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United
Nations, Earth Day Focus on Water for 2003
The
United Nations General Assembly declared 2003 the
International Year of Freshwater and the UN has
planned a host
of activities. The Earth Day Network, responsible
for coordinating Earth Day activities worldwide,
has also decided to focus
on water for 2003. The Pacific Institute lauds
these organizations for recognizing the key role
water plays in human health, environmental protection,
and political disputes. We hope that this renewed
attention on water will reduce the terrible toll
of water-related
disease -- estimated to be 3- to 5-million people
a year -- while pushing developing and industrialized
nations to improve efficiency, protect natural ecosystems,
and ensure that everyone has access to clean water.
Indicators Update: Project Hires
Diesel Coordinator
The
Pacific Institute has hired Dr. Lionel O. Greene,
jr. as its new Diesel Project Coordinator. Dr. Greene
has worked with the University of California, NASA,
and AT&T Bell Laboratories. He holds a doctorate
in Neuropsychology from Stanford University and
completed a postdoctorate at MIT in Aeronautics
and Astronautics. The Diesel Pollution Reduction
Project is an effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the Pacific Institute, and West Oakland
community groups to reduce the diesel pollution
from trucks that service the Port of Oakland.
15th Anniversary Report Nears Completion
The
Pacific Institute turned 15 years old at the end
of 2002. To celebrate our birthday, retrace our
history, and look to the future we are hard at work
on our first-ever annual report. The 20-page report
will survey the key trends, victories, and challenges
for each of our 5 main program areas and includes
a 15-year timeline of events. Anyone who has contributed
over the last year will automatically get a copy.
If you'd like to become a member, consider donating
online; to pre-register for a complimentary
copy, please contact our Development
Director.
December
Staff Updates
12/14-12/19
Peter H. Gleick traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh for
a meeting on water resources and climate change
with the Dialogue on Water and Climate. Attendees
discussed the risks to Bangladesh from climate change,
how to include those risks in long-term disaster
planning, and how to best prepare for the upcoming
Kyoto conference.
12/16-12/17
Michael J. Cohen organized and led a meeting
to discuss pressing issues relating to the lower
Colorado River and the Salton Sea. Assistant Secretary
of the Interior Bennett Raley, senior Interior and
Bureau of Reclamation staff, and several environmental
organizations attended the meeting, which was held
in Las Vegas.
12/15
Jason Morrison agreed to sit on a stakeholder
advisory committee that will review and comment
on the newest iteration of the American Chemistry
Council's (ACC) Responsible Care Program.
12/13
Jason Morrison accepted an invitation by ISO/TC
207 Chair, Daniel Gagnier, to serve on his Chairman's
Advisory Group (CAG). NGOs within the committee
first began advocating for representation on the
CAG in 1999 and this recent development can be seen
as a milestone for NGOs participating in ISO standards
development.
12/9-12/10
Jason Morrison attended a US EPA-sponsored EMS Practitioners'
Forum "Real World Experiences with Environmental
Management Systems to Shape Policy and Operational
Decisions." Held in Washington, DC, the purpose
of the Forum was to further encourage the use of
Environmental Management Systems by allowing practitioners
to discuss and share real world experiences relating
to their use of EMSs. |
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Upcoming
1/15-1/16
Peter H. Gleick, Michael Kiparsky and Dana Haasz
will be presenting talks at the CalFed
Science conference. They will present, respectively,
on residential, commercial, and industrial water
efficiency projects, climate change and water, and
California water efficiency.
1/30
Peter H. Gleick will give the opening keynote address
at the Association of Bay Area Government's conference
in downtown Oakland on the state of California's
water.
2/10
Peter H. Gleick will present the Pacific Institute
Principles on water privatization at a World Bank
meeting to be held in Washington, DC.
2/12
Peter H. Gleick will give the keynote address at
American University in Washington, DC on "The
Global Water Crisis: A New Path."
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