The Sustainability Learning Forum

Hope Through Honey

Gerd Pfitzenmeier

“Fight poverty, maintain ecological equilibrium and so shape sustainable development.” These three clear goals are the essence of this truly mammoth project, Bhusan Shrestha says. The large Nepalese beekeeper Gandaki Bee Concern (GBC) wants to make money and at the same time bring progress to the small Asian country in the Himalayas. The company, founded in 1990 in the capital Kathmandu, wants to do no less than help more and more Nepalese “gain a source of income and at the same time conserve the quality of nature for the future.” more[...] login_required

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Light at Home: Sustainable Energy Access in Isolated Rural Areas

Editorial Team

The ACCIONA Microenergy Foundation was created to focus the Company’s efforts on social development activities that could meet the real demands and basic needs of the rural population in developing countries. The Foundation’s goal is to work with others to increase access to basic energy, water, or infrastructure services for people and communities that lack the means to acquire such basic services. more[...]

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Light at Home: Sustainable Energy Access in Isolated Rural Areas

Juan Ramón Silva Ferrada, Acciona

The ACCIONA Microenergy Foundation was created to focus the Company’s efforts on social development activities that could meet the real demands and basic needs of the rural population in developing countries. The Foundation’s goal is to work with others to increase access to basic energy, water, or infrastructure services for people and communities that lack the means to acquire such basic services. more[...]

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Indigenously Produced Organic Fruit

Gerd Pfitzenmeier
Amazon Carribean Guayana

In his factory hidden in the jungle, the French adventurer Pierre Saint-Arroman has taught indigenous workers how to harvest certified organic hearts of palm and pineapples, pack them in cans and ship them to customers in Europe’s organic stores and U.S. malls. With these goods, Amcar and the indigenous people create “benefits for everyone involved”, Richard notes in summarizing the basic business idea. Economic success is, of course, important to him and Pierre Saint-Arroman – but at the same time, they want to help the inhabitants of the Orionoco Delta. “In the first 15 years of our work, Guyana went through economic crises,” Xavier Richard remembers. “Today, the people earn a secure income from Amcar.” more[...] login_required

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Creating an Impact on Education for Girls in India

Carolyn E. Nimmy, Capgemini
Cecilia Schrijver, Capgemini
Capgemini

With girls representing two-third of the world’s uneducated children and women representing two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults, it has been acknowledged that successful education for girls and women is a necessary mechanism for breaking the cycle of poverty, myths, and social norms, for ensuring the well-being and health of children, and for the long-term success of developing countries. Project Nanhi Kali is a participatory project where individuals, groups, and companies are encouraged to sponsor the education of girls. The Nanhi Kali project is jointly managed by the Naandi Foundation and the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust. The Capgemini Group is currently the second largest corporate sponsor of the Nanhi Kali project, which supports the education of over 10,000 girls in India. more[...]

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Indigenously Produced Organic Fruit

Gerd Pfitzenmeier

“Without the cooperation with the indigenous people,” Xavier Richard knows, “our company would never have been able to thrive as it has.” Since its establishment in 1987, Amazon Caribbean Ltd. (Amcar) has relied on the efforts of thousands of indigenous people from the Arawack, Warrau and Carib tribes in Guyana. In the jungle of the Barima-Waini Basin, they collect the raw materials for Amcar’s products: hearts of palm and pineapple. “Our mission,” the company states accordingly, “is to generate, in partnership with the people in Guyana, economic value added from naturally growing products.” more[...]

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Making A Global Contribution To Education Through Partnership

Editorial Team

The Deutsche Post DHL teamed up with the international not-for-profit organization Teach For All to improve access to education as well as the quality of education and educational systems throughout the world. more[...] login_required

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Deutsche Post DHL - Making A Global Contribution To Education Through Partnership

Ralf Dürrwang, Deutsche Post DHL

As one of the largest logistics companies in the world and an adherent to the UN Global Compact, Deutsche Post DHL is well-aware of its solemn responsibilities toward society, including the respect for human rights. It understands that “Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights” (Principle 1 UNGC). Deutsche Post DHL considers these societal responsibilities not as a burden, but as guiding tenets that can offer opportunities while advancing its business. more[...]

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Partnerships for More High-Quality Food

Dr. Wolfgang Große-Entrup, Bayer Group
Bayer Group

Safeguarding food supplies for a constantly growing world population will be among the most pressing problems of the future. Bayer is providing an innovative solution with the program “food chain partnership.” This business model supports the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of fighting poverty and hunger throughout the world and contributes to sustainable development. more[...] login_required

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Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

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How Climate Change Will Affect Food Security

Dr. David Nabarro, United Nations

Governments and the international community are responding by feeding the hungry while seeking longer-term solutions to increase the resilience of farmers and their capacity to grow more food. At the same time, there is a growing call for better-functioning social safety nets to protect the most vulnerable. more[...] login_required

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On the Eve of the MDG Review Summit

Anita Sharma, UN Millennium Campaign

When they signed the Millennium Declaration in 2000, world leaders made an historic promise to work together to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people. With its clear goals and deadlines, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) created the first-ever global compact in which rich and developing countries acknowledged shared responsibility to end extreme poverty and its root causes. more[...] login_required

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In the end, it all trickles down to water

Dr. Pasquale Steduto, FAO Water Unit

We can be certain about one thing related to the future: The pressure on water resources will continue to increase. This is a fundamental challenge, as water resources, unlike fossil fuels, are a natural resource irreplaceable for human survival. more[...] login_required

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We’re All Global Commoners Now

James Bernhard Quilligan

Economic analysts often look at the world’s monetary and financial asymmetries without understanding their historical causes. Yet the international community -- including the private sector -- must address the origins of these structural imbalances if there is to be a meaningful adjustment of the economic system. more[...] login_required

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United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

United Nations

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) is being organized in pursuance of General Assembly Resolution 64/236 (A/RES/64/236). The Conference will take place in Brazil on 20-22 June 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. It is envisaged as a Conference at the highest possible level, including Heads of State and Government or other representatives. The Conference will result in a focused political document. more[...] login_required

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