Nike Opposes US Chamber of Commerce & Leaves Board, over Climate Change
Written by Zachary Shahan

Nike just announced that it is leaving its position on the US Chamber of Commerce board of directors because of the business organization’s opposition to climate action.

Nike doesn’t beat around the bush on why it is leaving the board.

Nike says: “Nike believes US businesses must advocate for aggressive climate change legislation and that the United States needs to move rapidly into a sustainable economy to remain competitive and ensure continued economic growth.”

Nike is not the first major company to take up action against the organization. The nation’s largest utility company and other major utilities actually resigned from the Chamber of Commerce altogether recently over this issue.

Nike was especially put off by the Chamber’s recent challenges to the EPA. “As we’ve stated, we fundamentally disagree with the US Chamber of Commerce on the issue of climate change and their recent action challenging the EPA is inconsistent with our view that climate change is an issue in need of urgent action.”

The leading sports company also said that the Chamber of Commerce was not representing the diversity of opinions within the organization in its actions and recent statements. “It is important that US companies be represented by a strong and effective Chamber that reflects the interests of all its members on multiple issues. We believe that on the issue of climate change the Chamber has not represented the diversity of perspective held by the board of directors.”

Nike may leave the powerful organization altogether, but it is evaluating whether that is the best move and wants to try to continue pushing for climate action within the organization’s committee structure.

Nike continues to be a world leader on environmental issues. It urged Congress to take action on climate change in combination with other major companies (i.e. Starbucks, Timberland, and Levi Strauss) in the past. It has recently engaged in strong alternative transportation advocacy campaigns and successul efforts to stop Amazon destruction.

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Mission 2020: A Clean and Dolphin Filled Ganges
Written by Govind Singh

Ganga, the holiest of holy rivers in the Indian sub-continent is also one of the most polluted rivers in the region. Last year, after much lobbying, Ganga was declared the National River of India owing to its religious as well as environmental significance. However, just that could never have been enough for cleaning a river on which millions of Rupees have already been spent.

Now, the Union Environment Minister of India Mr. Jairam Ramesh, who had previously unveiled the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), has put the NBRBA on a “mission mode” to clean the river by 2020. And his indicator for success is not clear blue waters but the return of the Gangetic dolphins that were once sighted in the river in plenty!

“By 2020, no municipal sewage or industrial effluent will flow into the Ganga (river) without complete treatment,” the Environment Minister declared at a press conference today. A little over two months back, the Minister had agreed that both the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers are no cleaner today than they were two decades ago, though the government is spending huge amounts on action plans for the rivers.

Consequently, the NGRBA is well aware of the mistakes that were made by the previous Ganga Action Plan (GAP) and is making sure it does not repeat the same. A major difference in planning and strategizing this time around is that the focus this time is on entire catchment treatment — on a basin wide basis. The major gap in GAP was it had a town based approached and much greater focus on sewage treatment than anything else.

A comprehensive river basin management plan is thus being seen as the first step in the process and will be prepared by December 2010. The exercise will cost the Indian government Rs. 15,000 crore over the next 10 years. And the indicator for Ganga water quality are declared to be the Gangetic dolphins (Platanista gangetia), which are themselves an IUCN declared endangered species. The river water is muddy making vision useless and so these dolphins are blind having eyes with no lenses. They eat shrimp and fish from the mud in river bottoms.

What needs to be made sure by the Government this time is the proper implementation of the plan and rigorous monitoring lest the implementation failures are yet again declared plan failures and be done with it.

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com