Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Friday, February 17, 2012

EAA’s 2012 International Art Contest ‘One Small Change’



To commemorate the ‘World Environment Day 2012’, the EAA is hosting “The 11th annual International Art Contest – One Small Change.”
Since 2002, EAA has been hosting an international art contest with topics that echoes the importance of inseparable co-existence of the environment and mankind.
This contest has grown to be a marketable international event with participation reaching all-time highs. In 2010, we have received nearly 20,000 artworks from worldwide.
This year’s theme is “One Small Change.” All artworks should portray how our one small action in day-to-day life can bring about a great change for our environment.
The contest is open to anyone who wishes to participate with no registration fee. If interested, download an application at our website www.environmentaa.org. Fill out the form and attach it on the back of the original artwork, and mail it to Environment Action Association, 16 West 32nd St. Ste 607, New York, NY 10001. (A receipt notification will be sent via email.) Applications can be downloaded here
·        Title: “The 11th International Art Contest – One Small Change
·        Eligibility: 1st~12th Grade, College Students & the general public (Worldwide) *
·        Registration: April 2~May 2, 2011 (No registration fee)
·        Submission Category:  Arts [Poster, Painting], Media [Photograph]
·        Award Ceremony: June 5, 2012 in New York (TBA)  
·    Sponsors:     





*Submission Details:

Category
Division
Submission Standards
Participants
Art
Poster
Size 11x17”, 1 per person
1st~12th Grade, College Students &  the general public
Painting
Media
Photograph
Size 11x14”, 2 per person
High school, college students & the general public


*Award Plan:
Prize
Total Winners
Prize
Remarks
Grand
1
$2,000
EAA President
Gold
3
$500 ($1,500)
Silver
6
$300 ($1,800)
Bronze
13
$200 ($2,600)
Platinum
39
$100 ($3,900)
Honors
60
$10 ($600)
Total
122
$13,400









Tentative plan

Miscellaneous information;
1. All are subject to be officially registered as members of EAA Inc upon the submission of artwork.
2. All works’ copyrights will be surrendered to us, and may well be used in our publications both on and off-line.
3. The artworks must be participants’ own creation with no history of past submission to this contest, and should not be submitted to other contests simultaneously.
4. Submitted artworks cannot be retrieved.
5. EAA is not responsible for any tax payment involving with a possible prize.
6. The prize will not be given to those who don’t attend the award ceremony. However, a family member can receive it on behalf. (ID required)

*For more information, please contact us at info@environmentaa.org, 212-695-8840.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Valentine Day can be green with Eco Friendly Ways!!




Did you know that you can devote yourself to love for environment? Yes, you did!! You can be devoted to love as well as environment!! On Valentine‘s Day, we send millions of Valentine cards to partners and they are eventually end up in landfills.  Here’s another inconvenient truth: most of chocolates and flowers are among the world’s biggest users of pesticides. Please don’t feel guilty!! Fortunately, there are a few ways to make your Valentine’s Day greener!! 

Ways 1. Using E-cards instead of mailing cards 

According to the Greeting Card Association, nearly one billion Valentine’s cards are sent each year; second in number only to Christmas. As we expected, many of these end up in landfill, so how about showing your love by sending e-cards instead. 

Ways 2. Giving certified blooms to lovers 

You can find flowers bearing the certified seals by stopping deforestation, preserving water and soil, providing habitat for wild animals, and protecting the farmer rights.  Here is store list where you can find certified flowers: Whole Foods Markets, Sam’s Club, Trader Joe’s and Costco. 

Ways 3. Treating your lovers with fair-traded chocolate 

Why don’t you choose fair trade or organic chocolates for this Valentine’s Day? Valentine’s Day could not be complete without a box of chocolates. According to the Rainforest Alliance, some 40 million people in Central and South America depend on cocoa for their livelihoods. Before you heading out, check out quickly lists of fair trade retailer (http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/green-living/marketplace) and choose one of them who respect farmers’ human rights, wildlife and the environment. 

Ways 4. Eating out with Romantic green way

Enjoy your romantic dinner at home, and save money and be healthy by using local and sustainable ingredients. If you are eating out, check out the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s website (http://www.thesra.org/) before head out. This website provides some sustainable restaurants that match sustainable priorities. 

Don’t forget to tell your partners about the last minute tips: the greenest Valentine’s gift you can give doesn’t generate any wastes. 


Friday, February 3, 2012

EAA’s statement was chosen by the UN’s 50th Session of the Commission for Social Development on Poverty Eradication!

The Commission for Social Development is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. Since the convening of the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995, the Commission has been the key UN body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. It meets once a year in New York, usually in February.
 
Each year, the Commission takes up key social development themes as part of its follow-up to the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit.
The 50th Session of the Commission for Social Development will be held from 1 to 10 February 2012, in New York. This year’s priority theme is “Poverty Eradication.”
 
The 50th Session of the Commission for Social Development will be held from 1 to 10 February 2012, in New York. The priority theme this year is "Poverty Eradication".
On February 2, EAA staffs attended a general discussion session by representatives from all over the world.
Each ministers presented a brief statement for poverty reduction with unique cases, experiments, and plans from their own countries.
EAA staffs were able to experience and see how the world society collaborates with each other to mitigate the further poverty issues.
Furthermore, we are thrilled to announce that our NGO statement was chosen by the UN’s 50th Session of the Commission for Social Development.
Our statement named “Roles of NGOs in poverty eradication: approaches for water scarcity problems” argues that
the NGOs roles as representative, facilitator, trainer, advocator, watchdog and educator is necessary to build various approaches in poverty poverty eradication caused by water shortage problems.
Our NGO statement is available for viewing at the link below: http://social.un.org/index/CommissionforSocialDevelopment/Sessions/2012/NGOsStatements.aspx











Thursday, February 2, 2012

Sustainable tourism in wetlands, celebrating World Wetlands Day 2012


Can you imagine that millions of people in developing countries depend on a great extent on wetlands for local economy development and food security? According to wetland international, wetlands are valuable ecosystems that occupy about 6% of the world’s surface. They provide a variety of goods and services to the local people.
Coasts, lakes, rivers, fauna, flora and other wetland areas are vital resources for tourism. Tourists enjoy natural beauty and wildlife living in wetlands. Wetland tourism leads to poverty eradication and local community economic growth in developing countries.
Although wetlands tourism has drawbacks such as habitat loss, pollution, noise or over-consumption of water, well-prepared planning and management can lead to vitalize the local economic and food security.
How can we NGOs encourage wetland tourism as sustainable way?
In order to ensure sustainable tourism in wetlands, local NGOs contribute to maintain or increase biodiversity and ecosystem health by sustainable tourism practice.