tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26225064536825326392024-03-12T20:18:46.517-07:00Dreamers and DoersWe live with visionaries who are working to create a beautiful world. These people, who both dream big and take bold action, are often overlooked. This blog is dedicated to showcasing dreamers and doers to bring more attention to their creativity and to inspire the emergence of new visionaries.Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-56429849364456284012011-10-11T19:46:00.000-07:002011-10-11T20:03:57.495-07:00Leila Janah, Founder and CEO, SamaSource<a href="http://samasource.org/the-company/"></a>In 2008, Leila Janah created <a href="http://samasource.org/the-story/">Samasource</a> to address one of the root causes of poverty - no access to wage-earning work by the 4 billion people who live at the bottom of the pyramid. After working at the World Bank and seeing the flaws in large systems of aid to developing countries, Leila came up with a formula to link isolated women, youth and refugees to computer-based work needed by companies like Google and Linkedin. Samasource has provided jobs to close to 1,000 people who otherwise wouldn't have had access to work. <div><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lSiQcjf6j8s?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br />A more in-depth view into Leila's story and the founding of Samasource (worth the time) is here.</div><div><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_pqcc1aAlew?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-4843878443767487092011-07-12T09:36:00.000-07:002011-07-12T09:57:23.309-07:00Dhruv Lakra, Founder and CEO, Mirakle CouriersIn 2009, Dhruv Lakra, received an Echoing Green Fellowship and created <a href="http://www.miraklecouriers.com/">Mirakle Couriers</a> in India. He applied his business sense (MBA from Oxford) with a social cause of employing people who are deaf to build a courier delivery service. Over the past two years, he has grown the business from one employee to a cadre of 64 deaf couriers and office workers who who make 40,000 shipments a month. <br /><br />India, which expects to have half its population under age 29 by 2020, has a television feature on young changemakers. <a href="http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/164715/young-indian-leaders-honouring-young-achievers.html">Watch here</a> to learn more about Dhruv's business. Here's another video about this social enterprise.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/L3TZ15UFXzM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-57246009559722278232011-04-05T15:43:00.000-07:002011-04-05T16:03:31.666-07:00Katy Payne, acoustic biologistThis month's feature is a bit different from the rest because Katy Payne has not started a new organization or business, and yet, I find her work so fascinating that I wanted to share it with you. Given all the chaos in the human world, it is comforting to remember there are more creatures out there. Katy Payne has spent several decades listening to whales and elephants. She is an acoustic biologist who is able to share with us amazing understandings about her discoveries that humpback whales compose ever-changing songs and elephants communicate across long distances by infrasound. We are treated to a window into those worlds in this interview she did with <a href="http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/whale-songs/">Krista Tippet.</a> Her incites should also be a call to action to protect the habitats of these magnificent creatures.<br /><br />Payne is the author of "Silent Thunder: In the Presence of Elephants" (1998) and "Elephants Calling" (1992), a children's book.<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/W9VFsly_Wvk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-83120210774046332032010-12-12T12:28:00.000-08:002010-12-12T12:46:12.834-08:00Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO, A Better PlaceThis week, in my home state, our incoming Governor killed a long-developed regional high speed rail investment that would have helped get some travelers off of oil. So I'm looking for other signs of hope in a world that needs to transition off oil-based transportation. I found it when I heard Shai Agassi's interview with Charlie Rose - talking about how to run an entire country without oil and with no new science -- today and not 20 years from now. Riveting. This is a brilliant plan to make electric cars, ideally charged by renewable energy, affordable and convenient. The company is building the infrastructure across Israel, Denmark, Japan, and doing a pilot with taxis in the San Francisco Bay Area. This <a href="http://www.betterplace.com/">company</a> is combining a smart business with a social mission to reduce climate change. <br />This is well <a href="http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11323">worth your time to watch</a>!<br /><br /><br />For a shorter interview, check out this Canadian broadcast.<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PmPTpVY6RZM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PmPTpVY6RZM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-38424800121570382032010-11-19T11:02:00.000-08:002010-11-19T11:29:55.329-08:00Ranjana Mitra, Founder of Share-ITIf you're reading this, you're using a computer or phone right now. What do you do with your old technology when it no longer works or you've upgraded? If you live in the U.S., which isn't a signatory to the international agreement that bans the shipment of toxic waste, your upgrade may lead to someone in a developing country getting exposed to toxins from the discarded computer. Many discarded computers end up in India, China and Africa where there are few regulations to protect people who dismantle them. In 2004, <a href="http://communityenvironment.org/contact/">Ranjana Mitra</a> founded <a href="http://communityenvironment.org/share-it/">Share-IT</a> to keep used computers out of the waste stream by refurbishing and donating them to poor families. The group is based in Canada, and Ranjana has an interesting story about the link between Canada and U.S. in the shipment of this waste.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-At9X3M-0w?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-At9X3M-0w?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-2752501025757798972010-10-15T13:45:00.000-07:002010-10-15T14:05:11.685-07:00Ryan Hreljac, Founder, Ryan's Well FoundationWe hear the cold facts - 1 billion people lack access to clean water - but either they fall on deaf ears or we have no idea what to do to help. Some advocate turning water into a commodity and profiting off of water scarcity and pollution, and others try to help develop local, affordable solutions, like building water wells. Ryan Hreljac heard about the need for clean water as a six year old at his Catholic School in rural Canada. Surrounded by clean and abundant fresh water, Ryan was determined to do something to make sure others also had clean water. He started by raising pocket change and raised enough money to build a well in Uganda by the age of seven. A decade later, this work has expanded through <a href="http://www.ryanswell.ca/about-us/mission.aspx">Ryan's Well Foundation</a> to serve 700,000 people. <br />Here you can watch the old footage of him at six and then see the interview with him as a teenager. <br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fWk2_LZ1zFM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fWk2_LZ1zFM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1cpBpIxYh7M?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1cpBpIxYh7M?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-18392504977096988442010-09-06T09:44:00.000-07:002010-09-06T16:46:15.353-07:00Universities Teaching Social EntrepreneurshipI'm excited that my local university, <a href="http://www.marquette.edu/education/index.shtml">Marquette University</a>, was selected as one of three new universities added to <a href="http://www.ashoka.org/press/7353">Ashoka Foundation's 10 changemaker campuses </a> that are teaching students about social entrepreneurship. <br /><br />Campuses can be engines to promote the launching of new social innovators. I remember well the inspiration I received to start <a href="http://midwestadvocates.org">Midwest Environmental Advocates</a> when I was a student at UC Berkeley and got to hear first hand stories from social changemakers in the Bay Area. Hearing from others about social entrepreneurship ripped the roof off my concept of the possible. And then the inventing can begin.<br /><br />I hope to see these universities serving as incubators for our next generation of change makers who can take excellent ideas to scale to solve social problems.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q7BjDyN5z5s&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q7BjDyN5z5s&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="385" width="640"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-49115143113721684382010-08-02T09:12:00.000-07:002010-08-02T09:22:24.711-07:00Echoing Green 2010 FellowsRather than focusing on a single social entrepreneur, I'm letting you get a glimpse of the 2010 Echoing Green Fellows. I got my start as an Echoing Green Fellow in 1999 when I created Midwest Environmental Advocates, and had the pleasure of helping select this year's group of Fellows. They are each working to accelerate positive change around the world, and if you want to learn more you can watch the Fellows' individual videos. <br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XvJYPiUsnUg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XvJYPiUsnUg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-16726498805507862842010-06-01T09:19:00.000-07:002010-06-01T09:34:20.059-07:00Washington Heights Community Garden GroupGrowing food in urban areas is taking off around the country. From the White House vegetable garden to vacant lots in Detroit, people are transforming formerly dormant spaces into creative places to produce food. In Milwaukee, I recently completed a similar transformation with my neighbors. Where there once stood a boarded up, condemned house, there now are 24 raised beds for vegetables, and common areas with raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, and more. Within four short months, the Washington Heights Community Garden Group put together a plan, got the necessary lease and approvals, applied for funding, and gathered volunteers to move dirt and plant seeds. Now where there had been a dead zone that encouraged crime, neighbors are coming together to talk while they tend their vibrant gardens.<br /> <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" salign="l" flashvars="&titleAvailable=true&playerAvailable=true&searchAvailable=false&shareFlag=N&singleURL=http://witi.vidcms.trb.com/alfresco/service/edge/content/8271200e-9fc5-40ba-8a12-7236207730c3&propName=witi.com&hostURL=http://www.fox6now.com&swfPath=http://witi.vid.trb.com/player/&omAccount=triblocaltvglobal&omnitureServer=fox6now.com" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" menu="true" name="PaperVideoTest" bgcolor="#ffffff" devicefont="false" wmode="transparent" scale="showall" loop="true" play="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="http://witi.vid.trb.com/player/PaperVideoTest.swf" width="300" align="middle" height="450"></embed>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-8603650017997092762010-04-11T14:04:00.000-07:002010-04-11T14:23:33.882-07:00Maria GunnoeThe electricity powering my computer comes from coal, which ties me and everyone else using coal-powered electricity to the impacts of mining coal: the deaths in mines, black lung, destroyed ecosystems, climate change, and filling in valleys with the tops of mountains that have been blown apart in the quest for more. Although I wish my power company would stop burning coal altogether, while we are, I'm celebrating the <a href="http://http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/01/epa-proposes-new-mountain_n_522048.html">EPA's announcement</a> this week to tighten water standards for coal mines in Appalachia, which could stop the practice called "mountaintop removal." We wouldn't have gotten this change without the bravery and tenacity of people like Maria Gunnoe, who has fought this dirty practice for years, at great personal expense. In 2009 she won the Goldman Prize for North America, in recognition of her contributions to changing the world.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NfB0pBiJNgs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NfB0pBiJNgs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-3725889873585424582010-03-25T20:39:00.000-07:002010-03-25T21:03:31.215-07:00Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of Harlem Children's ZoneOutraged after reading today that black fourth-graders in Milwaukee have the worst reading scores in the U.S. and the hand wringing non-solutions that followed in the article, I went looking for examples of how to build a society where everyone can be educated and can contribute. I found Geoffrey Canada, the leader of <a href="http://www.hcz.org/">Harlem's Children Zone</a>, providing birth to college wrap around services in a 100 square blocks of Harlem. His program rests on a foundation of building a culture of success. In 2009, they served 10,462 youth, so this is no small pilot project. Ninety-three percent of their third graders are at or above grade level in reading and 100% are at or above in math. Check it out - let's stop failing our children!<br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ca9rd4aA_t0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ca9rd4aA_t0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br />Excerpts from Mr. Canada's recent keynote speech:<br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iLgVXsNVNlE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iLgVXsNVNlE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-57000144160158548822010-02-18T19:41:00.000-08:002010-02-18T20:02:01.644-08:00Alice Waters, Founder of Edible Schoolyard and Chez Panisse FoundationIn the depths of winter in Wisconsin, we like to dream of spring, seeds, and gardens. As I am just starting to plan a community garden with my neighbors, I've been looking at other models, and love seeing what Alice Waters has done with the Edible <a href="http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/">Schoolyard</a>. Alice Waters is a chef who created Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, serving organic food in season. But she brought organic food down to earth when she launched the Edible Schoolyard on one acre of public school grounds, where the students are involved in growing the food they then get to eat in their school lunches. Here, growing and preparing healthy food is part of the school curriculum, and is incorporated into other lessons on science, history, and culture. What would our childhood obesity and diabetes rates look like if most of our schools offered this for their students instead of the highly processed packaged foods that are the daily fare?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eVrnqZsghHk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eVrnqZsghHk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-44112452378434861032010-01-20T12:18:00.000-08:002010-01-20T12:32:02.743-08:00Kat Laine, Deputy Director, and Peter Haas, Founder, Appropriate Infrastructure Development GroupAs the crisis in Haiti unfolded, I received an update immediately after the earthquake about how the <a href="http://www.aidg.org">Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group</a> (AIDG) was springing into action to help relieve some of the suffering. I'd been following this group since its founder, Peter Haas, got it off the ground with an Echoing Green Fellowship in 2006. With people in Guatamala and Haiti, AIDG "helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water." Imagine smart engineers and social entrepreneurs working to develop local technology solutions to poverty that improves people's lives, and you've got the picture of what AIDG is doing. Learn more by watching Kat Laine, AIDG's Deputy Director, talk about their work against the backdrop of Haiti two years ago when it was being wracked by hurricanes.<br /><br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/gYAr2IcGAg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="275"></embed>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-15759775920711250372009-12-02T19:53:00.000-08:002009-12-02T20:04:09.552-08:00Dorothy Stoneman, Founder and President of YouthBuild<span>Living in Milwaukee I've been seeing lots of boarded up homes in need of renovations and youth in need of jobs. So when I heard Dorothy Stoneman's story of founding Youth Build, it resonated. After graduating from Harvard, Dorothy Stoneman lived in Harlem for 20 years amidst abandoned buildings, homeless people and idle youths. She founded YouthBuild to engage youth in a program that transforms their lives while building homes for low-income people. She says this program combines the power of "love and opportunity" to get people to believe in themselves, to complete high school, and to learn the building trades. Since 1994, they have employed 76,000 people to build 17,000 housing units in America's poorest communities. <br /></span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9csx6nNYJQE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9csx6nNYJQE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><a href="http://www.youthbuild.org/site/c.htIRI3PIKoG/b.1223921/k.BD3C/Home.htm"></a>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-77094121187736822732009-10-30T19:19:00.000-07:002009-10-30T20:07:04.405-07:00Building a Local EconomyWe're hearing a lot these days about what the federal stimulus may or may not be doing to get the economy going. This month's focus is on building a local economy after the manufacturing jobs have left town. Instead of focusing on a single entrepreneur, I'm featuring a small town that is creating a new community vision to build a local and sustainable economy. Don't let the beginning of the video put you off with the academic sounding introduction. It's a cool story. Calling all entrepreneurs to lead the charge to rebuild their communities!<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-4xEsBy2rIw&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-4xEsBy2rIw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-32534235581132644082009-09-01T19:18:00.000-07:002009-09-01T19:55:25.012-07:00Steve Donziger, Founder and Partner at Donziger & AssociatesWith the release this month of the movie, Crude Impact, I was brought back full circle to the start of my legal career, when I worked as a paralegal for a D.C.-based plaintiff's law firm and played a minor role researching a case against Texaco for contaminating the Amazon rain forest of Ecuador with numerous leaking oil waste pits. This work was a motivator that led me to law school, but I had largely left the case outside my peripheral vision since the early 1990s. Steve Donziger did not. <br /><br />As the founder of his law firm in New York, Donziger & Associates, he has doggedly pursued Texaco (now Chevron) in courts both in New York and in Ecuador for almost two decades. He is now assisting on the $27 Billion lawsuit against the company for massive oil contamination in the Amazon rain forest of Ecuador. Thirty thousand people are suing over this legacy of toxic pollution that has damaged the ecosystem and so many human lives. <br /><br />For a sneak preview of Crude Impact, check out the trailer. <br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/duFXuRnd2CU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/duFXuRnd2CU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />For a more in-depth understanding of what's at stake, watch the 60 Minutes expose. <br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3hMdsxrAyT0&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3hMdsxrAyT0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-12871544554064788322009-07-11T20:22:00.000-07:002009-07-11T21:01:51.685-07:00Luke Cole (In Memoriam), Founder and Director of Center on Race, Poverty and the EnvironmentAlthough the term "environmental justice" is somewhat commonplace now, twenty years ago when Luke Cole started the <a href="http://www.crpe-ej.org/index.html">Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment</a>, he was a pioneering attorney developing the concept and the law. <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-luke-cole11-2009jun11,0,3178048.story">Luke died last month</a> - far too soon, but his mark on the world will not soon fade. Luke fought for low income people and people of color to have a seat at the table and to actively participate in decisions impacting their environmental health and quality of life. He helped people stop toxic waste and tire burning incinerators, clean up dirty oil refineries, and beat back mega-dairies in the Central Valley of California. He trained numerous aspiring lawyers (myself included) to remember that the environmental justice lawyer's job is to ride shot gun, provide good strategy, and not get in the way of the movement. <br /><br />Unfortunately, I could find only two video clips of Luke, and neither tell his story well enough to be satisfying. He is and will be missed, but his spirit lives on in all who knew him and continue to fight for justice.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tUL47oYt_zw&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tUL47oYt_zw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BZTH0i3roBw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_detailpage&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BZTH0i3roBw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_detailpage&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-14882724635883292312009-06-02T19:46:00.000-07:002009-06-02T20:01:53.666-07:00Gidon Bromberg - Founder of EcoPeace Friends of the Earth Middle East<span><span style="color: rgb(102, 63, 6);">Although the Middle East seems to be a hornet's nest of conflicts, the work of Gidon Bromberg over the past 15 years has been to find common ground through "the commons" -- mainly water and other natural resources that don't know anything about human-made boundaries. Friends of the Earth Middle East is a unique organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists to work collaboratively to resolve environmental issues. In fact, Gidon sees issues of water scarcity as a vehicle for bringing people together to come up with solutions. Watch one of his stories and let it inspire you to promote peace too!<br /><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QAfR9k_n8EE&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QAfR9k_n8EE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object></span></span>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-13903242154032212552009-05-04T20:29:00.000-07:002009-05-04T21:16:07.728-07:00Jesús León Santos - Center for Integral Campesino DevelopmentAs we enjoy Cinco de Mayo, I've got Mexico on my mind. The Oaxaca region of Mexico is one that is rich in culture, but has the highest migration of indigenous people to the U.S. every year in search of work. Deforested 500 years ago, this now arid and highly eroded landscape makes it very difficult to grow food and get out of poverty. Although Jesús León Santos had never seen forests growing in his community, he and others kept a 500 year-old dream alive and formed the Center for Integral Campesino Development to restore the area to its former vibrancy. They have planted millions of trees, restored once-diminished water supplies, and established thriving sustainable agriculture. This story is not just highlighting Jesús as an incredible social entrepreneur, but one that shows the power of the community working together. Si se puede!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V83bzXvyl64&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V83bzXvyl64&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-74919590151071409602009-04-02T13:36:00.000-07:002009-04-02T13:49:03.344-07:00Social Entrepreneurs - the common threads that connect usSo far this year I've featured people focused on anti-gang work, urban farming, and micro-finance. They are all social entrepreneurs, but what does this mean? When faced with mounting problems, social entrepreneurs see opportunities. They believe before they see. And they see the end result before they even get started on a project. Call it a leap of faith, instinct, or madness, but we need more people taking these steps to transform the deficits around us into assets for the community. Here's a video that provides a good overview of a variety of social entrepreneurs and their importance in our world.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jk5LI_WcosQ&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jk5LI_WcosQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-67898398641219145592009-03-02T15:38:00.000-08:002009-03-02T15:49:03.641-08:00Jessica and Matt Flannery, Co Founders and Directors of Kiva.orgWe hear a lot about crises related to banking these days so it seems an apt antidote to learn about <a href="http://www.kiva.org/">Kiva.org</a>, a bank that uses technology to connect would be lenders of amounts as small as $25 to people all over the world who need loans to run and grow their businesses. I'm one of those lenders, and this month I saw my first loan was getting repaid; the system was working! These innovative systems don't "just happen" -- so I was delighted to find this interview with the co-founders of Kiva talking about their reasons for starting this innovative microfinance system.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YNA4Fi11ycM&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YNA4Fi11ycM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-73818906388212868132009-02-01T14:04:00.000-08:002009-04-02T13:45:07.692-07:00Will Allen, Founder and Director of Growing PowerUsually people don't envision farming and inner city Milwaukee in the same blink of the eye, but Will Allen has merged the two images into a masterpiece; with <a href="http://www.growingpower.org/">Growing Power</a> he is transforming growing and delivering healthy foods to underserved, urban populations that typical only have access to processed, expensive foods at their corner stores.<br /><br /><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3EpTWQWx1MQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3EpTWQWx1MQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></object>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2622506453682532639.post-42179694641034198142009-01-20T12:47:00.000-08:002009-01-20T19:47:03.135-08:00Father Greg Boyle, Founder of Homeboy IndustriesHomeboy Industries is bringing hope to some of L.A.'s toughest neighborhoods by providing ways for at-risk youth and former gang members to meaningfully contribute to their communities. Under the leadership of the inspiring Father Greg Boyle, and with the motto "Nothing Stops a Bullet like a Job," they guide more than 1,000 young people a month to a future with hope.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.homeboy-industries.org">Link to Homeboy Industries</a><br /><div><object height="381" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/k2CA1pYqNUvsWVf5YV&related=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/k2CA1pYqNUvsWVf5YV&related=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="381" width="480"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x25465_homeboy-industries_street">Homeboy Industries</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/explore">explore</a></i></div>Melissa Scanlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10986434523677289177noreply@blogger.com5