Melissa

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 Empower the planet. Power the world. Check out the special “Power the World-Week” on ...
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“Power the World”-Week Issue #1: A Light in India

Students in the village of Tahipur in Bihar used kerosene lanterns for studying.

When we hear the word innovation, we often think of new technologies or silver bullet solutions — like hydrogen fuel cells or a cure for cancer. To be sure, breakthroughs are vital: antibiotics and vaccines, for example, transformed global health. But as we’ve argued in Fixes, some of the greatest advances come from taking old ideas or technologies and making them accessible to millions of people who are underserved. One area where this is desperately needed is access to electricity. In the age of the iPad, it’s easy to forget that roughly a quarter of the world’s population — about a billion and a half people (pdf) — still lack electricity. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it takes a severe toll on economic life, education and health. It’s estimated that two million people die prematurely each year as a result of pulmonary diseases caused by the indoor burning of fuels for cooking and light. Close to half are children who die of pneumonia. In vast stretches of the developing world, after the sun sets, everything goes dark. In sub-Saharan Africa, about 70 percent of the population lack electricity. However, no country has more citizens living without power than India, where more than 400 million people, the vast majority of them villagers, have no electricity. The place that remains most in darkness is Bihar, India’s poorest state, which has more than 80 million people, 85 percent of whom live in households with no grid connection. Because Bihar has nowhere near the capacity to meet its current power demands, even those few with connections receive electricity sporadically and often at odd hours, like between 3:00 a.m and 6:00 a.m., when it is of little use. This is why I’m writing today about a small but fast-growing off-grid electricity company based in Bihar called Husk Power Systems. It has created a system to turn rice husks into electricity that is reliable, eco-friendly and affordable for families that can spend only $2 a month for power. The company has 65 power units that serve a total of 30,000 households and is currently installing new systems at the rate of two to three per week. Bringing sustainable light to communities off the grid ...
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Special “Power the World”-Week to Raise Awareness

 When Linkin Park and the UN announced their "Power the World" programme, I was really surprised ...
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Remember the Novemberpogrom (“Kristallnacht”), Nov. 9 &10 in 1938

 Today is the 73rd anniversary from one of the most horrible events in human history. From November 9 - November 10, 1938 the Nazis in Germany celebrated their "Kristallnacht", an euphemistic term that isn't used in Germany anymore, because it plays down the events of the night. In a series of attacks synagogues, houses and businesses of Jews were burned down in Germany and Austria, many Jews were beaten, shot or committed suicide that night, thousands were deported to concentration camps in Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, etc. Read a detailed description of the events here. Here is the eyewitness report of a fire fighter from Laupheim: ...
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Power The World(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Power the World – Linkin Park x UN x Sustainable Energy for All: Videos, Pictures, Press

 So here's the announcement Mike Shinoda tweeted about yesterday:
Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Whether relating to jobs, security, climate change, food production or income-generating activity, access to sustainable energy is essential for strengthening economies, protecting ecosystems, and achieving social equity. However, more than 1.4 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity, and 1 billion more have only intermittent access. Additionally, some 2.5 billion people-- almost half of humanity-- rely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating. Linkin Park and Music for Relief have pledged to support the UN Secretary-General to help achieve Sustainable Energy for All through Power the World. Join us to help bring sustainable energy solutions to 1 million families. Empower the Planet. Power the World. Learn more about the year of Sustainable Energy for All here.
-Linkin Park That's such a great new relief effort! I didn't even know that so many people live without power. This is a more detailed press release by "Sustainable Energy for All":
New York, NY — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the support of the Grammy award winning rock band Linkin Park for his "Sustainable Energy for All Initiative." The band will utilize its extensive social media presence, including more than 36 million Facebook fans, and draw on its significant public profile to mobilize support for the Secretary-General’s Initiative and sustainable energy projects worldwide.
Read more... Linkin Park also visited the UN Headquarters today and met Secretery-General Ban Ki-Moon! Here are the video of the press conference, the UN's press release and some pictures: There's a longer video here. Unfortunately I can't download or embed it here, so you just gotta click the link.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with Grammy award-winning Linkin Park band members at UN Headquarters | Photo: UN

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