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Sustainable Development

The Gift that Keeps Giving

Posted on June 24, 2008 by Kaitlin Bruno
Topics: Agriculture, Climate and Environment, Economic Development, Food, Humanitarian Aid
Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/swissfrog/632096066/">Swiss.frog's photostream (flickr)</a>
Photo: Swiss.frog's photostream (flickr)

Working Villages International (WVI) is an NGO with a unique take on how to eliminate poverty in Africa. Their new initiative, Village Reliance, aims to combat poverty directly, rather than dealing only with its effects. They want to give people the skills and tools to take control of their own lives and bring themselves out of poverty.

The goal of this program is to build a village that will be environmentally and economically self-sustainable for people living in the Ruzizi Valley of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They are building from scratch a model village which will have full employment, private ownership of small farms and businesses, zero carbon footprint and total 100 percent recycling. This project is a practical demonstration that it’s possible to profoundly increase living standards in rural Africa without hampering local culture and ingenuity.

In the future, WVI hopes to spread these villages across the DRC and the entire continent.

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Keywords: Sustainable Development, eradicating poverty, community, Africa

From the Archives

Peacebuilding Through Sustainable Economic Development

Posted on October 4, 2007
Topics: Economic Development
Countries: Kyrgyzstan
Previously filed under: Asia, Interviews
An interview with the head of the Mercy Corps Collaborative Development Initiative in Kyrgyzstan, an economic development and peacebuilding project.
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Keywords: Mercy Corps, Sustainable Development, peace, Middle East

From the Archives

Greening Globalization

Posted on June 18, 2007
Previously filed under: Europe and Middle East, Environment
A plan to link climate change policy with biodiversity loss renews a twenty-year-old idea of sustainable development.
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Keywords: Sustainable Development, biodiversity, climate change, G8, globalization

From the Archives

Poverty and the Environment

Posted on November 1, 2006
Previously filed under: Asia, Environment
Environmental degredation and poverty alleviation are often treated as separate issues -- this article explores these divisions and suggests alternative approaches.
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Keywords: environment, poverty, globalization, development goals, Sustainable Development,

From the Archives

Man and His Endangered Home

Posted on October 2, 2006
Previously filed under: Europe and Middle East, Environment
The notion of sustainable development may pose a problem as the contradictions of fast human development and the slow conditions of evolution are combined.
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Keywords: global warming, technology, Sustainable Development, Population Growth

From the Archives

The Last Thing the Developing World Needs

Posted on November 6, 2003
Previously filed under: Asia, Agriculture
A disturbing trend is appearing in the battle for control of the world's food resources.
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Keywords: Genetically Modified Organisms, food security, hunger, developing countries, Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Development

Breaking News
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Despite High Gas Prices, Europeans Find Driving a Hard Habit to Break

International Herald Tribune - Fri, 08/29/2008 - 14:23
That raises questions as to how effective high prices by themselves can be in achieving the ambitious targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions that European leaders have committed themselves to meeting.

Japan Unveils $16.5 Billion Economic Stimulus Plan

International Herald Tribune - Fri, 08/29/2008 - 14:23
The package will include income tax cuts, financial aid to businesses and discounts for expressway tolls, Kyodo News reported, citing lawmakers.

Israel-Palestine: Scheme to give Israelis "wet jobs" in construction in place of Palestinians

IRIN News - Fri, 08/29/2008 - 16:45
If the Israeli Ministry of Finance manages to push through some reforms as part of the proposed 2009 budget, there may soon be almost no Palestinian workers in Israel's construction sector.

Asia Seeks Its Own Trade Deals

Wall Street Journal - Thu, 08/28/2008 - 19:45
Southeast Asian nations reached free-trade agreements with India, Australia and New Zealand and aimed to seal an investment pact with China.

Malawi: Cheer and Concern Over Ban on Private Sale of Maize

IRIN News - Fri, 08/29/2008 - 01:44
Ordinary Malawians, cheered by the prospect of cheaper food, have welcomed government's ban on the private trading of maize, but food security experts and businesses have expressed concern.
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