Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Ecuadoran Government Shuts Down Fundacion Pachamama
On Wednesday, December 4, the Ecuadoran government shut down the Fundación Pachamama, where my brother Oliver works, in retaliation for its advocacy of indigenous human rights and the rights of nature. In particular, the government is frustrated by Pachamama’s opposition to expanded oil drilling in the Amazon, which has caused the failure of the government’s latest round of auctions for Amazon oil leases.
Fundacion Pachamama president Belen Paez released this statement today:
“We regret to inform you that today, Wednesday December 4, 2013, officials from the Police Administration of Pinchincha came to the offices of Fundación Pachamama in the city of Quito and proceeded to close the offices and left us a resolution from the Ministry of Environment stating that our organization is dissolved.
“This closure is an arbitrary act that seeks to suppress our legitimate right to dissent from the decision of the National Government to concede areas of Amazonian indigenous nations to oil companies, without respecting their constitutional rights and to free, prior and informed consultation, according to the standards of the International Law of Human Rights.”
– Read the full statement
My brother and his colleagues are okay for now. But the situation is tense. The best sources of information are the Pachamama Alliance (US-based sister org to the embattled Ecuadoran group) and AmazonWatch. I’ll be posting updates to Twitter and Facebook. If there’s something worth a longer post, I’ll put it here.
Meanwhile, please spread the word.
Twitter Transcript from ‘The Socially Conscious Geek’ at SXSW
The buzz on Twitter about ‘The Socially Conscious Geek‘, the Core Conversation Lauren Bacon and I facilitated last weekend at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival (aka SXSWi). Here is a straight cut/paste of the tweetstream on each of the hashtags for our session — the official hashtag #sociallyconsciousgeek, which we shortened to the more manageable #scgeek.
Tweets on #sociallyconsciougeek:
stevehopkins @SarahMoran we should totally chat 🙂 would be great. #sociallyconsciousgeek sesh? Awesome! 2 days ago from TweetDeck
SarahMoran @stevehopkins dude, I just worked out what you’re actually working on atm. We should talk! #sociallyconsciousgeek sesh at #sxsw was good 🙂 2 days ago from Tweetie
laurenbacon @btruax re #sociallyconsciousgeek – we shortened the hashtag to #scgeek. 4 days ago from web
pcrampton @hertling Thanks! 🙂 #sxswi #sociallyconsciousgeek #scgeek 5 days ago from TweetDeck
hertling Notes from socially concious geek session at #sxswi #sociallyconsciousgeek #scgeek http://bit.ly/9ccDjp 5 days ago from TweetDeck
unflatpdx #sociallyconsciousgeek #slogsxsw bring your socially conscious issues over to the speed blogging event at Maggie Mae’s on 6th. 4:-6pm today 5 days ago from TweetDeck
btruax No one is tweeting from the #sociallyconsciousgeek panel? 5 days ago from TweetDeck
annemai Geeks who want do good outnumber nonprofits here at #scgeek aka #sociallyconsciousgeek 5 days ago from Tweetie
laurencastellon Interesting format: “modified fishbowl” for #sociallyconsciousgeek #scgeek #sxswi 5 days ago from Tweetie
calliemiller #sociallyconsciousgeek now = #scgeek hi all! 5 days ago from TweetDeck
stewarttownsend #sociallyconsciousgeek rm 7 level 3…. Panel discussion but unusual setting #sxsw . Interesting to see the discussion 5 days ago from twibble
Tweets on #scgeek:
brookebf RT @jfinlayson: BTW Good Capitalist Party 4 slactivists #SocEnt Mon7-9 #scgeek http://bit.ly/ddCD2B @socialedge @changemakers @SoCapitalist 3 days ago from Twee
detailmatters @foglio glad ur here #crowdx #scgeek #sxswi let’s keep the convo going! 4 days ago from TweetDeck
Foglio http://TheUpTake.org uses audience comments on a liveblog to log/filter vid streams of leg hearings & political events #scgeek #sxsw 4 days ago from Tweetie
dkrumlauf RT @brandon_merritt Any chance of an #scgeek meetup? Would love to continue the conversations in a beer related environment! (I’m in) 4 days ago from TwitBird iPhone
alexthegirl Really loved the Socially Concious Geek panel #scgeek. Will post my notes/thoughts soon. So proud of @laurenbacon! 5 days ago from Twitterrific
davekerpen @brandon_merritt come to the happy hour @theKbuzz is hosting http://bit.ly/b7B79Y #scgeek 5 days ago from TweetChat
brandon_merritt Any chance of an #scgeek meetup? Would love to continue the conversations in a beer related environment! 5 days ago from TweetDeck
bunkywu Nice to hear that @acumenfund was getting shoutouts at #scgeek panel! Thanks and wish I were there. 5 days ago from Tweetie
mattewing Great #scgeek session. Fun to hear about new progressive biz models Nice moderating folks 5 days ago from Tweetie
Dave_Stein #scgeek was great conversation with motivated people. 5 days ago from Mobile Web
maximka Best term I’ve learned today: “slow money” #scgeek 5 days ago from web
jfinlayson @brookebf #scgeek thanks where R U sitting? 5 days ago from web
robert1er I’m in a room full of socially conscious geeks who dream of working in non-profits. Good to see folks looking to make a difference. #scgeek 5 days ago from TweetDeck
kiramarch Yes! And np’s need to raise $ to succeed RT: @davekerpen Don’t be afraid to make money. You need to money to make social change. #scgeek 5 days ago from OpenBeak
SwapMamas Attending Socially Conscious Geek Panel. Inspired. #sxsw #scgeek 5 days ago from mobile web
Sarterus a lot of people here have issues sleeping at night. it’s great people are aware of the impact: they need options to work elsewhere #scgeek 5 days ago from web
slipaustin Listening to socially conscience geeks makes me super lucky and excited to soon be working at an advocacy marketing company! #scgeek 5 days ago from Twitterrific
mcastellon RT @laurencastellon: “I went to grad school to work for good, not evil.” #scgeek #sxswi 5 days ago from Tweetie
Jaketha RT @CALCASA: It’s always surprising to know how many people didn’t realize they could use their talents for good in non-profits. #scgeek #sxsw 5 days ago from TweetDeck
agreenerlifeorg At the #scgeek chat at SXSWi. Neat ideas here! 5 days ago from Twitterrific
coreindustries Listening to #scgeek. How to do good and still make money. http://sitby.us/0794/ 5 days ago from SitBy.Us
CathyBrowne Am observing discussions at the #scgeek session, room 7 in the ACC 5 days ago from Twitterrific
My SXSW Session: The Socially-Conscious Geek: Makin’ Money While Doin’ Good
Are you a socially-conscious geek? Have you ever taken a job you didn’t like because you needed the money? Do you feel like you have to choose between your ideals and your wallet? Or have you figured out a way to make a decent living while making a difference in the world? What are some of your stories of success…or failure? Do you have any tips or tricks to share? Come join the conversation this weekend at SXSW!
This weekend I’m headed to the SXSW (South by Southwest) Interactive Festival, in Austin, TX for the first time. I’ve wanted to attend this geekfest for years, but could never find the time or justify the expense…until now. This year, I’m presenting, or at least co-facilitating a discussion session together with my friend Lauren Bacon, principal at Raised Eyebrow Web Studio in Vancocuver. Here are the details from the SXSW website:
Can you make a living as a geek without sacrificing your ideals? Definitely. These pros have carved out a niche working with mission-driven, ethical clients in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors – and want to show you how to bring your values to work while keeping a roof over your head.
When: Saturday, March 13 at 03:30 PM
Where: Austin Convention Center 7
Presenters
Lauren Bacon
Raised Eyebrow Web Studio IncLeif Utne
Zanby
If you’re going to SXSW, add us to your festival calendar, and come join the discussion Saturday afternoon.
We Did It! OpenWiser Raised Over $10,000
(I’ve been meaning to cross-post this here for a week. It originally appeared here. -LU)
This little experiment in crowd-sourced fundraising worked! At 9:25AM US Pacific time, we beat our goal of raising $10,000 to help WiserEarth complete development of their API. All told, since April 22, just over five weeks ago, 102 donors contributed $10,319 to make this project a reality. This is a powerful, heartening example of the community coming together to benefit the whole of humanity.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen: to the hundreds who helped spread the word across the social web; to the 28 tech leaders who lent their names to the OpenWiser appeal; to the folks at CivicActions and ONE/Northwest whose matching grants helped build early momentum around this campaign; and most of all the 102 donors who in these tough economic times contributed generously to a project that will truly benefit us all.
The ChipIn donation tool for the OpenWiser campaign is now closed. But you can still support WiserEarth financially.
Much of the work on the WiserEarth API is already done. In fact, a beta version of the API is now available for WiserEarth Organization records. If you would like to get your hands dirty now, you can join the WiserEarth API Developers Group and help with the beta testing and documentation of the API.
Finally, if you are planning to use the WiserEarth API yourself, or just have a creative idea for how it could be applied, we’d love to hear about it. Are you thinking of building a mobile app, a browser plugin, a web widget or tool that lets users browse and display WiserEarth data in new ways? Or perhaps a mashup that mixes WiserEarth data with maps or tweets or some other datasets that support new social change initiatives? Share your ideas in the WiserEarth API Developers Group.
Again, thank you for all you do.
Leif Utne
VP Community Development
Zanby
Jon Warnow
Internet Director
350.org
Fierce Light: From Spirit to Action – New film by Velcrow Ripper
I can’t wait to see “Fierce Light: From Spirit to Action,” the new documentary by Velcrow Ripper. Check out this trailer:
This is a follow-up to his previous film, the hauntingly beautiful “Scared Sacred,” which chronicled the Canadian auteur’s 7-year journey, visiting sites of deep human tragedy — Bhopal, Hiroshima, Kabul, NYC after 9/11, the West Bank, and others — to find and document examples of extraordinary beauty and resilience.
AC/DC Rock N Roll Train – ASCII music video in Excel
This is seriously incredible. Download the Excel spreadsheet with the full video at http://acdcrocks.com/excel
Israelis For Obama
This is a powerful video. It nearly brought tears of hope to my eyes.
Mo’ I Love You
“Mo’ I Love You,” says our 2 year-old son Mateo, as he demands to watch the video of his favorite song, Michael Franti’s “Say Hey,” again…and again…and again…
But it’s so cute when he says it — “mo’ I love you” — that we just can’t resist.
Architects Get Talking at Oregon Conference
The following article appeared in the June newsletter of the Conversation Cafe, an important dialogue initiative I’m involved with. If you were there, and even if you weren’t, I’d love to hear what you thought about this dialogue process
Case Study: Architects Get Talking at Oregon Design Conference
By Leif Utne
The classic Conversation Cafe — a small group gathered weekly at the neighborhood coffee shop or in a host’s living room — is just one way to use this powerful dialogue method. The CC process is a useful tool to get just about any group of people in any community or organization to go deep quickly. We frequently hear reports from hosts who use it in schools, conferences, churches, and workplaces. But I, personally, had never had such an opportunity until recently.
Foglio's Field Notes 