In the 1980’s, free trade and environmental degradation virtually eliminated Haiti’s internal rice production. Haitians eventually became dependent on rice imports. Now, Haitians are starving due to rising food prices. There are reports of people making themselves sick, just so they can be admitted to the hospital and get food. There are many reasons for rising food prices including diversion of crops to biofuels and rising commodity and oil prices. Agricultural and oil interests lobbied for blended biofuel solutions such as ethanol, instead of promoting smart solutions such as electric vehicles or reusing waste vegetable oil.
To be sure, Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, is also effected by the global food shortage, but they have a huge advantage with their local food production. Dominicans produce 80% of the foods consumed locally, which insulates them somewhat from the global shortages. It would be interesting to hear the presidential candidates address some of these issues in the next debate. Much has been made during the campaigns about special interests and globalization, but this an actual example of how bad policy has created a disaster and the next president must provide leadership on issues like these.
In our latest installment, we traveled across the Bay to speak with youth development veteran Mark Henderson. For 15 years, Mark has been helping inner-city youth get jobs in the city of Oakland. In this fifth episode, he talks with us about the current job situation for youth in Oakland and how Measure Y is addressing the challenges that youth face. Mark breaks down the specifics of using job skills training and employment as an incentive to keep youth in school, off the street, and out of trouble. He also touches on green collar jobs, and explains how regular folks can get involved to help youth and reduce crime in their neighborhood.
Listen to the full version of the Green Rapper production “El Medio Ambiente (The Environment)” from the closing credits by pressing play.
I just registered to run in the Marin Human Race. Each year, this 5K run helps to financially support non-profits working in Marin County. I’m throwing my support to Huckleberry Youth Programs, an organization that offers health services and support to at-risk youth in San Francisco and Marin. They’ve also employed one of my close family members for the past three years, so I probably owe them. If you’d like to make a donation on our behalf, make a check out to “Marin Human Race” and send it to:
Huckleberry Teen Health Program
Montecito Plaza
361 Third Street, Suite G
San Rafael, CA 94901
People who know nothing about rap music like to say that rap music has no meaning. I’d say that is true of about 90% of what is played on the radio these days, but it was the fun and social messages in rap music that attracted me to it as a young person (which we spoke about in our last episode). These days, there are plenty of great artists who are putting out music with a message, but they just don’t get the exposure that your 50 Cents and Little Waynes get. Some great, idea-oriented artists that I’ve been listening to these days include Brother Ali, Pete Miser, and Lupe Fiasco. I thought I’d put together an all-time top-ten list of my favorite rap songs that don’t have to do with booty, bling, or bb guns. This is by no means a “well thought out” list, so let me know if you think something has been omitted etc. (Note: Links pop up into Youtube videos of the songs)
In this show, the Green Rapper heads to the Mission in San Francisco to catch up with Jon and Mimi of Mijuanito. As we vibe to the melodic sounds, we also find out how their green record label Parks and Records is making a difference. A concept that blends their two passions, music and mother nature, they share with us their 4-part mission to build a community of like-minded musicians and fans, release passionate indie-pop/ noise-rock albums, reduce waste through 100% recycled/reused packaging, and support organizations dedicated to making our planet greener.
Check out tracks from Parks and Records’ newest release, Carcrashlander on Myspace.
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This week, I’ve been involved with Entrepreneurship Week at Stanford University. Along with lots of lectures, panels, and events, there was a big innovation challenge in which students from around the globe participated. The students were given an everyday object and then asked to create as much value as they could by innovating around it. Value could be defined and measured monetarily, socially and even environmentally. Students had to produce a video on Youtube to document their project and what impact it had. This year, the object was a rubber band and while there were a lot of interesting projects, I was most interested in those that dealt with the environment. Some of my favorite went on to be recognized:
Rubber Band Resistance
In this video, students used rubber bands to force faucets in university bathrooms to shut off when pressure was not being applied. I thought it was an effective use of a pretty difficult object that tackled a very timely subject. One of the judges (Jeff Hawkins, inventor of the Palm Pilot) didn’t like the fact that they made people work (bad user interface design I guess). Isn’t solving environmental problems going to be slightly painful (I thought to myself)? Techie geniuses are great at making our lives easier, but will solving environmental crises be an easy task? Later, I was comforted to see Jeff ride away from our building on a bike… probably not the primary means of transportation for every Silicon Valley big shot.
Use the rubber!
Another great video (albeit non-environmental) with a social message that touches on rubber bands, cooking and sex:
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