GiveClimate

Working with the new generation of Philanthrocapitalits - Alliance and upcoming workshop in Bangladore

2009-05-11T09:10:00.001-07:00

From latest news, Alliance Magazine:

The generation of new funders known as ‘philanthrocapitalists’, including not just Bill Gates but others such as Jeff Skoll and Rohini Nilekani and Jamie Cooper-Hohn of the UK’s Children’s Investment Fund Foundation are very big players on the funding scene. How important are they? What are the upsides and potential downsides of working with them? Alliance talked to Christine Edwards, Akwasi Aidoo and Lyndall Stein, who will be panellists at a session asking ‘Can philanthrocapitalism save the world?’ at the 9th International Workshop on Resource Mobilization, to be held 25-28 June in Bangalore, India.

Advocacy, or Direct Action (or both?)

2009-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Also in the latest issue of Alliance, there's a dialogue between George Polk, ED of the European Climate Foundation, and Peter Heller of Canopus Foundation.

"While addressing climate change is seemingly on everyone’s agenda, it is less clear what role philanthropy should play, given the vast amounts of money required to address the problem. . " read more:

http://www.alliancemagazine.org/en/content/climate-change

Measuring Impact - news from Alliance Magazine

2009-04-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Courtesy latest issue of "Alliance Magazine", a worthwhile interview to read - Paul Brest, Jed Emerson, Katherina Rosqueta, Brian Trelstad and Michael Weinstein
One of the most perennially vexing questions in philanthropy is how to assess the impact of funding, especially where there’s no obvious way of putting a price on the end product. A recently published paper on Measuring and/or Estimating Social Value Creation, written by Melinda Tuan and commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, features different models adopted for this purpose by a number of US foundations. Alliance talked to representatives of some of these foundations about the strengths and weaknesses of their approaches, what they had learned from the research, and what they see as the next steps for the field. Fay Twersky (Gates Foundation) comments.

Click here to read the interview: http://www.alliancemagazine.org

Mark your calendar - Green Economy dialogue takes place April 7th

2009-03-26T11:57:00.001-07:00

Join us on April 7th in Vancouver for an innovative Green Economy conference.

http://greeneconomyconference.ca

A Dialogue to Build a Green Economy in BC.

This one day dialogue in Vancouver brings members of the public together with opinion leaders, decision makers, leading academics, and journalists for a rigorous, frank and engaging dialogue on building a low carbon green economy in British Columbia.

Participants will discuss the promise and challenges facing new green energy developments – run of river, siting windfarms, and scaling up other technologies, as well as economic policy – carbon tax, cap and trade and clean tech manufacturing.

Paul Brest blog on Huffington Post (President, Hewlett Foundation)

2009-03-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post we mentioned the new book by Hal Harvey (ClimateWorks.org) and Paul Brest "Money Well Spent: A Strategic Plan for Smart Philanthropy. Paul Brest has a blog at HuffPost:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-brest
He is president of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the world.
In his blog Paul talks about "Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best: Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaker Impact" just released by the National Ctee for Responsive Philanthropy
http://www.ncrp.org/paib
"The Criteria is the first ever set of measurable guidelines that will help foundations and other institutional grantmakers operate ethically and maximize the impact of their dollars".

March 12 - Bolder Giving update and QUIZ

2009-03-11T18:53:00.001-07:00

Check out the latest updates on Bolder Giving
http://boldergiving.org/

"We live in a time of historic crisis and opportunity, when contributions of time and money could make a crucial difference. Yet most of us – even if well-off – give at a fraction of our capacity.

Bolder Giving's mission is to inspire us to give at our full potential by providing remarkable role models and practical support."

Take their quiz:
http://boldergiving.org/giving_potential/

February 23, 2009

2009-01-28T12:57:00.000-08:00

Jonathon Porritt is Programme Director of UK-based Forum for the Future and Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission. On his blog he recently posted an astute commentary which is very applicable to Canada as well:

commenting on Stephen Hale's new publication "The New Politics of Climate Change" (Green Alliance):

" "But people just don’t get how urgent it is, Jonathon!" This from a harassed Government Minister looking at the latest survey of public opinion on climate change, with all the usual disturbing data about people’s uncertainty, confusion, ambivalence (saying one thing and doing another) and continuing denial of the now incontrovertible fact that addressing climate change effectively will literally transform all our lives.

Tons of reasons for the continuing confusion, of course . .. an army of denialists filling the blogosphere with a combination of vitriol and errant rubbish; a tendency not to believe politicians on anything, let alone climate change, and so on.

But the upshot of all this is that politicians .. feel unable to intervene as decisively and substantively as they need to – for fear of getting punished electorally. The gap between the rhetoric on climate change (world class) and the programme of measures in place to address it (bog-standard) is still very large.

So it was good to see the latest publication from the Green Alliance on The New Politics of Climate Change. The basic thrust of it is that individual action by the "converted" is never going to be sufficient, and that we now need to mobilise the whole of the so-called Third Sector (voluntary organisations, local community groups, trade unions and co-ops, NGOs beyond the environment world, faith communities and so on) to enable a collective shift in both attitudes and actions. Without this, we will never generate a sufficient momentum to encourage/compel our politicians to do what they know they should be doing but still feel they can’t get away with.

"So the critical issue is not simply our behaviour, but the impact of our activism, behaviour and attitudes on political action. The political effect of this action depends not simply on the numbers of people involved but on who those people are and their political influence."

This makes a lot of sense to me. The Third Sector in the UK is hugely influential. Tot up the income of all those different groups and it exceeds £100 billion, with a massive multiplier effect throughout society. But in terms of climate change, it’s a great slumbering monster, largely sitting on the sidelines of the debate on the grounds that its "not my issue", leaving it to the transparently inadequate green groups to keep battling away on their behalf.

As Stephen Hale (the author of "The New Politics of Climate Change" and Director of Green Alliance) says: "we need to mobilise action networks that influence individual and community behaviour, and build the social foundations for success."

But how best to mobilise this slumbering monster? I think we will be seeing a lot more action on that front throughout 2009 from many different angles – hopefully with a correspondingly large impact on our political parties."

Give Climate editor's note: Here in Canada, the organization PowerUP Canada is an excellent example of how to achieve what Jonathon talks about: http://powerUPcanada.ca.

Above posting courtesy Jonathon Porritt's blog:

http://www.jonathonporritt.com/pages/2009/01/
the_new_politics_of_climate_ch.html

Monday, January 26 - Lord Stern at World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi

2009-01-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

Lord Stern, speaking at the World Future Energy Summit: "While the economic crisis is big, the planetary crisis is still bigger" (from GreenBusiness.com):

Delegates at World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi were told that despite global downturn businesses must provide the push towards a low carbon future.

Leading politicians, academics, economists and business leaders attending the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi today called for firms around the world to accelerate efforts to address their carbon footprint, despite the short term financial pressures arising from the global economic downturn.

Delegates and speakers at the conference admitted that the financial crisis had undoubtedly hit efforts to curb carbon emissions in recent months, primarily as a result of the drying up of credit for costly renewable energy projects.

Also speaking at the conference, Sir Nicholas Stern, author of the UK government's Stern Review, said that despite the onset of the economic downturn the case for investing in low carbon technologies and business models remained compelling.

"The costs of inaction are immense and the costs of action are manageable," he said, reiterating his view that it will cost far less in the long-term to invest in tackling climate change now.

"Inaction will rewrite where we can live, leading to mass population movements, and plunging us into global conflict," he said. "While the economic crisis is big, the planetary crisis is still bigger."

Read the full article at Business Green:

http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/

2234261/world-future-energy-summit

Blogging will resume January 26

2009-01-07T19:45:00.001-08:00

PowerUP Canada - Canadians for Climate Leadership named one of TOP 10 Organizations in 2008

2008-12-18T07:59:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Tides Canada Foundation announced PowerUP Canada - Canadians for Climate Leadership is one of its TOP 10 organizations for 2008:

"We chose them for:

* building momentum on a Canada-wide push for decisive laws and policies to power up the green economy and reduce Canada’s carbon emissions.
* calling for the Canadian Government to match world-leading standards for vehicles, buildings and appliances, and invest in a modern "smart" power grid, public transit, carbon sequestration and clean energy.
* having all living Prime Ministers call for user-friendly areas of policy change, such as an economy-wide cost for carbon emissions and a staggering rate of climate-safe technology deployment.
* pushing for the Canadian Government and Provinces to match Barack Obama’s planned investments in green jobs and renewable energy."

Details at the Tides Canada website:
http://tidescanada.org

(GiveClimate blog author Natasha van Bentum is Director of Outreach with PowerUP Canada.)

UN Climate Meeting in Poland - Canada gets more Fossil of the Day Awards

2008-12-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

For the latest on Canada's ranking at the vital UN Climate Change meeting in Posnam, Polland, visit the Fossil of the Day website to view our lamentable performance:

"Which countries were the most active
in undermining the United Nations negotiations
to save the world from dangerous climate change?

Welcome to the Fossil-of-the-day Awards.

Canada is included in a group of "umbrella countries (Japan, Russia, Australia and New Zealand) --and Canada in particular--wins its Fossil for insisting that they haven't been obstructing progress. Their best evidence? The fact that they reaffirmed the decisions on targets made in Bali. Guess what progress isn't? Begrudgingly saying the same thing you did last year, and refusing to go any further."

http://www.fossil-of-the-day.org/go/

SiG - Social Innovation Generation

2008-12-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

For donors interested in knowing more about fostering real change, here's some good news:

- Tim Draimin, formerly CEO of Tides Canada Foundation, is the new Executive Director at Social Innovation Generation (SiG). [Tim and I share a keen interest in the world of Social Finance; he is Canada's leading expert on the topic of this emerging 'hybrid universe'.]

SiG is a collaborative partnership between the Montreal-based J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, the University of Waterloo, the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto and PLAN Institute in Vancouver.

The goal of SiG is to provide practical support for social innovators in cultivating organizations and initiatives across Canada:

"Social Innovation Generation (SiG) is an initiative devoted to building the capacity for social innovation in Canada . . . To foster innovation and to build resilience it is key to engage the rich natural, social and cultural diversity of this country . . Our ultimate goal is to support whole system change through changing the broader economic, cultural and policy context in Canada to allow social innovations to flourish."

To learn more visit the SiG website:
http://www.sigeneration.ca/about_en.htm

George Monbiot on climate change

2008-12-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting George Monbiot:

From the Guardian, UK: "George Monbiot is the author of the bestselling books The Age of Consent: A Manifesto for a New World Order and Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain, as well as the investigative travel books Poisoned Arrows, Amazon Watershed and No Man's Land.

His most recent book is Heat: How We Can Stop the Planet Burning.
He has held visiting fellowships or professorships at the universities of Oxford (environmental policy), Bristol (philosophy), Keele (politics) and East London (environmental science).

He is currently visiting professor of planning at Oxford Brookes University. In 1995 Nelson Mandela presented him with a United Nations Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievement. He has also won the Lloyds National Screenwriting Prize for his screenplay The Norwegian, a Sony Award for radio production, the Sir Peter Kent Award and the OneWorld National Press Award. A full archive of his articles, with references, is available at monbiot.com"

Take a moment to visit George Monbiot's website, in particular the section on climate change:

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/category/climate-change

From India, The Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation, climate change (& social entrepreneurship)

2008-12-09T18:11:00.001-08:00

Based in New Delhi, The Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation focuses on climate change. Their website can be found at: KhemkaFoundation.org, click on the "climate change" tab.

"The recognition that climate change could potentially have devastating impacts on the Indian sub-continent as it threatens key water sources such as the glaciers of the Himalayas and annual monsoons, has informed the Foundation’s work in India. To that end, we are working with strategic partners including TERI on creating an integrated Indian Energy and Climate policy. We are also researching the effects that climate change may have on the monsoons and how societies can both stem these affects as well as adapt to them".

The Khemka Foundation is also active on the international scene and is involved with the Climate Change Philanthropy Action Network which we wrote about in an earlier post.

They are also involved with social entrepreneurship.

If you're looking for a resource on venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship, visit my other website "Venture Philanthropy Guide". It's a few years' old now, but has alot of helpful links. The site is hosted by CharityVillage so look at the menu-bar on the left hand side of the page:

http://VenturePhilanthropyGuide.org

Tuesday, December 9th - more on Philanthropy and Climate Change - what increased support can do

2008-12-09T08:22:00.002-08:00

A brief guide on Philanthropy and Climate Change was prepared by World Resources Institute for Global Giving Matters some while ago but it still stands today. Here is an excerpt. You can find the guide at

http://www.synergos.org/globalgivingmatters/

issuebriefs/01climate.htm

“Philanthropic support for climate change can:

Foster public engagement and mobilization by educating citizens to demand governmental action on averting dangerous climate change;
Support new ways of delivering services such as heat, electricity, and transportation while limiting emissions of greenhouse gases;
Develop creative solutions for driving governments toward the ratification of the climate-change treaty;
Encourage the private sector to reduce emissions;
Build capacity in developing countries; and
Support developing-country initiatives that promote climate protection and economic development”.

Monday, December 8 - for philanthropic sector, an "Economic Xchange", on weathering the current economic crisis

2008-12-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

The Council on Foundations has just created a website "Economic Xchange"
(http://www.cofinteract.org/economy) because of the global economic crisis. It's a "web-based platform where members of the philanthropic sector can exchange information, dialogue, ideas, and tactics around the economic crisis and its impact on Philanthropy".

Although the site is designed for foundations, individuals concerned about global climate change can find alot of helpful contacts and resources. "You can browse the site which is broken into Resources, Events or Search by Topic, for example, Money Strategies, Giving Strategies, Funding Changes, Communication, Foundation Policy and Leadership, Economic Trends, and the Impact on Nonprofits."

Visit our main website "Global Warming Opportunities Guide",
http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org.

Friday, December 5 - GRIST's primer "How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic"

2008-12-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

People keen on funding climate change initiatives often come up against people who still "don't get it". Grist (GristMill.Grist.org) is an organization based in Seattle. They have a good primer on how to have a conversation with a climate skeptic. "We exist to tell the untold stories, spotlight trends before they become trendy, and engage the apathetic. We're fiercely independent in our coverage; we throw brickbats when they're needed and bestow kudos when they're warranted."

"HOW TO TALK TO A CLIMATE SKEPTIC", a series by Coby Beck, is neatly broken down into categories such as:

Here is the link to the complete primer:
http://gristmill.grist.org/skeptics#Types%20of%20Argument

Thursday, December 4 - Nonprofits are too timid when it comes to being involved with Advocacy

2008-12-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

Advocacy and the nonprofit sector is a much-misunderstood area, and when it comes to the subject of climate change, it's important anyone involved in the field be more aware of what nonprofits can and cannot do.

In the States, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has a good section on its website "Effective Advocacy at all Levels of Government" http://www.wkkf.org/advocacyhandbook/index.html
and explains how "nonprofits can legally and ethically influence public policy".

As well, in August a survey was conducted byJohns Hopkins University's Institute for Public Policy which shows while some nonprofit organizations spend time and money on policy development, few spend any time or resources on the activity itself, hindering deeper policy involvement.

90% of survey respondents said they should be more active and involved in policy advocacy.
only 11% of the organizations surveyed devote more than 2 percent of their budget to lobbying.

“Even among large organizations, policy advocacy and lobbying remain largely solo operations of already over-worked agency executives,” said the report authors. “Nonprofit organizations are thus entering the policy realm with one hand tied behind their backs.”

The study, Nonprofit America: A Force for Democracy? , was done by the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s Institute for Policy Studies. Read an article on the AFP website here:
http://www.afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?folder_id=2545&content_item_id=24612

Wednesday, December 3 - Alliance Magazine

2008-12-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest issue of UK-based "Alliance Magazine", a must-read for anyone involved in philanthropy and issues like climate change. The current publication's special feature is "How Far Will They Go?" with an article by Diana Leat. Diana is visiting Professor at the Centre for Charity Effectiveness, Cass Business School London, acts as a consultant to foundations and other grantmakers, a

" . . . but how many foundations are willing to change course in order to respond to emerging issues? How many are prepared to go all the way to address an urgent issue in today’s – not yesterday’s – world? And what would ‘going all the way’ actually mean? If a foundation madly, passionately, seriously wanted to make a dramatic difference to climate change, peace, poverty or health, what would it do? . . "

Find more at:
http://www.alliancemagazine.org/en/content/dreamers-small-dreams

Tuesday, December 2 - ClimatePhilanthropists.org

2008-11-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

The Climate Change Philanthropy Action Network(CCPAN) was founded in 2006 during a climate change meeting in Iceland. Its goal is to get "committed philanthropists and foundations from around the world to promote strategic philanthropic initiatives in the critical area of climate change mitigation.

CCPAN seeks to advance the field of climate change philanthropy by bringing together donors in a structured platform to promote strategic philanthropic initiatives, coordination and collaboration at a global level. We aim to catalyze the scale needed to solve the climate crisis by promoting opportunities for concrete action by all constituencies to address global warming. Recognising the serious implications of climate change both to this generation and the next, we will support, disseminate and generate ideas and initiatives that have highly leveragable, substantial and sustainable impacts at the multinational, national and local levels."
Here is the link to their site: http://www.climatephilanthropists.org.
***

Visit our main website Global Warming Opportunities Guide which shows the immeasurably small amount of money currently being directed to counter climate change: http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org. You can help turn the tide against global warming and assist in accelerating solutions to climate change. Learn how to leverage your philanthropy to help tackle the defining challenge of our generation.

Friday, Nov 28 - How to "Do" Philanthropy - Hal Harvey and Paul Brest's new book and official website

2008-11-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

We mentioned earlier the helpful new book "Money Well Spent: A Strategic Plan for Smart Philanthropy" by Hal Harvey and Paul Brest. Paul is President of the Hewlett Foundation, and Hal Harvey is founder and President of ClimateWorks Foundation. Check out the book's website Smart Philanthropy http://www.smartphilanthropy.org/index.html where you can read the Introduction to the book and find various reviews, discussions and (the beauty of the net) corrections to the original volume.

Here is an excerpt from one online review of "Money Well Spent":

The primary reason for its usefulness is that it's subject-neutral. You can run a big foundation focusing on brain research or a small nonprofit delivering meals-on-wheels -- or a for-profit business for that matter.
Why? Because the authors are looking at an encompassing approach where the focus is on knowing what you are assuming, what you are doing, and how you are doing it. You can keep your passion. You can keep your theories of the universe.
What you can't do -- and this book tells you why -- is be ignorant of strategies that will drive you toward clarity, intelligent choices and a greater likelihood that those choices will pan out. And the strategy includes building-in feedback loops, so you can change course in mid-stream. (Edward Skloot, Duke University)

For more tips on strategic philanthropy, visit the earlier website by Natasha van Bentum (GiveClimate blog author) published 5 years ago "Venture Philanthropy Guide": http://VenturePhilanthropyGuide.org

Thursday, November 27 - Investing with a "Climate Change Lens" during challenging times

2008-11-27T08:36:00.001-08:00

At a gathering of grant makers, trustees and investment advisors ("The New New Economy: Investing With a Climate Change Lens During Challenging Times"], sponsored by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, methods were explored of generating investment returns which have a positive impact.

Two of the speakers, David Blood and Al Gore, said in order to protect their endowment assets, foundations need to think about the environment as much as anything else, and not because it's "the right thing to do".

Co-founder of Generation Investment Management, Mr. Blood, who used to be CEO of Goldman Sachs, said "Anyone who has a fund manager who does not recognize that we are on the verge of one of the biggest economic changes in history, you're running a huge risk".

Gore told the audience, "there are trillions of dollars in subprime carbon assets that rely on . . shaky promises . . the assumption that it's OK to put 70 million tons of global warming pollution into the earth's atmosphere every 24 hours is an assumption that's collapsing right now".

Both speakers feel many foundations are laggards in their approach and that they should be leaders in incorporating environmental factors into their investing.

[Generation Investment analyzes the triple bottom line of companies with the belief those that are socially and environmentally responsible will outperform their competitors.]

An article by Nicole Wallace about the meeting can be found on the Chronicle of Philanthropy website here:
http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=6363

Visit our main website:
http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org
for more on climate change and the economy.

Wednesday, November 26 - Barack Obama's recent speech on pushing a green economy

2008-11-25T17:04:00.001-08:00

PowerUP Canada (Canadians for Climate Leadership) http://powerUPcanada.ca (*) recently circulated a letter to its members providing more details of President-elect Barack Obama’s remarkable speech to American governors last week on November 18 in which Barack announced he will move aggressively to jumpstart a new clean economy.
http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/president_elect_obama_promises
_new_chapter_on_climate_change/
To quote the President-elect: “Few challenges facing America – and the world – are more urgent than combating climate change. The science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear. Sea levels are rising. Coastlines are shrinking. We've seen record drought, spreading famine, and storms that are growing stronger with each passing hurricane season.”

“Washington has failed to show ... leadership. That will change when I take office. My presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process.”

As described by PowerUP Canada its letter, Obama has called the clean energy revolution his “number one priority.” Here are highlights of his plan:

Green Jobs: Create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years.
Green buildings: Make all new buildings carbon neutral, or produce zero emissions, by 2030, weatherize one million low-income homes each year for the next decade, and make new buildings 50 per cent more efficient over the next four years.
Clean vehicles: Increase fuel economy standards by four per cent each year and put one million plug-in hybrid cars – cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon – on the road by 2015.
Eliminate global warming emissions: Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 per cent by 2050

(*) Natasha van Bentum, CFRE, author of this GiveClimate blog and its accompanying website http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org, is Director of Outreach with PowerUP Canada - Canadians for Climate Leadership.

Tuesday, November 25 - More on Green Stimulus . .

2008-11-23T13:32:00.000-08:00

On our main website "Global Warming Opportunities Guide" there's a section on the Economy, in the context of the nexus between philanthropy and opportunities for a green stimulus package because of the current financial crisis.
A couple of weeks' ago, the United Nations released a major new report called "Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World". At the press conference, Achim Steiner, ED of UNEP, talked about restructuring economies.
Accompanying Steiner was Juan Somavia, Director General ILO, who said "moving towards a sustainable development path would bring about major changes in the production and consumption patterns of all countries."
Also at the press conference was Guy Ryder, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, who emphasized that moving in this direction requires an international regulatory framework as well as a 'quick deal' on post-Kyoto targets.
Here is a link to the full report (pdf):
http://www.unep.org/labour_environment/PDFs/Greenjobs/
UNEP-Green-Jobs-Report.pdf

More on Climate Change, applying a "filter" to your philanthropy, and other
helpful resources can be found at our main website:
http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org

Friday, November 21 - good climate news from Florida

2008-11-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

For donors looking for some good climate news, last month SolveClimate.org featured a story about Florida's new climate plan. "Huge Economic Gains, Redefines National Discussion".

The plan outlines 50 recommendations to result in $28 billion in net economic savings between now and 2025, while significantly reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

Quoting from SolveClimate, "The report posted here calculates that emissions would be reduced 64% from business-as-usual projections by 2025 if all fifty policy recommendations are implemented. That translates into a 51% reduction of emissions below 2005 levels, and a 33% reduction below 1990 levels. The reductions blow past the targets Governor Crist asked the Action Team to hit."

Check out the link and other stories on our main website:
http://globalwarmingopportunitiesguide.org/
and click on the Economy tab at the top of the home page.

Thursday, November 20 - List for 2009 of "High Impact Giving Opportunities" from Arabella includes green collar . .

2008-11-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors with offices in NY, Washington and Chicago has released their 2009 list of “High-Impact Giving Opportunities: Philanthropy that Makes a Difference, developed in consultation with an independent panel made up of opinion leaders, foundation and association executives and business leaders. “These urgent yet under-recognized issues allow donors to invest wisely . . [and are] ones which most donors will not have considered and, for those interested in these issues, offer unique opportunities for impact."

One of the items on the 2009 list is:

CLIMATE CHANGE DEFENSE: Building a Green-Collar Workforce
"Both climate mitigation and adaptation create jobs that will need to be filled quickly. Researchers have identified 22 sectors offering green employment opportunities. The battle against climate change will require an army. Those on the ground will need sophisticated skills to implement the technological innovations developed to reverse this disaster in the making. Yet the infrastructure – the classes, certificate programs and standards – to train a new green labor force has yet to be built, a fact that could cause dramatic delays in worldwide progress.

Both mitigation – addressing causes of climate change – and adaptation – dealing with its impacts – create jobs that will need to be filled quickly. These low-, medium- and high-skilled positions will span agriculture, manufacturing, construction and other service-related industries yet to be built. Researchers have identified twenty-two sectors offering green employment opportunities, yet not one is sufficiently prepared . . . "

For the complete Climate Change section of the List, go to:
http://www.arabellaadvisors.com/images/HIGO2009/HIGO_climate.pdf

And the full List is available on Arabella Advisors' website:

http://arabellaadvisors.com/pages/HIGO2009.html

Wednesday, November 19 - for donors wanting to learn more about the non-carbon energy revolution

2008-11-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Oceanographer and climate researcher Tom Pedersen sits on the executive committee of the new Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). He has a focus "on the application of government policy to climate-change mitigation, adaptation and associated economic returns".

In his recent article published at the height of economic doom and gloom, "Green Should Be the Colour of Money", he talks about how the countries leading the non-carbon energy revolution are poised to make remarkable economic gains. "The profit potential of the energy transformation is vast", and Pedersen cites a few examples.

This particular article has a Canadian-focus, but can apply equally for many states in America. Read the full article (courtesy Times Colonist) on our website:

http://globalwarmingopportunitiesguide.org/green_money.html

Tuesday, November 18 - Panopto (Carnegie Mellon)

2008-11-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

Last week (see Nov. 11th post) we mentioned Thomas Friedman's new book "Hot, Flat & Crowded". Someone just told me about the remarkable multi-media power point show you can watch on his website; it's a presentation he gave not long ago in Washington. Go to http://www.thomaslfriedman.com and on the right-hand side of the home page, click on "Video and Powerpoint Presentation of Thomas Friedman's Talk in Washington, D.C. created by Panopto".

If you make presentations to spread the message of your favourite nonprofit, it's worth looking into Panopto. Developed at Carnegie Mellon University, Panopto is "the product of years of advanced research in scalable rich media systems that harness the advantages of today's video, capture, stream, search and archival technologies". http://panopto.com.

Check out Thomas Friedman's presentation and you'll see what I mean.

Monday, November 17 - Philanthropy and Advocacy

2008-11-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Strom of the NY Times took a look at philanthropy and advocacy recently in her article, "SOME PHILANTHROPISTS ARE NO LONGER CONTENT TO WORK QUIETLY".

While comparisons to situations the Gates Foundation faces are often challenging for most nonprofits, comments from Patty Stonesifer, former CEO, ring true to many of us in the field . . "the problems that the foundation was seeking to conquer were so enormous that success required involving government. “The issues we care about,” Ms. Stonesifer said, “are issues that require public engagement, so advocacy is kind of baked into the way we do things.”

You can find the full article, published November 6th, at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/us/07charity.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Visit our main website Global Warming Opportunities Guide:
http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org

Friday, November 14 - Lord Nicholas Stern on the credit crunch

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"We will come out of this downturn and when we do, it will be the businesses which held their nerve and continued to invest that will come out of the downturn first [and] emerge stronger," said Iain Gray, chief executive of the UK government's Technology Strategy Board.

Iain Gray's comment was made last month at the launch of a new climate change/economics centre at the London School of Economics. (More anon.) Lord Nicholas Stern gave a speech at the launch, and although this was on October 7th, before the worst of the economic crisis unfolded, it's as valid now as it was then, if not more so.

Speaking to the Guardian before his speech, Lord Stern of Brentford "has suggested the credit crunch might provide an opportunity to invest in measures to tackle global warming as a way of stimulating economic growth."

Read more of Lord Stern's comments on our website:
http://globalwarmingopportunitiesguide.org/lordstern.html

Thursday, Nov. 13 - IEA says don't let economic crisis overshadow climate change efforts

2008-11-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you interested in global markets and climate change, Carbon Finance is an excellent resource site. You need to subscribe to get full access, but several articles are free. Here is the link to their home page: http://www.carbon-financeonline.com/index.cfm?section=home

Yesterday one of Carbon Finance's lead stories featured the Chief Economist of the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, who "warned against letting the current global financial crisis overshadow efforts to tackle climate change, and cautioned that global temperatures could rise by 6°C if no new policies to tackle rising emissions are adopted." Click on Lead Stories to read the full statement.

This is time for calm and clear leadership to ensure the current economic crisis isn't used as an excuse by those who wish to delay taking the necessary steps to fight global warming. For more on climate change and the economy, visit our website:
http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org.

Wednesday, November 12 - applying a 'global warming filter' to your philanthropy

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A global warming filter (more commonly known as a Climate Change Filter) can be applied to your philanthropy to test out its robustness in the face of climate change.

As we all know global climate change is not an environmental issue but an unprecedented challenge affecting every sector of society:
Education, Health, Social Services, International Development, Animal Protection, Urban issues, Forests, Conservation, Water, etc.. (See the in-depth report from CEGN covering each of these areas, which can be found on our website: http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org. Click on the Resources Tab.)
If you are currently a donor to one of these areas, we’re not suggesting you stop giving and immediately re-direct your philanthropy to fighting climate change. However by applying a global warming filter to your philanthropy, you can make a big difference.

Focus on projects that take into consideration global warming, ask organizations you support if they are revising their mandates to include climate change impacts.

Tuesday, November 11 -"Hot, Flat & Crowded", Thomas L. Friedman

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Many donors are following the current economic crisis with acute attention, torn between knowing this is the worst possible time to cut back on their philanthropy, yet wishing to be prudent and preserve their assets. But when it comes to climate change, we don't have the luxury of 'sitting this one out'; a nimble and creative approach is called for, more than ever.

An incentive to action is Thomas Friedman's new book "Hot, Flat & Crowded". Author, journalist, and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Thomas touches on the economy and the environment in Chapter 18, (excerpt courtesy
Thomas Friedman.com):

" . . . but green may be how we end this financial crisis, because with the economy hitting bottom, everyone is going to be looking to be more cost-efficient in the way they live and do business, and that will mean demand for the most cost-saving energy efficient buildings, cars and heating and air conditioning systems is going to surely increase.

"What we are seeing in this crisis is the need for a whole new financial architecture—and people are recognizing that some problems are just too big to solve unless we approach them systematically. As it is with our economy, so it is with our ecosystem: we need a new system, and we are going to have to think things through very carefully and make some hard choices to get it right.

"Naturally, I am hoping that the economic crisis turns out to be the beginning of green—an opportunity to set the country and the planet right before it is too late.”

This and other current thoughts on climate change and the economy can be found on our website:
http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org

Monday, November 10th

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This morning while browsing the "Bolder Giving" site (see Friday's post), we came across the Zing Foundation. Bolder Giving is an initiative of Zing.
Zing Foundation has been involved in both Catalyzing Wealth and the Transforming Money Collaborative (more on these in another post), and focuses on what they call philanthropy promotion:

"There are many ways to promote philanthropy. The Zing Foundation’s special niche is to support people with wealth to act as active partners in social change. We do this by playing a leadership role in the fields of donor education, which teaches people how to be effective givers, and donor organizing, which brings donors
together for healing and activism."

Visit the Zing Foundation at:
http://www.zingfoundation.org/philanthropy/definition.php

Saturday, November 8th - a report for donors seeking an in-depth analysis & vision of philanthropy's role in the fight against global warming:

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This is a great report and an excellent resource: "Design to Win: Philanthropy's Role in the Fight Against Global Warming." It was prepared by California Environmental Associates with support from six foundations, including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (and Hal Harvey, who is now with ClimateWorks, more on that in a future post).

". . . how can philanthropists turn the tide against global warming? Never before have donors, foundations, policymakers and the general public confronted such a complex, far-reaching crisis. Left unattended, human-induced climate change could overshadow all our other efforts to cure diseases, reduce poverty, prevent warfare and preserve biodiversity. Global, collective action is paramount. The stakes – and hurdles – could not be any higher."

You can find a link to the full report on our website:
http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org
(click on "Resources" tab at top of page):

Friday, November 7th - "Bolder Giving in Extraordinary Times" has a free workbook available for donors

2008-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

You may find this web site helpful: "Bolder Giving in Extraordinary Times". It was recommended by a leading member of the more-innovative foundation community. Bolder Giving is now offering a free workbook for donors (see below).
Quoting from their home page, “We live in a time of historic crisis and opportunity,when contributions of time and money could make a crucial difference. Yet most of us – even if well-off – give at a fraction of our capacity. Bolder Giving's mission is to inspire us to give at our full potential by providing remarkable role models and practical support.”

We at GiveClimate would add to this statement: even if we are able to increase the amount which is donated to fight Climate Change by a tiny fraction (from the current 1/4 of a penny, to 1/2 or even a full penny), this will translate into millions of dollars.

About the free workbook: " . . this guide to discovering your full giving potential includes articles and exercises that help affluent givers address the question "How Much to Give?' http://www.boldergiving.org

Also , if you haven't already, please come & visit the website of Give Climate:
http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org

Thursday, November 6 - Resilient Philanthropy

2008-11-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

In the current issue of "Advancing Philanthropy", Bradford Voigt shows how the non-profit sector has fared in difficult economic times. While the current global economic crisis is unprecedented, the article is helpful. (Bradford's research is based on the historical American experience, but is applicable to Canada too).

Find the full article by going to our website http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org
and click on the RESOURCES tab.

While you're there check out the ECONOMY tab for more information about the current financial situation and discussions about a 'Green New Deal'.

Wednesday, November 5 - "Money Well Spent: A Strategic Plan for Smart Philanthropy"

2008-11-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

Two major figures in the world of philanthropy and climate change, Hal Harvey and Paul Brest, have a new book coming out called "Money Well Spent: A Strategic Plan for Smart Philanthropy" . Hal Harvey is President of ClimateWorks Foundation, Paul Brest heads up the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Here's a description from the publisher (Bloomberg):

"Starting with the premise that strategy makes all the difference in effective giving, the book shows foundations and individual philanthropists the best way to design a strategy to achieve their stated philanthropic goals. Drawing on examples from many different foundations, the authors give philanthropists the framework necessary to harness expert knowledge in various sectors."

I just ordered my copy from the LIbrary and am looking forward to including a few short excerpts in future posts.

Tuesday, 4th November - across the pond

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An excellent resource site in Britain is Fundraising UK run by Howard Lake. Yesterday the site featured a cover-page story on GWOG (Global Warming Opportunities Guide). If you have any additional content suggestions, particularly under the Economy tab, please let us know by email: giveclimate@gmail.com. Here is the UK link:
http://fundraising.co.uk/news/2008/11/03/canadian-site-calls-
more-donations-climate-change-issues

Going "Live": Monday, November 3, 2008

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Welcome to the blog of

http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org

A "climate change filter' for donors & opportunity to kickstart a 'green' economy

2008-10-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Did you know? Less than a penny from each dollar donated today goes to counter global warming. Whether you currently support areas such as Health, Education, Social Services, Arts & Culture, International Development or Conservation, learn how you can help turn the tide against global warming and assist in accelerating solutions to climate change.
Today we face an unprecedented global economic situation that may give us an opportunity to kickstart a green economy. Visit http://GlobalWarmingOpportunitiesGuide.org