Peace Corps News

Ethiopia RPCV Allan Reed created a Diaspora Skills Transfer Program to bring educated southern Sudanese living abroad back to the country that needs them

Ethiopia RPCV Allan Reed created a Diaspora Skills Transfer Program to bring educated southern Sudanese living abroad back to the country that needs them
More than 5 million southern Sudanese were displaced by war. Up to 90 percent of the population cannot read or write. Ten miles of paved road exist in a region the size of Europe. And diseases eradicated elsewhere in Africa, such as sleeping sickness and guinea worm, flourish. "Both health and education are critical to the needs of the returnees," Reed said. They are also the "least controversial" types of aid that can be given to a country still recovering from political strife, he added. Reed directs this and other humanitarian efforts from a four-bedroom house he shares with other international-development agency staff members in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan.

Since the program started in November 2005, about 100 doctors and educators have given up Western salaries and living conditions to return to Sudan for three months of service. In Sudan, the reception has not always been rapturous. "Sometimes there are attitudes (like), 'Who are these people coming back who were living these cushy lives while we were suffering?' " Reed said. "But the Sudanese government has clearly recognized the importance of (returnees) and the skills they bring." Reed said the proof of this is in the outcome: Almost 50 percent of the volunteers have since returned to Sudan, and several have stayed permanently. One volunteer, a doctor from Tennessee, is now the deputy director of southern Sudan's National HIV/AIDS Council. A Texas professor has become a minister in Sudan's fledgling government of national unity.  Read more.

Read more about Peace Corps Ethiopia.

Read more about the Peace Corps and NGO's.

Read more about the Peace Corps and Service.

Caption: Allan Reed and wife Ayo Reed pose next to Sudanese art which represents Dinka tribal life. They met when she was working as a nurse in Sudan in 1972 and were married in 1974 and are preparing to return.

Direct Relief International and BD Launch Volunteer Service Program to Improve Healthcare in Ghana

Direct Relief International  and BD Launch Volunteer Service Program to Improve Healthcare in Ghana
Direct Relief International, a humanitarian medical aid nonprofit organization, and BD, a leading global medical technology company, today announced a joint volunteer initiative to strengthen healthcare in two areas of Ghana. Working side-by-side for three weeks with clinic staff from Direct Relief partners at the Maranatha Maternity Clinic and Motoka Clinic, 12 BD employee volunteers from around the globe will help build local healthcare capacity in the region. Thomas Tighe, the head of Direct Relief International, was formerly the Chief of Staff of the Peace Corps and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand.

"This unique collaboration will strengthen health services for people in Ghana, where access to diagnostic and treatment services is scarce," said Direct Relief President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Tighe. "BD has been a leader in sharing its healthcare products for humanitarian purposes, and we are honored that the company is sharing its most valuable resource its employees' tremendous talent toward the same end. These upgraded facilities will become major health resources for the entire region."

The Maranatha Maternity Clinic serves approximately 250 patients per month, of whom approximately 40 percent are unable to pay for their medical treatment. The rural Motoka Clinic, established in 1996, is the only source of healthcare for nearly 100,000 people in its district. Services offered at the clinic are complemented by regular mobile clinics conducted in villages that are only accessible by boat.

BD and Direct Relief have worked together since 1996, helping people in developing countries and disaster-ravaged areas, supplying and delivering specifically requested medical supplies to communities in greatest need. BD and its associates are contributing money, products, talent and time to help people in Ghana treat disease and improve lives by raising health standards.

Direct Relief has assisted public and private healthcare facilities in Ghana since 1991 by supplying more than $5.5 million (wholesale) of critically needed medicines, medical supplies, nutritional products and medical equipment. Limited access to clinical and laboratory health services is a major constraint to battling disease in developing countries. The majority of the disease burden exists in non-urban locations (districts and rural villages), and access to health services in these locations is often poor to non-existent. Malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition and HIV/AIDS are primary health concerns in Ghana. Read more.

Forbes has given Thomas Tighe's Direct Relief International a perfect score of 100% for fundraising efficiency for the fifth straight year in the magazines annual evaluation of America's leading nonprofit organizations
In the category of donor dependency, which "tries to measure how badly a nonprofit needs [a] contribution to break even," Direct Relief was assigned the highest score of any U.S. charity, 154%. The organization also received a score of 99% in the "charitable commitment" category, which measures "how much of the total expense went directly to the charitable purpose."

About Direct Relief International:
Founded in 1948, nonsectarian, and funded entirely by private contributions;
Provides humanitarian medical material assistance to people in developing countries and areas hit by natural disaster or civil strife;
In fiscal year 2006-- $190 million wholesale value in medical material assistance to 56 countries;
$10 million in cash investments to strengthen local health services;
$23.8 million courses of treatment provided;
$30 million in aid to the U.S Gulf States following Katrina;
Over $15.5 million in aid furnished to California nonprofit clinics since 2003.

Thomas Tighe moderates discussion of NGO's with Bill Clinton and Paul Orfalea in Santa Barbara
As part of a $400,000 commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative, the Orfalea Family Foundation is providing financial assistance to medical material aid nonprofit Direct Relief International for warehouse capacity building, including software and mechanical equipment, to increase the organization’s global disaster preparedness. The grant was finalized at a public dialogue on global issues with former President William J. Clinton and Kinko’s Founder Paul Orfalea in Santa Barbara. Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief as well as COO of the Peace Corps under President Clinton, moderated the event.

“It was an honor to moderate a discussion with President Clinton and Mr. Orfalea,” said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief. “You cannot have a more energetic and committed representative for low-income communities than President Clinton and I’m thrilled that UCSB students had the opportunity to hear his optimistic outlook.”

With these funds, Direct Relief will be undertaking a significant and ground-breaking improvement to its enterprise software, which forms the backbone of its inventory and worldwide shipping logistics. The change will enable the organization to handle greater volumes of material aid quicker and to more partners. The Orfalea grant will also make possible the acquisition of an additional forklift and pallet rider at Direct Relief’s main warehouses, which will double the productivity level of the picking and inventorying processes. Direct Relief maintains 62,000 square feet of space between two warehouses in Santa Barbara, with a standing inventory of approximately $100 million in medical material supplies and pharmaceuticals.  Read more.

Read more about Thailand RPCV Thomas Tighe and Direct Relief International.

Spotlight on Peace Corps Panama

Panama RPCV Florence Reed's Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) plants their two millionth tree
After graduating from UNH with a B.S. in Environmental Conservation and International Affairs, Reed joined the Peace Corps and lived in Panama from 1991 to 1993, planting trees and working on reforestation projects. "The Peace Corps forces you to figure out what needs to be done," said Reed. She explained that her experiences at UNH and her time in the Peace Corps inspired her to begin her nonprofit organization.

Ten years ago, when she was living in her parent's house, Reed got the idea to create Sustainable Harvest International. However, she had no money and no means to do so. She needed a miracle, and she got it that day. An old friend from Switzerland unexpectedly called from overseas and donated $6,000 for her to work with. "If you have a dream to make a positive change in the world, the universe will conspire to make it happen," said Reed. "Don't feel like you can't do it. Surprising things will happen." Because of her friend's generosity and her parents' donation of the spare bedroom for an office, Reed was able to found SHI in May 1997.

The mission of SHI is to work toward environmental, economic and social sustainability. Trained local staff in Belize, Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras work with farmers by teaching them more sustainable methods to use in farming their land. Not only will these methods increase their output, but they will help to grow more varied crops, improving locals' diets. SHI also works with communities by creating loan funds for those who may need to borrow money. Volunteers help in local schools, aiding teachers in the classroom or interacting with students. They have helped families build wood-sustainable stoves that burn longer and create very little smoke, which pollutes homes and causes lung cancer in many people each year. "We have a very charitable mission," said Reed. Read more.

While working in the remote fields of Panama as a Peace Corps volunteer, Zachary McNish listened
While working in the remote fields of Panama as a Peace Corps volunteer, Zachary McNish listened. He listened to the villagers describe how they lived their lives and the many hardships that confronted their community.

During his three years of living with the Wounann people in the Rio Hondo area of Panama, McNish learned, for instance, that the indigenous group faced difficulties irrigating their crops. He also found them resistant at first to new agricultural methods, even though these efforts would likely increase their yield. By listening first, then acting, McNish finally managed to introduce new farming techniques that have helped the Wounann with their crops.

These same qualities served McNish well as a contributing member of Duke Law School community. Shortly before graduating with his law degree this spring, McNish was selected for a prestigious service medal given each year by the university. “Working for the Peace Corps was more of an instinct than a calling,” McNish said. “My desire to help others is specific. … Looking back, I liked being an advocate for people.” Read more.

Panama RPCV Mari Lyn Salvado brings an exhibit on the Kuna to the  Museum of Man in San Diego
Mari Lyn Salvador first saw molas being sewn back in the 1960s, when she arrived in Panama as a Peace Corps worker. The hand-stitched blouses are pieces of art. Their elaborate designs depict items in the day-to-day lives of the Kuna people of Panama's coast. Canoes. Gourds. Fish. Coming-of-age ceremonies. Even political figures and cereal boxes have become subjects. Salvador, an artist and then-budding anthropologist, was fascinated by the tradition. Half of her life's work as a scholar became study of the Kuna.

"I was interested in the geometric patterns and how they came up with them and what the reference is," said Salvador, pointing to a gourd and then to a blouse depicting gourds. Now, as director of the San Diego Museum of Man, Salvador has brought an exhibit on the Kuna to San Diego.

"The Art of Being Kuna" features hundreds of molas and 300 other pieces of Kuna handcraft, including baskets, wooden objects and gold jewelry. Two mola craftswomen from Panama and two Kuna elders will be in San Diego this weekend for the opening of the exhibit to demonstrate and discuss their culture. The focus is "the importance of form and beauty for the Kuna in everyday life," Salvador said. Read more.

Panama RPCV James A. Brunton Jr. is the force behind the 12-year, $1.5 million, "Fitzcarraldo"-like feat of building a 92-foot boat out of rain forest hardwoods with indigenous labor
A rich, sunburned gringo in a straw hat from country-clubby Westport, Conn., was in command when this unusual boating party sailed in Sunday. His presence, and his encouraging the native crew to wear their traditional garb for visitors, raised all sorts of complicated questions. Whose mission was this, really? How to reconcile the capital's fashion habits with the topless women below deck? And was the entire endeavor -- how to put this -- stone loco ?

"We're bringing a piece of the rain forest here," says James A. Brunton Jr., 62, the man in the straw hat, the force behind the 12-year, $1.5 million, "Fitzcarraldo"-like feat of building a 92-foot boat out of rain forest hardwoods with indigenous labor. "That has a powerful impact."

He is a former Peace Corps volunteer (1967-69) in the Darien rain forest (not to be confused with Darien, Conn.) who says he made a lot of money with a Westport-based software company and has used some of the proceeds to create the Pajaro Jai Foundation to help the people he met in his Peace Corps days. The name of the boat is Pajaro Jai, too, a phrase cobbled from Spanish and Embera to mean "Enchanted Bird."

In a gentle breeze spiked with Old Bay seasoning from the Maine Avenue SW fish wharf, the Pajaro Jai bobs at anchor at the Capital Yacht Club. With its two tall masts and three sails, it is all varnished butterscotch luxury, quite a contrast against the white fiberglass of neighboring craft, with names like Story Maker II, Prospero and Brigadoon.

There are seven Embera aboard, plus nine others, including sailors who give the Indians crew lessons. But just what is the deal with the loincloths, jungle paint, dancing and breasts, anyway? Is there anything that so recalls the bad old days of medicine show exploitation, tourist trinket colonialism, insulting old dioramas at the Smithsonian, cliches of National Geographic titillation? Brunton has a ready answer: "This isn't dress-up for charade; this is real," he says. "We don't want to represent them as Latinos, because they're not Latinos. They are the original people of the rain forest. . . . It's who they are. However you interpret it, tough luck." Read more.

Read more about Peace Corps Panama.

The Peace Corps and Malaria

The deaths of more than 1 million people each year from malaria, prompted Senegal RPCV Andy Sherman to start NetLife, a nonprofit organization that distributes mosquito nets in Africa
During Andy Sherman's two-year Peace Corps service in Thioke Thian, Senegal, 9-year-old Salimatou helped him navigate village life and learn the language, telling him words in Pulaar as he'd point at objects. But after returning from a stint working in another village, Sherman learned the girl had died of malaria. And after completing his service in 2002, he learned two women who had been like mothers to him also died of the mosquito-borne disease.

Their deaths, and the deaths of more than 1 million people each year from malaria, prompted Sherman and fellow Saint Louis University medical student Jesse Matthews to start NetLife, a nonprofit organization that distributes mosquito nets in Africa. It's motto: Saving lives one net at a time.

The two last went to Africa in 2005 to distribute 600 nets, and plan to return again this summer for 10 weeks to deliver 1,000 more. Before dropping off the nets, they scout out a village, talk to the chief and make a list of women in the community. Then, they return later with the nets, involve villagers in a skit explaining the specifics on how to use them and keep them from getting damaged. They then distribute them to the women, who make sure their families are protected by the net when they sleep.

"Previously when we bought them, they were $8.50 a net. That's way more than a typical villager in Senegal could afford," said Sherman, 29. The group, which now buys nets for $5 each, distributes them for free in remote villages where people don't have them. Read more.

Visit their web site and read how you can contribute to Netlife.

Marlene and Brian McPherson visited their daughter in the Peace Corps in Nambogo, Uganda and brought 882 mosquito nets
We wanted to take something to these women Adia likes so much, and we decided to collect money for the nets," Marlene said. "These people are living in mud huts and often can't afford the $6 for a mosquito net for their babies to sleep under." To pay for the nets, the McPhersons reached out to the community. What they found astounded them. They sent e-mail appeals, stuffed school mailboxes with fliers and asked churches for help. "I thought we're not going to have enough money for everyone to get a net," she said. "I figured we could raise about $200 -- and we ended up with $2,400, enough for five nets for each woman." The sum means that all the members of the households in Nambogo and, in some cases, members of their extended families, will be protected from malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Read more.

Zambia Peace Corps Volunteer writes:  Malaria
It all started with a headache, one of those pounding headaches where everything gets dizzy and makes you want to scream for bloody murder when you move your head the slightest inch. But just a headache I kept telling myself, it will go away soon.  I swallowed a couple of aspirin and continued my day... one day turned into several days where I found myself waking up in incredible pain and falling asleep at night in pain.  I realized there was something seriously wrong when I performed my usual morning routine, neck cracking--a little head turning to the left..pop pop pop.. followed by the other side..pop pop pop...  When there was no pop pop pop, and extremely stiff pain, I began to think.... Have I maybe pop pop popped too much?!?!

Only about 20 minutes after I started shivering, I started unlayering myself and realized I was sweating profusely.  My fever had broke and had I not been sick, I would have felt like a Greek Goddess being fanned as I employed all of my friends to fan cold air on me.  You go from one extreme to the next..  At this point, I was ready to write my will, not that I have much to leave behind because I live in Africa, and have no assets, the thought still crossed my mind.  I thought I was on my deathbed, and while I am a pro at being sick, I have never felt like this.  The hot/cold spells persisted all night (I didn't sleep not even for a minute).  My neighbors wanted to bring me to the hospital, but I adamantely refused because I didn't want to be admitted for several days and preferred to wait it out till a morning clinic oppened and I could start self medicating.

The second day was a different story.  Now, for those who may not remember, during my Peace Corps training I was known throughout my group as the Diarrhea Queen.  I had ecoli, giardia, every bacteria or parasite digestive problem known to man, but none of these ailments could even come clsoe to describing the Malaria Diarrhea!  The malaria parasite attacks the white blood cells, and the body can literaly feel the medicine trying to fight off the parasite, and once the treatment starts working the parasite is forced to leave the body, and there are only two ways and you don't get your choice!!!  I'll spare everyone the details, but let's just say I spent the second day within two feet of a toilet at all times.  Not to mention incredible stomach pain with all of these incredible bowel movements!

And then I thought it was over.. but NOOOOOOOOOOO.... That same night I was, again, up all night with hot/cold spells, joint pain, and another extreme headache.  I was sleeping at a good friends house, who happens to be a nurse as well, and when I had to wake up her in the morning that third day from pain again she decided that we were going to the clinic in the morning because I should not have still had symptoms.

That following morning at the clinic we did a malaria blood test, which came out negative but was put on about 4 different medications, my tempature translated to 103 F, which frightened me quite a bit but is now normal now.

Well, I am alive.. I have survived malaria, and now wouldn't we all agree--I have an exciting story to tell!!!  I can't imagine if I had been living in the village with malaria and am grateful I live in town this time aroound with access to EVERYTHING!

Imagine.. you are a baby, or an elderly person suffering from these exact symptoms and are unable to tell anyone what is happening to your body.  What happens then.. well, to be blunt.. you die.  Malaria can be prevented by sleeping under a mosquito net, but it is still very easy to get.  Yes, it is easily treatable, but what if you don't have it.  You are living in a remote village with no clinic nearby.  My mom recently sent me a magazine article from I believe Sports Illustrated where a man was trying to convince Americans to donate money to buy mosquito nets for Africans.  Come on Americans.. it will cost you maybe the equivalent of $3 dollars and you could be saving a family's life!  A big KUDOS to my mom who donated money in my honor to this worthy cause and I couldn't stress enough to all of you to think about how much I suffered during this past week, and how thousands, hundreds of thousands of innocent children die just from being bitten from a single mosquito. Okay, i'll stop preaching now, but i'm only asking all of you to stop and THINK for a moment!  Read more.

Read more about the Peace Corps and Malaria.

Nepal RPCV Robert Buckley founds Himalayan Healers to preserve the rich history of healing and energy work in the Himalayas and benefit Sponsored Students from the Untouchable castes of Nepal

Nepal RPCV Robert Buckley founds Himalayan Healers to preserve the rich history of healing and energy work in the Himalayas and benefit Sponsored Students from the Untouchable castes of Nepal
Members of the Untouchable castes in Nepal are considered to be "impure" and "untouchable," and are restricted from entering the majority of community temples, have separate water supplies, and are deemed taboo to touch or be touched by. They are born into these roles, and have extremely limited opportunities to move ahead, living day-to-day, hand-to-mouth simply to survive. At the Himalayan Healers project we are training sponsored members of the Untouchable castes to become "Himalayan Healers" in the arts of Ayurvedic, Tibetan, and Indigenous/Nepali massage techniques, supported by a foundation in Yoga, Meditation, and Reiki.

While the initial focus of our work and our mission at Himalayan Healers is upon providing a credible, positive, effective avenue of social and individual change within the Untouchable community of Nepal, we also recognize that Nepal is a nation in need.

As such, our doors are open to provide assistance to qualified candidates from all backgrounds within Nepal, with a particular emphasis on those who are: Victims of Human Trafficking; those who have been Internally Displaced due to the Ongoing Conflict; Freed Kamaiyas (indentured servants and bonded laborers); and any others of Profound Need.  Read more.

Visit the Himalayan Healers web site.

Read more about what RPCVs who served in Nepal are doing today.

Malawi RPCVs Garry Prime, Michael Hill, and Kevin Denny founded "Orphan Support" to foster effective and sustainable programs in Africa that improve the protection and well-being of orphans and vulnerable children

Malawi RPCVs Garry Prime, Michael Hill, and Kevin Denny founded "Orphan Support" to foster effective and sustainable programs in Africa that improve the protection and well-being of orphans and vulnerable children
The Mission of Orphan Support Africa is to support communities in Africa through WORKING WITH effective and sustainable programs, which improve the well being of orphans and vulnerable children and nurture these children to become self-reliant adults. By 2010 there will be 20 million OVC in Africa, while today only 10% are receiving any kind of service.

In Malawi alone, the 4th poorest country in the world, with a population of under 12 million, There are nearly 1 million orphans.   Orphan Support Africa is making a difference. It developed from two successful OVC systems of care. The Malawi Children’s (MCV) began delivering comprehensive services ten years ago in a structure that was replicated by The Mango Tree Orphan Support Programme (TMT) in southern Tanzania three years ago. Currently these two organizations serve almost 8,000 OVC in 66 villages. Each delivers services at roughly $30 per orphan per year. Each has a staff made up mostly of volunteers.

Orphan Support Africa is a new organization with deep roots. It's five founders have a combined history of over one hundred and fifty years of commitment to sub-Saharan Africa and have already established community based orphan care programs in Malawi and Tanzania which have become recognized as best practice models.

The lessons that have accompanied this experience are many, but can be boiled down to a simple unifying principal: Orphan Support Africa is in the business of saying goodbye. Each time Orphan Support Africa commits to help a community, it does so with the firm understanding that our role is nurture, not to direct. We present community leaders the opportunity for three years of support and resources that will allow them to develop to the point of self-sufficiency. At the end of that period it is mutually understood that communities will have evolved the leadership skills and commitment that will allow them to continue on their own.

Malawi Children's Village is a social services organization run collaboratively by American volunteers and local villagers
Malawi Children's Village is a social services organization run collaboratively by American volunteers and local villagers. It is on the outskirts of Mangochi, one of the poorest districts in one of the smallest and most impoverished nations in Africa. Malawi Children's Village provides food, medical care and money for school to more than 3,500 AIDS orphans -- those who have lost one or both parents to the disease -- in dozens of surrounding villages. Medical personnel treat the sickest and most malnourished children at an infirmary on the compound, but most of the work is done as outreach so that children can remain in their own villages where relatives or neighbors can help raise them.

To learn more about "Orphan Support" in Malawi visit their web site.

Greg Van Kirk and his team of volunteers comprise Community Enterprise Solutions the not for profit he co-founded with fellow Guatemala Peace Corps Volunteer George Glickley to provide loans to rural constituents

Greg Van Kirk and his team of volunteers comprise Community Enterprise Solutions the not for profit he co-founded with fellow Guatemala Peace Corps Volunteer George Glickley to provide loans to rural constituents
While working in investment banking in New York City in 2000,  Greg Van Kirk read about Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus’ micro-credit work providing loans to the poor of Bangledesh. “When I turned 30 and read about Mohammad Yunnus’ work, I knew it was now or never, so I joined the Peace Corps,” he said. Armed with his investment banking credibility, and accrued analytic and business skills, Van Kirk knew that what he needed was real field experience. His transformation from Peace Corps volunteer to social entrepreneur began in Nebaj, an indigenous, rural town in the mountains of Guatemala, where he found himself surrounded by nature and culture but with no facilities or centers for tourists to stay at or visit.

Seeing an opportunity to help local people bring new money into the community and create new jobs, he donated his own money and solicited the support of family and friends and created five tourism-focused businesses: a restaurant, a Spanish language school, a guiding service, an Internet café, and an artisan store. Van Kirk said Jan. 16 will mark the fifth anniversary of the tourism business and said the businesses have received about $10,000 in total donations to date and are now all locally owned and operated, directly employ over 30 people and have average annual revenues approaching $100,000.

When it came time to create his own venture to build on the success of the tourism businesses, Van Kirk took into consideration the whole picture, using his heart and his head. Since he co-founded Community Enterprise Solutions in 2004, Van Kirk’s work has had a concrete impact. For example, thousands of women weavers and rural merchants with bad eyesight are now able to continue making a living by buying eyeglasses from Community Enterprise (CE) Solutions. The company trained and equipped local entrepreneurs, as featured in November of 2005 in the NBC Nightly News “Making a Difference” segment. When summing up his work Van Kirk said, “It is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, working with so many human, cultural, and societal issues, trying to come up with solutions to problems that have been around for thousands of years.” “In the end, my job is to drive myself out of business. We train people and get them to the point of self-sufficiency; to the point where they don’t need us anymore,” he said.

Read more about the Peace Corps and Microfinance.

India RPCV Carl Pope writes: Renewable energy offers new jobs

RPCV Carl Pope writes: Renewable energy offers new jobs
"The fact that we buy wind turbines from Denmark and not from Cleveland may be absurd, but it is no accident because until now America as a whole hasn't really been serious about creating a new energy economy. Meanwhile, actions by individual states give some clue about how forward-thinking energy policies can create good jobs. " Sierra Club President Carl Pope served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in India in the 1960's. Read more.

Sierra Club, Steelworkers to Announce Historic Strategic Alliance
The Alliance will promote a new vision for American public policy -- creating jobs by promoting smart energy solutions to global warming; reducing the risks from toxic chemicals in the workplace and the community; and building a responsible trade policy for America. This unprecedented alliance will chart a new direction for the nation's labor and environmental movements, bringing together almost 2 million members around a shared vision of the future. Read more.

Carl Pope writes: The Trickle-up response to global warming offers hope
"We don't have the luxury of waiting for an administration in Washington that can read a thermometer. We can flex our muscle at the state and local levels, challenging our elected leaders to greater creativity and resourcefulness in cooling the planet. Global warming is a big challenge, but it's one each of us can do something about starting today." Read more.