The Kenyan government wants its people to plant 100 million trees to regreen the country. They even have a new tree-planting holiday. And the ultimate goal is much bigger: to plant 15 billion trees in 10 years. The JazaMiti initiative, which means “fill with trees” in Swahili, aims to help tackle climate change. As in … Continue reading “100 Million Trees”
The British Royal Foundation is awarding five Earthshot prizes a year till 2030 for innovative ideas to help the planet. The 2022 winners were announced at a ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on 2 December hosted by Prince William. The winning projects are based in Australia, Britain, India, Kenya and Oman. The first Earthshot Prizes were … Continue reading “The Earthshot Prizes: Class of 2022”
7 July will be the first edition of World Kiswahili Language Day. The United Nations designated the official day in recognition of a language that is spoken by 200 million people across Africa. It is gaining in popularity and could one day replace English and French as a lingua franca native to the continent. In … Continue reading “Spreading Swahili”
Red Nose Day (18 March in 2022) encourages people to raise money for projects in the UK and the developing world by “doing something funny for money.” But it also aims to raise awareness of poverty, disability and homelessness, particularly among schoolchildren, who are massive supporters, along with school staff, of Red Nose Day. Here … Continue reading “More Red Nose Day Webpicks”
In a short and moving speech to the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Elizabeth Wathuti highlighted the plight of of populations in sub-Saharan Africa who are suffering the worst effects of climate change, which is threatening their livelihoods and even their lives. As a teenager in 2016, Wathuti founded the Green Generation Intiative in Kenya, which … Continue reading “Young Kenyan Activist Asks World Leaders to Open their Hearts to Climate Victims”
Canada pioneered an experiment on a universal basic income for all citizens in the 1970s. Now, one province, Ontario, has promised another trial. And other countries or regions are also toying with a basic income for all. In 1974, when Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister, the federal government and Manitoba Province launched a four-year minimum … Continue reading “Basic Income: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?”