Did you know that the most important number on the plant is 350.  As in 350 Parts Per Million of CO2.  October 24, 2009 has been declared the International Day of Climate Action and will mark the first time that the event has been held.  The aim of this initiative is to build support for getting the CO2 levels in the atmosphere down to 350 which scientists have said is the safe limit for humanity.  The CO2 levels are currently at 387 ppm and rising.

24 October 2009 is International Day of Climate Action

So the call to action is on October 24th for you to place the number 350 at an iconic place in your community or some creative way and then upload the photo to the 350.org website.  They will collect the images from around the world and deliver the message to the media and world leaders to demonstrate how big and powerful with world wide movement for climate change is.  There is already a lot of creative activities happening to mark the occasion. On October 24th take a stand and do something!  For more information visit www.360.org/plan.

Voters approved the change in May and British officials endorsed it in June, a new constitution giving the Cayman Islands greater autonomy from Britain will go into effect from Nov. 6.

McKeeva Bush, who is now leader of government business will be the territory’s first premier.

The constitution adds three seats to the 15-member parliament and sets a limit of two consecutive terms for the premier.

Member nations of Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) have agreed to implement a single currency to be used among themselves from next year.   The decision, made at ALBA’s Seventh Summit in Bolivia, was endorsed by Prime Ministers from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, the Grenadines and St. Vincent to go ahead with the use of the use of the virtual Single Regional Payment Compensation System (SUCRE) as a replacement for the US dollar in commercial exchanges among members. (more…)

As Guyana joined in the observances of World Food Day 2009, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud urged that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to take a hard look at locally grown and produced foods, particularly since Guyana has embarked on a programme to assist the region in attaining food security.

Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud

Persaud, during a World Food Day activity here, said it is very worrying that the region through its actions and policies seems to prefer importing food rather than using locally grown produce.

“It is my opinion that such problems have arisen in the Caribbean region because we, as a people, have moved away from our traditional nutritious foods and have embraced a lifestyle, including the foods, subtly suggested to us through a blitz of TV advertising,” Persaud said. (more…)

Friday, October 16th was World Food Day.  World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. It is also the Food Engineer day.  Food engineering is a multidisciplinary program which combines science, microbiology, and engineering education for food and related industries. Food engineering includes, but is not limited to, the application of agricultural engineering and chemical engineering principles to food materials.

The World Food Day theme for 2009 was “Achieving food security in times of crisis”.  With an estimated increase of 105 million hungry people in 2009, there are now 1.02 billion malnourished people in the world, meaning that almost one sixth of all humanity is suffering from hunger.

Let us work together to make sure hunger is recognized as a critical problem, and solve it.  The World Summit on Food Security is proposed by FAO for November 2009.

“The epicenter of the world economy is moving out of the west and changing the focus of corporate investment strategy. As a result, the 20th-century business model, which says business only exists to make a profit, is no longer valid. The new model is to build on the profit goal via sustainable globalization. This means business has to address global challenges in emerging markets like clean water, education, AIDS, and climate change in order to pave the way to growth and profits. Successful businesses in 5 to 10 years will be the ones that recognize this opportunity to address these challenges as a step to leading in emerging markets. Those who don’t will be left behind.”—E. Neville Isdell, chairman of Coca-Cola (now retired), paraphrased from remarks at the 2008 Clinton Global Initiative

This is excerpted from a speech delivered last year at the Clinton Global Initiative. With the epicenter of the world economy moving out of the west and into developing nations, how will this changing the focus affect (more…)

You have to  give a little kudos to the Jamaica Observer for trying to be innovative in the delivery of their product but I do have to ask a huge question in wake of this weeks news in which they announced that they were the first and only full colour daily newspaper to be delivered in the Caribbean.  The move seemed to be a little dated considering all the other areas where they could invest. 

We know that many printed newspapers are suffering and need to be more innovative in their business models so did the observer consider investing in their online operations, did they ensure that they are delivering the highest quality newspaper today – content and graphically pleasing. 

In addition, I would like to know more about the inks and the paper being used in their operations.  Are they using natural ingredients for the inks?  Is there a recycling component to their operations?  Considering all things, I have to call into question whether a full colour newspaper is really a sustainable move for the Caribbean region.  What do you think?  Please weigh in on the topic.