governments of Australia and Sweden

Tanzanian President H.E. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete urged the United Nations Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to address the challenge of oral health as a priority on the agenda.

"Oral diseases are often overlooked among NCDs by the international community, and it is a health area that we cannot afford to ignore and that is largely preventable," said the President. "I implore my fellow heads of state and governments to include oral health among the NCDs and for health ministries to become more engaged. We must have a shared sense of moral duty to make proper oral health a priority."

The President delivered this statement to an audience of 100 dental health experts and leaders, as well as high-level representatives from the diplomatic community, at a symposium entitled "Putting Teeth into NCDs," held on September 19 at the New York University College of Dentistry.

The program was emceed by Ali Velshi, CNN Anchor and Chief Business Correspondent, and focused on critical issues related to the global burden of oral disease and integrating oral disease into primary health care.

In addition to President Kikwete's keynote address, the event included remarks by Dr. Ray Williams, Dean of the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, who spoke about the connection between common risk factors of NCDs and oral diseases, highlighting that "dental caries is the most common NCD among children worldwide." He also emphasized the need to "treat a person's general state of health as a whole, by including oral health."

Dr. Habib Benzian, CEO for Fit for School International Inc., co-author of the FDI Oral Health Atlas, and a Senior Advisor to FDI World Dental Federation spoke about the current realities and challenges of oral diseases around the world, noting that "there is not a significant difference between high-income and low-income countries in terms of the prevalence of oral diseases."

Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, spoke about the importance of linking oral diseases to the NCDs and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and "the need for health and development actors to understand each other and to work together across a wide range of sectors." She also highlighted that "this is about smart, cost-effective policy choices, regardless of a country's economic status."

Access to oral health care—an integral part of a society's and an individual's overall health and quality of life—is severely lacking for many around the world, both in developing and high income nations. Under President Kikwete's leadership, the Government in Tanzania has been a leader in putting oral health care on the agenda of the U.N. General Assembly.

Over the past several years, MCW (Miracle Corners of the World) has been working with the Tanzanian government leaders and health officials to achieve sustainable oral healthcare in the country. Recent efforts include the upgrading of the country's leading dental school's laboratory.

Institutions, including the World Health Organization and the American Dental Association (ADA), are increasingly recognizing the link between oral health and overall health, including the link between periodontal disease and diabetes, coronary heart disease, preterm birth and low birth weight. And yet, according to the World Health Organization, 60-90 percent of school children worldwide suffer from dental cavities. Severe periodontal (gum) disease, which may result in tooth loss, is found in 5-20 percent of middle-aged adults.

"President Kikwete has played an important leadership role in recognizing the importance of oral health, its connection to general health, and the benefit of addressing oral health through a common risk factor approach combined with low-tech preventive and therapeutic modalities, particularly fluoridation and early childhood preventive education and screening," said Dr. Marion Bergman, Director of Health Care Projects for MCW. "The President should be lauded for using his position as a head of state to sensitize his colleagues—other heads of state and their health ministries—to this important issue by sponsoring this side event and delivering the keynote address."

According to the FDI World Dental Federation, oral diseases and other non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases share many common risk factors, including tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, and poor diet, especially over-consumption of sugar.

"Tanzania has provided a unique opportunity to propel collective action and engage Member States in the process of setting measurable national goals linking oral health to systemic health and well-being," said Dr. Lois Cohen, Consultant to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and advisor to the 'Putting Teeth into NCDs' program. "Advancing science-driven interventions that can be implemented at public policy levels, including ensuring optimal fluoride levels in the public's clean water supplies; reducing sugar, sodium, trans-fats in available food supply and taxing such harmful substances as tobacco and alcohol will benefit population health for many chronic diseases, both in the least developed parts of the world as well as the most industrialized countries."

The symposium was sponsored by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, and co-sponsored by the Governments of Australia and Sweden. Support was also provided by the American Dental Association (ADA), Colgate-Palmolive, Henry Schein Cares, the global corporate social responsibility program of Henry Schein, Inc.(NASDAQ: HSIC); MCW (Miracle Corners of the World), New York University College of Dentistry, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), FDI World Dental Federation, and World Health Organization (WHO).

For photos of the event, visit MCW's gallery on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/miraclecorners/sets/72157627599242899/show/.

About MCW (Miracle Corners of the World)

MCW (Miracle Corners of the World) is a non-profit organization founded in 1999 with the vision of Local Change through Global Exchange®. Our mission is to empower youth to become positive agents of change in their communities. Based in New York with affiliates in Africa, MCW offers the following programs: Leadership Training, Community Centers and Oral Healthcare Improvement, as well as Partner Initiatives (MCW Jacqueline's Human Rights Corner and the Container Project). For more information visit www.miraclecorners.org.

Audi Challenges Drivers to 'Take the Pledge' for Better, Safer Road

09.19.2011 - 01:30PM

/PRNewswire/ -

Announcement made during the Primetime Emmy® Awards telecast
With the help of drivers across the nation, Audi aims to make the road a more intelligent place
Drivers now can take the pledge at www.driverspledge.com

Audi is on a mission to make the road a more intelligent place. Challenging drivers to take a stand and champion responsible driving behavior, Audi announces a national initiative that encourages drivers across America to take the "Driver's Pledge." By pledging to be a smarter, safer, more efficient driver, Audi hopes to make the road a more intelligent place and allow drivers everywhere to once again enjoy the road. The "Driver's Pledge" is part of a larger campaign for the all-new 2012 Audi A6, one of Audi's most innovative and technologically-advanced models to date, that calls attention to the increasingly challenging road conditions American drivers face today and galvanizes enthusiasts to take action. Supporters can visit www.driverspledge.com to participate.

"Drivers daily face an unintelligent road. Frustrations, distractions and deterrents bombard drivers as they go from place to place," said Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer of Audi of America. "Audi recognizes these conditions and is on a mission to find solutions that not only assist our drivers, but also help improve daily driving conditions across the nation. Now, starting today, Audi challenges drivers to join the movement and take the 'Driver's Pledge' for a more intelligent road."

As part of the "Driver's Pledge," participants can promise to reduce their speed at yellow lights or refrain from texting or partaking in distracting behavior while driving, among other pledges to become more aware, safe and efficient drivers. By taking the "Driver's Pledge," participants will be entered to win a grand prize trip for two to the Audi Sportscar Experience Challenge at the Audi Forum Sonoma in Northern, Ca.

The initiative debuted on the Primetime Emmy® Awards telecast Sunday night with a special mention during Audi's 30-second spot for the all-new 2012 A6. The Audi A6, recently awarded the IIHS Top Safety Award this year for incorporating the most innovative safety technology into a vehicle, is engineered to combat today's road, making 2,000 decisions per second to assist the driver. With thermal imaging camera with Night Vision Assist to highlight pedestrians it detects in front of the vehicle, Audi Pre-Sense Plus safety system that is able to minimize accidents by warning the driver and applying the brakes with increasing force in an emergency, and head-up display that projects navigation data as a hologram that hovers over the windshield, the A6 is designed to analyze the road, anticipate situations for the driver, prepare for incidents and enhance the driver's experience.

Other leading technology such as MMI® Navigation with Google Earth – an industry first that combines 3-D terrain models with aerial views and a detailed street network to calculate routes seamlessly – MMI touch pad that recognizing handwriting in multiple languages, and factory-installed wireless internet that enables features such as Audi connect™ for real-time weather, traffic, news and live fuel prices, makes the Audi A6 one of the most intelligent vehicles on the road today.

For more information on the all-new Audi A6, please visit www.audiusa.com/a6 or download the new A6 iPad app in the Apple iTunes Store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audi-a6-experience/id459214436?ls=1&mt=8).

ABOUT AUDI
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. During 2010 Audi was the top performing luxury brand in Europe, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Over the next few years, AUDI AG will invest nearly $16 billion on new products and technologies. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

Viacom Recognizes Ten-Year Anniversary of 9/11 as the National Media Partner of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

09.06.2011 - 12:39PM

/PRNewswire/ - To commemorate the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) today announced the launch of a multi-platform public service campaign to inspire Americans to participate in the U.S. "9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance" by committing to good deeds, charity or volunteer service.

Created in collaboration with MyGoodDeed and HandsOn Network, lead organizers of this year's September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance (http://911day.org), the "I Will (pay tribute)" campaign asks "ten years later, what will you do to remember?"

Beginning today and running through September 11, Viacom's media networks will air specially produced Viacom "I Will" public service announcements featuring artists and actors such as Lady Gaga, Fran Drescher, DJ Pauly D, Nas, Julianne Hough and Drake Bell, along with Viacom employees. Viacom has also donated media across its properties to support the public service advertisements created by MyGoodDeed. Viacom's digital platforms are also supporting the campaign with an "I Will" widget through which visitors can upload their personal response to the question "What will you do on 9/11 in tribute?"

Philippe Dauman, President and CEO of Viacom said, "Everyone was affected by the tragic events of September 11, which claimed the lives of so many family members, friends and colleagues. A decade later, we hope that our audiences and the entire Viacom family will pause to reflect on the profound impact of that day. We are proud to join this call to action and encourage everyone to make a personal tribute."

"Viacom has been an indispensable and vital partner of the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance," said David Paine, president and co-founder of MyGoodDeed, the 9/11 nonprofit that created and annually organizes the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance. "Viacom understood immediately and fully embraced paying tribute on 9/11 through charitable service. We cannot thank them enough for generously providing their extraordinary media resources to help engage millions of people."

About Viacom

Viacom is home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms in more than 160 countries and territories. With approximately 170 media networks reaching more than 600 million global subscribers, Viacom's leading brands include MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, BET, CENTRIC, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick at Nite, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV Land, Spike TV and Tr3s. Paramount Pictures, America's oldest film studio and creator of many of the most beloved motion pictures, continues today as a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. Viacom operates a large portfolio of branded digital media experiences, including many of the world's most popular properties for entertainment, community and casual online gaming.

For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com.

Note for Media: To download the PSAs, visit http://viacom.aerva.com, powered by Aerva Inc.

Ted Turner, Dr. Sylvia Earle and Sir Richard Branson Unite to Form OceanElders

08.25.2011 - 03:11PM

/PRNewswire/ - Ted Turner, Dr. Sylvia Earle and Sir Richard Branson have joined together to help launch OceanElders to help put ocean conservation at the forefront of the global agenda. The newly formed non-profit organization brings together global leaders to use their wide range of experience and influence, supported by science and data, to pursue the protection of the ocean's habitat and wildlife.

Joining Mr. Turner, Dr. Earle and Sir Richard Branson as founding Ocean Elders are Jackson Browne, Dr. Rita Colwell, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Graeme Kelleher, Sven Linblad, Captain Don Walsh and Neil Young.

"I have a great love for the oceans and I believe that we need a plan to save them," said Mr. Turner. "I'm honored to work together with global leaders in order to advance critical ocean issues and help protect these ecosystems."

Over the past four decades, Mr. Turner has stepped into the international spotlight with one accomplishment after another. Whether in billboard advertising, cable television, sports, sailing, environmental initiatives or philanthropy, Mr. Turner's vision, determination, generosity and forthrightness have consistently given the world reason to take notice.

Dr. Earle, called "Her Deepness" by The New Yorker and The New York Times, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist. She will take the lead from a scientific and conservation perspective, helping navigate the wide range of complex ocean issues. Having led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, Dr. Earle's experience in deep-sea research, exploration and conservation is unparalleled.

"I am excited to join such an incredible group of leaders who share a passion for and commitment to saving the oceans – the blue heart of the planet," said Dr. Earle. "While less than one percent of the ocean is currently protected, I am hopeful that the influence and organizing power of OceanElders can save the oceans - and ourselves."

Sir Richard Branson is Founder and Chairman of the Virgin Group. Virgin is one of the world's most recognized and respected brands and has expanded into many diverse sectors from air and ground travel to telecommunications, health, space travel and renewable energy through more than 200 companies worldwide. Sir Richard was instrumental in founding The Elders, an organization focused on human rights.

"We are all concerned about the ocean and its declining health. As the ocean goes, so shall we," said Sir Richard. "OceanElders was created to give the ocean a loud and focused voice. It will act as a centerpoint in this field of ocean conservation. By collaborating with other organizations, OceanElders can provide advice, guidance, and potentially, the tipping point needed to gain media attention and wide-scale awareness."

In addition to working at the global policy level, OceanElders will develop a web-based network of regional Ocean Elders focused on garnering support for ocean-related issues in their local communities. The overarching goal is to make the oceans top-of-mind in people's thoughts and conversations, bringing the issue to the forefront of the global agenda for the first time in history.

The idea for OceanElders was born on the Mission Blue Voyage to the Galapagos Islands in April 2010, where more than 100 scientists, business leaders, philanthropists and celebrities came together to help Dr. Sylvia Earle, 2009 TED Prize Winner. Given "one wish to change the world" by TED, Earle asked for help in catalyzing public support for the urgent need for ocean conservation by advocating for the establishment of a global network of marine protected areas - "hope spots" in Earle's words - big enough to save and restore the ocean.

A Mission Blue Voyage participant and philanthropist, Gigi Brisson returned home inspired to sustain the momentum sparked in the Galapagos. Aware of the mission and positive impact of The Elders in addressing human rights, Brisson believed that a similar structure could be applied to benefit the ocean. Following its model, Brisson created and funded OceanElders, and targeted global leaders who had a personal passion for the ocean and all marine life.

For more information and updates on OceanElders, please visit www.oceanelders.org.

About OceanElders
OceanElders is an independent group of global leaders who have joined together to use their collective influence and experience, supported by science and data, to promote ocean conservation, pursue the protection of the ocean's habitat and wildlife, and preserve its ecosystems and species diversity. The founding Ocean Elders are Sir Richard Branson, Jackson Browne, Dr. Rita Colwell, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Graeme Kelleher, Sven Linblad, Ted Turner, Captain Don Walsh, and Neil Young.

1st Annual Global Social Change Film Festival & Institute

01.27.2011 - 04:11PM

The Global Social Change Film Festival & Institute (GSCFFI) Bali 2011 will feature eight selected film finalists, filmmaking workshops and courses, the "Green is Gold" pre-festival event, and a post-festival event exploring how to make filmmaking more environmental.

The finalists use the power of film to tell compelling and motivational stories about the most pressing social problems of our time. True to the international vision of the GSCFFI, the films also promote intercultural understandings and foster international social justice dialogues.

The theme for the Bali 2011 film festival is "Women & Film." Honorees and awards include: Women and Childrens Crisis Centre of Tonga recipient of the GSCFFI 2011 Activist Award; Nia Dinata, the GSCFFI 2011 Filmmaker Honoree; and EngageMedia recipient of the the GSCFFI 2011 Innovator Award.

The GSCFFI aims to create a space for activists, filmmakers, and local communities and hosts events, workshops, and screenings throughout the year.