Protests are a Necessary and Appropriate Response to the Trump Administration

Donald Trump has augured protest unlike any that have gone before it. The level size and scope of these protests are unprecedented. They started while Trump was on the campaign trail and persist to this day. We have seen a massive protest on Inauguration Day January 20th and the Women's March that took place on January 21.

The electoral victory has spawned an unprecedented movement. Protest is important and never more than in the dark times heralded by Trump's win in November.  The reasons to protest are numerous and include the numerous swipes Trump and Republicans have taken on climate action and environmental protections.

Infographic - Companies, Governments and the Environment

Event - Power Shift 2013: Youth Conference Convenes to Fight Climate Change

Power Shift 2013 will take place October 18 - 21st in Pittsburgh, PA. There are expected to be 10,000+ youth leaders converging on Pittsburgh to combat climate change and fight for the future. Young people will come together from all walks of life including college students, young environmental justice leaders, DREAMers, young people of faith, and young workers. At this conference attendees will learn from one another and go back to their communities where they will build and launch strategic campaigns.

Issues on the agenda include the fight against fracking, and the Keystone XL pipeline. They will also address the issues of divestment from fossil fuels, clean energy, and of course, the climate crisis.

Video - Changing the Narrative to Change the World

This video from SustainableMan offers an eloquent essay from Charles Eisenstein, author of The Ascent of Humanity and Sacred Economics. Eisenstein proposes that to change our world, we need to change the story: “The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation.” How do we change the world? Change the story. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation." ~ Once the story our world is built on reflects the reality of interconnection, we will be on a true path towards sustainability. The speaker is Charles Eisenstein (author of 'The Ascent of Humanity' and 'Sacred Economics').

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Collaboration and Best Practices in Sustainability

Research suggests that collaborative approaches are often the best way to succeed in the development and implementation of a sustainable best practice campaign. Collaboration is key because although best practice is an increasingly popular buzzword, real-world development and implementation is no easy feat.

Canadian research by the Network for Business Sustainability reveals that collaborating on green issues is the key issue facing companies with a strong record of sustainability. The complex and diverse nature of developing and implementing best practice means that companies need to share best practices and solve these difficult problems.

Video - Indian environmentalist and CEO Shares his Support for Earth Hour

Indian environmentalist and CEO of Paharpur Business Centre & Software Technology Incubator Park, Kamal Meattle, shares his support for Earth Hour.

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Video - Business supporting Earth Hour

This video from Royal Business Center reviews what businesses can do to support Earth Hour. Businesses do more than just turn off the lights of the premises and ask staff and customers to do the same. Businesses support Earth Hour by implementing practices and offering services all year round that reduce environmental impacts.

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Earth Hour: Tangible Action Beyond the Symbolism
WWF's Earth Hour 2013: Why You Should be Part of It!

WWF's Earth Hour Playbook for Business

To help businesses with Earth Hour, WWF Canada has put together a Playbook for Business. The official playbook includes all sorts of activities and events to run not only during Earth Hour, but beyond the hour too. There are a number of things that businesses can do in addition to participating in Earth Hour, promoting the event in the workplace, and encourage employees to participate in Earth Hour at home.

Business activities run the gamut from awareness raising trivia quizes to work programs and ongoing actions. Host a departmental energy trivia challenge and test your employees with energy-related facts and prizes. To check out the energy trivia from Living Planet click here.

Companies are invited to join WWF’s Living Planet @ Work program. It includes access to free online tools and ideas for implementing sustainability initiatives, plus background documents on sustainability in the workplace. To see WWF's Living Planet @ Work Program click here.

Earth Hour: Tangible Action Beyond the Symbolism

Earth Hour is about more than symbolic gestures designed to consolidate support for action on climate change. While the importance of bringing people together for environmental betterment cannot be overstated, Earth Hour also produces tangible benefits. The event is a catalyst for thousands of environmentally oriented actions and initiatives around the globe. From Africa to the Americas, businesses and governments are getting involved alongside millions of people all around the world.

Last year in the US, nearly 35,000 Girl Scouts led a Save Energy Project for Earth Hour. They installed 132,141 energy efficient light bulbs in homes and community centers, eliminating 77,553,119 pounds of CO2 emissions, the equivalent to the CO2 sequestration from planting 7,495 acres of trees per year.

WWF's Earth Hour 2013: Why You Should be Part of It!

Earth Hour is the largest grassroots environmental event in history. Hundreds of millions of people, businesses and governments around the world unite each year to turn off their lights for one hour to show their support for action on climate change. In 2012 a total of almost 7000 towns and cities in more than 152 countries got involved. In 2013 Earth Hour takes place on Saturday March 23, from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM local time.

Earth Hour is a global movement that demands large-scale action. Shutting off your lights for Earth Hour is a highly visible symbolic act that is a catalyst for action on the issue of climate change. While turning off your lights for one hour will not put an end to climate change, hundreds of millions of people acting together across the globe can make a difference.

A New Environmental Movement Breeds Hope for the Future

Something is happening to the environmental movement that is giving us reason to hope that we may succeed in changing our current trajectory. On Sunday February 17th, 35,000 people came together to demand action in the face of a growing climate crisis. Part of this burgeoning climate activism is attributable to people's first hand exposure to extreme weather. Droughts, hurricanes, snowstorms and wildfires are forcing people to recognize that our climate is changing and they are increasingly coming to the understanding that we must act now.

World Agrees on a Treaty Restricting Mercury

After protracted negotiations that spanned almost half a decade more than 140 countries have signed on to the world's first legally binding international agreement to control mercury emissions. The agreement puts in place rules that limit mercury emissions from power plants and industrial boilers as well as certain kinds of smelters handling metals like zinc and gold. The treaty phases out mercury laden products, like batteries and thermometers as well as certain types of fluorescent lamps, soaps and cosmetics. The agreement also establishes rules for direct mining of mercury and addresses safe storage of mercury waste.

UNEP Mercury Study: Levels of the Toxic Metal are Increasing

A UNEP study released in January 2013 found mercury pollution in the top layer of the world’s oceans has doubled in the past century. In the past 100 years, man-made emissions have caused the amount of mercury in the top 100 metres of the world's oceans to double. Concentrations in deeper waters have increased by up to 25 percent. The study also indicates that hundreds of tons of mercury have leaked from the soil into rivers and lakes around the world. The report says an estimated 260 tonnes of mercury - previously held in soils - are being released into rivers and lakes.

Legally Binding Treaty to Reduce Mercury Emissions

On Sunday January 13 delegates from more than 130 nations began a final round of negotiations with the intent of creating the world's first legally binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions. Mercury contamination is a major problem which has serious implications for pregnant women, women of childbearing age and young children. Mercury accumulates in fish and wildlife and goes up the food chain.

According to the U.N. environment program, which is also one of the sponsors of these talks, over the past century ocean based mercury contamination has doubled. The report demonstrates that hundreds of tons of mercury have leaked from the soil into rivers and lakes around the world. High rates of mercury pollution are largely attributable to coal burning, chemical production and small-scale mining, particularly what is known as artisanal gold production.

Sustainable Cities: Oxymoron or the Shape of the Future? (White Paper)

The Harvard Business School has come up with a powerful analysis in the working Paper "Sustainable Cities: Oxymoron or the Shape of the Future?" When we think holistically we can create sustainable value. The failed business approach of the past has been due to the "single factor analysis" pitfalls. What is holding us back is the monomaniacal focus on one company or technology at at time. When we collaborate with all stakeholders, we can avoid those pitfalls. This requires us to follow the advice of great philosophers and prophets of history, exemplified by Aristotle, who pointed out that the best form of government is one where all participate and compete to find the best way to serve the communities in which they live.

Blog Action Day 2012: The Power of We

In 2012, Blog Action Day takes place on October 15. This year the theme is the Power of We. According the Blog Action Day organizers, Community, Equality, Transparency/Anti-Corruption and Freedom, and People Power are sub-themes of the event. Blog Action Day is the one day of the year where thousands of people come together to focus on one important global topic, and help raise awareness.

Founded in 2007, Blog Action Day brings together bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, data producers and social media users. Hundreds of thousands of people take part in Blog Action Day from a hundred countries all over the planet. They will cover a wide range of interests in dozens of languages. On this day everyone comes together to address one important global topic all on the same day.