tagged w/ self sufficiency
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Ethel James cannot wait for the gravity-fed water scheme in her area to be fixed so that she and the other women in her village will no longer have to wake up before dawn everyday to queue for water.
She is part of the team of local villagers repairing the existing water system, which consists of a pipeline connected to a reservoir. At various points in the village are taps connected to the pipeline, but there is no running water just yet.
The water supply system fell to disrepair in the mid-1990s after government could no longer maintain it.
With the assistance of Water Aid Malawi, an international charity that assists people in accessing safe drinking water and sanitation, the community has taken over ownership of the scheme that covers Kwilasha village in Machinga District, southern Malawi and 13 surrounding villages.
People have been organised into clubs, with women assuming leading roles. Women are also involved in the laying of pipes and the digging of trenches. Community members are replacing old pipes with new and larger ones and expanding the network to reach more people.
Every morning before James begins work on the repairs, she rises at 4am and walks an hour to the only functioning borehole in the neighbouring village. She returns home with just a bucket of water, which her five children use to get ready for school.
The nearest alternative source of water is a river just 10 minutes away, but at this time of the year it is dry. But even during the rainy season it is a river that James avoids because there is a possibility of encountering crocodiles here. They swim up from Malawi's main Shire River, which is linked to this tributary.
"So we just dig wells in the village, but that is also a problem because cholera becomes rampant since the water is unsafe. Now that it is the dry season, the wells no longer have water, so we rely on the borehole," says James. Until the mid-1990s, access to running water was not a problem in the district as it had 10 functional water schemes, which government constructed in 1980.
However, all the schemes collapsed in 1994 when government changed the ownership policy and wanted the communities to manage the schemes. Many villagers did not have the skills to repair the facilities and were unable to raise money to buy spare parts. So the schemes collapsed.
"Government heaped the responsibility of running the schemes in the laps of people who were ignorant on how to go about managing them," says villager Ndojime Zakaria who dug trenches for the scheme in 1980.
The government also decided to move away from building and maintaining gravity-fed water schemes to focus on drilling boreholes as a means of providing water.
However, water sector analysts in Malawi have faulted boreholes sunk in the decade after 1994. They say the intervention was often not based on hydrological expertise, but on the influence of politicians seeking patronage. Many were also accused of giving business to drilling companies in which they had interests. This resulted in an inequitable distribution of water points and the malfunctioning of most facilities.
The community suffered on both fronts: their gravity-fed scheme had collapsed and the borehole system had largely failed. This forced women to fetch water from unsafe sources or crocodile-infested rivers in the district.
"Without the scheme, the alternative water sources are either distant or dangerous because most rivers here pour into the main Shire River, which is home to thousands of crocodiles. Sometimes, these crocodiles follow the smaller rivers posing such a danger to women who go there to get water," says Steve Meja, the district water officer for Machinga.
But now Water Aid Malawi and the Machinga district council have since trained the community in leadership, project management, finance raising, catchment area conservation and sanitation. It is expected that once the repair to this water system is completed, it will reach Kwilasha village and 13 other surrounding villages. Its reach will spread to about 45,000 people, which is three times more than it used to serve in the 1990s.
James says that repairing the water system will make a difference to the lives of the women in her village. "Women suffer most when there is a water shortage. Now we’re learning every skill so that we (can) maintain the scheme ourselves and ensure a reliable water supply. Our work does not stop at digging trenches; we also join men in laying pipes and fixing the facilities," says James.
Monalisa Nkhonjera, the programme officer responsible for communication at Water Aid Malawi, says the involvement of women in "rough and dirty" jobs, such as fixing pipes, enables them to rely on themselves to maintain the scheme.
The scheme has started functioning in some villages and each household contributes 13 cents a month for buying accessories and constructing new water points. The community has been organised into a water user association. They have a bank account where some of the money is saved as capital for when Water Aid Malawi hands over the facilities to the people.
In the sections where water is running, women are also taking the lead in promoting sanitation and hygiene. Through volunteer sanitation committees, the women visit households to discuss proper water storage, the need to wash one’s hands after using the toilet, and how to manage water points.
James thinks the scheme will not collapse again, mostly because women are no longer spectators in the project. She says she now knows how to repair a tap and where to buy spare parts for the system.
"Having suffered the worst since the collapse of the scheme, we are doing all we can to learn everything so that we are able to maintain it ourselves even when the men are not there. An efficient water supply will help us look after our families well," she says.
More at the linkEthel James cannot wait for the gravity-fed water scheme in her area to be fixed so... more
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http://www.gardengirltv.com/
It's that time of year. Great tips on urban gardening.http://www.gardengirltv.com/
It's that time of year. Great tips on urban... more
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Are you someone that wants to make a positive difference in this world?
Are you an activist? An environmentalist? Do you stand for justice, freedom, peace and self sufficiency?
You can open and lead the Legion of the town you live/reside, grab the name if it is available or join an existing one.
Connect and communicate with thousands, millions of people that live in your town!
We are just starting this in the United States of America but this is open to the whole World! No matter where you live, open the Legion of your town or join it.
To all that have been complaining and asking what to do to truly make a positive difference, to change America and the world, I continue to say: With no unity, there is no change.
There isn't much time left, here is one of the most powerful opportunities to network, to create the change that we wish, "change" that this time comes from the PEOPLE!
http://organiclegion.org/legions.htm
We are coming to take back our Freedom, to stop the exploitation of people and our planet.
Thank you.Are you someone that wants to make a positive difference in this world?
Are you an... more
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Activist Post reviews National Bestseller, How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It, by author James Wesley, Rawles (makes an important Christmas gift)
Activist Post
It's a sure sign of the times that a book titled, How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques and Technologies for Uncertain Times becomes a National Bestseller. First printed a year after the October financial crash of 2008 when the world awoke to the fragility of the "system," author James Wesley, Rawles offers a pragmatic and thorough guide to survive other potentially more severe future crashes.
The book does not go into extended detail about what may trigger the breakdown of civilization, but uses its precious 316 pages to inform readers of how to prepare for nearly any disaster. Many survival books are great references to have in your library should a disaster take place, but this book is essential to read and implement well before disaster occurs.
Author, Jim Rawles, a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer and founder of the very popular website SurvivalBlog.com, not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk. He lives on a fully self-sufficient and well-stocked retreat "somewhere west of the Rockies." Upon reading the book, one thing is apparent: Rawles has written this book not as a "what if" guide, but rather a "when it happens" guide. The tone of urgent pragmatism enhances the assumption that disaster is not only inevitable, but perhaps imminent.
Rawles suggests that the collapse of America will likely be triggered by economic circumstances, notably the death of the dollar, which will then cause a domino effect where civilization as we know it will breakdown into chaos. The book describes the collapse of American society in brief detail, explaining that supply lines for food and fuel will likely grind to a halt, forcing a mass exodus of people out of cities into the suburbs and countryside. He also outlines how the government will be completely crippled by this ensuing anarchy due to the rapid increase in desperation and decrease in essential services. Despite this "most likely" scenario, Rawles also prepares readers to survive events like nuclear attacks on American soil.
Read More: http://globalpoliticalawakening.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-survive-collapse-of-america.html
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0452295831?tag=gpa0d-20&camp=213761&creative=393545&linkCode=bpl&creativeASIN=0452295831&adid=05NQV8GEXQ21EDF2B7EJ&Activist Post reviews National Bestseller, How to Survive the End of the World as We... more
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Some experts see the perfect storm emerging for a dramatic collapse of Western civilization claiming we've reached environmental, economic, and geopolitical tipping points. Clearly, some skills will be far more valuable than others if this societal breakdown occurs. Sorry bankers, lawyers, and accountants, there won't be a need for you in a post-collapse world.
Before we quantify the skill sets that will be viable, it is important to define the severity of a "post-collapse" scenario. When taken as a whole, together these tipping points could potentially converge to create a post-apocalyptic Mad Max-type world for the vast majority of humanity. However, given the advanced technology that we possess today, it is unlikely to ever become quite that primitive ever again. Surely there will be pockets of energy and food independence no matter what possible scenario unfolds, but the vast majority may be left to fend for themselves.
It would take a serious cataclysmic earth event like a super volcano, a meteor impact, major electromagnetic pulse event, or dramatic pole shift to effect the entirety of humanity. Man-made events like nuclear war, environmental damage, or total economic collapse, no matter how devastating, will be somewhat isolated and contained to specific areas and populations. Incidentally, every nation or territory that has experienced these man-made catastrophes has roared back to life in less than one generation. The only example of nuclear survival was in Japan, while the largest recent big economic collapse was the break-up of the Soviet Union. In both cases those countries went through a very tough period, but ultimately they persevered.
For sake of this article, let's assume that some level of devastation is caused by each type of tipping point in the United States. Our ever escalating wars finally reach our shores by way of long-range nuclear missiles, total economic collapse occurs rendering the dollar worthless, and we would likely have less electricity and water than Iraq did after Bush's "shock and awe" campaign. Gasoline and oil supplies would likely be down to a trickle, halting all supply lines of food and other goods to big box stores. Factory farming will be impossible without cheap oil products readily available. The suffering will be dramatic.
The only question will become, how do the citizens react? Both the USSR and early 1950s Japan were far more agrarian, and far less dependent on big box stores than America currently is. American dependence on long supply lines, interconnected yet vulnerable electric grid, and pharmaceutical-based healthcare may lead to a more severe breakdown of society than witnessed in those countries. Although, innovative technology for alternative energy and agriculture practices will play a part in surviving; but they can only help the few with the knowledge, means, and stability to use them. And stability will be in low supply for some time, resulting in only small groups with relative comfort -- those who planned for the worse. However, as an optimist, I believe that after the initial chaos Americans will rediscover solidarity for one-another, much like they did after 9/11, but this time it will be more sustained out of absolute necessity.
Many articles have been written about how to survive the coming collapse, or what is needed to survive, but not many articles have been written about what skills will have value in a post-collapse world. Imagine fulfilling human necessity without consistent fuel or electricity, large-scale food production, or fully-stocked pharmacies and hospitals. The only form of wealth in a collapsed civilization is the knowledge and skills to produce something of human value.
Here are 10 invaluable skills that will likely help you sustain yourself in a hand-made local world:
Read More: http://globalpoliticalawakening.blogspot.com/2010/11/10-skills-needed-to-thrive-in-post.htmlSome experts see the perfect storm emerging for a dramatic collapse of Western... more
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"Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition." - Thomas Jefferson
Dependence is subjection to the direction or disposal of another, or the inability to help or provide for oneself. Whereas, Slavery is the state of one bound in servitude as the property of a slaveholder, or a condition of being subject to a specified influence. In today's world, both of these terms are relevant to every working American, as the chains of dependence appear to be tightening by the day.
READ MORE: http://globalpoliticalawakening.blogspot.com/2010/11/reclaim-your-liberty-through-self.html"Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and... more
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Zimbabwe has rejected genetically modified maize as food aid for its hungry population after raising health and environmental concerns.
About 2.2 million Zimbabweans – almost 16 per cent of the national population – need emergency food aid because low seasonal rains resulted in widespread crop failure, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet), a Washington-based global food security organisation.
The government estimates that 500,000 tonnes of the staple corn are needed to feed the hungry between now and the next harvest, expected in April, provided the agricultural season is successful. With limited resources, as the country slowly emerges from a decade of economic crisis, the food deficit would again be met by international aid, most of which comprises genetically modified foods.
“The government’s position on unmilled GM maize has not changed,” Joseph Made, the agriculture minister, told The National in a recent interview.
“We took a position in 2002 that we will not accept unmilled maize. If we are to get any maize, it has to be milled first before it is distributed. Yes we have a section of our population in need of assistance, but that does not mean that we accept maize that can pose long-term impact on their heath and our farm produce, which has always been organic.”
Genetically modified organisms are plants or animals whose genes are artificially altered to enhance yields and resistance to pests and diseases. Most farm produce in Europe and North America is genetically modified. In Africa, South Africa is the biggest producer of GM foods.
Critics of GM foods argue that they can cause allergies in sick people and resistance to antibiotics. But proponents of genetically modified foods say that there is no solid scientific evidence that they are harmful.
Growing GM crops in Zimbabwe, which is essentially an organic agriculture producer, Mr Made said, could “contaminate local crop varieties” through cross-pollination.
When the government first turned down GM food aid in 2002, Mr Made, who was agriculture minister then as well, said he could not allow the hungry population to be “used as guinea pigs”.
In January, he rejected a request by grain millers to import GM grain for local milling, saying the businesses could better use the money set aside for imports to support domestic agriculture to boost production.
Sheunesu Mpepereki, a soil science professor at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare, said that if unmilled maize is imported, there is no guarantee that poor farmers, who cannot afford to buy seed maize, will not use the aid as seed.
“Just because we are hungry does not make us accept food which we do not like,” said Mr Mpepereki, who is also the chairman of the National Soya-bean Taskforce, a grouping of farmers who specialise in growing soya beans.
“In any case, I do not think that our hunger is so desperate that we can mortgage the long-term future and purity of our farm produce. Hunger is not permanent.”
He warned that Zimbabwe could lose markets that don’t allow GM produce if it allows contamination of its farm produce by GM seeds.
snip
“I recall that there was GM maize meal on the local market a few months ago, which was marked ‘not suitable for children under the age of 13’. What does that tell you about GM foods? We have been eating them because we had no choice, not now,” said Noah Mataruse, 35, of the Mbare suburb in Harare.Zimbabwe has rejected genetically modified maize as food aid for its hungry population... more
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-----Around---the---Globe------
Watson returns as 'Australia's newest hero' (ABC news)
Teen sailor Jessica Watson has completed a triumphant return to Sydney, with thousands of people on land and water giving her a hero's welcome.
After a 210-day journey of a lifetime, the 16-year-old from Queensland's Sunshine Coast has become the youngest person to sail around the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted.
Just two days shy of her 17th birthday, Watson sailed her 10-metre yacht Ella's Pink Lady up Sydney Harbour, the same spot she left from almost seven months ago.
Battling six-metre swells and a ripped main sail, the final leg of her journey took several hours longer than what was predicted.
She disembarked at the Opera House, made an emotional reunion with her parents, and then met the official welcome party including Mr Rudd and NSW Premier Kristina Keneally.
Mr Rudd told Watson she has done the nation proud.
"Jess, welcome back to dry land, welcome back home to Australia," he said.
"You may feel a little wobbly on your feet just now but in the eyes of all Australians you now stand tall as our newest Australian hero.
"At 16 years old, you are a hero for all young Australians, you are also a hero for all young Australian women, you do our nation proud. This is a great day for our country."
More--------
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/15/2900405.htm
----ALSO----
Australian teenager finishes round-world solo sail (Reuters)
Accompanied by a flotilla of supporters' boats, Jessica Watson, 16, sailed through the harbour entrance around 2 p.m. (0400 GMT), at the end of a controversial seven-month journey.
Watson is the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world. She returned home three days short of her 17th birthday.
However, her voyage is not expected to qualify officially as a record because of issues about her route and young age. Her backers, including her family, have also come in for harsh criticism, with some experienced yachtsmen opposing the voyage.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd proclaimed her "Australia's newest hero" after thousands watched her yacht Ella's Pink Lady dock at the Sydney Opera House. Her arrival was delayed by choppy seas and a torn sail.
Watson said she was just an "ordinary girl who believed in her dream".
More--------
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64E0D920100515
http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100515&t=2&i=107560156&w=600&r=2010-05-15T062422Z_01_BTRE64E0HSW00_RTROPTP_0_AUSTRALIA-SAILING-----Around---the---Globe------
Watson returns as 'Australia's newest... more
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"With two fields, some pigs, chickens and community spirit, a Hampshire village is organising to defy supermarkets and become self-sufficient
A village on the western fringes of Hampshire is well on the way to becoming the first in England to defy the power of the supermarkets by achieving communal self-sufficiency in food."
One more excerpt:
" 'People are sick of being told to worry about food. They need to feel empowered. We know of lots of alternative local food systems that are sustainable, resilient, viable and principled.' "
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/feb/03/martin-communal-food
Incredible!
This shows we can free our selves from corporate domination.
The movement is growing nationally, world wise, we have had enough.
It's time to get back our rights, our health and the strong sense and power of communities.
Join the Organic Revolution:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/"With two fields, some pigs, chickens and community spirit, a Hampshire village... more
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"At the recent Eco Farm conference I was surprised to find the dominating corporate influence among the home-growers and anarchist farmers."
Eliot Coleman speaks representing a counter-corporate model that would promote small local farms and self sufficiency.
Excerpt:
"Gary Hirshberg, in contrast, sells his certified organic yogurt in Wal-Mart. In fact, he's a big supporter of Wal-Mart. He's a big supporter of big business, and has perfected a rap on how BIG is going to change the world. Hirshberg's speech was successful in that he's basically a politician.
He wooed the audience with his charm, his humor, and constant affirmation about all of his heroes -- the small farmers out there. He aligned himself with the entire movement around organic by using the classic stats that prove healthy food is better for everyone.
He talked a lot about "our children" and "poor people" and "carbon footprint." It all sounded legit until you realize this guy's company is owned by the same corporation who owns Dannon and Evian (how can he be "for" the health of the environment when he's in bed with bottled water?) He kept talking about his friend Tom Vilsack and how they were just in the oval office talking to Obama about healthcare. He came across as a real leader, and agent of legitimate legal change. There were frequent smatterings of applause after he pressed each progressive talk-button.
But wait a minute. We had just spent the last three days talking about how to get more people farming, more farms in urban areas, healthy food to low-income communities, and how to decrease the negative impact of large scale agriculture (as Wes Jackson put it: The biggest enemy of the environment.) Now there's a bigwig on the podium telling us it's not farming, but buying that's going to save the world. Now, I'm not saying we have to choose one or the other -- big or small -- but what's the model we're striving for? What kind of society do we see ourselves becoming in the future? Big businesses and their CE-Whatevers bloating the economy? Or a culture of self sufficiency, ownership, and access?"
http://www.alternet.org/food/145482/sneak_peak:_i've_seen_a_glimpse_of_the_future_of_food_and_farming?page=3
This is the story of the big corporation that puts small communities out of business.
Stonyfield Farm sells his organic yogurt in Walmart.
Selling your soul to the devil.
This is not an inspiring model for the Organic Movement that wants to reach self sufficiency, independence. This only feeds the power that controls us.
Join the Organic Movement:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/"At the recent Eco Farm conference I was surprised to find the dominating... more
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One in 20 householders admit they have rigged devices to halt a burglar.
However, the homeowners themselves risk jail as it is illegal to set a trap to injure or kill an intruder.
The figures from insurance firm Direct Line reveal the measures people will go to protect their property.
Common booby traps include holes in floorboards, loose stairs, hidden trip wires, garden pits and even plant pots or ornaments attached to hidden strings.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, a householder who "knew of an intended intruder and set a trap to hurt or kill them rather than involve the police would be acting with very excessive and gratuitous force and could be prosecuted."
In extreme cases, some property owners who have been repeatedly burgled have illegally set traps involving nail bombs or shotguns.
The study also found four in ten householders would arm themselves with objects they could hurl at an intruder.One in 20 householders admit they have rigged devices to halt a burglar.
However, the... more
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Solar-powered irrigation systems improve diet and income in rural sub-Saharan Africa, Stanford study finds
Sun-powered pumps installed in remote villages in Benin provide a cost-effective way of delivering irrigation water, particularly during the long dry season.
"There was an overwhelming sense of pride in the new system by teachers, children and women participating in the farmer groups," said Jennifer Burney, a postdoctoral scholar with the Program on Food Security and the Environment at Stanford.
Solar-powered drip irrigation systems significantly enhance household incomes and nutritional intake of villagers in arid sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new Stanford University study to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study found that solar-powered pumps installed in remote villages in the West African nation of Benin provide a cost-effective way of delivering much-needed irrigation water, particularly during the long dry season. The results are scheduled to be published the week of Jan. 4 in the online edition of PNAS.
"Our case study on women's farming groups in rural Benin revealed solar-powered drip irrigation – a clean, cost-competitive technology – significantly improved nutrition and food security as well as household incomes in one year," said lead author Jennifer Burney, a postdoctoral scholar with the Program on Food Security and the Environment at Stanford.
"Solar-powered drip irrigation systems break seasonal rainfall dependence, which typically limits farmers to a three- to six-month growing season, and support the production of diversified, high-value crops in rural Africa," Burney added.
She and her co-authors noted that much of sub-Saharan Africa's rural population is considered "food insecure," surviving on less than $1 per person per day. "And whereas most are engaged in agricultural production as their main livelihood, they still spend 50 to 80 percent of their income on food, and are often net consumers of food," they wrote.
Benin pilot project
In 2007, with support from Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment, Burney and her colleagues partnered with the nonprofit Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) on a pilot irrigation project in rural Benin. SELF financed and led the installation of three solar-powered drip irrigation systems in two villages in Benin's Kalalé district. Each system is used by a local women's agricultural group, which typically consists of 30 to 35 women who share the maintenance costs of the new irrigation technology.
Marshall Burke
A woman cleans a solar panel that powers the drip irrigation system in a rural village in Benin.
"In Kalalé, 80 percent of the villagers live on less than $1.25 per day, which is representative of a number of poor, rural communities in Africa," said study co-author Rosamond Naylor, director of the Program on Food Security and the Environment and a professor of environmental Earth system science at Stanford.
In rural Benin, women and girls traditionally are responsible for hauling water by hand, often from very long distances. The solar-powered irrigation systems were designed to free them from hauling water to grow vegetable crops, particularly during the dry season.
To measure the impact of the solar-powered drip irrigation technology, the researchers monitored the agricultural groups using the new irrigation systems, as well as two "control" villages where women continued growing vegetables in traditional hand-watered gardens. Household surveys were conducted at the start of the project in November 2007 and again in November 2008.
Nutrition and income
The results were striking. "In just one year, we saw that photovoltaic drip irrigation systems had important implications for food and nutrition security, as well as household income," Burney said.Solar-powered irrigation systems improve diet and income in rural sub-Saharan Africa,... more
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Inspiring. This is how we will sustain our planet.
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Video story of the Sept 17th 2009 meeting where Joe presented the community to the Mayor.
Nation’s first homeless community will house more than 16,000 homeless
Joshua’s Community of Southern Nevada will be the first eco-friendly community built specifically for the homeless in the US. The call for $50 million to fund the project has been answered by Greystone Energy BT, a leading sustainable energy company dedicated to making Joshua’s Community a self-sustaining property with 24-hour electrical generation plants on site.
With funding and sustainable energy resources in place, Joshua’s Community awaits the OK from elected officials and the Bureau of Land Management to release 640 acres of desert land 29 miles north of Las Vegas. In September of 2009 Joshua’s Community planner Dr. Joseph D’Angelo gained support of city officials, including Mayor Oscar Goodman. He then petitioned federal officials to grant the land, which they are required to do under the McKinney-Vento Act.
Once federal officials release the land, this site will be the model for congressional legislation to amend the McKinney-Vento Act of 1987, Title V for the establishment of Homeless Communities in every state throughout America.
“Joshua’s Community will be the first fully sustainable, eco-friendly community built specifically for the homeless in the United States,” D’Angelo said. “It will be the example of community development that will save hundreds of thousands of lives throughout the country.”
Joshua’s Community will produce power at a lower cost of production and operation, and create over one thousand jobs in the community, with or without a federal blessing.
“If our federal government does not donate and convey the land requested for the community, per the laws stated in the original submittal, then I am prepared to pay for the land under the Recreation and Public Purpose Act, revised August 1996 as a 501(c)(3),” D’Angelo said. “I am confident this project will move forward and provide safer environments for the homeless and urban populations.”Video story of the Sept 17th 2009 meeting where Joe presented the community to the... more
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From learning how to cook budget meals to improving your networking skills to turning yourself into a highly desirable, indispensable employee, here are 100 skills you should learn for free while you’re unemployed.From learning how to cook budget meals to improving your networking skills to turning... more
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Uplifting video about how solar cooking in Africa is helping families to be healthier and happier with clean free solar energy. Cooking with solar also cuts down on the black carbon that contributes to global warming which exacerbates drought. Simply amazing what cardboard and a piece of aluminum can do.Uplifting video about how solar cooking in Africa is helping families to be healthier... more
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Planting vegetables in a cemetery or at the bus stop sounds amusing?
Well, this is what happens when two women in a small town realize that vegetables could be planted in the flowerbeds of the local parks and along the edges of the town's cemetery. A revolution, of a planting kind, is born.
Read more on Alternativechannel.tvPlanting vegetables in a cemetery or at the bus stop sounds amusing?
Well, this is... more
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'African states lack the resources to deal alone with climate change and must share water better to feed growing populations, government ministers said at a water conference in Libya on Wednesday.
The world's poorest continent has failed to feed a fast-growing population due to under-investment, bad farm management and more frequent droughts and floods, leaving it hooked on food imports.
The cost of those imports soared to $49.4 billion in 2008 from $10.5 billion in 2005 as world prices jumped, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
That has put a massive strain on state budgets in countries that subsidize imports to make them more affordable.
Of 36 countries grappling with food crises, 21 are in Africa and the World Food Program estimates that nearly a sixth of the world's population -- almost 1 billion people -- are hungry.
African officials meeting over three days in the Libyan city of Sirte said governments should redouble a 2003 promise to commit 10 percent of national budgets to boosting farm output, according to their final declaration.
With droughts and flash flooding increasingly common, they called for more modern irrigation systems that store water and channel it where and when it is needed.
They agreed to seal more region-wide deals to share the water stored in rivers, lakes and underground.
Cooperation would be strengthened on weather forecasting and early warning systems to minimize the impact of drought, desertification, floods and pests.
"Together we must find concrete and effective measures to address the issues of water in Africa, in a spirit of shared responsibility," Jacques Diouf, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, told delegates.
The ministers also decided to establish continent-wide information systems to better coordinate farm output and make commodity trade more efficient.
The skills and the resources to make Africa self-sufficient exist if only governments would cooperate on managing their water, delegates said.''African states lack the resources to deal alone with climate change and must... more
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Since 1944, Heifer International has worked to bring peace, hope, sustainability, and sustenance to people in need worldwide. Heifer works in the areas of agriculture and livestock developing programs to assist those living in poverty to alleviate hunger. This video gives you a small view of their work which continues due to contributions from people like you and me. You can find out more about their work and how you can help bring peace, hope, and the end to hunger to people in need around the world.
Their site:
http://www.heifer.org
Together, we can make a difference.Since 1944, Heifer International has worked to bring peace, hope, sustainability, and... more
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Dean Kamen is best known as the inventor of the Segway scooter and medical devices including a portable insulin pump, a stair-climbing wheelchair, and a robotic prosthetic arm. Like any good inventor or mad genius, Kamen can be called eccentric. He lives in a hexagonal-shaped home, commutes to work via helicopter, and owns his very own island. Kamen has declared his island, the three-acre North Dumpling Island off the coast of Connecticut, an independent state with its own constitution, currency (based on Pi), and navy (a lone amphibious vehicle). The island comes complete with a replica of Stonehenge. And soon, Kamen's independent island kingdom will become energy independent.
Working with Philips Color Kinetics, Kamen is using his island domain as a showcase for energy-efficient LED lights. He is replacing all of the traditional incandescent lights inside and out of his North Dumpling home with LED lights, which will allow it to run exclusively on wind and solar power generated on the island. Philips estimates the move from incandescent to LED lights will cut energy consumption by 70 percent. With new lights added--outside the home and in the basement--total energy consumption will be reduced by half.Dean Kamen is best known as the inventor of the Segway scooter and medical devices... more
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