SOMO: A Social Conscience for Multinational Corporation

SOMO - a brief introduction from SOMOamsterdam on Vimeo.

SOMO is an independent, non-profit research and network organisation working on social, ecological and economic issues related to sustainable development.

Since 1973, the organisation investigates multinational corporations and the consequences of their activities for people and the environment around the world.

SOMO supports social organisations by providing training, coordinating networks and generating and disseminating knowledge on multinational corporations in a context of international production, trade, financing and regulation.

• download SOMO brochure
  
• download Presenting SOMO 2008-2010 a publication which gives a general picture of SOMOs aims, objectives and key activities
• read the SOMO Annual Report 2009. See also 2008 and 2007.
• SOMO participates in two alliances: Fair, Green and Global and Impact

The Oldest trees on the Earth - At risk from Climate Change

The Oldest Trees on the Planet Wired Science - Click here for more images

Trees are some of the longest-lived organisms on the planet. At least 50 trees have been around for more than a millenium, but there may be countless other ancient trees that haven’t been discovered yet.

Trees can live such a long time for several reasons. One secret to their longevity is their compartmentalized vascular system, which allows parts of the tree to die while other portions thrive. Many create defensive compounds to fight off deadly bacteria or parasites.

And some of the oldest trees on earth, the great bristlecone pines, don’t seem to age like we do. At 3,000-plus years, these trees continue to grow just as vigorously as their 100-year-old counterparts. Unlike animals, these pines don’t rack up genetic mutations in their cells as the years go by.

Some trees defy time by sending out clones, or genetically identical shoots, so that one trunk’s demise doesn’t spell the end for the organism. The giant colonies can have thousands of individual trunks, but share the same network of roots.

This gallery contains images of some of the oldest, most venerable and impressive trees on earth.

Pando
While Pando isn’t technically the oldest individual tree, this clonal colony of Quaking Aspen in Utah is truly ancient. The 105-acre colony is made of genetically identical trees, called stems, connected by a single root system.

The “trembling giant” got its start at least 80,000 years ago, when all of our human ancestors were still living in Africa. But some estimate the woodland could be as old as 1 million years, which would mean Pando predates the earliest Homo sapiens by 800,000 years. At 6,615 tons, Pando is also the heaviest living organism on earth.

The photo above of the Pando colony was taken by Rachel Sussman, as part of The Oldest Living Things In The World project.

Image: “Clonal Quaking Aspens #0906-4318 (80,000 years old, Fish Lake, UT)” / Rachel Sussman

Read More http://www.wired.com/

Green Technology: Solar Power Costs Fall 40%

There are brighter days ahead for solar shoppers these days. The price of installing solar power is perhaps not 'right', but it's certainly getting better.

Solar Panel prices have fallen about 40 percent since the middle of last year, driven down partly by an increase in the supply of a crucial ingredient for panels, according to commodity analysts.

The price drops, coupled with governmental support and incentives, could reduce the payback and return on investment (ROI) time. It can take solar panels a minimum of 16 years to pay for themselves and up to 22 years, in areas with higher electricity costs. That calculation does not include any 'green grants' or rebates, which will improve the economics considerably.

Consumers have the rest of the world to thank for the big solar price break. Until recently, panel makers had been constrained by limited production of polysilicon, which goes into most types of panels. Now, more factories have opened up that make the material, as have more solar panel assembly and production plants. Unfortunately most of these are in China.

At the same time, the global demand for solar panels has slowed enormously, particularly in Europe, previously the largest solar market. Photovoltaic installations in Europe are forecast to fall by 26 percent this year, compared with 2008.

Much of that decline can be attributed to a sharp slowdown in the Spanish market. Faced with high unemployment and a growing economic crisis, Spain slashed its generous subsidy for the panels last year because it was costing too much.