Portland is ridiculous in terms of events in summer...last 3 wknds have been different beer fests, #pdxpopnow this wkdn, bite of oregon next
03:32:00 PM July 28, 2010
from web
I have been serving on the student senate for the last two years although I have been particularly efficient in getting things done in the last couple of months. I have been juggling several important projects and wanted to shine some light on recent developments.
Sustainability Resolution: Passed on March 30th, the resolution is meant to act as further evidence and clarification to the University administration that the student body, represented by the ASUSF senate is serious about sustainability issues and in particular highlighting the need for a full-time coordinator to facilitate action across campus.
In the Fall of 2009 the University President Fr. Privett signed two commitments related to sustainability. It is important to note that one of the pledges, the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment was introduced at the end of 2006 and signed by nearly 300 presidents by June of 2007. The second promise, the Talloires Declaration was originally introduced in 1990 and by the beginning of 2008 had been “signed by more than 360 university presidents and chancellors at institutions in over 40 countries across five continents.”
GIFT referendum: Passed on April 22nd, the referendum approved a $2 per semester increase in student fees which would about to be about a 2.5% increase for the sole purpose of funding sustainable projects on campus. Although somewhat rushed, the campaign was a credit to the students who see the value is such resource allocation and voted even with imperfect information. The by-laws are currently being edited and pending Board of Trustees approval the fund should go into place in the Fall of 2011
After much thought and deliberation over the last number of months I identified a few post graduate programs that would allow me to evolve and grow to my greatest potential. I am happy to officially be a member of the Politicorps summer fellow class of 2010.
What is Politicorps?
PolitiCorps is a national leadership development program and political organizing bootcamp designed to engage and prepare college students and recent graduates for a life of public service through a combination of skills and policy classes, intensive field work, strategic planning exercises, and access to a broad network of activists, strategists, and policymakers.
Why I’m doing it:
I am intensely interested in politics and how best to reach those who are affected by the decisions of policymakers, businesses and other participants in our representative democracy.
I want the to face challenges and opportunities that develop leadership growth and necessitate personal refection.
I love Oregon but have gone to school and engaged in many of my most remarkable experiences in San Francisco. This program will allow me to grow my network exponentially and interact with similarly driven and accomplished peers.
The YouTube video as made as part of the application:
The Bus Project is the organization that supports Politicorps and to give you an idea of their interests and activites check out the line-up for the upcoming Rebooting Democrazy conference.
There was a surplus of amazing events on campus this week although none was quite as informative as The José de Acosta Lecture by Dr. Daniel Kammen. In breif, Kammen is heavily involved with government policy:
Kammen advises the U. S. and Swedish Agencies for International Development, the World Bank, and the Presidents Committee on Science and Technology (PCAST), and is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Working Group III and the Special Report on Technology Transfer). Dr. Kammen serves on the technical review board for the GEF (the STAP), is a lead author for the Special Report on Technology Transfer of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and advises the World Bank and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and well as the African Academy of Sciences.
His analysis was thoroughly embedded within a policy framework and ways that we will be able to meet goals outlined by the state of California and most recently President Obama in Copenhagen which seek to keep carbon levels below.
Quick facts:
Kenyans get more energy per person from solar than anywhere else on earth (due to a lack of energy infrastructure)
The only ‘green’ or carbon neutral billionaire? Suntech founder Dr. Zhengrong Shi
By 2030 the U.S. government estimates 20% of our energy will come from solar…currently around 1% (according to Kammen this is a conservative est.)
New policy terms you should know:
PACE: Property Assessed Clean Energy loans through local governments, obligation transfers with ownership
Cap and Dividend: It caps fossil fuel supplies, makes polluters pay, and returns the revenue to everyone equally.
I attended a short lecture by a great Prof. at USF, Larry Louie, which provided a brief overview of microfinance as an introductory to his graduate level course. Considering myself relatively in tune with the players in this field, my mind moved to the next step in the microfinance evolution. Three start-ups I’m following:
Vittana is an early-stage non-profit startup bringing student loans to the developing world through the power of person-to-person microfinance. We are a different kind of non-profit: we are designed from the ground up to be scalable, cost-effective, and just get things done.
Our mission is to leverage mobile payment systems (MPS) to bring financial services to the unbanked poor. To do so, we are currently programming FrontlineSMS to function as middleware in order to connect any MPS and any microfinance management information system (MIS) in real time. As a result, microfinance institutions (MFIs) will be able to send and receive payments directly from the mobile wallet of their MIS, which will significantly reduce the operational costs of issuing credit.
By helping MFIs integrate mobile payments into their business strategies, we aim to eliminate geographic barriers to financial inclusion while simultaneously allowing users to generat robust auditing trails and client credit histories.
I had the opportunity to attend the January gathering for the San Francisco Net Impact Professional Chapter which brought together three interesting voices on Urban Ag. I took some notes on my trusty Iphone and have shared them below:
You don't have to log in to see any part of the site but I will post a number of links to facebook groups and pages so it would be easier for you to join if you are logged in. Trust me, its pretty simple.
