In order to raise awareness for vulture conservation and educate the public about the threats facing these majestic birds, September 5, 2009 has been designated as International Vulture Awareness Day.

Over 100 organizations from around the world will be participating in International Vulture Awareness Day 2009 (IVAD09), a worldwide event that aims to publicize vulture conservation to a global audience and to bring attention to the work being done by vulture experts.

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In order to provide safe food for critically endangered vultures, Pakistan has opened a “vulture restaurant.”

After 95% of the vulture populations in India, Nepal and Pakistan were lost due to poisoning by the drug Diclofenac, the idea of “vulture restaurants” have been catching on.

Vulture restaurants serve up the carcasses of cattle that have been monitored by a veterinarian prior to death, to confirm the animals have not been treated with Diclofenac.

Following on the success of Nepal’s vulture restaurants, Dhartee Development Society, in collaboration with the UNDP Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme has opened a vulture restaurant in Pakistan.

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The volunteers, using no mechanical equipment, planted the mangroves in the Indus River Delta wetland ecosystem in the Southern Sindh Province of Pakistan, beating India in a friendly competition which seeks to preserve endangered forests and help temper the global warming effects of deforestation.

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Pakistan’s Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik spoke during a press conference in Islamabad Thursday.

On Thursday, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said eight suspects from the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group were behind the attacks and could face prosecution. But why now?  Why has Pakistan decided to admit this after months of denial?

When the attacks occurred, it was clear as day that they had been planned on Pakistani soil. However at the time Pakistani officials strictly denied any involvement and even went as far as to accuse India of strategizing the attacks to find an excuse to point fingers at Pakistan.  No wonder then that relations between the two South Asian countries plummeted and rumors of war and attack have been on the forefront ever since.

Pakistan has decided to come clean only because officials in Washington have pushed them to conduct a thorough investigation and offer a complete, public accounting of what they found. The country knows the entire international community is watching and wants to see justice. However, it has stayed silent on Indian accusations that elements of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency has played a role in plotting the attack.(WSJ)

But India wants action. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee berated Pakistan for taking so so long to admit its involvement. (BBC)

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In an effort to tackle Pakistan’s growing energy shortage, representatives of the burgeoning Chinese solar industry have offered to cooperate with the country on a high profile partnership to manufacture solar energy equipment.

The offer was made at a press conference to promote the 2010 International Solar Cities Congress, to be held in Shangong province. Speaking at the event, Huang Ming, Vice‑President of the International Solar Energy Society said, “Pakistan and China are like brothers. We are eager to promote our solar energy industry in Pakistan.”

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Amid rising tensions with neighboring India and dealing with a resurgent Taliban along the Afghani border, Pakistan’s government is also launching a different kind of campaign - a green one.

Pakistan’s Environment Minister Hameedullah Jan Afridi has finalized a calendar of events for the upcoming year; officially deeming 2009 Pakistan’s “National Year of the Environment.”

In a press conference, Minister Afridi urged international bodies, non-governmental organizations, provincial governments and the private sector to actively participate in making 2009 an environmental success. However, the question still remains whether this is Potemkin-environmental policy or the real thing.

The government-sponsored activities of Pakistan’s National Year of the Environment include the screening of environmental documentaries, panel discussions and dialogues, planting of 10 million trees in a day to surpass a world record, seminars, exhibitions, essay-writing competitions, and walks. Throughout the year, the calendar is littered with awareness days, weeks, and months, in an effort to educate Pakistan’s citizens about the ecological consequences of their individual actions.

While Pakistan should be applauded for their efforts, their praises should not go unqualified.

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Bombay Bleeding - We Will Never Forget, a painting by Feroza Unvala

Charity is considered to be the act of benevolent giving. A gesture of goodwill towards the needy and suffering. Could there be any doubt that the act of bettering society is a good economic decision?

Twenty years ago, the act of charitable giving was perhaps frowned upon by companies as it affected their bottom line. Today, even in perhaps the worst economy of our times, ‘social entrepreneurship‘ has become a buzzword. Companies are looking for charitable giving opportunities as any contribution to the betterment of society makes them look good in the eyes of shareholders and consumers alike.

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Photo Courtesy of Luke Plunkett @ Kotaku.com

There isn’t a body count for wildlife, native plants, or eco-systems that have been killed in the struggle.

War takes a priceless toll on everything natural. Yet, nature may be the last thing that nations go to war over.

How long before we decide to protect the environment through force?

Can we go to war over the environment and still save it?

This may seem far fetched, but the possibility of an environmental war is already being discussed in the U.N.

“Ecological security must no longer be considered a luxury but rather an inextricable element of a durable peace policy,” states Klaus Topfer. He calls for international guarantees for protecting the environment similar to the Geneva Conventions, which protect the rights of prisoners and civilian populations in war. For ecological damage poses a threat greater than bombs to populations distressed by hunger, thirst, and disease.

If ecological damage is classified as such a great threat, could wars be declared to save the Amazon rain forest or Mediterranean fish populations?

Dr. Klaus Topfer, head of the U.N. environment program thinks that war is very likely. Perhaps not for the Spotted Owl. But as populations grow, natural resources are going to become more and more scarce. As nation’s need, war will likely occur.

Currently one quarter of the world’s population does not have access to clean water. If trends continue, Pakistan and China, both will be struggling to hydrate their populations. And a scary thing is they possess nuclear weapons. If push comes to shove for H2O, what would their options be?

To prevent this, we have to move away from our unsustainable systems. We need to use agencies like the U.N. to moderate, educate, and propagate nations towards an environmentally sustainable future. Not just for the birds and trees, but for our own survival.

We need to make our peace with green now.

Green Options: What gave you the idea or motivated you to launch Fair Trade Sports?

Scott James: My passion is fighting extreme poverty and the problems caused by it. Fair Trade Sports is built to generate after-tax profits for children’s charities, from a Fair Trade foundation (e.g. adult workers - not coerced children - paid fair wages and ensured healthy working conditions). It also helps that I believe in the Fair Trade model and I’m a lifelong soccer player.

GO: You’ve gotten a lot of recent attention lately from Outside and Plenty magazines. Describe your "guerilla marketing" techniques and how this fits into a green business model.

SJ: (Laughing) It starts with having no marketing budget! We don’t need to support multi-million dollar marketing campaigns and sports star’s paid endorsements; instead, we ask our customers and champions to spread positive word of mouth about our mission and our quality products. True word-of-mouth is a great fit for any green business - just think of the resources you are saving (e.g. the trees needed and transportation costs for a direct mail postcard).

GO: Why are 70% of the world’s soccer balls made in Pakistan?

SJ: According to a myth, the sporting goods industry started in Sialkot, because an English man broke his tennis racket and, since an immediate replacement was not possible, he asked a local to repair it. The man did a perfect job, and the sports goods manufacturing industry took root in Sialkot.

Recorded history of the industry goes back to 1895 when the city started becoming famous for its tennis racquets. By 1903, cricket bats were being crafted from imported English willow and exported to different parts of South Asia and beyond. In 1922, one Mr. Syed, was awarded the British Empire Export Award for supplying footballs to the British Army. Over the years, the industry grew to include a variety of wood and leather-based sports equipment, and diversified into related industries such as sports apparel and riding equipment and even the Scottish bagpipes.

GO: Have you ever visited your manufacturer Talon in Pakistan?

SJ: Not yet; several of my business partners have multiple times. I started this company while my wife was pregnant (perhaps not the best timing). We just had our daughter a few weeks ago, so I expect to go sometime soon. I’ll take a video and photo crew to capture the story of our workers there.

GO: What is considered a living wage in Pakistan?

SJ: 4X the standard wage paid to adults.

GO: How are you assured that fair trade practices are utilized in the production of your merchandise?

SJ: FLO does unannounced spot checks of facilities and records for compliance. Their documentation is fairly complete.

GO: Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) states that child labor has been "virtually eliminated" from this industry; however, you do not agree. Please explain.

SJ: The FLO document that makes that incorrect statement is still a good overall document on the positive programs happening at Talon, including their medical program - a first in the sporting goods industry in Pakistan. However, child labor has definitely not been "virtually eliminated" from the industry…not even close. Anyone can Google "Nike and Saga Sports" to see a long, repeated history of failures in this area.

GO: How can you afford to donate all of your after tax profits to charity?

SJ: Like Newman’s Own (the salad dressing and popcorn brand), we’re committed to giving away our "after-tax profits". Keep in mind that after-tax profits are defined as what’s left over after you pay items like salaries, utilities, and of course, your raw inventory. Each year, we’ll also retain a small portion of our proceeds to fund the following year’s growth (likely ~10%).

What’s left over usually gets distributed to shareholders. Given that my wife and I are the sole shareholders, and we are not interested in making Fair Trade Sports a wealth-generating operation, we decided to funnel the after-tax profits towards children’s charities. We expect to reach profitability in late 2007. Until then, we are donating $1000 annually to these organizations to benefit at-risk children worldwide.

GO: Can you describe some of the charities you donate to?

SJ: Yes, right now we donate to Room to Read (international children’s libraries) and the Boys & Girls Club of America. The idea is to help at-risk kids both here in the states and the communities where we source our sports balls.

GO: I love the alternative sleeve t-shirts! These shirts are produced by independent trade members. How do independent trade unions provide a solution to sweatshops?

SJ: The tee shirts are hip, for sure. The alternative sleeve gets alot of double-takes from people when you walk down the street. Everyone should check out USAS (http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org/) as well as the ILRF (http://www.ilfr.org/). Just a little bit of reading will show you a world of alternatives out there to sweatshops, as we’ve used for our tee shirt line and new technical training shirt line.

As the Fair Trade movement moves into the consciousness of society, so too does the exploitations that occur when fair trade criteria are not met. The past year has highlighted an unlikely, but important, sect of production in Pakistan. Pakistan is one of the world's leading producers of surgical instruments, approximately 20%, though the producers see little, if any, of this $US650 million dollar industry. Sweatshops, employing adults and children as young as seven, are producing our scalpels, scissors and other items at a high social cost for their low prices. "Some 50,000 people are involved in making stainless-steel surgical tools in Sialkot; around 7,700 of them are children." Health problems abound in these dangerous working conditions as workers suffer from various ailments, back and neck injuries to eye and lung problems from the grinding, milling and corrosive chemicals used.

These problems in Pakistan and elsewhere were exacerbated in 1994 by the US when legislation passed which set international quality standards for all surgical goods. While maintaining standards is certainly beneficial and important to consumers, it had an adverse effect on the workers, as production of identical products leaves only price as a competitor, and that's been lowered at the expense of the laborers.

In 2000 a program was launched by U.N. International Labor Organization and the Surgical Instrument Manufacturers Association of Pakistan to work towards ending the child labor in this industry. A similar program producing sport equipment such as soccer balls found success and international acclaim. The negative impact, however, was not so well publicized. Many children under the age of 14 found themselves out of work. With no money to eat, and sometimes supporting other members of their family, these children were forced to find work elsewhere, such as in surgical instrument production. The only permanent solution to end child labor is to pay the adults a fair wage, and ensure they are not killed or maimed due to dangerous work environments so that their children may attend school.

Public awareness of these atrocities is limited, as surgical instruments go through many wholesalers, sometimes "even stamped 'Made in Germany' at the request of middlemen worried about Pakistan's image." Societal outcry is further muffled due to lack of knowledge, as few patients are aware of where their doctors and hospitals source their vast amount of equipment and supplies. The burden then falls upon medical professionals, who are aware where the products come from and have the power to instigate change, and they have begun to do so.

Doctors in the UK recently called upon the National Health Service (NHS) "to establish fair trade agreements with companies making high-quality surgical equipment in Pakistan." This would help establish more direct trade with the producers, who are currently receiving approximately $2 for instruments which sell to hospitals at $80. Cutting out the middle man will put more profit in the producers hands, as well as create direct and transparent trade to ensure Fair Trade criteria are met. Dr Peter Tiplady, of the BMA’s public health medicine and community health division said, "Our gut reaction would be to boycott this production but this is not the answer because the poor will get poorer and the rich will get richer. Fair trade is the answer. It already exists for products like sugar and tea, so why not medical instruments."

The next time you visit your doctor or hospital, ask where they purchase their instruments and if they are aware of the current push to ethically source these products. Encourage them to use their power as consumers to ensure they were made in a safe environment by adults being paid a fair wage.