This week’s guest on SPECTACLE, President Bill Clinton, is probably the single most defining figure of the 1990s. His election in 1992 marked the triumph of the Baby Boom generation on the global stage, and during his two terms in the White House, the United States enjoyed peace and unprecedented prosperity; the record federal budget deficit that he inherited had been turned into the largest surplus in history by the time he left office in 2001.

For Elvis Costello, though, the ‘90s weren’t a placid time—his decade was most notable for a boundless sense of musical exploration. Through the ‘70s and ‘80s, Elvis was unarguably a rock artist, occasionally (and increasingly) experimenting with more traditional pop and roots song forms. His first release of the new decade, 1991’s Mighty Like a Rose, remained squarely in that territory. But in 1993, Elvis took his biggest creative leap yet, collaborating with the Brodsky Quartet on a classical song cycle based on the Romeo and Juliet story, titled The Juliet Letters.

The following year, Brutal Youth reunited him with the Attractions (for the last time) for some full-on rock & roll, but he quickly veered off into other directions. Kojak Variety—released in 1995, but recorded several years earlier—was a collection of covers, while the next year’s follow-up, All This Useless Beauty, was a ballad-heavy set of songs originally intended for other artists.

Elvis’s newfound sense of sonic restlessness was perhaps best displayed when he curated the 1995 Meltdown Festival, presenting a slate of artists ranging from Jeff Buckley to the London Philharmonic to legendary street musician Moondog. (The festival initiated a friendship with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, which later resulted in the album The Sweetest Punch). The ‘90s ended on a high note, the acclaimed, Grammy-winning 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach, Painted from Memory.

– Alan Light

Alan Light is the former Editor-in-Chief of Spin and Vibe magazines, and a former Senior Writer for Rolling Stone. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, he is the author of “The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys” and a two-time winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor award for excellence in music writing.

Unpredictably, the 1990s also saw Elvis involved with film on a consistent basis. He began the decade co-composing the mostly orchestral score for the British mini-series G.B.H., which starred Michael Palin from Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Elvis and Bacharach first worked together on the song “God Give Me Strength,” from the 1996 movie Grace of My Heart; the unlikely duo also showed up in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, singing “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.”

Even sillier, Elvis appeared as himself in Spice World and the ‘80s nostalgia film 200 Cigarettes. He also wrote “I Throw My Toys Around” for The Rugrats Movie, performing it with No Doubt, and contributed a version of the standard “She” to the 1999 soundtrack of Notting Hill. By now, it was clear that Elvis Costello could no longer be defined as a rocker, or even exclusively as a musician. It was the end of the century, and all bets were off.

– Alan Light

Alan Light is the former Editor-in-Chief of Spin and Vibe magazines, and a former Senior Writer for Rolling Stone. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, he is the author of “The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys” and a two-time winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor award for excellence in music writing.

CHICAGO, Illinois, December 4, 2008 (ENS) – President-elect Barack Obama has tapped New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to be his Secretary of Commerce, a position with many natural resources responsibilities.

Richardson will be in charge of rebuilding the U.S. economy on a basis of clean energy and green jobs – two of the essential pillars of Obama’s plan to revitalize America. And as commerce secretary, he will head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, which governs everything from the National Weather Service to fisheries management.

Governor Richardson is serving his second term as governor of New Mexico and previously represented northern New Mexico in Congress for 15 years. In 1997, President Bill Clinton selected Richardson as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. From 1998 to 2001, Richardson served as Clinton’s Secretary of Energy. He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination during the current election cycle but was defeated by Obama.

President-elect Barak Obama, left, announces
Governor Bill Richardson as his choice for
Commerce Secretary. (Photo courtesy
Office of the President-elect)

Announcing Richardson’s nomination in Chicago Wednesday, Obama said, “As a former Secretary of Energy, Bill understands the steps we must take to build a new, clean-energy industry and create the green jobs of the 21st century. Jobs that pay well and won’t be shipped overseas – jobs that will help us end our dependence on foreign oil.”

“And as a former Ambassador to the United Nations, Bill brings both international stature and a deep understanding of today’s global economy,” Obama said. “He understands that the success of today’s business in Detroit or Columbus often depends on whether it can sell products in places like Santiago or Shanghai.”

“And he knows that America’s reputation in the world is critical not just to our security, but to our prosperity – that when the citizens of the world respect America’s leadership, they are more likely to buy America’s products,” said the president-elect.

Richardson said, “There is a vital role for the Department of Commerce in our economic recovery. The unique strengths of the department and its talented public servants make it the natural agency to serve as the programmatic nerve center in America’s struggle to rejuvenate our economy. America will once again be at the forefront of innovation, especially in the new frontier of energy independence and clean energy jobs, and we will restore our position of respect in the world.”

The present Secretary of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez, issued a supportive statement, saying, “The Department of Commerce is a vast agency with a diverse portfolio that ranges from promoting commerce and economic growth, to exercising stewardship over our oceans and waterways.”

“Richardson has the credibility and expertise to negotiate with our foreign partners and ensure that American businesses and workers have open markets and a fair playing field on which to compete,” said Gutierrez.

Ocean conservationists praised Obama’s choice of Richardson.

Vikki Spruill, president and chief executive of the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy said, “Bill Richardson is an outstanding choice to lead the Department of Commerce, the department most closely associated with America’s ocean policy.”

“Given the many serious problems currently facing our oceans, we hope and expect Governor Richardson to be a champion for the health of our oceans,” she said.

“Too often NOAA has been as afterthought at the Commerce Department. We believe Governor Richardson can change that. Clearly, he is aware the ocean supplies the air we breathe and the food we eat,” said Spruill. “We trust he will put defending this all-important resource at the front of his agenda, where it belongs.”

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HONG KONG, China, December 3, 2008 (ENS) – Commitments to clean Hong Kong’s beaches, produce carbon-free energy from rice residues, and raise awareness of climate change in India are among the results of the first Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Asia.

Today, at the conclusion of the two-day meeting in Hong Kong, former President Bill Clinton said, “I am truly impressed by our Clinton Global Initiative members and the new commitments announced this week that will bring real, measurable change to millions of lives in Asia and across the world.”

“CGI Asia members have made commitments worth an estimated total value of US$185 million, to positively impact more than 10 million lives,” Clinton said.

Former President Bill Clinton
(Photo courtesy CGI)

Clinton welcomed current and former heads of state and prominent regional business and non-profit leaders who pledged to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges – climate change, food and water security, and deforestation.

“Asia has a strong history of social responsibility and we have a unique opportunity to work together in innovative and effective ways to achieve positive change during a time of great uncertainty for the world,” said Clinton, whose wife, Senator Hillary Clinton has just been nominated to serve as Secretary of State in the incoming administration President-elect Barack Obama.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the CGI Asia meeting’s opening plenary session on Tuesday with a video message, saying, “In recent decades, Asia has achieved remarkable gains in economic growth and development. This progress has offered valuable lessons to the rest of the world.”

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also addressed the participants via video. “We need new ideas to confront and solve the myriad of challenges which lie ahead of us this century,” said the prime minister. “I look forward to working with all those gathered at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting to move our world forward towards a new chapter in human history.”

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said her visit to Hong Kong to take part in the Clinton Global Initiative was “short but fruitful.” Arroyo told participants that she remains “laser-focused” in working to further strengthen the economy so the country could stay the course.

The Commitments to Action, made by members to affect positive change include the CGI’s three areas of focus – education, energy and climate change, and public health.

The World Food Programme and partners made a far-reaching mega-commitment’ includes six different CGI commitments involving eight countries and is valued at US$20 million dollars. It will focus on feeding more people with better food, targeting vulnerable groups in emergency and post-disaster situations and long-term food security.

Fun in the sun at one of Hong Kong’s 40
beaches (Photo by Pepa Amenabar)

Environmental commitments include a pledge from Graeme Reading, chair of the Café Deco Group, to spend US$125,000 over two years to establish a Hong Kong beach authority, which will coordinate both public and private efforts to clean up Hong Kong’s 40 beaches.

Dr. Robert S. Zeigler, director general of the International Rice Research Institute, commits US$2.2 million over four years to develop a new technology that will produce carbon-dioxide free energy from rice residues such as straw and husks, helping create additional income for farmers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in India and Cambodia.

The BAIF Development Research Foundation and partners, is committing US$30,700 over two years to integrate an educational program on climate change in 10,000 rural schools in Northern India and 5,000 in Maharashtra state.

The Noble Group, one of the world’s largest supply-chain managers whose operations involve many of the Earth’s natural resources and raw materials, announced a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2008. In addition to going carbon neutral, the Noble Group will also generate an awareness-raising campaign targeting its 10,000 staff members and more than 4,000 business partners. This commitment is valued at US$10 million over three years.

Habitat for Humanity China is committing US$12.5 million over 18 months to rehabilitate three communities that were affected by the earthquakes that struck China’s Sichuan province in May by constructing 924 houses, three nursery schools, health clinics, libraries, and outdoor exercise areas.

Hang Seng Bank, along with its partners, is committing US$150,000 over one year to build 300 biogas toilets for 1,700 people in Yunnan, China that will store methane gas produced by humans and poultry to provide local communities with alternative forms of energy for daily use, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions.

The nonprofit group International Center for Networking, Ecology, Education and Re-Integration, along with its partners, is committing US$1 million over two years to raise awareness of the dangers posed by climate change in India and Mozambique. The group intends to engage 60,000 students in renewable energy discussions in 600 schools to demonstrate that a positive change in individual and community behavior can result in energy efficiency and resource conservation.

Mother and child in a Thar Desert village,
Rajasthan, India (Photo by Mirjam Letsch)

The Jal Bhagirathi Foundation, with its partners, is committing US$7.6 million over six years to implement projects in 400 villages in the Thar Desert of India that will improve underserved populations’ access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and alternative sustainable livelihood opportunities; in an effort to reduce their vulnerability to climate change.

Mlup Baitong and partners is committing US$110,000 over three years to reduce the current degradation of natural resources in Cambodia by coordinating and implementing a community based forestry management project in Kampong Thom province.

51-Sim.org and its partners announced a commits US$1 million over two years to host China’s first ever “Green Car Show” which will be carbon-neutral, and to hold a climate change competition to encourage environmentally-friendly behavior.

Over the course of three years, Practical Action commits US$27 million to help disadvantaged, rural communities develop their capacity to use innovative agricultural techniques that will reduce their vulnerability to disasters and risks associated with climate change, aspiring to improve the lives of 700,000 people.

Aid Foundation, Inc. commits US$260,000 over two years to provide access to clean drinking water for disadvantaged, rural communities by developing their capacity to manufacture and install AIDFI’s hydraulic ram pump in Colombia, Indonesia, Madagascar, and the Philippines, in an effort to improve sanitation and agricultural activities for 3,600 people.

Mr. Wee Lin is committing US$99,000 over nine years to enhance access to environmentally-friendly and affordable food for underserved and poor communities in Singapore by hosting a series of events and engaging stakeholders in dialogue.

The World Toilet Organization, along with its partners, is committing US$1.2 million to expand access for more than 750 million people in Cambodia and India to basic sanitation by improving the current market structure of the sanitation sector. The WTO will work to better match supply of sanitation products with demand and provide training programs for business leaders who wish to tap into the US$1 trillion global sanitation marketplace.

The WWF is committing US$200,000 over three and a half years to provide access to finance, education, and training to excluded and marginalized women and children living in the slums and rural villages of Southern India, and identify potential NGOs who could replicate this program in Northern India.

The Shri Ram School, Shri Ram Foundation, and Save the Children Bal Raksha Bharat commit US$300,000 over two years to launch a comprehensive disaster risk mitigation program to train teachers, children and families to better prepare for and address natural disasters.

GeoHazards International, India’s National Disaster Management Authority, GeoHazards Society, ProVention Consortium, EHDD Architecture, University of New Mexico, Rutherford & Chekene Structural Engineering, Stanford University Chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World, and the National Centre for Peoples’ Action in Disaster Preparedness commit US$5 million over five years to improve the earthquake resistance and energy efficiency of schools and health clinics in Northern India and other Asian countries.

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Leading Democratic pollster and political strategist, Stan Greenberg is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. Greenberg has served as polling advisor to President Bill Clinton, President Nelson Mandela, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Prime Minister Ehud Barak, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and their national campaigns.

Greenberg’s work for private sector organizations – including major corporations, trade associations and public interest organizations – focuses on managing change and reform.

Greenberg is the author of Middle Class Dreams, published by Random House in 1995, which explores the political challenges of social and economic change. He regularly addresses corporate audiences on the changing environment in which they operate. Greenberg’s research is some of the most widely cited in the national media.

1. What’s your favorite political movie?

The Candidate. Very early on captured the tension between idealism and ambition and the role of an amoral but smart consultant who exploits it. The final question of the movie, What Do we Now?, set up much of the ambivalence many now feel about politicians and what guides them.

2. What role do you feel art plays in politics?

With email chains and virtual video, there is so much penetration of arts and culture into the campaigns — as they find audiences in ways not possible in the old forms of communication. But some movies have broken through more broadly, like Wag the Dog, and West Wing, as voters look for leaders who might act in the public interest.

3. What do you think is the biggest issue for the next generation of Americans?

The economic crisis has hit young people hard and the worry about jobs and what hope America offers. Young people are still more optimistic than other voters but this crisis and the last years of stagnation have led many millions to now step up to change things through politics.

4. Who was the first political candidate you were excited to vote for and why?

Robert Kennedy. He was the last national leader who really united black and white for progressive goals for the country. He spoke of inequality and injustice and acted bravely and elegantly. He touched people, even when he went to South Africa to express our conscience at a time that it was under assault in the US and South Africa.

5. What factors are important to you in choosing a president?

Want somebody who will be bold and understand the scale of what our country faces.

6. What issues would you like to see politicians focus more on?

If I could choose one thing, I want a president who will see energy independence and global warming as requiring a war-like mission, somebody who will spur the country to unite behind this cause.

And I need for them to think about inequality and what kind of country we have if we continue on the current course.

7. Which issues would you like to see politicians focus less on?

Junk issues that distract us from the issues the president will have to face after the election

8. Which candidate’s initiatives do you feel better address environmental concerns?

Not drill, baby, drill. I’m intrigued by natural gas a transition to a clean energy policy, but the most important thing is presidential leadership that mobilizes the country and gives us the credibility to address the China and India problem. There is no solution to global warming without bringing those countries along.

9. This is your soapbox – shout it out! What do you need to get off your chest?

I’m tired of timidity in politics.

Paul Begala is a Democratic strategist who serves as a political contributor for CNN, appearing frequently on CNN’s The Situation Room as well as other programs on all CNN networks.

Begala was formerly co-host of Crossfire, CNN’s political debate program. Begala first entered the national political scene after the consulting firm he and fellow Democratic strategist James Carville started, Carville & Begala, helped President Bill Clinton get elected in 1992. Serving in the Clinton administration as counselor to the president, he was a close adviser to Clinton and helped define and defend the administration’s agenda, serving as a principal public spokesman.

After leaving the Clinton administration, Begala joined Georgetown University as a research professor of government and public policy. In 2007, he served as Carl E. Sanders Political Leadership Scholar at the University of Georgia School of Law. He is currently an affiliated professor of public policy at Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute. Begala is not a paid political consultant for any politicians or candidates for office.

1. What’s your favorite political movie?

DAVE. It’s a modern-day Frank Capra story. An average guy winds up as President, stands against corruption, then walks away into obscurity after finding the one honest person in professional politics who can take over. Kevin Kline and Sagourney Weaver are great, and Frank Langella plays a perfectly villainous White House Chief of Staff.

2. What role do you feel art plays in politics?

Artists are free to speak the truth to power in a way politicians are not. But they prod us, challenge us – “Bullworth”-style – to be braver. Politics itself is often show business for ugly people. Ronald Reagan once said he didn’t know how anyone could do the job of President if he weren’t an actor. John Paul II – one of the greatest Popes in history – was an actor before he was called to a life of faith. At their best, political leaders are larger than life characters – as are actors. They portray us as we wish we were. And the truly great talents, like Reagan and Clinton in politics, DeNiro and Streep in acting, have a deep sense of authenticity.

3. Who was the first political candidate you were excited to vote for and why?

Ted Kennedy when he ran for President in the 1980 primaries. He was a hero to me then, when I was still a teenager, and as I’ve gotten to know him and work with him over the years he’s even more of a hero. No one would have blamed him if he’d retreated into his vast wealth and his large and loving family after his brothers were murdered. But he stood strong, spoke out for those with no voice, and became the greatest senator of the past 100 years.

4. What factors are important to you in choosing a president?

Empathy. Intellectual curiosity. The ability to synthesize lots of different facts about lots of interconnected things. Self-confidence infused with skepticism of absolutes. American exceptionalism.

5. What issues would you like to see politicians focus more on?

Energy independence and poverty.

6. Which issues would you like to see politicians focus less on?

Divisive social issues – personal matters are ill-suited for political debate.

7. Which candidate’s initiatives do you feel better address environmental concerns?

Is that a trick question? John McCain has stacked his campaign with lobbyists for every big oil company and polluter around. He has a lifetime rating from the nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters of 24. That means he votes anti-environment three-fourths of the time. Barack Obama, on the other hand, has earned the endorsement of the League. He had a 100 percent pro-environment voting record in the Illinois Senate (according to the Illinois Environmental Council). He supports bold action to reverse global warming, create green jobs, support renewable energy and protect our air, land and water for my kids and their kids.

8. Do you have any recommended links, books or movies so people can learn more about the issues you care about?

Well, now that you mention it… I wrote (with a team of a dozen gifted researchers) a book about John McCain’s record. It’s called Third Term: Why George W. Bush Loves John McCain. It goes through all the issues – the economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, energy, the environment, health care, ethics reform – and come to the conclusion that McCain would do little more than continue the disastrous policies of George W. Bush — who may well go down in history as the worst President ever. I am also a huge fan of the Center for American Progress [www.americanprogress.org], which is the premier progressive think tank. I read Media Matters for America’s [mediamatters.org] website every day – they keep the press honest. And I am a daily reader of Huffington Post [www.huffingtonpost.com] and Talking Points Memo [www.talkingpointsmemo.com].

Extra Credit: Fill in the blank. _________ for change.

FIGHT BACK for a change.

WASHINGTON, DC, August 13, 2008 (ENS) – The national nonprofit Wilderness Society said it will challenge Tuesday’s decision by a federal judge in Wyoming to block the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

For the second time, U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer issued a permanent injunction against the Clinton era roadless rule, saying it violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Wilderness Act.

The case was brought, for the second time, by the State of Wyoming against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies.

Environmentalists believe that Judge Brimmer’s order conflicts with, but does not overturn, a 2006 decision by a California federal magistrate judge that upheld the Roadless Rule.

Judge Brimmer’s injunction puts at risk 58.5 million acres of pristine national forest lands in 38 states that were protected from road building, logging and other development by a directive of President Bill Clinton to the U.S. Forest Service issued in 1999.

The 11,100 acre South Quinault Ridge
Roadless Area on Washington’s Olympic
National Forest borders Quinault Lake.
(Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service)

The public process initiated by that directive concluded with the promulgation of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule just eight days before the end of the Clinton administration.

More than two million public comments in favor of the roadless rule were received during the comment period, which included 187 public hearings across the country.

Yet, Judge Brimmer did not give weight to the 18 month-long public process and numerous public comments. He did give weight to then Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer’s complaint that the public comment period was “extraordinarily short.”

“The Forest Service, in an attempt to bolster an outgoing President’s environmental legacy, rammed through an environmental agenda that itself violates the country’s well-established environmental laws,” Judge Brimmer wrote in his injunction order.

The judge wrote, “The Forest Service’s preordained conception of what a roadless area would be, and its schedule for implementing the final rule, caused the Forest Service to drive the Roadless Rule through the administrative process without weighing the pros and cons of reasonable alternatives to the Roadless Rule. At no time did the Forest Service stop to consider whether Roadless Rule was the best idea for the greatest number of people.”

Mike Anderson, an attorney with The Wilderness Society, said the group will appeal Judge Brimmer’s order to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.

The Roadless Rule has been the subject of repeated lawsuits from both opponents and supporters.

In July 2003, Judge Brimmer rejected the rule in a lawsuit brought by the state of Wyoming, which has about 3.5 million acres of national forests subject to protections set forth by the rule.

In May 2005, the Bush administration replaced the Roadless Rule with the State Petitions Rule that required governors to petition the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect national forests in their states.

Environmentalists sued to reinstate the Roadless Rule. In September 2006, Judge Elizabeth Laporte, Magistrate for the U.S. District Court for Northern California, ruled that the administration had illegally repealed the roadless rule.

The judge set aside 2005 State Petitions Rule and reinstated the Roadless Rule nationwide, except in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.

On November 29, 2006, Judge Laporte issued an injunction halting all activities inconsistent with the Roadless Rule. In her injunction, Judge Laporte stated that because the 2001 rule had been repealed illegally, all projects in roadless areas inconsistent with that rule were also illegal and must be halted.

On February 6, 2007 Judge Laporte issued a final injunction, clarifying that her November 2006 injunction extended to oil and gas drilling permits as well as leases issued since May 2005.

In his order issued Tuesday, Judge Brimmer wrote that Magistrate Judge Laporte’s injunction had the effect of “surreptitiously” reinstituting the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule although he had previously decided it was illegal.

Anderson says he believes Laporte’s decision is still in effect. “It is not in any way overturned or compromised by Judge Brimmer’s decision in Wyoming today,” Anderson told the Associated Press. “What it does do is create two conflicting court decisions in different federal courts, different states, both issuing decisions with nationwide impact.”

Wyoming Attorney General Bruce Salzburg said the injunction was appropriate because roads might be needed in national forests to fight fires and insect infestations.

Conservation groups that intervened in the case in support of the federal agencies are the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pacific Rivers Council, Sierra Club, Wilderness Society and the Wyoming Outdoor Council.

To read Judge Brimmer’s 102 page order issued on August 12, 2008, click here [www.ourforests.org]. To read the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, click here [roadless.fs.fed.us].

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DES MOINES, Iowa, June 13, 2008 (ENS) – For their international school feeding program and lifelong devotion to food security, former U.S. Senators Robert Dole and George McGovern have been selected to receive the prestigious $250,000 World Food Prize for 2008.

Announcing the award in a statement today, the World Food Prize said, “By exerting tireless and creative leadership, Senators McGovern and Dole took significant steps toward ending the cycle of hunger and poverty that affects as many as 300 million chronically malnourished children.”

The senators are being honored for the McGovern-Dole international school-feeding program, first established by the United States in 2000. Since then, it has provided meals to feed more than 22 million children in 41 countries and boosted school attendance by an estimated 14 percent overall and by 17 percent for girls.”

Boys at a school in the Dominincan Republic
are fed under the Global Food for
Education Initiative. (Photo
courtesy USDA)

Throughout their careers, Senator McGovern, a South Dakota Democrat, and Senator Dole, a Kansas Republican, have dedicated themselves to the elimination of hunger.

In the 1970s, as leaders of opposing parties, they worked together to reform the federal Food Stamp Program, expand the domestic school lunch program, and establish the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children, WIC.

They built a non-partisan consensus for anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs. By the early 21st century, the national school lunch program they fostered was providing meals to 30 million children.

In the late 1990s, McGovern and Dole began working toward reviving and strengthening global school feeding, nutrition, and education programs.

They created a program that would provide poor children with meals at school in countries throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

President Bill Clinton supported the senators’ initiative and, in July 2000, his administration established a two-year pilot program, the Global Food for Education Initiative, GFEI, funded at $300 million.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture administered the program, which initially provided nutritious meals for children in 38 countries. It submitted its final report in December 2004.

Former Senators George McGovern, left, and
Bob Dole at the World Food Programme
Hearings in the U.S. Senate, 2001.
(Photo courtesy Robert J. Dole Institute
of Politics at the University of Kansas)

Under the GFEI, the agricultural agency provided surplus commodities to school-feeding programs operated by international organizations including the UN World Food Programme, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps, World Vision, Joint Aid Management, and the American Red Cross, as well as to the governments of countries that had made commitments to provide universal education.

With the support and urging of the two former senators, In 2002 Congress passed legislation establishing a permanent international school feeding program.

In May of 2002, President George W. Bush officially signed into law the George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program – more usually known as the McGovern-Dole Program. The program has fed children in schools around the world every year since then.

Since it began as a pilot program in 2000, the McGovern-Dole Program has provided meals to 22 million children in 41 countries, including Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Moldova, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan and Vietnam.

When children are eating enough, they display improved cognition and better all-round academic performance; there are increases in local employment and parental involvement in school activities; and participation by local governments in supporting school-feeding efforts, the senators recognize.

Girls attend this school in Bangladesh where
food was offered by the Global Food for
Education Initiative. (Photo courtesy USDA)

On the other hand, hungry children have difficulty learning, and malnutrition often leads to permanently stunted physical and cognitive development.

Inspired by McGovern and Dole, school feeding programs have gained recognition and support at the highest levels of national and international governance.

In 2002, the Group of Eight and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development listed school feeding as a specific intervention in their action plans for poverty alleviation.

In 2005, school feeding was highlighted in the UN Millennium Project’s 10 key recommendations for achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The European Union, Canada, and Japan are now among the major providers of resources to global school feeding programs.

The McGovern-Dole Program emphasizes benefiting girls and young women and overcoming gender inequalities in literacy and access to education. Traditionally, young girls in many developing countries are often kept out of school to work in the home performing child care, elder care, and other domestic chores, or are sent out to earn a living.

But when meals are available at school, girls and young women are much more likely to be allowed or encouraged to enroll. The World Food Prize cites studies in Mexico showing that school feeding programs there have led to girl students’ finishing school at higher rates, marrying later in life, and having fewer children.

Thousands of tons of wheat, soybeans, corn, wheat flour, cornmeal, corn-soy blend, rice, lentils, dry beans and vegetable oil have been shipped to participant countries through the auspices of the McGovern-Dole Program. These resources are used by local officials to provide school meals and snacks to children.

Looking to the future, the McGovern-Dole Program is moving toward increasing the amount of cash awarded while also implementing a new bartering system to diversify the commodities and foodstuffs that the program provides.

Robert Joseph “Bob” Dole (born July 22, 1923) is an attorney and retired United States Senator from Kansas from 1969–1996, serving part of that time as United States Senate Majority Leader, where he set a record as the longest-serving Republican leader. He was the Republican nominee in the 1996 U.S. Presidential election and the Republican vice presidential nominee in the 1976 U.S. Presidential election. Dole is special counsel at the Washington, D.C., law firm of Alston & Bird.

George Stanley McGovern, (born July 19, 1922) of South Dakota is a former United States Representative from 1957-1961, Senator from 1963-1981, and Democratic presidential nominee. McGovern lost the 1972 presidential election to incumbent Richard Nixon. As a decorated World War II combat veteran, McGovern was noted for his opposition to the Vietnam War. The first director of President John F. Kennedy’s Food for Peace program in 1961, he was appointed United Nations Ambassador on World Hunger in 2001.

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CHICAGO, Illinois, March 25, 2008 (ENS) – Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, the largest commercial building in the world, has signed the first project development agreement in the United States under the Clinton Climate Initiative.

Under the agreement to retrofit the huge building with energy-saving technologies announced today, TAC Energy Solutions will reduce the amount of energy used by the Merchandise Mart and the amount of greenhouse gases the building emits. The project is part of the Clinton Climate Initiative’s global Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program.

“The businesses and building owners collaborating on energy-saving building retrofits are saving money, making money, creating new jobs, and fighting climate change, all at once,” said former President Bill Clinton.

“I am very pleased that my foundation has been able to accelerate these projects that reduce carbon emissions and increase the use and market for energy efficient technologies around the world,” Clinton said. “Working together, we can save energy, reduce carbon emissions, strengthen the economy, and secure the future.”

Chicago’s Merchandise Mart opened for
business in 1930.
(Photo by J. Crocker)

At 4.2 million square feet, 25 stories tall and spanning two city blocks in downtown Chicago, The Merchandise Mart is a historic landmark building awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED-EB) status from the United States Green Buildings Council last November.

“The changes we have implemented at The Merchandise Mart to achieve our LEED-EB status have not only led to cost savings, but also to a new culture and point of view that permeates throughout our organization,” said Christopher Kennedy, president of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.

“By working with the Clinton Climate Initiative and TAC to achieve our energy saving goals, we will ensure that conserving resources continues to define our company and our way of life today,” Kennedy said.

The Energy Solutions division of TAC, an energy services, building automation and security company, is working with The Merchandise Mart in the analysis, design and project development phase of the retrofit project, which will implement a variety of facility improvements and energy-saving measures through a performance contract.

This turnkey method combines the design, construction, commissioning and performance measurement into one guaranteed fixed price.

“TAC is especially honored that The Merchandise Mart has chosen to partner with us for its ongoing efforts in sustainability to augment their LEED certification,” said Wes McDaniel, vice president of TAC Energy Solutions. “They are setting a tremendous example of environmental leadership for the city of Chicago.”

The Clinton Foundation’s Climate Initiative applies a business-oriented approach to fight climate change in practical, measurable ways. Clinton launched the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program last May at the second C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in New York.

This program brings together 10 of the world’s largest energy service companies, six of the world’s largest financial institutions, and many of the world’s largest cities in an effort to reduce energy consumption in existing buildings across the municipal, private, commercial, educational and public housing sectors.

An initial group of 16 of the world’s largest cities has agreed to participate in the retrofit program – Bangkok, Berlin, Chicago, Houston, Johannesburg, Karachi, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Mumbai, New York, Rome, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, and Toronto.

The Clinton Climate Initiative and its partners will assist participating cities with the development of programs to train local workers on the installation and maintenance of energy saving and clean energy products. The U.S. Green Building Council and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers have agreed to help coordinate these programs.

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WASHINGTON, DC, February 27, 2008 (ENS) – The United States earned an overall grade of C for ocean restoration efforts in 2007, slightly up from a C- the previous year, according to the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative in its annual report card issued today.

The report card assesses the nation’s progress in 2007 toward implementing the recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission, as well as the actions described in the Bush administration’s U.S. Ocean Action Plan.

The 2007 report card concludes that while state and regional initiatives continue to move forward on ocean governance reform, the lack of progress at the federal level to commit adequate funding and affect meaningful ocean policy reform hinders national improvement.

A full moon rises over the
Atlantic Ocean off the coast
of Melbourne Beach, Florida.
(Photo by John Masters)

The objective of the U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card is to inform policy makers and the public of the critical challenges facing the oceans, while identifying the many opportunities that are ripe for action.

The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and Pew Oceans Commission to catalyze ocean policy reform. The Initiative is co-chaired by Admiral James D. Watkins (U.S. Navy Ret.) and Leon Panetta, a Congressman from 1976 to 1994 who then served as White House chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.

The primary goal of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative is to accelerate the pace of change that results in meaningful ocean policy reform.

“Because states and regions have done much of the groundwork for ocean and coastal protection on the local level, the building blocks are in place. But they can only go so far without federal collaboration and support,” said Panetta. “This nation cannot successfully protect the oceans with one hand tied behind our back.”

“We have been waiting for five years for federal policymakers to implement the recommendations of these commissions,” said Watkins. “Time is no longer a luxury. The economic and security concerns alone caused by their failure to act should be enough to warrant great concern and unified action from Congress and the administration.”

Prompted by the role of oceans in climate change, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative added an entirely new grading category dedicated to the issue. Changes in the frequency and severity of hurricanes, shifts in Arctic ice cover, and changing ocean currents all demonstrate the direct link between oceans and climate change.

“As Congress and the administration move forward developing climate change policies, they must address the glaring lack of resources available to understand and predict their impacts on ocean ecosystems and coastal economies,” Watkins and Panetta said.

On the positive side, U.S. ratification of the Law of the Sea Convention gained significant momentum due to support from President George W. Bush and his administration, action in the Senate, and the efforts of a diverse coalition of industry, military, and environmental leaders.

Securing Senate approval of the Convention will require strong support from the president to ensure that the important national security, economic, and environmental interests that the treaty provides are realized, the report card notes.

Ocean Initiative Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council Sarah Chasis said, “Our oceans are in a state of silent collapse and we need our government to act now in order to reverse this trend. The longer we wait to address problems like pollution, habitat degradation and overexploitation, the harder and more expensive it will be to fix them.”

“We need the federal government to bring order to this lawless frontier through comprehensive measures that will reform the nation’s lack of a cohesive ocean policy. To keep the oceans clean and healthy, we need a National Healthy Oceans Act, such as Oceans-21 legislation (H.R. 21) that is currently pending in Congress. This law would coordinate national efforts to reduce pollution and protect ocean habitats so that beaches are clean, and fish and other ocean animals can thrive,” Chasis said.

“We have an opportunity to bring our oceans back into balance and we need the government, both state and federal, to take action while there’s still time.”

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NEW YORK, New York, December 10, 2007 (ENS) – New York public housing buildings are getting new, green upgrades for lighting, heating and hot water services at a special low price under the first sustainability partnership between the city of New York, the federal government and the Clinton Climate Initiative.

On Friday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former President Bill Clinton, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced the new partnership at the Eastchester Community Center in the Bronx.

They were joined by Tino Hernandez, who chairs the New York City Housing Authority, NYCHA, the nation’s largest public housing authority with 2,691 residential buildings and more than 180,000 apartments.

“The New York City Housing Authority is home to more than 408,000 low and moderate income residents throughout the five boroughs,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “These energy saving measures will help the Authority save money, and the environmental impact of these measures will result in cleaner, healthier air for the residents living in public housing.”

The Clinton Climate Initiative works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world and in New York City, where Clinton maintains an office in Harlem.
From left: HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, former President Bill Clinton, Housing Authority head Tino Hernandez, and Mayor Mike Bloomberg (Photo courtesy Office of the Mayor)
“This is a step in the right direction in the fight against climate change that will reduce New York City’s carbon footprint, while saving money for taxpayers and residents at the same time,” Clinton said.

By participating in the partnership, the Housing Authority will be able to buy energy-saving technology and resources at lower prices through a purchasing consortium that the Clinton Climate Initiative has established. The Housing Authority also will receive help with program development to curb the output of greenhouse gas emissions.

New technology and equipment for the residences includes a computerized heating automated system is a software application that allows for the remote monitoring and hands-on management of NYCHA’s 210 large, central heating plants from any Internet-equipped personal computer.

Under the instantaneous hot water heater program, the Housing Authority is replacing aging domestic hot water tanks with energy-efficient instantaneous-steam water heater devices at developments throughout the city. The new heaters reduce fuel consumption, simplify maintenance, and provide safer and more reliable hot water service to residents.

The Housing Authority has been performing lighting upgrades in its buildings with the goal of reducing its overall electricity consumption by 15 percent.

Now, an average of seven light fixtures per dwelling unit will receive energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps to replace incandescent light bulbs. CFLs use less than one-fourth the amount of electricity as traditional domestic incandescent bulbs and last eight to 10 times longer.

This program also includes common-area lighting upgrades that consist of exchanging magnetic ballasts with state-of-the-art electronic ones and replacing T-12 fluorescent bulbs with super-efficient T-8 technology.

“The partnership that begins today affects the way in which we will look at all aspects of what we do and how we can protect the environment,” said Margarita López, NYCHA environmental coordinator and commissioner. “It allows us to contribute to the greening of our city, making it a healthier place for our residents while yielding savings of much needed funds for the future of public housing.”

“This is a great opportunity for NYCHA to contribute to Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC sustainability goals,” said NYCHA Chairman Hernandez. “We are working together to take an important step in promoting the environmental health of our City while continuing to preserve public housing.”

“Working with the New York City Housing Authority, we’ve been able to replace aging hot water tanks and boilers and install energy efficient light bulbs in hundreds of buildings across the city,” said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. “We’re making great progress and NYCHA and Mayor Bloomberg have been great partners.

“Now we must step it up,” Jackson said. “We are not just retrofitting buildings for today, we are writing new blueprints for tomorrow.”

In addition to meeting NYCHA’s own challenges, the programs will serve as the public housing component of the Mayor’s PlaNYC 2030 agenda, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York City to ensure a sustainable quality of life for all New Yorkers.

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