Posted on 10/02/2002 5:27:19 AM PDT by madfly
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The Earth Charter is an international people's (not governments, UN or organizations) agreement for a compassionate, just and sustainable world that was written by thousands of folks in 78 countries over the course of 12 years and was launched at the Hague Peace Palace in June 2000. It has the core value of interdependence and calls for economic and social justice, peace, democracy and ecological integrity. The Earth Charter Community Summits are a grassroots effort to bring people together in cities around the world to be inspired to make the Earth Charter's principles a reality in their lives and communities. The Institute for Ethics & Meaning, a volunteer community building organization based in Tampa, Florida, is the international organizer for the annual summits held on the last Saturday of September. 2002 summits are being held in 20 cities around the US and will be connected by webcast. In 2003 the summits will include cities in other countries. Summit organizers are simply people who have fallen in love with the Earth Charter and want to bring it to their hometowns. They come from a diverse background and have included a graduate student, a former mayoral candidate, a single mom, a printer, a Buddhist, a high school teacher and an environmental activist. The organizers custom design the festivities and the program for their local communities. Time is put aside at the summits for a round-robin viewing of each participating city via the webcast that allows each of them 5 minutes to share their enthusiasm for the Earth Charter. This generates an exciting connection that lets us all know that we are not alone in our efforts to make the Earth Charter's principles come true. The Earth Charter Community Summits are an important way for us to learn that we are not alone in wanting to live in a world that reflects the values and principles of the Earth Charter. They also serve as a kickoff for local initiatives based on the Earth Charter. Sociologist Paul Ray, Ph.D. studied 100,000 Americans and their values over 14 years and found that one in four value the same things the Earth Charter is about--relationships, sustainability, the oneness of life. However, people who share these values often work for the greater good on their own or with a few friends. It's time to connect and become a catalyst for positive change. Some ways the Earth Charter is being used include: International
United States
Australia
Costa Rica
Latin America
Please visit www.earthcharter.org for more information about international activities. |
Yup. My mistake. The color and the subject matter is missing a
"Barf Alert"
These people are stark raving loopy.
Over the past decade the Earth Charter drafting and consultation process has been funded by contributions from governments, private foundations, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals. The Dutch Government supplied the funding for the startup of the new Earth Charter initiative in 1994. Between 1994 and 2000, over $1.5 million was contributed in support of the undertaking. A new Earth Charter fundraising campaign has been launched by the Earth Charter Steering Committee in support of the Earth Charter Initiative for the years 2001 and 2002.
Outlining how the Earth Charter is to be integrated into lifelong education for all, Hans van Ginkel, Chairman of the International Association of Universities (the UN University in Costa Rica) said that, "We must mobilize all in education about sustainability; that's how we meet the next generation." He said that 16 million teachers must be trained and that "the only way to move forward is by integrating the Earth Charter into curriculum and to link all universities based on regional bases of excellence.The UN scheme to disseminate the Earth Charter globally in schools and in religious communities should alert spiritual leaders, elected officials, parents and educators to its expansive and sovereignty destroying agenda.
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