Toronto & Region Conservation Authority, Canada

After its endorsement of the Earth Charter, the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) used a very interesting chart to better understand the vision and prepare its implementation of the Earth Charter.

1. They went through the Charter and pointed out the principles specially relevant to them.
   
2. They listed the associated sub-principles, and then for each of them, they came up with:
   
   • their interpretation and comments of the sub-principle,
     
   • how it can be implemented in their organization.

The attached document is an example of the Chart TRCA used.

Description of a workshop facilitated by Dumisani Nyoni, Earth Charter Youth Programme. The workshop participants were high school students in the Boston Youth Program, a pilot summer work/education program sponsored by The Thoreau Institute. The workshop was Cosponsored by Boston Research Center for the 21st Century and the Thoreau Institute held in July 2000.

See the description and feedback on that workshop.

Guillem Ramis, who was coodinatoring VIVIM PLEGATS (Living Together, a multicultural program for peace education and cooperation based in the Balearic Islands (Spain), has made a very important contribution by providing adaptations of the Earth Charter for children and young people in the following languages: Catalan, English, Euskara, French, German, Greek, Japonese, Portuguese, and Spanish.

The web-site also has the the adaptations organized by language, included the lastest adaptation for children from 3-5 years!

Earth Charter Youth Groups. Why? What? How? ... and Resources!

A 5 pages toolkit to help you start your own Earth Charter Youth Group!

The WSSD Youth Caucus brings together youth from all over the world networking and bringing their voice in international debates on sustainable development. Individuals from IYECC, and the Coalition, participate as much as they can. Most participants of the Youth Caucus welcome the Earth Charter and are willing to promote it and work with it.

The WSSD Youth Caucus political declaration prepared after Bali for Johannesburg�s World Summit on Sustainable Development is a good example of the results we got so far.

This resource is a collection of activities for communities (as well as schools) to study the Earth Charter and discuss how to apply its principles.

This Earth Charter Workshop Tool Kit was compiled by Nicole Jiron Beirute. It is an instrument and guide to use when organizing an Earth Charter Workshop. It has different sections from which you can choose the one you need to undertake the design of your workshop depending on the goal of the activity.

In this issue:
1. Printer friendly versions of the Earth Charter brochures available on-line
2. SGI exhibition on the Earth Charter will travel around the world
3. Twenty four cities of Peru endorse the Earth Charter
4. Earth Charter-based workshop for the guidance of children and youth in Canada
5. The Earth Charter inspired iMy world in a Frisbee activity in Belgium
6. Earth Charter Concerts Season in Costa Rica begins
7. New Zealand celebrated the iEarth Charter: Public Forum on Social and Economic Justice

In this issue:
1. iA Quiet Revolution Video will be Broadcasted in Many Countries Around the World
2. Earth Charter Discussion Forums and Exhibition by Soka Gakkai Italy
3. Community Art Project to Raise Consciousness About the Earth Charter
4. The Italian Version of an Earth Charter Manual to be Published
5. The School Sisters of Notre Dame Endorse and Reflect on the Charter
6. The Municipality of San Jose Features the Earth Charter on their new site

In this issue:
1. Earth Charter events draw the crowds in Porto Alegre
2. Earth Charter posters will be sent to all schools in Chile
3. Valery Giscard D�estaing wins Earth Charter award
4. The Earth Charter is part of an online discussion forum
5. The Earth Charter is included in an upcoming book
6. An Earth Charter based youth performance is a big success
7. Earth Charter Commissioner appointed Deputy Minister of Environement in Kenya

Wakako Hironaka's speech at the "Earth Charter for Action" meeting in Urbino. Mrs. Hironaka is an Earth Charter Commissioner from Japan.

Speech made by Joan Anderson from SGI at the "Earth Charter in Action" meeting in Urbino.

Speech made by Moacir Gadotti from the Paulo Freire Institute at the "Earth Charter in Action" meeting in Urbino.

In this issue:
1. The new Earth Charter website is already on line!
2. The WRI featured the Earth Charter in their report
3. Small Islands Peace Action Initiative committed to Earth Charter principles
4. iEarth Charter in Action was held in Urbino, Italy from June 26�30
5. The Earth Charter principles expressed in a set of 16 moving pictures
6. The Earth Charter and the UNESCO'S manifesto 2000 in Laval
7. The Vermont Peace Academy based on the Earth Charter was launched!
8. A iChildren�s Earth Charter was presented in Vienna
9. Ecoclubes National Network of Chile and the Earth Charter

In this paper by Nigel Dower, briefly indicates certain features of the Earth Charter and more extensively the case for those interested in development ethics, such as those involved in the International Development Ethics Association, to take seriously the Earth Charter.

A 4-pg. summary of an address given by John Fien in which he deals with the issue of teaching values and proposes the thesis that teachers have an obligation to develop an ethic of care and compassion amongst students. This talk, given to 75 school principals in Brisbane, promotes the Earth Charter as a charter of values.

"Vision, Courage, and Sustainability", an address by Professor Steven C. Rockefeller at the GEA Conference for a Sustainable Future held in Tokyo, Japan on October 24, 2003.

Nine innovative examples of the Earth Charter in the university classrooms are described in the 4-pg. document.

This article was made by Dr. Klaus Bosselmann, our Focal Point in New Zealand.

This report contains the results of "Exploring the Earth Charter", an Inclusive Leadership Adventure for youth and adults who care about youth. It took place from November 8 � 11, 2003. Their voyage of discovering ways of connecting with the principles and values in the Earth Charter took place at Cowichan Lake Education Centre, located in the midst of the Rain Forest on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

The Brink Expedition was developed as a way to take positive social and environmental messages around the world. It was a result of more than 2 years of intensive planning, research, co-ordination, sponsorship negotiation and curriculum planning. The Brink Expedition has been supporting the educational aims of the Earth Charter. The attached document relates the story of the Brink Expedition in a questionnaire filled out by the team co-ordinator.

Earth Scouts is a coed youth organization for 3 - 17 year olds. The mission of the Earth Scouts is to empower youth to learn about the Earth Charter, spread it's message, and participate in fun activities that will benefit themselves and the earth community. The concept is that they will "Change the world one fun badge at a time." The attached document is a Facilitator Guide, but it is also on their web-site which comprehensively overviews the program. The program is being incubated by the Institute for Ethics and Meaning.

UPCOMING EVENTS

~ The IUCN Council will present a motion on the Earth Charter at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress

~ The Japanese Embassy in Costa Rica is supporting an Earth Charter educational project

RECENT EVENTS

~ Wangari Maathai, Earth Charter Commissioner, has been awarded The Nobel Peace Prize 2004

~ UNESCO's draft Implementation Scheme for the Decade was presented at the UN General Assembly

~ Xcaret is the first Mexican business group to endorse and commit to the Earth Charter principles

~ Harvard's Graduate School of Education is using the Earth Charter

~ The Earth Charter Community Summits were held in 29 cities of the Unites States as well as three other countries

~ A panel of speakers discussed various religious perspectives on the Earth Charter

~ An Earth Charter event was held in New York within the Living a Culture of Peace Week
~ The Earth Charter received The Peacemaker Award at the Peace Festival in Los Angeles

~ The Earth Education Academy developed an English language course integrating the Earth Charter

NOTES FROM THE SECRETARIAT

~ The Earth Charter French Website is on Line!

Speech prepared by Michael Slaby to present the Earth Charter
to the participants of the Cowichan Tribes Suicide Prevention Forum held
in May 2004 in Duncan, Vancouver Island, Canada.

Rev. Darlene Loyd, founding Minister of "Green Fire - 7 Generations Ministry" reporting on her Earth Charter Tour through North America.

The following paper is written in the belief that IUCN, as a leading world environmental organization, will do well to endorse the Earth Charter...

These teaching modules have been developed by the Brink Expedition, based on the Earth Charter. The modules are structured using the Australian Education Councils guidelines for the SOSE syllabus (Studies of Society and Environment for grades 1 to 10). The use of the Brink Expedition and the Earth Charter document could form the basis of many and varied connected units.

This is a 2nd set of teaching modules have been developed by the Brink Expedition, based on the Earth Charter and are suitable for Upper Primary level.

Fernando Reimers, Director of the International Education Policy Programme of Harvards Graduate School of Education, has included the Earth Charter in the 1st session of an introductory course titled, Education Policy Analysis and Research in Developing Countries. All four sections of his course discussed the Charter, which is now part of the syllabus for future years.

This is the course syllabus for "Sustainability and Health" coordinated by Colin Soskolne, from the University of Alberta. As he explains, "there is a need for a sustainability and health course, geared toward students whose intended specialty is that of combining human health and environmental sustainability. Health in the context of this course not only includes human health, but also public health, community health, international health and global health."

In this issue:

~International consultation on Education for Sustainable Development highlights the Earth Charter

~Asia Pacific Forum for Environment and Development features the Earth Charter in its final report

~Young leaders learn about the Earth Charter at 4-day seminar

~The Institute of Modern Languages is planning to use the Earth Charter in Spanish lessons

~A network magazine is calling for artistic contributions around the Earth Charter principles

~New partners join Earth Charter Community Indicators Project

~Earth Charter TV Conference

~New Earth Charter Sites

A written account from Jan Roberts, founder of the Earth Charter Community Summits.

An interview of Louise Erbacher, with Brink Expeditions.

A short account from Susan Frey, Director of Education.

A short interview of Peter Blaze Corcoran, Professor of Environmental Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University.

An interview of Sebastia Barcelo, pedagogical advisor for the Vivim Plegats programme.

A short interview of Colin Soskolne, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta.

In this issue:

~ 1. Earth Charter + 5 event in the Netherlands

~ 2. Portugal is implementing the Charter through environmental education

~ 3. A Decade launch event in India highlights the Earth Charter