Call for Nominations: Tech Awards (Deadline: March 24, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

The Tech Museum of Innovation is now accepting Nominations for its 2008 Tech Awards - an international awards program that honors innovators from around the world who are applying technology to benefit humanity.

The Tech Awards program inspires global engagement in applying technology to humanity's most pressing problems by recognizing the best of those who are utilizing innovative technology solutions to address the most urgent critical issues facing our planet. People all over the world are profoundly improving the human condition in the areas of education, equality, environment, health, and economic development through the use of technology. It is the goal of The Tech Awards to showcase their compelling stories and reward their brilliant accomplishments.

Each year, candidates are nominated and then invited to submit applications. Individuals, for-profit companies, and not-for-profit organizations are eligible. International panels of judges review the applications and annually select 25 Laureates. Awards are presented in five categories: Health, Education, Environment, Economic Development, and Equality. Five Laureates in each category are honored and one Laureate per category receives $50,000. Laureates are honored at an annual Gala event and inducted into the Tech Laureate Venture Network (TLVN). The TLVN is the extension of the Awards from an annual event to a year round program. The goal of the TLVN is to create opportunities for learning, networking, and exposure to assist the Laureates in furthering their work.

To learn more about the nomination process, please visit http://www.techawards.org/nominate/. For questions, please contact:

Amanda Reilly
Tech Awards Senior Manager
The Tech Museum of Innovation
+1 (408) 795-6338
areilly@thetech.org

Warm regards,

Gaby

Call for Applications: Global Development Marketplace Competition (Deadline: March 21, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

The 2008 Global Development Marketplace Competition (DM2008) is now accepting proposals!

Development Marketplace (DM) is a competitive grant program administered by the World Bank and supported by various partners that identifies and funds innovative, early-stage projects with high potential for development impact. The DM2008 competition is looking for early-stage, innovative ideas with potential for high impact in promoting ‘Sustainable Agriculture for Development’.

Proposals are welcome from all innovators: civil society groups, foundations and development agencies in the country of implementation can submit their ideas. Other applicants – individuals, government entities and businesses – can also apply, but only if they work with a local partner.

DM2008 is specifically focused on the agricultural challenges related to:
- linking small-scale farmers to input and product markets;
- improving land access and tenure for poor farmers; and
- promoting the environmental services of agriculture in addressing climate change and biodiversity conservation.

A total of US$4 million in awards is available, with a maximum award size of US$200,000 per project. The call for proposals closes on March 21, 2008 (23:00 GMT time). Applications will undergo a rigorous review drawing on hundreds of development experts, who will narrow down the pool of finalists to about 100 finalists.

The DM will then bring the finalists to Washington DC for the Marketplace event on September 24-25, 2008. Finalists will participate in knowledge exchange workshops and will present their ideas to the public, World Bank staff and an international jury comprised of senior development specialists. Some 25-30 winners will be announced at the close of the Marketplace.

Proposals must be written in English and submitted through the DM website. Competition guidelines and step-by-step instructions are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish (please click here).

For questions, please contact the Development Marketplace Team at:
Development Marketplace: Together, Turning Ideas Into Action
The World Bank Washington, DC, USA
dminfo@worldbank.org
www.developmentmarketplace.org

Warm regards,

Gaby

Call for Contributions: Radio Scriptwriting Competition - African Farmers' Strategies for Coping with Climate Change (Deadline March 15, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN) and the Technical Center for Agricultural Cooperation (CTA) invite African scriptwriters to participate in the “African Farmers’ Strategies for Coping with Climate Change” scriptwriting competition. The competition is open to African radio organizations, including broadcasters, production organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with a radio project, and farmers’ associations with a radio show.

Writers are invited to submit a radio script on one of the following themes related to climate change:

§ water and soil management;

§ cropping strategies emphasizing drought-resistant plants;

§ livestock management practices;

§ fisheries and agroforestry; and

§ other original topics related to coping with climate change and not listed above.

To assist radio practitioners with producing the radio scripts, a climate change resource kit, guide to writing radio scripts, and coaching and mentoring on scriptwriting is available through the competition website. Participants can use any of the following script formats: interviews, spots, discussion between two hosts, drama (with different characters), or a story (told by one or two narrators). Examples of the different script formats can be found on the competition website. Participants are encouraged to include an audio file with their script; however, this is not a requirement. Edirol R-09 digital audio recorders will be awarded to the top 15 radio scriptwriters.

Application Information:

The script is to be prepared with input from local people (especially farmers). It must be between 500-2,000 words, include background notes about the topic and production notes for broadcasters. References to information sources used to prepare the script (i.e. farmers, agricultural institutions, NGOs, documents, etc.) must be included. The scripts will be reviewed by an international panel of judges. The top 15 entries will receive high quality digital audio recorders. The winners will be announced in May 2008 and will be profiled on the competition website. The winning scripts will be published and distributed by CTA and DCFRN. All entrants will receive feedback on their scripts.

Entries must be received no later than March 15 2008.

You can find additional information on the competition website: http://scriptcompetition.net/

For further questions, please contact:

Blythe McKay, Development Communication Coordinator, Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN), 1404 Scott Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1Y 4M8, Tel: 613 761 3650, Fax: 613 798 0990, Email to: bmckay@farmradio.org, http://www.farmradio.org/

Sarah Bel, CTA’s Communications Officer, Email to: radio@cta.int, http://www.cta.int/

Warm regards,

Gaby

Call for Applications: Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program (Deadline: February 1, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

The Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) at the University of California, Berkeley, offers a unique learning opportunity for mid-career environmental professionals and decision-makers to gain expertise, enhance skills, and broaden perspectives on environmental and natural resource management and leadership.

The program is seeking applicants for the 2008 summer certificate course in Sustainable Environmental Management (June 27 – July 19, 2008). There is a limited number of partial scholarships available, full scholarships do not exist.

Applications should be submitted by February 1, 2008. For further information, please visit the ELP website at http://nature.berkeley.edu/BeahrsELP/certificate.shtml.

Warm regards,

Gaby

Call for Nominations: Volvo Adventure Awards (Deadline: January 31, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

The Volvo Adventure, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is an educational award programme for young people, between 10 and 16 years of age, designed to encourage environmental awareness and activity among future decision makers. Teams of youth are invited to submit environmental project proposals for support through this programme.

Free teacher and group leader resources are available to help start or develop projects. The resources offer guidance on how to help young people research, plan, publicize and carry out a project, and how to monitor and report the findings. Since the programme is conducted in English, the project also offers an opportunity for children from non-English speaking communities to practice their English skills. Guidelines are available in English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, and Japanese.

The best projects will be invited to attend the finals at the Volvo Adventure Award conference, which is held in Göteborg every May. The conference will enable participants to present their projects and to share their ideas with other young people from all over the world. The three best entries will receive grants (1st prize: US$10,000; 2nd prize: US$6,000; and 3rd prize: US$4,000) that will enable them to continue their project work.

The deadline for application is January 31 2008.

Application Information

Click here for further introductory information.
Click here for more details, guidelines, access to a registration form, and links to further contest information.

Previous Winners

Click here for information on previous winners.

Contact

Wayne Talbot, WTA Education Services Ltd, 10 Green Drift, Royston, Hertfordshire, Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK), SG8 5DB, Tel: +44 (0)1763 221190/2, Fax: +44 (0)1763 221255, wayne@wtaeducationservices.com, info@volvoadventure.org

Warm regards,

Gaby

Call for applications: Women's Leadership Scholarship Program (Deadline: March 14, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

The Women's Leadership Scholarship (WLS) program creates educational opportunities for women activists, grassroots leaders and organizers from the Global South and/or from indigenous groups. This scholarship supports study, research and leadership training to assist women in their pursuit of solutions to the critical social, environmental, health and economic problems facing their countries and communities.

The selection committee awards four to eight scholarships a year and recipients may enroll in programs of study at accredited institutions worldwide that cover a range of human rights and development issues at the non-doctoral graduate level including gender, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, child exploitation, human trafficking, infant and maternal mortality, conflict resolution, environmental justice, global fair trade, agro-ecology and sustainable development.

Scholarship recipients are awarded $25,000 per academic year for a maximum of two years, helping recipients meet the costs of tuition, fees, books, educational supplies, housing, maintenance and travel to and from the home country and the educational institution.

Eligible candidates include women leaders from the Global South and/or from indigenous groups who also meet the following criteria:

• Commitment to grassroots organizing and the needs of their communities
• Proof of a bachelor's degree or equivalent or a higher degree
• Three years work experience dealing with critical human rights concerns or other social, educational or health conditions negatively affecting their communities
• Acceptance into a non-doctoral graduate program at an accredited university for full-time study/research related to their work experience in human rights, sustainable development and/or public health
• Evidence of financial need for educational support
• Intention to return to their home countries to work, utilizing training and research acquired in the study program
  
  

Pre-applications for the 2008-2009 academic year will be accepted until March 14, 2008 on the WLS website or by request from info@nativeleaders.org. You are encouraged to submit your pre-application materials early. Those who submit their pre-application materials near the March 14th deadline risk leaving some of their materials ineligible for full review by the committee.

Visit the Women's Leadership Scholarship website to apply and learn more about the program:
http://www.nativeleaders.org/how.html

Warm regards,

Gaby

Call for Nominations: 2008 Getty Award for Conservation Leadership (Deadline: March 31, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

WWF invites you to submit nominations for the 2008 J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership. Each year the J. Paul Getty Award recognizes a leader in conservation in one of three annually rotating themes: political leadership, scientific leadership, and community leadership. This year’s category is community leadership in support of biodiversity conservation.

In addition to recognizing today’s top conservationists, the Award also helps build conservation leadership for tomorrow. The award prize of $200,000 will be used to establish graduate fellowships named in honor of the winner and J. Paul Getty to support students in conservation-related fields at a university of the winner’s choice in his/her home country. WWF will work with both the winner and the designated university to design an appropriate fellowship program for graduate students.

The winner, working with WWF, will establish eligibility criteria based on his/her own specific interests or the needs of his/her country. Fellowships will in general contribute to graduate students’ educational costs for a period of two years. Costs per fellow, and possibly the number of fellows, will vary each year depending on actual costs at the fellows’ universities, currency exchange rates, etc.

The nomination form for the 2008 J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership can be found on http://www.worldwildlife.org/about/gettyaward/.

WWF welcomes nominations for individuals who have made recent and significant contributions to biodiversity conservation through grassroots activities. Nominees may be from any country in the world. However, preference will be given to individuals from developing countries, particularly those working in one of WWF-US’s priority places. A map of these priority places is included with the nomination guidelines. While nomination submissions must be in English, please contact WWF if you feel your English language ability would jeopardize the strength of your nomination.

The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2008.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact WWF at gettyaward@wwfus.org.

Good luck and warm regards,

Gaby

Conference: "Environmental Governance and Democracy", Yale University, New Haven, USA (Date: 10-11 May 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

The Conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy will take place at Yale University, New Haven, USA, from 10 -11 May 2008, in the margins of the 16th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). The event brings together academic experts and practitioners from governments, inter-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector. Participants will take stock of contemporary research and knowledge gaps at the intersection of institutions, public participation and environmental sustainability. The objective of the Conference is to develop a research program and network to strengthen institutional approaches for effective and context-sensitive public participation in environmental governance. Discussions will cover various levels of environmental governance, including international, national, regional, local, and corporate governance.

Scholars and practitioners interested in participating in the event and submitting a paper should submit an Expression of Interest Form by 25 January 2008. The deadline to submit a synopsis for a Case Study Paper is 31 January 2008.

The Conference is organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Yale University, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (Secretariat of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters), the University of Cape Town, the French Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Environmental Engineering (ENGREF-AgroParisTech), the World Resources Institute (WRI), and the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future. Financial support for the event is provided through the UNITAR Programme on Environmental Governance and Democracy, the Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Fund of the MacMillan Center at Yale, and the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Fund of Yale Law School.

Additional information can be found on the Conference website: www.yale.edu/envirocenter/envdem/index.htm

For questions, please contact the conference secretariat:

UNITAR-Yale Environmental Governance
and Democracy Conference
Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy
E-mail: envdem@yale.edu
http://www.yale.edu/envirocenter/envdem/index.htm
www.unitar.org/egd

Contact person:

Achim Halpaap, Manager, UNITAR
Environmental Governance and Democracy Program
E-mail: achim.halpaap@unitar.org

Warm regards,

Gaby

Call for Applications: Scholarship to attend the Global Social Benefit Incubator program at Santa Clara University (Deadline: January 22, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

Santa Clara University invites applications for its Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI), a program aimed at assisting social entrepreneurs in developing business plans that enable their organizations to reach increasing numbers of beneficiaries.

The GSBI selects 15-20 enterprises from developing countries and provides an 8-month mentoring process. The mentoring culminates with an intensive workshop in Santa Clara, California (August 19-31, 2008), where entrepreneurs work with their mentors, other experts, and each other to prepare themselves to succeed upon their return home.

The scholarship covers tuition, room, and board for the two-week program focused on venture planning, beneficiary analysis, business models, metrics and successful scaling strategies. Selected candidates are responsible for their travel expenses (airfare, ground transportation, passport, visa).

The application process involves completing three exercises where applicants define their target market (beneficiary), value proposition, and business model. The deadline for the first piece of the application is January 22, 2008.

To learn more about GSBI and submit your application, please visit the following websites:

Description of the GSBI program

Online Application

Additional Information on GSBI (as published on www.nextbillion.net)

Good luck and warm regards,

Gaby

Call for Contributions: "Voices from around the World - Questions for Communities" (Deadline: February 11, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

The American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, IUCN-The World Conservation Union/Theme on Culture and Conservation, and Terralingua are convening the Symposium “Sustaining Cultural and Biological Diversity In a Rapidly Changing World: Lessons for Global Policy” at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on April 2-5, 2008. The goal of this symposium is to bridge gaps, address challenges and opportunities, and help to forge a long-term, multi-dimensional vision for sustaining biological and cultural diversity.

In an effort to incorporate a diversity of voices and opinions from around the world the organizers of the symposium would like to hear from people and communities about the connections between their cultures and nature. Community representatives are invited to submit information in a variety of forms - through written responses, videotape, still photography, and voice recordings. Once submitted, these contributions will be compiled in an audio-visual presentation to share with those who attend the symposium. The contributions will also be posted on the Symposium Website. Some of the ideas expressed may be used in policy recommendations.

Guide Questions

The organizers would like to encourage you to use the following questions as a framework for gathering responses; you may wish to adapt them to suit your responder and the conditions under which the interviews are conducted, or focus only on certain questions:

1) Can you share with us thoughts/ideas on some of the ways in which your culture is important to your People or community?

2) Can you share with us thoughts/ideas on some of the ways in which your culture supports the natural world? And ways in which the natural world supports your culture? (What links exist between your culture and nature?)

3) If your people have made efforts to sustain the natural world and your culture, can you share with us what you have been doing?

4) When you think of the natural world, are there things that would be difficult to translate into ____________ [identify appropriate language(s), e.g. English/Spanish/Portuguese]? Can you give examples of what sorts of things?

5) Do you think that in your lifetime some elements/words of your language will be lost?

6) If no one spoke your language any longer, are there things that your community could no longer do? What sorts of things (e.g., rituals that you could no longer perform, etc.)? Interviewers should also be sensitive to the fact that some important ritual or other information might be secret and make it clear that they are not asking interview responders to talk about things that can't be talked about with outsiders, but that in such cases, very general comments would be appreciated.

7) What kind of connection is there (if any) between maintaining your culture and maintaining the natural world?

8) What are the biggest obstacles that you've faced in sustaining the natural world, your language, and your culture?

9) I would like you to imagine that you no longer have direct, everyday contact with nature (translated using the closest appropriate term). How would this affect your life and that of your village (people, community, tribe, etc.)?

Submission Process

Responses and any supplemental materials (audio, video, photographic) should be submitted to:

Ms. Fiona Brady, Outreach Program Coordinator, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, Phone: +1-212-496-3431, Fax: +1-212-769-5292, brady@amnh.org, http://cbc.amnh.org/

To be considered for inclusion in the “Voices from Around the World” selected-highlights presentation at the Symposium, please send your submission by Monday, February 11, 2008. Submissions will also be accepted beyond that date, for posting to the Symposium website. All accepted submissions will be available on the website until at least October 2008. After that, an archive of the Symposium’s content will continue to be accessible. Please also submit a completed Call for Participation Application Form, available on the symposium website at http://symposia.cbc.amnh.org/biocultural/forms.html.

Please Note: Submissions to “Voices from Around the World” do not require that the individuals involved attend the April Symposium. You are invited to register for the Symposium, but the American Museum is unable to provide financial support for travel or accommodation. A list of local hotels, student centers, and hostels will be posted at http://symposia.cbc.amnh.org/biocultural/travel.html.

Additional information on the submission process and recommendations can be found here: http://symposia.cbc.amnh.org/biocultural/voices.html

Warm regards,

Gaby

Call for Applications: Alcoa Foundation Practitioner Fellowship Programme (Deadline: February 14, 2008)

Dear Equator Net members,

The Alcoa Foundation has created a Conservation and Sustainability Fellowship Programme that aims to contribute to improving knowledge and building leaders in the field of conservation and sustainability. Practitioner Fellowships provide a non-degree opportunity for qualified mid-level professionals from NGOs (and in some cases, government) to conduct approved six- to twelve-month intensive applied research projects in conservation and sustainability. Fellows work from their home organization and are mentored remotely by an expert from a selected Sustainability Institute.

Further information on Practitioner Fellowship requirements, including application forms and procedures, can be found at www.alcoafoundationfellows.org/page/pf2008/. For questions please refer to the Alcoa Foundation’s Frequently Asked Questions page and direct all other inquiries to practitionerfellows@iie.org.

Applications should be submitted no later than February 14, 2008, via email (preferred) at practitionerfellows@iie.org, fax to 202-326-7642, or mail to the following address:
Institute of International Education
1400 K Street, NW, Suite 650
Washington, D.C. 20005
Attention: Alcoa Foundation Fellowship Program

Good luck and warm regards!

Gaby