ss=”size-full wp-image-1522 ” title=”mail.google.com” src=”http://ourplanet.infocentral.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/mail.google.com_.jpg” alt=”The "Flying Monkeys" at the US Center at RIO+20 (Courtesy Photo)” width=”222″ height=”148″ />
The "Flying Monkeys" at the US Center at RIO+20 (Courtesy Photo)
This month, the theme for the blog has highlighted sustainable development in honor of the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20, which took place from June 15-June 22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference focused on reducing poverty, advancing social issues and ensuring environmental protection.
What you may not know about Rio+20 is that youth actively participated in this event – sharing their ideas, networking with key influencers and taking the opportunity to sit down and learn from one another. Allow me to introduce you to some incredible youth leaders that I meet at Rio+20 and share some of the innovative ways they are already working to create a future that lasts.
Meet the Flying Monkeys, a group of Girl Scouts from Ames, Iowa. These innovative teenagers are the creators of a prosthetic hand device that helped a four-year-old girl without fingers write for the very first time. Their advice to youth interested in engineering a better future is to find an idea you’re passionate about and test it out. They say no idea is too small, because big things have small beginnings.
Lucia Herrmann and Shayanth Sinnarahjah are two high school students who have developed a practical solution to clean energy problems. Together they designed a portable water filtration device that works without electricity and will be fully functional in Haiti this summer. Why is this invention important? 1 in 8 people do not have access to clean, safe drinking water and 1 in 5 deaths in children under 5 is due to waterborne related diseases.
Water Filtration Device showcased at RIO+20 in June, 2012.
Georgetown Energy, the winner of the White House Sustainability Challenge, is making a difference. This student-run organization based in Washington, D.C. designs and executes clean energy projects on their college campus, in their community and abroad. Their most notable accomplishment is the creation of the Green Revolving Loan Fund, which aims to further sustainability projects on campus. One of Georgetown Energy’s flagship projects involves installing photovoltaic panels on university-owned townhouses to show neighborhood residents that using solar energy to power homes is possible and economically viable.
Lisa Curtis, Sammera Savarala and Lauren Borsa served as youth delegates at Rio+20! As Agents of Change for SustianUs, these women spent the duration of the conference working with government officials, civil society members, and other youth to promote youth-friendly, future-focused policies related to sustainable development. Check out the videos below for some words of wisdom from these fearless pioneers.
These are just some examples of how youth are developing creative solutions to social challenges. As Gary Guzy, Deputy Director and General Council from the White House Council for Environmental Quality said very eloquently, “Youth have inherited incredible economic, social and environmental challenges, but they continue to meet them with innovative solutions that inspire us all.”
How are you making your community more sustainable?
By Hannah Freedman
tor.jpg” alt=”" width=”540″ height=”353″ />“Everybody say MDGs!”
“MDGS!!”
Ten people pose for a photo, ten people from ten corners of the world that never would have met if not for each of their unique sustainable development ventures. The Equator Initiative has awarded the Equator Prize to twenty-five incredible organizations that work to improve our world’s environments, economies, and societies. And all winners were gathered in the basement of Barra Arena, an offsite addition to the Rio+20 conference center. I had ventured out to Barra Arena to attend a different event that, upon arrival, was promptly canceled. Instead of returning to Rio Centro in shame, I explored for a bit, and stumbled upon the winning project leaders hanging out in a basement room, talking amongst themselves and sharing their projects with others. When I found them, Talemo Tukidia was presenting on his organization, Sisi Initiative Site Support Group in Fiji. Tukidia speaks no English, and had brought a friend to translate his mix of Fijian-Hindi into English. Over half of the room had headsets on, and relied on translators to hear how the Sisi Initiative Site Support Group united tribes to protect over 600 ha of forest. When Tukidia finished, a question on logging in Fiji was posed by a burqa-clad Egyptian woman in Arabic, translated by a patient translator into English, and then translated from English into Fijian. The room was full, absolutely overflowing with ideas and languages, and though the communication of these ideas was time-consuming, the excitement of every person in the room was clear.
Each project uses a community-based approach to improve wellbeing through sustainable natural resource management and conservation in a rural area of a UNDP supported country. The 2012 Equator Prize placed special emphasis on food security, biodiversity, and traditional knowledge and medicines. Each initiative was invited to meet each other and participate in Rio+20, as wonderful examples of sustainable development on the local scale.
The next presentation was Ana Isabel Arroyo presenting on Asociación de Artesanas Unidas de Los Límites in Colombia. AsoArtesanas creates handmade stuffed animals of the endangered cotton-topped tamarind monkey to raise awareness and improve income of local women. While listening through my translated headset (my Spanish vocabulary does not extend to the causes of habitat loss of tamarinds), I flipped the channels up and down. English changed to French, which melted into Arabic, and reformed into Portuguese and Swahili. As I listened to these languages, all saying the same thing, the size of our world came into focus. Our planet is huge, and the cultures that cover it are expansive, often creating divides. But the power that we have to unite and share ideas is equally as large. Rio was an opportunity for each of us to connect and create long-lasting partnerships and friendships. By sharing ideas and uniting cultures, we have the power to create the future we want, starting locally and growing. The Equator Prize winners have already started, and are leading the way for the rest of us.
Hannah Freedman is a Rio+20 delegate with SustainUS, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States. Through proactive education and advocacy at the policy-making and grassroots levels, SustainUS is building a future in which all people recognize the inherent equality and interdependence of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Learn more at www.sustainus.org. Read Hannah’s other guest blog for us here.
This entry reflects the author’s personal judgments and does not represent the views of the United States Government or the Department of State.
This guest blog was written by Hannah Freedman.
al.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/youthblast.png” alt=”" width=”548″ height=”377″ />Five young women, seated on the floor, leaned closer to hear. Though we had come to Rio+20 from different continents, our understanding and empathy grew as we realized how similar our issues are. A Moroccan woman spoke of a cooperative founded by village women that distributed unique oil and ensured that the profits remained in the community. The South African woman immediately piped up, sharing a situation in Mozambique that could benefit from a similar design. Business cards were exchanged, and I realized the same communication has been replicated thousands of times during these two days of Youth Blast.
I am one of 500 youth from around the world here at the Youth Blast, opening up Rio+20. I am 17, and am the youngest member of SustainUS, a U.S. youth delegation. However, here, age does not seem to change anything. All ideas are heard and valued, and workshops are lead by youth of all ages. These workshops showcase the incredible things that youth are doing and the impact that we are having. The flurrying exchange of ideas in this conference center is palpable; everywhere one looks, people are excited and sharing their thoughts. Every single person, from the most experienced policy experts to the least has something to share and something to learn. Having a conversation and creating friendships and partnerships is of the utmost importance. Making connections between young people doing powerful things unites youth worldwide over the same relevant issues, and it is this that will make the youth voice strong and heard.
One of my favorite parts of the Youth Blast has been being able to connect some dots. The entire idea of sustainable development is that it uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine many problems together. My history and experience has covered everything from energy conservation to epidemiology to environmental classism, and the workshops so far have really helped me understand the connections between the issues. I began my work in sustainability because of an interest in community health. I caught the public health bug and the chicken pox on the same day, and collected data to track the varicella outbreak in my school. I was able to see exactly how the disease traveled and could see a correlation between many of the cases and one month’s worth of vaccines in the same place, suggesting a faulty batch of vaccines. Health is the most important issue in any society, but with no medical training, it was hard to get involved. I therefore channeled my energy into environmental issues. When one breaks down modern environmentalism, we are simply trying to maintain an environment in which humans can be healthy and prosper.
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Association (http://ifmsa.wordpress.com/category/rio20/) held a workshop Sunday afternoon on the relationship between sustainable development and health. It was a novel concept for me that my work in environmentalism could be directly related to my interest in public health, and the presenters helped me understand that health is really at the crux of the sustainable development issue. Sustainable development can be explained through a triple Venn diagram: the intersections between the environment, the economy, and society. If each of the three sections is cooperating properly, a community is healthy in every regard. Health is essentially the center of the Venn diagram, and should be the goal of every aspect of community. If health is considered in all decisions made, a community will be closer to embracing the principles of sustainable development.
I have been so grateful for the opportunity to develop my passion for environmentalism and health, and so excited to hear and learn about the unique passions of other youth attending the Youth Blast. In the true spirit of sustainable development, we are learning that it will take all of us and our diverse interests to help our countries begin to make change at Rio+20.
Hannah Freedman is a Rio+20 delegate with SustainUS, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States. Through proactive education and advocacy at the policy-making and grassroots levels, SustainUS is building a future in which all people recognize the inherent equality and interdependence of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Learn more at www.sustainus.org.
This entry reflects the author’s personal judgments and does not represent the views of the United States Government or the Department of State.
ge-1494″ title=”sustain” src=”http://ourplanet.infocentral.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sustain.jpg” alt=”Sustainable Development Needs Peace” width=”500″ height=”334″ />
Sustainable Development Needs Peace (Photo credit: SustainUS)
During the last days of the Youth Blast, we discussed an array of topics ranging from policy strategies for Rio+20 and post-Rio activities. The youth who attended the event sought the opportunity to answer an important question: What will be the future of the youth movement if Rio+20 fails? Only 37 percent of the text has been agreed on so far and young people are starting to worry about the fact that failure might be a reality.
First, what we would do if Rio+20 fails? Despite the negative pessimist nature of the question, Rio+20 will be a success in many ways. We will still be young people the morning after the summit; we will still care about the same issues that drove us to Rio de Janeiro; and if Rio+20 fails, we should use the opportunity to recharge our passions and to understand that the real change lies within civil society.
There is a shared sentiment that the main legacy and outcome of Rio+20 will not be a robust and binding document. The legacy of Rio+20 will be a strong platform for exchanging ideas and the creation of new partnerships that will define the future of Sustainable Development. Many of these partnerships will be developed through newfound alliances between international youth leaders.
Not everybody was as calm when discussing the outcomes of Rio+20. During the closing ceremony of the Youth Blast, Mr Sha Zukang, the Secretary General of Rio+20, expressed his concerns about the lack of progress in the negotiations. His “call to war” included an invitation to lock down the negotiators in a room until they agree on an outcome document during the last day of the conference. Although I do not agree with his statements, I do understand the frustrations of the Secretary General. However, we as youth also have another responsibility in promoting change beyond the negotiation halls of Riocentro.
Sustainable development should not be dependent of binding treaties or trade agreements. We should all strive to live in a world where we can be safe and healthy in a world where the air we breathe is clean and where the water that we drink is safe.
As civil society, we have come up with innovative ways to promote sustainable development. From using social media to spread knowledge, to the creation of small-scale renewable energy schemes, everyday members of civil society are winning the battle for sustainable development.
We should not need a treaty that reminds/tells/dictates that a change is need in our lives. During the hallway conversations with some delegates, we concurred that one of the main achievements of Rio+20 was the discussion of important issues such as upgrading the UN Environmental Programme, Sustainable Development Goals, and the Ombudsperson for Future Generations. The fact that these kind of innovative proposals are being discussed by Member States is an achievement for the environmental community.
I began writing this post with the intention of giving an overview of the past two days. However, I believe it is important for everyone that is following the event to take a step back and remember the reasons that brought us to Rio+20: an undying will to promote solutions for improving processes and tools in order to forge a better world.
This blog post was written by Olimar Maisonet-Guzman of SustainUS, a youth organization for sustainable development. This entry reflects the author’s personal judgments and does not represent the views of the United States Government or the Department of State.
“” width=”536″ height=”402″ />On June 20-22, the RIO+20 Conference will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This year’s theme is Green Economy and Institutional Frameworks for Sustainable Development (Governance). RIO+20 is the informal name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. This year is the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.
So what is supposed to happen at RIO+20? The official website states that “At the Rio+20 Conference, world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, will come together to shape how we can reduce poverty…and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future we want.”
One very exciting part of the RIO+20 experience is the Conference of Youth for RIO+20 (also called the YOUTH BLAST) that started June 7 and goes until June 12. June 7-8 was for Brazilian youth only, and June 10-12 is for international youth. The goal of the international section of Youth Blast is “strategizing young people’s engagement with the remaining segments of the preparatory process and the conference itself. It will have capacity building workshops, introductions to policy and consultations on existing lobby points…This is an event organized, run and held by young people for young people.”
For the next couple of weeks, we will have lots of exciting content for you live from youth at RIO+20! They will blog about what it is like to be there, what is happening during the discussions, how other youth are reacting, and lots of other fun and interesting things. We will also be live streaming some incredible talks with environmental and sustainability experts; you can log in to watch or listen to the session and even write in your questions to ask the experts. If you would like to know something in particular or have a question for any of our youth writers, please let us know in the comments section!
Olimar Maisonet-Guzman (Courtesy Photo)
Olimar Maisonet-Guzman is a 2011 Boren Fellow to Brazil and a member of the SustainUS Youth Delegation that will participate in the Rio+20 Earth Summit. She is currently in Brazil studying water and energy policy, with a particular focus on hydropower development. She is interested in the social impacts of development and economic policies, particularly in Latin America and Asia. She also serves as a Rio+20 taskforce member for the UN CSD Major Group of Children and Youth.
Olimar is a self-proclaimed jet setter, and in her spare time she enjoys fencing. Read her guest blog here!
Brazil will be the host of the 2012 Earth Summit (Rio+20).
In June of 2012, world leaders, civil society representatives and young people will meet in Rio de Janeiro to determine the future of sustainable development. The UN Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, better known as the Earth Summit, will seek to renew political commitment for sustainable development, and to assess the progress of past Earth Summits.
Why is Rio+20 important to me? Besides the two main themes of the conference: poverty eradication and the green economy, other complex issues will be discussed at the summit. One of my favorite topics, the water-energy-food security nexus will be a central part of these discussions. So, what is this nexus?
For me, one of today’s main challenges is providing clean water, food, and electricity to a growing population. The water-energy-food security nexus proposes an integrated understanding of natural resources and the improvement of policy coordination across these sectors. Land and water are needed to grow food. Energy is also needed to process and distribute food to us, the consumers. Water is needed for the production of electricity, so we can cook our meals. This is especially true for Latin America, where most of the electricity comes from hydropower.
The expected population growth for Latin America is close to one percent by 2030. Most of this growth will happen in urban centers. For Sao Paulo, one of Latin America’s most crowded cities, annual growth rate is estimated at four percent. Inevitably, population growth in cities will increase the demand for energy, water and food. However, if not managed carefully, these demands will have damaging ecological impacts in the Amazon region, Latin America’s most important source of food, energy and biodiversity.
A complex challenge requires creative and inter-disciplinary solutions. New policies such as “integrated-management of water, energy and agriculture” will facilitate solutions that promote a better quality of life for future generations. Rio+20 will provide leaders and stakeholders the opportunity to create policy frameworks that incorporate the nexus approach in our sustainability discourse. However, leaders still need to know why issues such as the nexus are important to us. We as future generations will carry the consequences of their policy decisions.
Why is Youth important? Why are YOU important?
The participation of all stakeholders is necessary to make Rio+20 a successful event. More than half of the world’s population is under 25 years old and young people are the most vulnerable to water, energy, economic and climate crises. Consequently, it is important that our voice is included in the Rio+20 debates, either in the form of official youth delegates or through youth consultations.
Internationally, the UN Major Group of Children and Youth seeks to facilitate youth efforts and participation within the Rio+20 and other major UN processes. In the United States, SustainUS, is preparing a delegation of energetic young individuals to participate in the Rio+20 events. In Brazil, Rede da Juventude pelo Meio Ambiente e Sustentabilidade, is also preparing a youth delegation to take part of the Earth Summit.
It is not too late to take action. During the upcoming months, regional and intersessional preparatory meetings will take place around the globe to discuss the potential outcomes of the Earth Summit. There will be opportunities for the youth voices to be heard. To learn more about these opportunities and share information about the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development, join the Rio+20 Youth Space: http://www.youthcaucus.net/rioplus20. Feel free to contact me if you want to know how to take a more active role.
Lane Community College students learning to install a photovoltaic system. (Courtesy of Lane CC)
People around the world have different definitions of sustainability, informed by their unique geography, climate, culture and language. Yet there is a universality to the current efforts organizations are making to educate students about living a sustainable life. Regardless of the steps students are encouraged to take, or the language they learn in, the goal is the same: to work towards a cleaner, greener world today so that it will be as thriving and habitable tomorrow.
Organizations like Earth Charter mobilize people to learn about, care about, and take action towards a more sustainable world. They have youth groups all over the world made up of young people who have decided to take small steps today; these steps add up to an environmental movement with the ability to make real changes in the world. Check out the Earth Charter youth groups by region, get resources to learn how to set up your own youth group, and even download the Youth Toolkit. If you’re interested in learning more about the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development next June, called RIO+20, click on the Earth Charter Initiative for RIO 2012.
Want to learn about more international groups trying to educate students about sustainability? Check out this great list from Green Teacher which provides links for both young people and adults.
For free streaming environmental documentaries for students from kindergarten through high school, check out Eco Express. Their motto is “Connecting kids to the natural world. Ties to standards. Local. Relevant. Real.” They feature students, teachers, and community partnerships and provide a ton of different videos for you to check out and learn more about sustainability and what steps people are taking.
What do you think: would you participate in any of these programs? Do you think it is important for students to learn about sustainability?
