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It Starts Here!
Issue 13 - It's Our Lucky 13. It's called being different.
October 10, 2010
*ALL EYES HERE!*
There! thanks! :) This concerns you!
What makes the ISH unique is its members-driven, community-based approach to resource-sharing.
ISH was started among a group of friends at Queen's University, and since our humble roots, the ISH family has more than tripled in size. We all share at least one thing in common: a profound drive to learn about the world and make it a better place.
Since this is the lucky 13th issue of ISH, lets propose some savvy re-vamping to help us all connect and get to know each other better:
- Let's introduce ourselves! If you guys are all cool, in next week's Newsletter, I will sent out a list of all ISH members (just names, no emails unless you want to), and what each one of you is doing now. If you want to write a short blurb about yourself, what you are passionate about, etc, for your fellow members to get to know you a bit better, just reply to this email.
- NEW Weekly member feature: each week, a member writes a quick note about them-self and what they're up to. This would greatly help the rest of us see what amazing things you're doing!
- NEW member sections: If you are writing about a specific theme every week, we would love for you to have your own section as a true ISH columnist!
- "From You with love": For each new post, the member who posted it will now have his or her name included with the post.
*Not finished reading the above section yet? ALL EYES ABOVE!*
*Wait for it!!*
OK you can read the rest of the newsletter now! :P
Issues:
- Climate talks in China has come and gone, and all that has come out of it has been further validation that the USA and China like to bicker like babies. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11508913 .....Hopefully they grow up before the November talks in Cancun, Mexico! One bit of good news was that plans are afoot to transfer $100billion from rich to poor nations to help them cope with climate change.
- Oceans = biggest plastic garbage dump in the world? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11478261..... I had no idea the oceans are FULL of plastic debris when I first heard about it, but they are! The plastic doesn't decompose and just accumulates in natural vortexes where ocean currents meet. Apparently, the largest "dump" is TWICE the size of FRANCE!! This article talks about the multiple ways to get rid of this problem....but will we ever squish it at its source? Can humans live without fossil-fuel based, un-biodegradable plastic?
- Healthcare Sustainability:
Here is a vivid example of the conflict between "patient-autonomy" and "medical justice". An elderly woman in Newfoundland was forcibly released from the hospital into a nursing home, without the patient's consent! In a healthcare system strapped for hospital space, doctors, and other resources (and becoming more so!), "compromises" like this must be made.
The government found that many hospitals are using public money to pay for lobbyists. Politicians, and citizens alike are interested as to why hospitals feel the need to hire lobbyist rather than using their own personnel, and misusing public resources. This is how funding for healthcare gets wasted.
Your weekly LOL!
Solutions:
- World's largest tidal generator... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10952924 ....in bonnie Scotland! Scotland is committed to producing 50% of its electricity through renewable sources by 2020. Lucky for it it's so windy...and apparently very tidal, too!
- The most mundane material is also the world's strongest...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11476301.....and these dudes who discovered it using scotch tape actually won a nobel prize in physics (2010) because of it!!!
TED Talk of the Week!
Debates:
- Does China hold the answer to African development and aid? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11444441) Unlike the western world, China has been giving African countries aid with "no strings attached" (i.e. not mandating human rights reform in African countries). China has also been able to do it with less red tape and seemingly more political will. Good thing? Maybe, maybe not. Depending on how you see things, China can be seen as merely shoring up its natural resource base, ensuring reliable future trading partners . China has already constructed huge mines all over the developing world, and is already experimenting with the next generation of biotech plants on African soil. So China's role in humanitarian aid is, like many things in this world, two-faced. Quite interesting, and a but ironic, too, given China's current status as a developing nation itself!!
It Starts with You! (Making your life and the lives of others more sustainable)
ABOUT "IT STARTS HERE":
- ISH is a member-based information resource about all things "sustainability", started in March of 2010. Our members consist of high school and university students, including IB candidates/alumni, Queen's Major Admission Award Scholars, Loran Scholars, and Canada's Top 20 Under 20 alumni.
- Members (those receiving the ISH - yes you are a member!) send in whatever materials they find (links to interesting facts, news about their organizations, etc) during the course of the week, and an editor compiles the material and sends out the ISH newsletter every sunday.
- As the ISH relies on member inputs, your contribution is greatly needed and always appreciated!
- You're a member if you care - about the world, about sustainability issues, and about what you can do to make things better. We hope you find the information in this newsletter interesting, informative, and inspiring. Remember: change starts here. Change starts with you.
As a member, you have the unique opportunity, through your contributions, to shape this newsletter however you envision it to be. If you would like to see more information about a particular topic, simply find something about it, write a little blurb about it, and forward it my way for inclusion in the next newsletter!
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