News and resources to inspire concerned
citizens to work together in building a healthier,
stronger society that works for all.

AAA Alternative
Roadside Assists for Hybrids & Bicycles

This year Better World Club celebrates five years of offering travelers the same services as the biggest national auto club. The big difference is they kick in lots of eco-extras such as catering to hybrid vehicles and accommodating bicyclists. They partner with environmental organizations and donate one percent of revenues to offset global warming. And they lobby on the side of auto safety and other consumer interests.

“We have a whole different policy agenda,” says cofounder Mitch Rofsky. “We figured there’s an awful lot of things that you could do that were cooler and greener, that AAA wasn’t doing.”

Citizens agree. Current membership is expanding at a 10-percent-a-month clip.
Membership is competitively priced. For more information, visit Better World Club.

Techno Twist
Today’s Search for Babysitters

The great babysitter shortage has modern moms and dads employing hiring innovations, from MySpace pages to Craigslist, email blasts to online agencies, resumes to school bulletins, trying to locate reliable sitters for their kids. A few admit to sitter-napping top talent from friends.

Babysitting is a disappearing profession as teens prioritize academic schedules and extracurricular activities. “They’re not all that interested in babysitting,” says Lauren Shaham of Silver Spring, Maryland, “and they don’t need the money that much.” She often has to call 10 or more possibilities to find someone who’s willing and available. Currently the cost for taking care of a family’s most precious resources averages $10 to $15 an hour.

The situation has become so desperate that often the only questions asked are “When are you available?” and “How much do you charge?” But “You have to be smart about it, using background checks, screening references and interviewing,” says Sheila Marcelo, president of Care.com, a national online babysitting service, which, like SitterCity.com, does the legwork for a monthly fee. Other services operate regionally.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Monster Project
Earth’s Book of Life

Researchers from top centers of higher learning are assembling the ultimate
Encyclopedia of Life—the world’s largest-ever catalog of species—available online starting mid-next year. It’s the first time information scattered through universities, museums and research institutes around the planet is pulled together. And it’s all free of charge. That’s 1.8 million authenticated species within the next decade, with invitations for public comment and input, Wikepedia style, but verified.

It’s real, vows Dr. E.O. Wilson, the visionary Harvard University biologist and philosopher who conceived the project. “It will transform the science of biology in ways of obvious benefit to humanity. Most of all, it can inspire a new generation of biologists to continue the quest…to search for life, to understand it and to preserve it. If we keep it accessible and helpful and cool, kids will use it all the time.”

Spearheads include Chicago’s Field Museum, Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, Biodiversity Heritage Library and the Smithsonian. The Natural History Museum and Royal Botanic Garden in England as well as others will make available their vast collections of historic records. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation are providing funding.

Check out the FAQ demonstration site at EOL.org.

Sasquatch Footprint
Singles & Split Households Hit Mother Earth Hard

Canada’s Globe and Mail recently reported that singles are their country’s fastest growing type of household—a trend that’s true in the United States as well, where American Demographics notes that singles now account for at least a quarter of U.S. households. U.K. government figures cited by Guardian Unlimited anticipate that single-person households there will reach 38 percent by 2026. Two reasons given are that couples are divorcing and people are waiting longer to marry.

“[This] new solo-living cohort is young (25 to 44), far more flush than the thrifty jar reusing widows that once ruled the one-person roost, and the biggest consumers of energy, land and household goods,” says Joanna Williams, a sustainable development professor at University College London. She calls the phenomenon “an environmental time bomb.”

Researchers estimate that one-person households consume 38 percent more products, 42 percent more packaging, 55 percent more electricity and 61 percent more gas per person than an individual living in a four-person household. Altogether, singletons burn more than twice as much energy per capita.

Solutions are scarce. Short of mating for life…finding a roommate, communal food preparation and green lifestyle practices seem the best ways to go.

Pedal Power
Bike Sharing Comes of Age

Today’s 4th generation business model for folks sharing a fleet of public bicycles on campus or around town is moving to redefine mass transit. While earlier initiatives met with high levels of vandalism and theft, new “bike libraries” tied to a personal pass or city transit card are proving viable. It’s a nifty alternative for eco-conscious citizens and for people who need on-demand transport to get to school or work or to run errands, but are short of money. For individuals unable to pay the modest rental, volunteer service may fill the bill.

However they’re structured, community bicycle services help solve congestion, pollution and parking problems plus promote sustainability in one stroke. They save the rider gas and maintenance costs, provide exercise, reduce stress, and build community. And they teach job skills to staff involved in recycling bikes and managing day-to-day operations.

For a partial map of community bicycle programs in North America check out
SopoBikes. Organizers note that the site is under construction.

R-e-s-p-e-c-t
Teen Dating Abuse Hotline

Teenage Research Unlimited reports that 20 to 30 percent of teens who had been in relationships say that their partners constantly checked in on them, harassed or insulted them, or made unwanted sexual requests via cellphones or text messages. As communication technology has become pervasive, “teen dating abuse has skyrocketed,” says Jill Murray, a psychotherapist in Laguna Niguel, California, who’s authored several books on the subject. She notes that attention seems flattering at first, but later the individual “feels smothered and doesn’t know how to get out.”

Parents often are unaware of the problem. Though Dr. Murray maintains that parents have an obligation to limit cellphone and computer use to something reasonable. She advises blocking computers and taking away cellphones overnight. Only 18 percent of teens surveyed say their parents set such limits.

In response, this year the National Domestic Violence Hotline in partnership with Liz Claiborne launched LoveIsRespect.org, the first national website and 24-hour help line addressing teen dating abuse. Features include secure chats with trained peers and professionals, advice, referrals and guidance for teens and parents. It breaks down secrecy and shows young people how to regain control of their lives.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Stranger Danger
Docs Routinely Give Kids Adult Drugs

According to a recent study published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine, nearly 80 percent of children hospitalized in the United States are given drugs approved only for adults and never tested on children. With only 20 to 30 percent of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration specified for pediatric use, doctors routinely adjust adult dosage for a child’s weight. “This means that U.S. children essentially are being used as human guinea pigs in large-scale uncontrolled medication experiments,” says Mike Adams, author of Natural Health Solutions, and the Conspiracy to Keep You from Knowing About Them.

Source: NewsTarget.com

Whiz Kids
Wi-Fi Global Village

One Laptop per Child Foundation is on a mission to ensure that all school-aged children in developing countries are able to network with the world and learn via their own laptop. It’s an astonishing experiment aimed to hand out five million XO laptops by the end of this year. Their ultimate vision is to reach 1 billion children.

The cool XO computer manufactured by Quanta Computer in Taiwan for just over $100 is being sold to cooperating governments for distribution. Its slew of innovations include a super-high-resolution screen that reads clearly outdoors, super-low power consumption, and rugged water- and dirt-resistant casing housing Linux open-source software. Children can browse endless subjects, read and discuss books online, and share photos, video, music/audio and text over local “mesh networks.”

The computers forego rote learning exercises to promote more creative methods. “One of the misconceptions about computers and kids is that kids need training, that they need to be taught how to use a computer,” says Walter Bender, head of One Laptop per Child software and content development. But he says that 40 years of evidence prove otherwise. In the absence of classes and trainers, “kids teach each other.”

Support the cause at Laptop.org. Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Who I Am
Spirituality Resurges on Campus

Eight in 10 students are attending religious services, discussing spirituality with friends and “searching for meaning and purpose in life” according to University of Pittsburgh research. Three in four believe in God. Four in five indicate that they “have an interest in spirituality” and “believe in the sacredness of life.” Two in three say they pray.

Thus, two in three feel that their religious or spiritual beliefs provide them with “strength, support and guidance.” These are vital results on campuses where college students struggle to maintain a healthy mind. Some 61 percent of freshmen and 77 percent of juniors report frequent or occasional depression.

“[Another] positive side of belonging to an organized religion is the community of caring people that comes with it,” says Paula Kane, professor of religious studies at Pittsburg University. Sahar Oz, assistant director of the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh has seen how “ethnic and religious groups also help students to define themselves” as they question everything in life, from values and ethics to religious beliefs.

Source: PittNews.com

Minutemen & Women
Citizens Pause to Pray for Safety

Collective prayer for the safety of England in World War II by citizens who dropped everything they were doing each night at a prescribed hour to focus thought on safety and peace is credited with stopping the bombing. Now a group of Americans is organizing a similar vigil nightly at 9 p.m. Eastern Time to support the safety of the United States, American troops, and people in war-torn countries. Thought is the most powerful asset we have. The goal is to realize peace in the world.

About Time
Big Business Schools Big on Ethics

A recent study of the world’s top 50 business schools shows a fivefold boost in the number of ethics courses offered over the past two decades. Half of these schools now require ethics study for graduation. Student interest is one driver. Competition among schools is another, according to study sponsors the Center for Business Ethics at Bentley College in Massachusetts and the Ethics Resource Center in Washington.

“Ethics in business schools was formerly addressed as ‘don’t lie, don’t cheat and don’t steal,’” observes Steve Jones, dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. But the definition of ethics is evolving, he says, because “what we are solving for in business is changing.” Deans are broadening the definition of ethics beyond individual decision-making to include a corporation’s social, economic and environmental responsibilities.

The challenge now is to make the shift seriously real and not just lip service. Ethics Resource Center’s 2005 survey of 3,000 employees notes that about 70 percent of U.S. employers have ethics training. But policy alone won’t cut it. Ethics awareness and enforcement must permeate corporate culture. Integrity must translate to daily practice.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor