News

An op-ed by 350.org founder Bill McKibben, which appeared in The Washington Post on May 23, has been adapted into a video about the connection between recent natural disasters and climate change. The video, a narration of the essay accompanied by powerful images of weather events, was produced by Stephen Thomson.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund has become a Leaders Circle member of More for Mission: The Campaign for Mission Investing.  Founded in 2007, More for Mission is helping foundations align their investments with their missions while maintaining long-term targeted financial returns.  In 2010, the RBF and Middlebury and Dickson Colleges announced the creation of the Sustainable Investments Initiative, a co-mingled investment vehicle.

Thomson Reuters has announced the addition of Investigative News Network's (INN) long-form investigative journalism to its media platform, bolstering its news content for publishers and broadcasters worldwide. Thirty INN members have agreed to participate, including RBF grantees Center for Public Integrity and Center for Investigative Reporting. INN was formed at The Pocantico Center in 2009.

An article about the uprising in Syria, commissioned by RBF grantee Meedan, has been published by Time Magazine. Since 2005, Meedan has been working to build tolerance and understanding between Web users in the United States and the Middle East by translating and sharing media and conversations on its Web site. The RBF has provided general support as well as funds to help Meedan increase its capacity in the Middle East.

RBF grantees Center for Climate Strategies and Global Environmental Institute have been selected as one of six teams to participate in the U.S. Department of State and Chinese National Development and Reform Commission's EcoPartnerships program. The EcoPartnerships program was established to facilitate collaboration among Chinese and U.S. governments and organizations working toward advancing solutions to environmental issues.

Youth Initiative for Human Rights has been cited throughout the U.S. Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report on Montenegro. The report provides comprehensive details on human rights conditions in the country. The State Department credits the the growth of  nongovernmental organizations focused on democracy and human rights issues, like YIHR, as one factor for the increase in popular movements worldwide.

On Thursday, April 21, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented an updated agenda with new goals for PlaNYC, the city's landmark effort to ensure long-term sustainability and improve all aspects of the city's environment. New initiatives include plans to install solar power plants on capped landfills, offer loans to businesses to help pay for energy-efficient upgrades, and launch a program to help buildings switch to cleaner heating fuels.

Jessica Bailey, program officer for the Sustainable Development program, discusses why it makes sense for RBF grantees 1Sky and 350.org to merge, amidst a different and challenging political landscape for those working to strengthen the climate movement.

RBF grantee the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) has launched the beta version of its new investigative news site, iWatch News, with plans to unveil a new digital newspaper next month. All content for both iWatch News vehicles will be produced by CPI, which will continue to promote the transparency, accountability, and responsiveness of government institutions, with special attention to the importance of investigative journalism.

RBF grantee Connexus Communications has produced a special five-part China Green series called "China/America: Green or Grey?" as part of its radio program, A World of Possibilities. Each part is an hour long, and contains in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs and green tech innovators in China and in the United States.