Madera Group

On Wednesday September 24, leaders from business, government, philanthropy, and religion will again gather in New York City for the fourth Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting to find innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges — and you can watch it all unfold, live via webcast on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

On the bus last night to hear Senator Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, I met a young City Council member and non-profit executive from Albany, New York. Corey Ellis, a Barack Obama delegate, is the Program Director of Trinity Institution’s Family and Neighborhood Resource Center.

Aspiration and Idealware are hosting their second Nonprofit Technology Project Management event in Oakland, California on May 20 to 21, 2008.  It will examine the tools and best practices that help nonprofits achieve successful technology solutions

“By loving the natural environment as we would a child, the environment will love and serve our children, producing food and clean water for future generations.”
~ Feliciano dos Santos

Here in San Francisco we are fortunate to have the inspiring annual Goldman Environmental Awards. The financial prize increased this year to $150,000, which is a significant cash resource for the local activists from around the world.

I had the good fortune to see Muhammad Yunus speak last week at the Commonwealth Club, and he was very inspiring. He spoke a bit about his
overall philosophy of poverty reduction, some about Grameen’s new corporate joint ventures (such as with Danone), and about Grameen
Bank’s new program for beggars.

Madera Group produced a video to help launch the re-branding of International Rivers. The organization works to protect rivers and human rights around the world. It has played a crucial role in building a global river protection movement fostering grassroots organizations in more than 60 countries and promoting leadership though technical and
strategic advice.

I feel like a kid in a candy store because I have been in Washington, D.C. all week attending briefings on domestic and foreign policy issues.  Listening and learning about new policy initiatives is one of my favorite ways to spend the day.

So when I read Thomas Friedman’s article a few days ago about the work of Van Jones (pictured at left) and the Ella Baker Center on the new national project they are launching — the Green-Collar Jobs Campaign: Green For All

Like so many people around the world today, I am so hopeful and happy to hear that Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations network of scientists, won the Nobel Peace Prize for their pioneering work educating the world about the global climate crisis.

… Athena Williams-Atwood (in photo at left) thinks so. She knows about the importance of working with enjoyment and relaxation — sixteen years ago, at a time when she was working 60 to 80 hours a week, Athena had to radically change the way she managed her stress and tremendous work load. Eventually Athena founded Work With Ease, based in the US and Australia, to work with individuals and organizations to achieve better results, with peace of mind and health intact.

The Craigslist Nonprofit Boot Camp connects social innovators with knowledge and resources on how to start and run a vibrant organization — and proves the Bay Area continues to lead the country in sustainable solutions.

The exhibit hall at the August 18 conference at UC Berkeley was the place to be for networking — with about 40 nonprofit and business tables, it was packed throughout the day. I was working at the Young Women Social Entrepreneurs,