Monthly archive February, 2008

Cycling for Nature Conservation

A couple of friends of mine will start their 6000 km cycle tour through 12 different European countries, soon, from the North Cape to Athens. Their cycle tour is part of a campaign to raise awareness (and funds…) for Eastern European nature conservation projects (WWF, Avalon). Read more on their website (in Dutch) Related items...

Virtual Water

Here’s another great website which shows you the ‘virtual amount of water’ used to produce certain foods. Check it out. Theory behind the concept of »virtual water content« [excerpt from waterfootprint.org] Virtual water content – The virtual-water content of a product (a commodity, good or service) is the volume of freshwater used to produce the...

Kosovo: the day after

The cost of Kosovo’s independence is the permanent embitterment of its Serb minority. When the tears of joy and despair dry, a fresh diplomatic solution will be needed, says Timothy William Waters. After a decade of waiting and months of intense manoeuvring, Kosovo’s assembly unilaterally declared independence on the afternoon of 17 February 2008. The...

On Corporate Altruism

[By Gary Becker] In the past few decades, economists have analyzed the competition from companies motivated solely by the desire for profits against companies truly motivated in part by other considerations. These considerations include altruism toward consumers, discrimination against minority employees, and a desire to help the environment by using carbon offsets to own carbon...

A Bright Green Future?

Green recovery isn’t a dream — it’s already begun. The U.S. has committed to invest almost 1% of its economic output in sustainable recovery programmes. China is racing ahead, putting over a third of its big stimulus package into green investments, while South Korea investing two-thirds of its package in energy efficiency, green jobs, public...

Doen WIJ genoeg voor een betere wereld?

- This article will soon be published in English, too. Sorry for your inconvenience. - Ondernemend idealisme voor een échte verandering. Het huidige praktisch idealisme is voorbij. Een veranderende samenleving vraagt om een nieuw idealisme en nieuwe ideologieën. Ik pleit hieronder voor een nieuw soort idealisme, wat mijns inziens een duurzamer karakter heeft en meer...

Obama: The Religion Question

Is he a Muslim or an atheist? Did he take his oath for office on a Bible or a Quran? Is he sympathetic towards Arabs and Muslims? These are some of the questions being murmured by bloggers across the Middle East about presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Tunisian blogger Mohamed Marwen Meddah discusses the relationship between...

26,500

Around the world, some 26,500 children die every day. That is equivalent to: 1 child dying every 3 seconds 18 children dying every minute A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring every week An Iraq-scale death toll every 15–36 days Almost 10 million children dying every year Some 60 million children dying between 2000 and 2006 The...

New Idealism

(By Farid Tabarki) Just a few years ago Dutch youngsters were seen as lazy, disconnected from society  and media junkies. The Dutch Coolpolitics Foundation was founded because it knew better. By undertaking several projects in line with giving a platform to the rise of ‘new idealism’ amongst young people in the Netherlands youngsters are not...