Earthcharter

Record Number of Nominations for 2010 Nobel Peace Prize

Thursday, 11 March 2010 18:54

The BBC reported yesterday that a record number of individuals have been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, an honor that has been given in recent years to President Barack Obama, former Vice President and climate change activist Al Gore, Muhammad Yunus - who pioneered the micro-financing model that has helped lift millions out of poverty, and former President Jimmy Carter who has fought tirelessly for human rights around the world.

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Reassessing poverty: A new measurement will enable better policy

Friday, 05 March 2010 19:58

The significance of what it means to fall below the poverty line has changed significantly since measurements were first instituted in the 1960s. Originally based on the premise that food should comprise about 1/3 of a family's budget, the measurement is now flawed as the cost of food and other necessities has changed over the subsequent decades.

Read more: Reassessing poverty: A new measurement will enable better policy

Pollution of waterways growing as facilities claim exemptions

Thursday, 04 March 2010 21:23

Photo by dragonfly_777

The New York Times reported recently that as many as 1,500 investigations of major polluters have been stopped in the last four years as a result of Supreme Court rulings that have left uncertainty over which waterways are to be protected under the Clean Water Act. The New York Times reports that as a result, a number of companies are stating that they no longer fall under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act and as a result pollution rates are rising.

Read more: Pollution of waterways growing as facilities claim exemptions

SBA Winner DLA Piper combats politically-motivated sexual violence in Zimbabwe

Wednesday, 03 March 2010 20:36

Two weeks ago, we celebrated the work of 18 Tampa-area businesses who support the vision of the Earth Charter through their commitment to people and planet, in addition to profit in their business practices. Today, we learned about the Zimbabwean Women's Rights Project that one of our recent winners, DLA Piper, is involved in.

First, some background. Around the time of the 2008 presidential elections in Zimbabwe, a number of Zimbabwean women were victims of torture and sexual abuse at the hands of the youth militia of the ruling party, ZANU-PF, as a result of their expressed or perceived support of the opposition party. Over the last year, DLA Piper lawyers have been working with the organization AIDS-Free World, under their partner non-profit, New Perimeter, to document, publicize, and address politically-motivated abuses against Zimbabwean women.

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Read more: SBA Winner DLA Piper combats politically-motivated sexual violence in Zimbabwe