“The World Bank says food prices are at “dangerous levels” and have pushed 44 million more people into poverty since last June.
According to the latest edition of its Food Price Watch, prices rose by 15% in the four months between October 2010 and January this year.
Food price inflation is felt disproportionately by the poor, who spend over half their income on food.”
As a philanthropist, how would you approach the problem of unaffordable food?
“CARACAS, Venezuela — A judge in a tiny courtroom in the Ecuadorean Amazon ruled Monday that the oil giant Chevron was responsible for polluting remote tracts of Ecuadorean jungle and ordered the company to pay more than $9 billion in damages, one of the largest environmental awards ever.”
Is $9 billion enough to cover large-scale destruction of the environment and irreparable damage to human health? Is it too much?
And would knowing that BP has already pledged $20 billion to pay for damages related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill change your mind?
Depending on who you ask, it could mean very different things.
(A little grandfatherly wisdom from your friends at TILE.)
(photo credit: Stig Nygaard)
Russia needs more oil, and BP (remember them?) wants to help them get it… in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.
“One beaten man is worth two unbeaten men.” – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, on why working with BP is a good idea even after the disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil spill
What should Russia do now that its biggest national export is running out? Does it make more sense to spend money on a short-term solution or a long-term one?
“The energy lab’s Research Support Facility building is more like a mirror, or perhaps a sponge, to its surroundings. From the light-bending window louvers that cast rays up into the interior office spaces, to the giant concrete maze in the sub-basement for holding and storing radiant heat, every day is completely different.
This is the story of one randomly selected day in the still-new building’s life: Jan. 28, 2011.”
Assuming it will take a while for your house to become completely carbon-neutral, what can you do today to easily shrink your carbon footprint?
(photo by Thomas Euler)
Did you see this? NYTimes foodman Mark Bittman is the kind of guy you want thinking about the food supply.
Says Mark:
“For decades, Americans believed that we had the world’s healthiest and safest diet. We worried little about this diet’s effect on the environment or on the lives of the animals (or even the workers) it relies upon. Nor did we worry about its ability to endure — that is, its sustainability.
That didn’t mean all was well. And we’ve come to recognize that our diet is unhealthful and unsafe. Many food production workers labor in difficult, even deplorable, conditions, and animals are produced as if they were widgets. It would be hard to devise a more wasteful, damaging, unsustainable system.”
Everyone needs food, so it’s funny (and okay, scary) that we have so little control over how our food gets to our plates. And like everything, food production has an economic story behind it.
Read Mark’s suggestions for shaking up the system, reclaiming our diets, and ensuring clean, nutritious food that’s good for us and the planet.
credit: keithusc
Under 50? Then you’re not likely to be donating to your alma mater in 2011.
“I can think of no less needy charity than Harvard. I have to struggle to think of anyone in my age group who has given big money to a traditional charity.” – Philanthropist Whitney Tilson on the new generation of philanthropy
Do you support the same causes as your parents? Do you give to the same organizations as your friends?
Do you know where your roses really come from?
This short 2008 Frontline documentary exposes some pretty heinous human rights abuses in Ecuador’s flower industry.
Try googling “fair-trade flowers” for your bouquet this year.
Sharna Goldseker is the director of 21/64 – a nonprofit that helps families make important decisions about philanthropy and helps young donors find their philanthropic voice. Sharna is an expert on the way giving fits into wealth and family relationships. In addition to consulting and speaking extensively on generational transitions, she also facilitates a network of seventy 18-28 year olds who are or will be involved in their family’s philanthropy, and she helped found Slingshot, a funding collaborative for Jewish funders in their 20s and 30s.
Works for us. Here she shares some really thoughtful advice about youth giving and the new philanthropy.
TILE: Why should young people consider getting involved in philanthropy
in the first place? Isn’t that something that should be left to
adults?
Sharna: Research shows that each generation brings a unique set of values, skills and experiences to the philanthropic table and therefore at any age, people can contribute to society and learn from one another in the process. For instance, Generation Y (pdf download) (people born between 1980-2000) have grown up with information technology, connected to people around the world, and in a more diverse society then generations before. While older generations may have more years of experience to bring to bear on their philanthropy, Gen Yers can bring their facility with technology to leverage their networks and communicate, advocate and contribute online. Their values of justice, compassion and acceptance of other people bring humanity to their philanthropy. And Gen Yers’ commitment to issues, as well as innovation, often on a global scale, would benefit many non-governmental organizations today. Besides, being a part affecting change that is larger than ourselves can add meaning to our lives.
TILE: What are the first steps that someone can take if they want to get involved?
Sharna: At 21/64, we have found that it’s often hard to think about what to fund or what organization to join before asking ourselves three questions:
What am I inheriting? Not financially, but what are the stories, values, messages my parents and grandparents have passed down to me?
Who am I? What of that family legacy do I want to incorporate into my life today? What are my own values? What are my passions? And then ask,
What do I want to do about it? How can I align my values and my resources to have an impact on the needs of the day? What are the issues that I see as important (e.g. bringing clean water to everyone; providing quality education; enriching people’s lives through art, etc.) that I care about and want to dedicate my time, energy and other resources to?
TILE: What advice would you give to young people who can’t decide where
to focus their philanthropic efforts?
Sharna: It’s not uncommon for people to have trouble deciding where to start when there are so many important challenges to solve in the world. To help with this dilemma, we created Picture Your Legacy, a deck of colorful images from which users can choose those that most speak to the funders they aspire to be and the type of impact they want to have. While the cards include images of arts, the environment and other areas to support, Picture Your Legacy helps users articulate if they want to take risks and invest in social entrepreneurs or support established organizations; consider funding as an individual or in collaboration with others; and, it raises other components of being a thoughtful and strategic funder which are often hard to identify on your own.
TILE: Why do you do what you do? What do you like best about your job?
Sharna: As director of 21/64, a non-profit practice specializing in next generation and multigenerational strategic philanthropy, I get to work with my next generation peers to help them find their own philanthropic identity and move resources to affect change in society. I also consult with families and know how hard it can be to make philanthropic decisions across the generations, especially when funding colleagues are moms, dads, siblings or grandparents. If I can help a family navigate their generational differences and build a way to communicate, then I’m not only helping the family but also helping them be more effective funders.
TILE: What’s the best advice you would give to your teenage self?
Sharna: My great uncle had been in real estate in Maryland and left instructions in his Will for a foundation to be set up upon his death. As someone who grew up knowing there was a charitable foundation that shared her name, I always struggled with earning the right to this “philanthropic inheritance.” After years of serving as an intern at different non-profits and gaining a graduate degree in non-profit management, I came to realize I not only loved the work, but also had an opportunity to make a difference in the world through allocating philanthropic resources. While I didn’t initially earn the assets in the foundation, I can still bring my own values, experiences and skills to bear on the foundation as a member of the Board. Looking back, I would encourage my teenage self to take the time to develop my own identity, figure out who I am, and who I want to be in the world, as I’m now a better family member and foundation director because of it.
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“NEW DELHI – Internet giant Google Inc. said Monday it will give $5 million to upgrade and support 50 elementary schools run by India’s Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic unit of Bharti Enterprises Ltd.”
Can an enormous business-based philanthropic venture like Google fulfill its mission to save the world?