Africa Rising




The new mood in Africa is positive," - Bono

Africa Rising is the contemporary African Art exhibit that opened in Paris on October 6th, the last day of Paris Fashion week.  It is the love-child of Ali Hewson and husband Bono who have directed the world's focus towards the living conditions of the peoples of Africa for decades. This time, they want the focus to be on all the positive things happening on the continent.





Joining Ali and Bono in their efforts this year is the French Luxury Brand LVMH. Louis Vuitton, a company recognized for its support of the arts and its Core Values program, collaborated with designer Ali Hewson to manufacture a signature bag, the Edun bag, named after her line of designer clothing. It is the first time LV  has manufactured anything 100% in Africa, in this instance, Kenya.
Founder of Edun, Ali Hewson stated that it's great to be partnered with a luxury worldwide recognized brand such as Louis Vuitton, because "you are stronger as a team."
That a contemporary art exhibit dominated the social scene of Paris Fashion Week is both fitting and triumphant. It probably helped the cause just a little bit that rockstars such as Angelique Kidjo and - of course - Bono, took the stage to perform for the select crowd in support of the cause.


Alexandra Richards, daughter of Keith, provided DJ tunes. But the real stars of the show were the contemporary artists and their artwork.


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Smart From The Start

Today U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that his department, along with the Bureau of Land Management, had approved the necessary permits allowing for the construction of the first two solar energy projects ever deployed on U.S. public lands.

"This is an historic day for the U.S. and for California," said Secretary Salazar speaking on conference call. "I am pleased to be moving forward into the clean energy frontier," he said also crediting Bob Abbey, the Director of the Bureau of Land Management's efforts in realizing these projects. "They oversee 245 million acres of public lands that could contribute significantly to the country's energy needs."

Suncatcher System by Stirling Energy Systems.

The nation's first two solar projects on public lands will both be in the Golden State. The 709-megawatt (MW) Imperial Valley project just East of San Diego on 6,360 acres of public lands will generate enough solar power to provide electricity for up to 500,000 homes. The second solar project, in the Inland Empire of San Bernardino County, is a 45 MW solar project on 422 acres of public lands referred to as the Chevron Lucerne project. Combined, these two solar energy projects are expected to create about 950 jobs and infuse $1 billion into California's economy.

"I am excited to join Secretary Salazar today in announcing the first solar projects to ever get permits on federal land, both of which will be located in the Golden State," said Governor Schwarzenegger who missed the press conference call because he was stuck on a plane. "Today's announcement only further cements California's national leadership in renewable energy development - and it couldn't have been without our federal partners. Our great partnership is helping to improve public health, grow our green economy, promote energy independence and strengthen our national security."  - Governor Schwarzenegger

Governor Schwarzenegger has been championing these projects from the start. Barely a week ago when the California Energy Commission approved the larger Imperial Valley project (the smaller Chevron Lucerne project did not require CEC approval), the only thing standing in the way was the permitting from the Bureau of Land Management called "Records of Decision." Now that these have been granted, the projects will qualify for the Federal Stimulus Funds in the form of 30% tax credit for overall cost of the construction of the projects. The deadline to qualify for those funds is December 31st. Salazar said he expected more projects to be approved by the end of 2010. 

Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey said that they will continue with their "Smart from the start," approach. He said that these first two solar projects are examples of how the permitting process can be streamlined "without cutting any corners for environmental reviews or ecological considerations." He added that the projects all had extended public input from various stakeholders.

"There are 11 million acres of public lands in California deserts. The area to be disturbed is less than two-tenths of 1%," emphasized BLM's Abbey.  Salazar noted that now even NRDC and Sierra Club have come on board with the projects.

Commenting on the 180 permits pending for more solar project developments in the U.S., Salazar said that, "We will be pro-active so we avoid conflicts with ecological aspects we are trying to protect. It's really no different from what we've done with city planning for the past 50, 60 years. We foresee thousands of solar plants sprouting up all over the nation."  There are currently 1.3 million acres of land under application for solar projects.

The companies that will be developing the Imperial Valley solar project on public lands are owned by an Irish conglomerate, NRT, and are called Tessera Solar and Stirling Energy Systems.

READ Press Release from Department of Interior HERE.

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Moving Image Festival, Bay Area

by: Aaron Leventman

 

THE BIONEERS MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL EXPANDS TO A WEEK OF SCREENINGS IN THE BAY AREA

 

Urban Roots, New Documentary by TreeMedia Group

 

The Bioneers Conference http://bioneers.org.conference is a leading-edge forum presenting breakthrough solutions for people and planet in San Rafael, California, October 15-17. At this year's conference, social and scientific innovators focus on solutions inspired by nature and human ingenuity. For the first time in 21 years, Bioneers is bringing a special series of pre-conference screenings of its Moving Image Festival to the Bay Area. The Moving Image Festival, a highlight of the conference each year, showcases world-class documentaries and short films on social and environmental issues impacting people and the planet. The pre-screenings will give Bay Area attendees a sneak-peak of the award-winning films showing at this year’s event that offer eye-opening glimpses of corporate corruption and devastating destruction while retaining a sense of hope for the future.

Films include An Ecology of the Mind, a story about Gregory Bateson, celebrated anthropologist, philosopher, and author, that explores the challenges between the human race and the natural world; a rare theatrical screening of FUTURESTATES, a series of 11 fictional mini-features exploring possible future scenarios through the lens of today’s global realities; a special screening of Urban Roots, from the producer of the Leonardo DiCaprio documentary The 11th Hour, about a group of dedicated Detroiters working to fulfill their vision for locally-grown, sustainably farmed food; the world premiere of Confessions of an Ecoterrorist, the story of Peter Jay Brown and his daring feats on the high seas to protect the ocean’s sea mammals; plus the first feature documentary about the civil rights activists the Freedom Riders.

 

For dates and locations for the Bay Area screenings, visit http://tinyurl.com/286thuq. For details and to register for the annual conference where you can meet the filmmakers in person, visit www.bioneers.org/conference

 

 

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