Archive for the 'the web' Category

Meet a few more of our “Living Democracy” partners

admin August 11th, 2008

Here at Small Planet we value the work of people who are proof of Living Democracy—an empowering way of life in which citizens use their voices and values to make lasting, positive change in our society.

For the past few months we have been connecting with organizations around the country that embody the core elements of Living Democracy. Below you’ll find an example of one such organization and what it is doing to help our planet. We find their phenomenal efforts inspiring and know that you will, too.

Want to become a Small Planet Partner? Please email us at team@smallplanet.org

Redefining Progress

Redefining Progress is the nation’s-leading public policy think tank dedicated to environmental, economic, and social justice. Our team does original, unbiased research about the disproportionate effects of climate change on low-income families and people of color. We develop measurement tools such as the Ecological Footprint and the Genuine Progress Indicator that point people and governments towards environmental and economic sustainability.

Utilizing our research and tools, Redefining Progress outlines policy initiatives at the state and national level to address pressing environmental issues in ways that are economically and socially just. We are available as sustainability consultants and researchers to businesses, labor unions, schools, communities, and governments that seek to become more sustainable or need in-depth information on the impact of policies on their sector. We’ve created free resources for teachers who want to introduce concepts of sustainability in their classrooms and we host the popular Ecological Footprint Quiz (http://myfootprint.org), the world’s most well-known personal measure of sustainable living.

The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture

“The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture promotes grassroots involvement in the creation of federal policy for food systems and rural communities that are healthy, environmentally sound, profitable, humane and just. We are built on farm- and community-based knowledge–proven quite literally in the field–that sustainable agriculture can produce the food we need, and generate jobs and a healthy rural economy, without environmental harm. Our process of dialogue and consensus building enables us to generate agreement and unified action among groups who have traditionally found little common ground.”

YouthBuild USA

“YouthBuild is a youth and community development program that simultaneously addresses core issues facing low-income communities. These include housing, education, employment, crime prevention and leadership development. A network of 226 local YouthBuild programs help low-income youth rebuild their communities and their lives. In March, 2008, at the Skoll World Forum Award Ceremony in Oxford, England, the Skoll Foundation unveiled a seven-minute film about YouthBuild as a solution to the issues affecting low-income youth in the United States.”

Watch the film here: http://www.youthbuild.org/site/c.htIRI3PIKoG/b.4126063/

How can we end world hunger? Frances Moore Lappe explains in this issue of The Progressive.

admin July 21st, 2008

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In her latest piece, “A Shortage of Democracy, Not Food”, Frances revisits her Diet for a Small Planet’s days and the revelation that the root of world hunger is not a lack of food but a lack of democracy. “Because no human being chooses hunger, hunger is proof that a person has been denied a voice in meeting survival needs. And, since a say in one’s future is the very essence of democracy, the existence of hunger belies democracy.”

Read the article here.

Getting a Grip: “A little book with a big call to action.”

admin July 11th, 2008

An excerpt from a new review of Getting a Grip:

Lappé tackles the shortcomings of our current political and economic framework and gives us hope for the future by proposing a new lens through which to see and act in our world. Simple and effective graphics capture the book’s big ideas, and key themes are highlighted with poignant quotes. [...] Getting a Grip is ultimately about reclaiming democracy, and it provides paths for each of us to find our parts in it.”


The review comes from The Orton Family Foundation, an operating foundation that seeks to help communities in the Northeast and Rocky Mountain West to identify, articulate, enrich, and protect their “heart and soul.”

Read the review learn more about the OFF here.

How can we Get a Grip? Listen to Frances talk about a few of her ideas

admin June 24th, 2008

KUOW 94.9 FM recently put up a podcast of Frances giving a talk at the Elliott Bay Book Company (Seattle) where she explained the power of ideas asking, for example, why there could be hunger in our world of plenty. Frances boils down her ideas clearly and engagingly, always with the desire to share and learn. Listen to her talk about the ideas behind Getting a Grip here:

http://kuow.org/program.php?id=15165