Nektarina Recap

Written by Anam Gill

Originated in 1968 the idea of sustainable development to be incorporated in a charter by Maurice Strong and Mikhail Gorbachev led to a lot of organisations stepping forward and try to make it a reality. The charter was created by a global consultation process endorsed by various organisations, representing the hope of millions to work towards a sustainable future which focuses on the well- being of human family at large.

It comprised not only of global connectivity which we as a human race have been sharing for a long time rather it also obligated to keep in mind the future of mother earth along in it's struggle for a better world for future generations.

On this road to forming a sustainable global community Nektarina founded in 2009, wanted to carry this message forward. The message was simple which is to create a sustainable global community respecting nature, human rights, economic justice that promotes a culture of peace. The only hindrance now was making it a reality not letting the message get distorted on the way like the Chinese whisper.

Mustering up courage along with other organisations Nektarina wanted to implement the four basic principles of Earth Charter in all it's projects since it’s inception. Enthusiastic to make a difference and ardent to make a positive contribution it developed projects that aimed at engaging people from all over the word, declaring responsibility to one another, the greater community of human existence and to future generations.

Projects like Nektarina Connect through Art, My Planet and Me and Nektarina Visual Essays invited people from all over the globe to participate using non formal, participatory methods like the medium of arts to express themselves focusing on caring for community with love, understanding and compassion. Young people, women and children participated wholeheartedly in all these projects. Using sustainable art that comprise the use of various mediums like photography, painting  etc to engage people, raise awareness, helping them to improve their lives and communities with a better understanding of living in a global community that disseminates the message of protecting the environment .

21^st century is a century of peaceful coexistence. We must acknowledge the fact that we live in a pluralistic, diverse world. We stand at a moment in Earth’s history where we must choose our future. The future holds great perils and promises simultaneously as the world becomes increasingly interdependent. To move forward we must keep in mind that as a human family and earth community we must move forward with a common destiny. Bringing forth a sustainable global society that is founded on the values of universal human rights, respect for nature , economic security and justice and a culture of peace we must join together.

Keeping in mind the first principle of the charter that is respecting and caring for the community of life, Nektarina engaged various communities in all it’s projects focusing especially on the Roma rights.  The Roma people have been segregated since a long time and integrating them into the mainstream is a challenge in Europe. The campaigns and projects of Nektarina rejects the isolation of communities based on ethnicity, cast, creed and religion. Moving on with empathy, compassion and love to build just societies has been an essential objective of Nektarina. Projects like Connecting Through Art and Nektarina Web Magazine invites people encouraged everyone to voice their opinion. Connect through Art was a space especially for women from conflict areas to express themselves using art forms. Moreover the Visual Essay competition especially invited young people engaging them to learn more about issues relevant to their communities. To express their thoughts in creative visual styles invitations were sent to around 300 educational institutions from all over the world. Young people were asked to contribute on the issues of human rights, minorities, environment and integration.

Nektarina’s various educational campaigns centre on recycling, reducing carbon footprint and development of sustainable cities keeping in mind the ecological integrity principle of Earth Charter. The campaigns focused on protecting Earth ecological systems preventing harm as the best method to protect the environment.  To advance the study of ecological sustainability promoting open exchange and application of acquired knowledge Nektarina has dedicated a space for the publication of researches, articles, and other publications that stresses on the need to adopt patterns of production, utilization and reproduction that safeguards the ecological system.  All Nektarina’s publications including the web magazine are for everyone under creative commons licensing. The essential aspect behind these various projects and publications is to connect people from across the globe to share ideas, educating and inspiring them to work for a peaceful global community.

To promote social and economic justice strengthening democratic institutions and promoting a culture of peace and non-violence Nektarina came up with an initiative Education for Sustainability. The aim of this initiative is to make sustainability part of the educational institution’s curriculum. To inculcate in children the importance of a sustainable world that safeguards their future. Education plays a vital role in human development. Educating young people which will enable them to gain an understanding, knowledge, values and skills and address environmental and social changes issues. Education for sustainability is a step forward to include sustainable education in the “official” curriculum with the help of education ministries and departments, institutions and councils and boards relevant to the field of education around the world.

Children of today are our future, our hope for a better world. Letting them learn to think ecologically and developing a capacity to apply this understanding effectively to develop better communities is an essential measure in today’s age and time.  A true sustainable community is diverse, dynamic and continuously evolving. Starting off by educating children encourages us to dream and hope for thriving, sustainable human communities. We can learn this from the nature’s ecosystems which are sustainable communities of animals, microorganisms and plants. Education itself centres on environmental or sustainable education where students are taught that they are a part of natural world, now they should also be taught to protect the natural world. 

In Pakistan the local education ministry at provincial level tried to incorporate value education which was related to sustainable education in the public schools. With limited resources they developed curriculum and trained the teachers to pass on the knowledge of how children can take small steps that will make a big difference. Those small steps starts from saving energy my switching of unwanted lights, closing the water taps while brushing, keeping a litter free environment to the importance of recycling to name a few. 

A curriculum especially designed to impart knowledge on waste management, protecting the forests, looking after each other and thinking about a greater community, a global community will equip the children with a better understanding of the world. The project Education for Sustainability is in line with the fundamental principle of Earth Charter that talks about Integration of knowledge, values and skills needed for sustainable living into formal education. The importance of educating children to understand and act on the issues of sustainable world was seconded at Earth Summit. Keeping in mind that today’s students will be tomorrow’s leaders and decision makers helping them engage in debates , letting them acquire a better understanding of the world and global community will be a positive step for the future.  

We live in a unique time in history where the technological advancements are prodigious. These advancements added both to the progress and recession of world communities. Keeping in mind this juxtaposition we need to work towards an impact that only contributes positively. Living in a globalized world where the distances are becoming less with each passing year, globalization is bringing people and cultures together. We have transcended the geographical and national boundaries in communication.  This definitely proves the point that we are at stage where the problems associated with the Earth are no longer affecting one region or group of people rather we all are affected equally by the problems that affects the marginalised groups more. This is an important time in history where we have to take each other with us on our struggle to build a better world.

The Earth Charter is based on intercultural dialogue fostering the need for unified responsibility. Nektarina has been acting on this principle of integration. Nektarina comprises  of a multicultural team from all over the world including Pakistan, Croatia, France, India, Fiji, Trinidad & Tobago, Spain and people working in Nektarina have travelled extensively getting to know various cultures, equipping themselves with a better understanding of the world communities. Nektarina in upholding the Earth Charter principle of mutual respect and understanding by giving equal opportunity to everyone involved in it’s mission.

The principles and values in the Earth Charter reflect the influence of a rich diversity. The vision of shared values in the Earth Charter is especially focused on environment.  However, the inclusion of ethical vision reflecting the realization that political, socio-economic and cultural challenges are interrelated. Nektarina is trying it’s best to take everything together keeping in mind all the principles. Nektarina recognizes the interconnections between human rights and protection of ecosystems promoting a culture of justice and peace. This holistic understanding is reflected through Nektarina’s various projects and campaigns that do constitute sustainable development in it’s core.

At the heart of the Earth Charter is a tenet of respect for life on the recognition that all beings are inter-reliant and all life forms have value irrespective of their worth to individuals. Beginning with an attitude of respect for others and finding expression in caring, preventing harm and promoting well-being these tenets inculcate a sense of ethical responsibility. Earth Charter encourages everyone to identify with the global community as well as their local communities and to be compassionate towards the entire human family.

The ethics of Earth Charter and Nektarina are grounded in a shared vision of widely shared responsibility for the planet Earth and it’s inhabitants. Nektarina does believe that human existence is about being more not having more. The shared values between Nektarina and Earth Charter do focus special attention on the environment.  The vision is inclusive realizing that all global challenges facing the world today are interrelated. Nektarina asserts that the spirit of human solidarity lies in the kinship with all life, mutual understanding and gratitude. Keeping in mind the Earth Charter principles Nektarina believes in the vision of a peaceful and just world celebrating life joyfully.

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Guest post: Call for application - She Entrepreneurs 2013

 (this is a guest post)



Call for application - She Entrepreneurs 2013 - Please Note: The application process is open from October 1 - November 2, 2012.

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Are you a woman with a vision? Do you want to contribute to sustainable change? Apply to She Entrepreneurs, a Swedish Institute leadership program, and become part of a unique network of women social entrepreneurs. 

She Entrepreneurs offers inspiration, tools and networks aimed at building collaborative strategies and expanding partnerships between Sweden and the countries involved in the program.

She Entrepreneurs focuses on young women social entrepreneurs in the Middle East, North Africa and Sweden. The program runs for one year, with participants meeting for ten days in Sweden and one week in the MENA region. During the first module in Sweden, participants are provided with tools needed to develop a social project for sustainable change in their country or region. In between the meetings, the participants work on their own projects locally, coached by group mentors over digital platforms.

The participants are offered the opportunity to meet Swedish organizations as well as leading social and business entrepreneurs. Through the program, participants become part of an active network that strengthens the role of women and supports personal and professional development.  

Who can apply?

Women between the ages of 20 and 32 from Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank-Gaza and Yemen who have the ambition and interest to use social entrepreneurship to further develop and implement a social projec that has already been initiated. You should have good knowledge of both written and spoken English as well as basic knowledge of the Internet and social media like Facebook and Twitter.

You will find the application procedure in the left column. There is no fee for the program. Travel, hotel and food expenses are included in the program.

Application process opens: 1 October, 2012
Deadline for application: November 2, 2012
Skype interviews: December 4-14, 2012
Accepted applicants will be informed by: January 18, 2013
She Entrepreneurs 2013: April 6–17, 2013

For more information about She Entrepreneurs, go to www.si.se/sheentrepreneurs or contact Ulrika Rosvall Levin, program manager, at ulrika.rosvalllevin@si.se or Camilla Eriksson, communications officer, atcamilla.eriksson@si.se  

Good luck !

Photo credits Nektarina Non Profit, taken at Graz, Austria

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#EndFossilFuelSubsidies TwitterStorm by 350.org

Press Release

RIO, 15 June 2012 — Momentum is building for this Monday’s 24-hour “Twitterstorm,” a massive international online action to increase pressure on world leaders to cut nearly $1 trillion in fossil fuel subsidies at the upcoming Rio+20 Earth Summit.

For 24 hours between June 18th and 19th, as world leaders gather at the G20 summit and prepare for Rio+20, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will tweet with the same hashtag — #EndFossilFuelSubsidies — at celebrities and politicians, flooding the popular social network with their demand. Over 1 million people have already signed a petition calling on leaders to act.

Recent developments on the Twitterstorm include:

• Confirmation of tweet projections in Sydney, London, New Dehli, and Rio (see Notes section for times and locations) (1)
• A new website with fact sheets, a tool to tweet at celebrities and Heads of State, and more resources for activists: www.endfossilfuelsubsidies.org
• A new Facebook event that has registered over two thousand “Tweet Team” members to recruit participants for the day of action. (2)
• Support from over a dozen civil society groups, including 350.org, Greenpeace International, Oil Change International and WWF. (3)

WHAT: A 24-hour Twitterstorm to #EndFossilFuelSubsidies at Rio+20

WHEN: The 24-hour clock will begin at 8:00 UTC (6 PM local time in Sydney) when activists will flock to Twitter with messages that will be projected in iconic locations in Sydney, New Delhi, London, and Rio. In recent weeks campaigning groups have collected over 1 million signatures demanding that leaders act now.

WHY: According to figures compiled by Oil Change International, countries are spending as much as $1 trillion USD combined annually on fossil fuel subsidies. (4) The International Energy Agency estimates that by cutting these subsidies, the world can cut global warming causing emissions in half and significantly contribute to preventing a 2 degree temperature rise, the limit most scientists say we need to stay under to prevent runaway climate change. (5)
In May, leaders of the G20 again pledged to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. They first made the commitment in 2009 but have yet to implement the policy change at the country level.
While global warming emissions rise and gas prices spike, fossil fuel companies continue to make massive profits, which brings into doubt the need for subsidies. ExxonMobil, for example, made $41.1 billion USD in profit in 2011.

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‘Twitter Storm’ Planned to Pressure Leaders to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies at Rio+20
Environmental conference ideal place to end wasteful giveaways to corporate polluters, says civil society groups

Oakland, 7 June 2012 — Campaigning organizations from around the world will join forces on June 18 for a 24-hour ‘Twitter storm’ in which tens of thousands of messages will be posted on the social networking site demanding that world leaders use Rio+20 to agree to end fossil fuel subsidies.

The 24 hour clock will start at 6PM local time in Sydney (8AM UTC), when activists will begin to flock to Twitter with messages that will also be projected in iconic spots in Sydney, New Delhi, London, Rio, and other locations. In recent weeks campaigning groups have collected over 1 million signatures demanding that leaders act now to end subsidies and start to invest in clean energy solutions.

According to figures compiled by Oil Change International, countries together are spending as much as $1 trillion dollars annually on fossil fuel subsidies.

The International Energy Agency estimates that by cutting these subsidies, the world can cut global warming causing emissions in half and significantly contribute to preventing a 2 degree temperature rise, the number most scientists say we need to stay under to prevent runaway climate change.

“We are giving twelve times as much in subsidies to fossil fuels as we are providing to clean energy, like wind and solar. World leaders shouldn’t be subsidizing the destruction of our planet, especially since these subsidies are cooking our planet,” said Jake Schmidt, International Climate Policy Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In May, leaders of the G20 again pledged to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. They first made the commitment in 2009 but have yet to implement the policy change at the country level.

While global warming emissions rise and gas prices spike, fossil fuel companies continue to make massive profits, which brings into doubt the need for subsidies. ExxonMobil, for example, paid an effective US federal tax rate in 2010 of 17.2 percent, while the average American paid 28 percent.

Participating organizations include 350.org, Avaaz, Greenpeace. Oil Change International, Natural Resources Defense Council, and others.

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http://endfossilfuelsubsidies.org/
http://priceofoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1TFSFIN.pdf
http://www.iea.org/files/energy_subsidies_slides.pdf

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Connection, communication, interaction

When it comes to educating, raising awareness and advocating for a certain cause, it is always, among other things, the question of reach, of demographics and of impact.

While human contact and one-on-one engagement remains one of the best ways of communication and message conveying, it is indisputable that different social platforms help us, in a unique and often viral way, reach wider demographics at their homes, at work, via mobile device, etc - bringing the information (and opportunity to interact) where they are and when it is convenient for them.

Using social platforms (and using different social platforms at the same time) for educating on a global cause or trying to inspire action on a series of issues, concerns, developments and situations, is both a challenge and an opportunity, and we are looking forward to the new experience in the weeks and months to come.

So, what exactly are we going to do, and which platforms are we going to use, you wonder?

We'll certainly be more active on our Facebook page and Twitter account, sharing daily updates on our projects, but also articles and videos we find interesting or educational, good practices, inspirational stories and new development in the areas of our interest - environment and sustainability, carbon reduction and climate change, youth and education, common good and global citizens.

Jessica will continue to share her student / youth perspective in her Daily Blog and as an Editor-in-Chief of The Hummingbird Magazine . As Jessica works on the second issue of the magazine, take some time to explore and read through the first one. / (The Hummingbird Magazine is a quarterly edition).

More e-publishing : if you are not one of over 1,800 people who already looked through or used our "Low Carbon and Delicious" CookBook , you can browse through it and download it for free here.
In the next six months we will ask you to (continue) sharing your low carbon / vegetarian / vegan recipes with us as we look forward to e-publish another great cookbook by the end of this year (email us your recipes & photos to 1010food@1010global.org if you's like to be included, both in the Food Blog and in the CookBook)

More 10:10 action! We will continue to inspire youth to reduce their carbon emissions (and share their stories with us). Join us and share your carbon cutting story by sending us an email to 1010teen@1010global.org ) Also this year - we will have live tweeting / Facebook chats with some of the schools that are already a part of 10:10 Teen Project - more information on this will be shared regularly both on our website, but also on www.1010global.org.

When it comes to back issues of our newsletter, and other material suitable for printing and online sharing, we will continue to post it on Issuu - feel free to use it, download it and share it.

We will, off course, have some offline events too - and, as always, we will share photos on our Flickr.

Finally - our main project - Education for Sustainability - while the core information about each country, its environmental and sustainability situation and its educational system will be posted on our website, we will also share weekly updates, insights, comments and more on our (new) G+ account - do add us to your circles and follow our progress.

* * *

So, this is us online :). We hope that everyone will be able to find something of interest (and inspiration) - youth and elderly, children and parents, schools and communities.

We will do our best to engage you throughout the year - make you consider some new ideas, new choices, new ways...we will do our best to educate you - by sharing information, materials, stories and practices... and we will do our best to connect with you and hear / read what you have to say and share with us.

Looking forward to fostering a great online community!

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photos in this blog via Science of Blogging, images.jr.com, and stephensander.wordpress.com

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Sustainability is connection

Guest post by Sarah Evans

Sustainability is a way of thinking and living that is rooted in connection. It goes beyond just caring for the environment. It begins with how we connect with ourselves and with others.

One year at summer school, three classes combined to do a pot luck picnic in the park. I was so disheartened by the smorgasbord of plastic packaged junk food spread out over the picnic tables. What I noticed, however, was that without me saying anything, several of my students had sat close by, taken their shoes off just like me, and had begun to copy the way I joyfully wriggled my feet in the long grass. They had also by-passed the  smorgasbord and were happily munching on my apples and a classmate’s homemade Sudanese mullah. That moment is forever stuck in my mind as a beautiful and shocking illustration of how children follow the emotional energy of examples more than words.

Teaching was an occupation that forced me to ask deeper questions: How are my own beliefs and actions impacting others? What kind of world am I helping to pass on? I am not yet a mother, but I can only imagine the kinds of questions being a parent would initiate!

Sustainability Mindset

As I found myself being more often approached for help by new teachers, my reply often started off with “You know what I think the problem with teacher training is…”.

How does this relate to sustainability? Well, as I began to speak out more and more, I found out that it’s easy to get consensus that there is a problem. However, gathering people focused on driving change towards a solution is not always so easy.

I started by writing an article for April’s issue of Teacher magazine. The article expresses my deep love for the school I taught at for years and my frustration at the things that have led to my need to leave teaching. It deals with what, in my view, are two important and yet overlooked issues of teacher effectiveness: all learning is rooted in emotion and as a teacher (or leader of any kind – be it of a family or a company) you are only as effective as your willingness to lead by example and continually work on your own emotional intelligence.

Last week, I was a guest lecturer at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Education. The topic? Teacher effectiveness and emotional intelligence. Turns out once you connect to your core values and beliefs it’s easier than you might think to speak up in all kinds of ways and be part of the solution!
It’s for that reason that I am truly excited to be part of this community of people focused on sustainability. I see more and more people reaching for a personal and global values shift. I see more and more need for a connection to the kind of harmony that comes from the inside out.
I look forward to learning from you and with you and to sharing opportunities for empowerment of ourselves and others.

I’d love to ask: What’s been your biggest teachable moment so far?

Sarah is a specialized educator, emotional intelligence expert and creativity based life coach. Her website is www.3CWorks.com.
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read more articles at http://greenstertribe.com

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Citizen Participation

by Livia Minca

Citizen involvement in environmental activities is an important driver of change in shaping mentalities and promoting sustainable practices. However, getting people to take part in campaigns, events or environmental programmes can be quite challenging because it depends on a lot of factors such as education level, income or social and political background.

There are several approaches to involve people, ranging from voluntary work to offering incentives, like prizes or stimulants; from local actions that mainly target one community to global campaigns that  cover a large number of countries; from one-day events to programmes that span over several years; from aiming at direct effects in communities to focusing on capturing as much media coverage as possible in order to spread the word.

No matter how they are organized, all these campaigns have one particular goal in common: to raise awareness among citizens with regard to a certain environmental issue. Basically the aim is to make citizens move from a mindset where they “hide”under different excuses (“I don't have time”, “This is too much for me, I cannot do it”, “I don't care”) to building up a confidence that it is all right to just do what they can and that this already makes them a part of the solution. This way, people will feel included without being pressured and it is likely that they will respond positively when asked to do a bit more, or even start including on their own more environmentally friendly actions in their daily routine.

Differences can be spotted when looking at citizen participation in various countries. Citizens in developed countries have acquired, besides a higher average life quality that allows them to think more about environmental issues, a better sense of organizing themselves and getting involved more easily in public actions. From a very distinct perspective, in ex-communist countries for example, people are still shadowed by the old habit of never questioning the authority and just complying with what is given.

This is why campaigns that involve public participation should take into consideration the location of the target group and adapt the contents to address the special needs and mindset of the region where they are developed. This is likely to lead to a higher impact and better results.

Here are the examples of two different environment-themed events, where citizen participation was the main ingredient. Both took place on the 24^th September this year.

Moving Planet

The idea for Moving Planet came from 350.org, a global campaign and network that works with grassroots organizers in 188 countries to mobilize against climate change and for a just future. Moving Planet is a collaborative effort of many organizations, movements, and individuals. Inspired by the democracy movements in Egypt and elsewhere this year, the organizers wanted to show that people power is stronger than the fossil fuel industry’s power and can move action on climate change that has felt stalled since the UN Climate meetings in Copenhagen, 2009.

The goal was to get moving beyond fossil fuels—both symbolically by pouring into the streets in the thousands on foot, bicycle and other means of sustainable movement, and politically by bringing powerful demands to leaders to move beyond fossil fuels to a 350ppm world.

The organizers encouraged their partners to adapt the idea for Moving Planet to what was most appropriate and strategic locally. Actions ideas around the world ranged from mass bike rides or marches, bike or walk to school/work days, to a march or bike ride from a problem (e.g. coal plant) to a solution (i.e. solar plant), a mass march or bike ride to encircle a government building/deliver a petition, non-violent direct action at fossil fuel targets, and a long multi-day march or bike ride to demonstrate commitment.

The Planet certainly moved on 24^th September as over 2000 events took place at the same time in more than 175 countries worldwide. Now that's global action!

Let's Do It, Romania!

“Let's do it, Romania!” was a national day of action aimed at cleaning up the whole country from garbage in a single day. The original idea belonged to Estonia, which organized such a day for the first time in 2008. Several countries started implementing it thereafter and Romania was this year at its second edition.

Besides the actual cleaning, the project also aimed at convincing public authorities to raise the issue of waste infrastructure in Romania higher on the agenda and make local institutions more responsible in organizing controls (both on tourists and economic agents) and better enforcing the rules and regulations to prevent the country's tourist attractions to be overtaken by trash.

The concept was simple: during the year people could register on the website locations of the garbage piles (through GPS coordinates), that were compiled in the end in a garbage map. When the action day approached, the people organized themselves in teams and were allocated a pile that they had to clean up. When the action was over the garbage bags were picked up by partner waste collecting companies from the respective locations. As basic as it sounds, the project involved a large number of volunteers, NGOs, companies and institutions who worked together to put everything in place for the big day.

But the most important thing was the mobilization of citizens. No matter if they came with their work colleagues, with friends or through organizations, people did show up in large numbers. In fact, this year more than 250,000 citizens responded to the call for action in every corner of the country, with 50,000 more than last year. This is a great achievement. Hopefully next year the number will be even higher but the garbage that they'll have to collect will be much less.

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