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environment Happy Birthday, Earth Day! The Planet’s Largest Environmental Organization is Forty-Years-Old this Month tExt: RiCHaRD SaunDERS As with so many great ideas, it started as a relatively small initiative, when in early fall of 1969 senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin announced the idea of a nationwide teach-in day on the environment during a speech to a conservation group in Seattle. As fall turned to winter, the event, originally answering to the rather cumbersome title ‘Nationwide Environment Teach-in,’ became known by the far catchier moniker by which it’s called today, and on 22nd April 1970 (when the first Earth Day was marked by about twenty million Americans), the modern environmental movement was born. That first Earth Day was a great success, although not everyone was impressed. The day (apparently accidentally) coincided with the one-hundredth anniversary of Lenin’s birth, which led certain quarters to proclaim the event as being organized by Communist sympathizers – it’s even alleged that the FBI turned up to make sure there were no subversive political undertones! The idea of an annual Earth Day caught on, and the event has been held on April 22nd every year since, growing in size and influence until becoming, according to the Earth Day Network, “the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a half billion people every year.” The Earth Day Network (EDN), established in 1970 by the organizers of the first Earth Day to promote yearround environmental awareness both in the States and internationally, has had similarly spectacular success, and now incorporates a staggering 19,000-plus organizations in 192 countries. For the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day in 2010, the EDN have created a number of global initiatives, including a ‘Global Day of Conversation’ with city mayors worldwide, focusing on bringing green investment and building a green economy, and the ‘a Billion Acts of Green Campaign’ which asks individuals and groups from around the world to make a resolution to ‘act green,’ and log their commitment on the official Website (http://billionactsofgreen.net/). As of March 20th, over five million people have committed on-line to Acts of Green ranging from avoiding bottled water and requesting paper bags to “walking to work every day, even when it rains”! “Hope in a Changing Climate” tExt: juan CaRloS maDRigal Wh a t w o u l d y o u d o i f you discovered a way to combat climate change, e l i m i n a t e p o v e r t y a n d r e s t o r e damaged ecosystems in regions the size of European countries When John D. Liu was faced with t h i s q u e s t i o n, h e f o u n d e d t h e Environmental Education Media Project (EEMP) a not-for-profit organization dedicated to placing ecosystem restoration at the center of global discussions on climate change, poverty, and sustainable agriculture. ‘Hope in a Changing Climate’ is the latest effort by EEMP to educate businesses, governments and individuals about the role large-scale ecosystem rehabilitation plays in issues as varied as food security, fresh water source protection, poverty alleviation and climate change. The film was aired globally by the BBC World Service and screened for world leaders attending the COP 15 climate change summit last November in Copenhagen. ’Hope in a Changing Climate’ demonstrates that it is possible to rehabilitate large-scale damaged ecosystems, to restore ecosystem functions in areas where they have been lost, to fundamentally improve the lives of people who have been trapped in poverty for generations, and to sequester carbon naturally. This approach has been dramatically proven on the Loess Plateau in China; the birthplace of the Han Chinese, headwaters of The Yellow River and home to a new environmental and economic From arid wasteland to lush farmland paradigm. What was once an arid wasteland the size of Belgium now teems with life and supports the sustainable economic, social, and agricultural activities of its people. T h e f i l m f e a t u r e s a d i v e r s e collection of interviews, from world leaders such as the president of Rwanda, to local farmers telling their own stories. The film is presented by John Liu and directed by Jeremy Bristow, producer of award-winning BBC documentaries featuring Sir David Attenborough. To watch the film, learn more about ecosystem rehabilitation and learn how to support this critically important initiative, visit http:// www.eempc.org 20 apr 2010
Taiwan's ‘First Green Conference,’ April 30 th to May 2 nd 2010 TExT: kEli yEn Reminiscing By E.M. ChiEn This is a place my day unwinds and stretches out ‘cross little lines. I loved. I laughed. I sang. I danced. A star that flickered in the night, hoped someone else could use its light. For in the dark when no one shines, hatred lurks and fear is rife. So, I shined. E.M. Chien believes life is a conundrum and words are empowered with the vitality we need to not only define our lives but delineate the changes we plan to affect. From 30th April to 2nd May 2010, join a gathering of internationally renowned environmental activists, delegates from Green Parties and NGOs spanning over twenty countries. The aim is to not only share knowledge of, and responsibility for, environmental and social issues in the Asia Pacific region, but to aim to establish coordinated strategy and networks to advance focused environmental protection actions across the region. With the idea of ‘Fair Share’ for a theme, the program opens a highly participatory space for discussion on climate change, governance & accountability, justice, community empowerment, energy, food & water, natural disasters, business, peace, nuclear, and any topic that you may wish to raise from the floor. Keynote Speakers include Dr Vandana Shiva, Right Livelihood Award winner, eco-feminist and author, and Senator Bob Brown, Leader of the Australian Greens (Australia's third largest political party) and a determined and energetic activist. Taiwan’s first ‘green conference’ will convene on April 30th. The organizers are The Green Party Taiwan and the Taiwan Friends of the Global Greens, groups striving to forge a common consensus among Asia Pacific Greens culminating in a formal declaration, resolutions, elections, and a five-year action plan for the APGN. An Asia Pacific Young Greens pre-congress event will be held on 29 April, one day before the formal APGN Congress. To register & learn about the core Green Values of ecological wisdom, social justice, participatory democracy, nonviolence, sustainability and respect for diversity, visit the APGN 2010 website at http:// apgn2010.org/ The conference will be held at Tianmu Convention <strong>Center</strong>, 113 Zhongshan North Road Section 7. Email: apgn2010@gmail.com Join APGN online Social networks http://twitter.com/apgn2010 http://www.plurk.com/apgn2010 http://vimeo.com/user2470532 http://www.youtube.com/user/ GreenPartyTaiwan#p/u Apr 2010 21
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Page 6 and 7: RICHARD xReCommenDs RichaRd SaundeR
Page 8 and 9: around taipei A Symphony of Plac te
Page 10 and 11: Community TAS Annual Flea Market te
Page 12 and 13: outlook Not just living happily eve
Page 14 and 15: Casual dining Calcutta Indian Food
Page 16 and 17: traditional arts The Temple of the
Page 18 and 19: entertainment As you like it - Taip
Page 22 and 23: Taipei Uncorked WINE BLING on a BUD
Page 24 and 25: kinder ‘ping's Adventure in Taiwa
Page 26 and 27: generation y o L ss of Creativity E
Page 28 and 29: sports 2010 ECCT-ICRT Int’l Chari
Page 30 and 31: Center Courses Apr 2010 To sign up,
Page 32 and 33: Worship Directory (For full details
Page 34: dirk's taiwan dirk DIEsTEL took thi

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