Education Week Wrapping Up
April 25th, 2008 at 1:17 pm | posted by ONE.Partners
So afters weeks of anticipation the Global Campaign for Education Action Week is drawing to a close. I want to salute the thousands of educators and students who have already participated in the World’s Biggest Lesson in 48 of the 50 states.
During my time in the US for GCE Action Week I also had the privilege to meet and spend time with some of the smartest and dedicated young people in the United States. More than 50 high school and college students came from around the country to learn about why education saves lives and about the Education For All Act of 2007. I was so impressed by watching these articulate youngsters come together for this cause and asking the “older people” some really smart questions about the sort of arguments they hear about why the US should not give financing for education overseas.
The big Congress day arrived and the buzz was infectious. The youngsters took the bull by the horns and met with 75 representatives and senators in a frenzy of 100 meetings running between the Senate and the House and back again. In the middle of it all, they participated in a press conference with the impressive Honorary Chairperson for GCE Action Week Shakira and Congresswoman Nita Lowey. However, it was the youngsters coming from 12 different organizations including a large delegation from the ONE Campaign who really made me proud. They were sharp and passionate. I felt for the first time in a few years the US might just take the leadership on Education for All in the coming years with activists such as these.
-Anne-Marie Mujica, GCE international secretariat
[Top Photo: Western Kentucky University and Campbellsville Students Join Shakira and Congressional Leaders in Washington, DC on April 22 for Global Campaign for Education Action Week. Pictured from L to R: Jamie Lokey, Matt Vaughan and Charlie Harris. Photo Credit: Paul Morigi]
April 25th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Great work for kids! ts
‘Just Say No’ to a Toxic Home
By Amy J. Belanger
Breathing can be hazardous to your health. Even inside your home.
Especially inside your home, according to the EPA. The agency names indoor air pollution as one of the most serious potential risks to human health.
The effects are becoming too obvious to ignore. Childhood asthma has increased 70% over the last 20 years. Asthma, severe allergies, chronic sinusitis, chemical sensitivities, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraines, immune disorders, depression and a host of other illnesses on the rise have been linked to toxins in the home.
Before World War I, the planet was largely free of man-made chemicals. Now more than four million chemicals are registered, 80,000 of them are in common use, and each year, 250,000 new ones are introduced. Less than 1,000 have ever been tested for their effects on the human nervous system. And many of these chemicals are prolific in our homes and office buildings.
In the 1970’s the first energy crisis led builders to construct tightly sealed buildings to keep heating and cooling from escaping. At the same time, they switched from natural building materials to synthetic ones. Without realizing it, modern builders were sealing people and toxic gases from carpets, paints and household products into a tight box together. The next thing you know, indoor air related illness was on the rise, and it wasn’t immediately clear why.
Common culprits include airborne chemicals found in cleaning supplies, perfumes, and bath products; volatile organic compounds found in paints; formaldehyde found in the glues that bind cabinetry and furniture; chemical glues used to affix flooring; tracked-in lawn chemicals, which contain human carcinogens; and various sources of cyanide, acetone, ethylene glycol and crystalline silica, to name a few. The chemicals “off-gas†from their sources, meaning they escape into the air that we breathe.
The good news is, plenty of practical and affordable alternatives now exist. Now is the time to turn the tide, for your own health and longevity, and your family’s. As you start your Mother’s Day gift shopping, find healthy, socially responsible gifts at www.idealistgifts.com.