Closure of Water Treatment Plant Latest Setback for Tulsequah Chief Mine Proposal

(JUNEAU) Chieftain Metals announced on June 6 its intent to close the Interim Water Treatment Plant installed at the Tulsequah Chief site in November 2011 to address chronic acid mine drainage and heavy metals pollution. The company will now be violating its discharge permit.

“Chieftain’s halt to pollution control is another broken promise and more evidence this mine is simply not viable from an economic, environmental or logistical perspective,” said Chris Zimmer of Rivers Without Borders. “Closure of the water...

Small Grants, Big Impact

As of June 15, 2012, the California Wildlands Grassroots Fund is a fund of the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment. The Fund can be reached via www.calwildlandsfund.org or by calling Rose Foundation at 510-658-0702.

As California’s population grows, so does the human impact on the environment, especially on wildlands and ecosystems. The California Wildlands Grassroots Fund (CWGF) was created in 2002 to fund  grassroots activists and organizations in their efforts to preserve  and restore the...

More U.S. Philanthropies Pledge to Champion and Empower the Poor, Minorities and Other Underserved Groups

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2012  -- At one year anniversary, Philanthropy's Promise continues to gain momentum with 61 new foundations signing on to prioritize marginalized communities

Some 125 leading U.S. foundations that represent a total of more than $3.37 billion in annual giving pledged to prioritize the needs and promote the democratic participation of underserved communities such as the poor, the elderly and LGBTQ citizens through Philanthropy's Promise, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy announced...

Live from Rio+20, Day Two: "Favelas and Protests"

This morning I ventured the opposite direction from Rio Centro where the UN Rio+20 negotiations are taking place, and travelled with colleagues to the Cachoeirinha (I was told it means “waterfall”) Favela in Rio de Janeiro. These shantytowns are quite common in Rio, well over one million strong, located within and around the city limits. This particular one has 37,000 residents. We made the trip to visit the BEMFAM reproductive health and family planning clinic there, and were treated to a gathering of youth already...

Live from Rio+20, Day One: Women and Reproductive Health

This week begins the major UN Rio+20 “Earth Summit”, and I’ve just arrived at the sprawling “Rio Centro” complex where the official UN negotiations and many non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) side-events are taking place.  While here for the duration of the meeting, I’ll be covering women and reproductive health (RH) issues as relate to the official UN proceedings, the NGO perspectives, and global south women’s personal stories on how Rio+20 touches their lives.

The scene here at Rio Centro is...

Race is NOT Just a Number

The Pew Research Center released their report, “The Rise of Asian Americans,” today, June 19, 2012 – the 30th anniversary of the fatal beating of Vincent Chin at the hands of Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, which led to Chin's death four days later and only a small fine for Ebens and Nitz (neither of whom have spent a single day in jail, for the record).  In some ways, I couldn’t think of a more ironic juxtaposition that highlights that we still live in an age where there is xenophobic fear of an “Asian Invasion”...

Tides project Define American on cover of Time Magazine

Have you seen it?

The cover of TIME Magazine features the culmination of a yearlong journey. It is a reflection on what I’ve experienced traveling across the United States, after “coming out” publicly as an undocumented immigrant a year ago this month.

I reflect on the tough questions I’ve been asked and tell the stories of some of the toughest young people I’ve ever known: young DREAMers who are American through and through --  whose courage and determination has now been documented by TIME...

New Study Cites Changing Demographics and Trends in Digital Game Play

Increase in Use by Women and Children Offers Digital Games Industry the Opportunity to Improve Kids’ Health & Education, says The Children’s Partnership

Santa Monica, CA—On June 7th, The Children’s Partnership released Game Companies & Social Responsibility: The Time is Now, the result of a yearlong study of the $25.1 billion digital game industry and its current—and potential—participation in social responsibility efforts. Released during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the report provides a focused...

Mainstreaming Gender Lens Investing

“We’d love to have a gender lens, but we’d have nothing to invest in.” I rocked back on my heels, absorbing this statement from the head of the Africa division of a large social investment fund.

Investing in women is an opportunity, not a constraint—and one that can accelerate change for everyone.

Yet he is not alone. Two years ago, when I first talked with the head of a domestic fund investing in women entrepreneurs, she said, “Jackie I don’t have a gender lens.” Her concern was that a...

Jalia Ventures Launches Impact America at CGI America

View Commitment: CGI America Sustainable Finance Panel

New York, NY, June 12, 2012. Jalia Ventures, which makes early stage investments in mission-driven minority entrepreneurs, announced the launch of a business training and incubation initiative on June 8, 2012 as part of a Commitment to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative America Conference. Jalia Ventures is launching Impact America HBCU Venture Catalyst, a capacity-building initiative that will grow awareness of social and environmental issues, while providing...