by Jack Lundee of Shades of Green, supporter of all things green and progressive.
The GW phones for Hope Campaign kicked off on October 20th, in Columbian Square near George Washington University. Hundreds of students were spotted in the square along with Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Also seen were former model Christy Turlington Burns and journalist Juju Chang. Together they were at the square to host the GW + phones= Hope.
The Clinton Global Initiative is the creation of Former President Bill Clinton and his aide, Doug Band. The GW Phones for Hope campaign is part of that initiative and is meant to bring about change to the world through donations to action. In the case of Phones for Hope, the goal is to collect old phones and other electronics that will help to benefit health programs, mainly maternal health issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nepal.
According to Christy Turlington Burns, a host for the event and the campaign, “the best way to address child survival is to invest in a mom”, and it is the goal of GW to make a commitment by donating at least 20,000 used cell phones. The ending date for this is March of 2012. In this case, electronics and cell phones will be recycled and built into medical communication devices that will help to make stronger, healthier families in these foreign countries.
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) is made up of a large group of non-profits, corporate businesses and organizations The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) are all from differing agencies yet all think alike when it comes to healthcare, poverty, climate change and education. Members of CGI are asked to help make the world a better place with “Commitments to Action.” These are usually in the form of specific and important actions that those involved can start.
And a lot of what the CGI does relates directly to sustainability – They objectives in climate change, including that of IRRI Rice Project and their Route Opitimization Technology, are very clear cut, and do a great job of supporting a more sustainable world.
The Clinton Health Access Initiatives (CHAI) is another franchise of the CGI and was also created by Former President Bill Clinton and Doug Band. The Clinton Health Access Initiatives has a focus set on creating and funding new programs to help to treat and cure HIV/AIDS. CHAI works with new health systems worldwide.
Programs such as GW Phones for Hope are a part of campaigns that are meant to implement new and positive change in the world. The hope is that the actions, effects, and outcomes of the projects will make a difference with commitment. Phones for Hope is a benefit for the United States in that it helps consumers to be able to recycle phones and electronics that could harm the environment and use them for a greater use in Africa and Nepal to help families become healthier.
Alan Carter-Davies
Mel
andreagewessler
Clare Davies
