• Georg Hoffmann-Ostenhof Danke, Standard & Poors! • Politik, Ausland • profil online Warum das Bashing unbegründet ist und die Ratingagenturen völlig richtigliegen. Blumige Worte fand der heimische Boulevard, als Österreich ein A verlor und auch acht andere europäische Staaten von der Ratingagentur Standard & Poor’s (S&P) herabgestuft wurden. Da beklagt die „Kronen Zeitung“, dass die Europäer sich noch so sehr bemühen können – „die anonymen Finanzrichter in ihren gläsernen Türmen in New York gießen stets wieder Öl ins Feuer“. Die „Krone“ ist beileibe nicht allein, wenn sie in den Ratingagenturen den Feind schlechthin ausmacht. Auch im übrigen Europa werden die amerikanischen Ratingagenturen gebasht. Sind die drei US-Ratingagenturen wirklich so schlimme Finger, wie nun allgemein angenommen wird? Man muss die Begründung nur lesen. Damit wurde aber die Botschaft von S&P in ihr Gegenteil verkehrt. Weniger Spar-, mehr Wachstumspolitik: So lautet die Empfehlung. Dafür gebührt ihnen – auch inmitten der Krise und trotz allem – ein großes Dankeschön. georg.ostenhof@profil.at
Globalisation | Geography Web Links Adding up farming subsidies All the world speaks Globish Bangladeshis rush for mobile English lessons Barcelona have edge over Manchester United Bottled Water: Who Needs It? Cambridge clusters provide added lustreThe city of Cambridge has become a 'powerhouse of enterprise' and 'hub of the UK’s leading high technology business cluster.' Cambridge and its surrounding area has been dubbed 'Silicon Fen' in reference to the Silicon Valley high-tech cluster in California. Gapminder: Unveiling the beauty of statistics for a fact based world view. - Gapminder.org REDD-Monitor Gap Campaigns Against Child Labor NEW DELHI, Nov. 15 — Gap began an effort to rebuild its reputation after a damaging child-labor scandal in India, announcing a package of measures today intended to tighten its commitment to eradicating the exploitation of children in the manufacture of its goods. Embarrassed by reports that some GapKids clothes had been hand-embroidered by child workers in Delhi, Gap said it would refine its procedures to ensure that items made in textile workshops in India are not being produced by children. It also announced a grant of $200,000 to improve working conditions here and said it would be holding an international conference next year to come up with solutions for issues related to child labor. The statement from the company came after an internal investigation by a British newspaper, The Observer, which printed pictures last month of children making clothes for Gap in a sweatshop. Ms. “The customer has to be willing to pay more,” she said.
Science & Environment | Waste around the world The question of how best to deal with household waste is debated all over the world. Many countries now operate pay-as-you-throw systems, but there are even different approaches within that. Pre-paid bins in Belgium, communal recycling in Seoul, extra charges for not recycling in northern Italy and a choice of bin sizes in Seattle. All have their merits - but what do locals think about the schemes? Roncade, Italy Why nappies prove a problem for Italy's residents In Roncade, northern Italy there has been a big push by local authorities to encourage people to recycle. Each household gets five bins for five different types of waste. The scheme has seen recycling rates in the town jump from 14% to 80% in five years. Daniele Sartor has a new baby and faces higher charges to dispose of the child's nappies. Seattle, USA One family explains how they deal with their waste In Seattle, each household is given three bins: one for recycling, one for garden clippings, and one for normal waste.
The Top 10 Environmental Blogs? Outside Magazine’s Weird List « SayWhat? Oustside magazine has just posted its “Top Ten Environmental Blogs,” and while those listed are very good, there are some omissions that are, in my opinion, well, glaring. Two of the very best environmental blogs, ones which ought to be at, or certainly near, the top of the list, do not even appear on it. Those would be Joe Romm’s Climate Progress and Brad Johnson’s ThinkProgress Green. I will resist the temptation to comment further on Outside’s list, but would be curious to hear feedback from readers of “Say What?”about your favorites. The Top 10 Environmental Blogs According to Outside The best environmental blogs, from one-sided political commentators to prolific aggregators and reporters breaking news. If you think navigating a thick forest using a map and compass is hard, just try making a strategic internet strike to get the latest news on, say, deforestation. Like this: Like Loading...
Greenwashing – Die dunkle Seite der CSR | Umweltschutz | Umwelt | www.reset.to Im Gegensatz zur von Unternehmen aktiv selbst wahrgenommenen sozialen & ökologischen Unternehmensverantwortung ist Greenwashing die bewusste Verbrauchertäuschung. Als Greenwashing oder Greenwash werden Kampagnen und PR-Aktionen bezeichnet, die einzelne Produkte, ganze Unternehmen oder politische Strategien unter ein »grünes« Licht stellen, sodass der Eindruck entsteht, die Akteure handeln entweder besonders umweltfreundlich oder besonders ethisch korrekt und fair. Greenwashing ist das schwarze Schaf unter den CSR-Maßnahmen, da diese eigentlich unter dem Motto »Tue Gutes und sprich darüber« stehen. Bei den grüngewaschenen Produkten entspricht der auf das Prädikat »ökologisch wertvoll« getrimmte Schein nicht dem Kern der Sache – nach außen hin zeigt sich das Produkt also grün, aber dieser Eindruck entspricht nicht ökologischen Tatsachen. "Mit Grünfärberei sollen politische Entscheidungen beeinflusst werden. Anders sieht die Sache hingegen bei den politischen EntscheidungsträgerInnen aus.
Five-Minute Film Festival: Water, Water Everywhere World Water Day is March 22nd. We're mostly made of it -- about 60% of the human body is water. We need a lot of it -- you can't survive more than a week without it. There are so many ways to learn about water -- from global environmental issues around water cleanliness and scarcity, to the basic biological properties of water, to water conservation ideas and tips. GOOD: Water (02:31) A great basic video to show just how important water is to our health and survival, from the good people at... well... You can also find a variety of water lesson plans and educational resources around water all over the Web.
Yale Environment 360: Opinion, Analysis, Reporting & Debate