Situation Awareness. Ebola Crisis. Recovery, Revitalization, Resiliency Building.

1.  EBOLA Same Old Mistakes Although last year’s Ebola epidemic was a great surprise biologically speaking, practically all nonbiological aspects of the crisis “were entirely unsurprising, as the epidemic itself and the fumbling response to it played out with deeply frustrating predictability,” writes Laurie Garrett, Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her 10,000-plus word treatise about how the WHO mishandled the crisis is both substantive and riveting. She addresses areas requiring attention: the availability and use of experimental medicines, vaccines and rapid diagnostic tools. And she introduces readers to the likes of Miatta Zenabu Gbanya, a crisis-seasoned nurse who said, “I thought I knew fear very well. I thought fear in Darfur was the worst feeling. But no—it’s Ebola.” Foreign Affairs 2.  Related: Ebola: What Happened – Council on Foreign Relations 3.  Related: WHO reports 3 new Ebola cases—all in Guinea – CIDRAP 4.  Related: Persistence of Ebola Virus in Sterilized Wastewater – Environmental Science & Technology Letters

    5.  Paper-based test screens for Ebola, dengue, yellow fever in minutes
     – Healio

Free Education\Training. Coursera. Introduction to Sustainable Development

To achieve sustainable development, countries need to achieve three goals simultaneously: economic growth, broad-based social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. While many countries have “solved” the growth puzzles, few have succeeded in achieving all three aspects of sustainable development.

Coursera

This preview course, "Introduction to Sustainable Development" will give you an understanding of the key challenges and pathways to sustainable development - that is, economic development that is also socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.

Introduction to Sustainable Development

Columbia University
Begins Now

https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainabledevelopment1?utm_medium=email&utm_source=recommendations&utm_campaign=recommendationsEmail~recs_email_2015_08_16

Opportunity. Pilot Test “Closing the Gap in Local Emergency Planning for People with Disabilities,” An Online Course

Pilot Test “Closing the Gap in Local Emergency Planning for People with Disabilities,” An Online Course

August 14, 2015

Dear Local Emergency Manager or Public Health Preparedness Planner:

The E.K. Shriver Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), seeks public safety and public health emergency planners to pilot test an online emergency planning training program, “Closing the Gap in Local Emergency Planning for People with Disabilities.” The project is funded by a grant from the UMMS Commonwealth Medicine division.

Pilot testers will learn about the “Community Stakeholder Meeting” process, to promote emergency planning collaboration between first responders, emergency planners, local officials, and the disability community, and improve local emergency plans. In a prior project we successfully implemented Community Stakeholder Meetings in over 25 MA cities and towns. Each participating community identified at least 5 gaps in their emergency plans and developed (generally low cost) strategies to address those gaps.

Once accepted, a pilot tester will have 1 week to complete the training, which will be available online 24-7 starting in early fall and should take approximately 90 minutes to complete. Pilot testers will also be asked questions about subject matter knowledge, usability and satisfaction with the training, and basic demographics such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, knowledge about disability and emergency planning experience.

Pilot tester identities will be kept confidential and will not be shared with any person or entity outside the project team, including in presentations or publications. Participants’ names are never identified with their responses in our project evaluation.

Pilot testers will gain valuable knowledge and strategies regarding inclusive emergency planning. Pilot testers will preview new course materials currently not available to the public and provide important course development feedback, contributing to a critical body of knowledge. Upon completion of the course, pilot testers may download a complete copy of the Community Stakeholder Meeting workbook guide, a resource list, and a certificate of completion as thanks for their participation.

Eligible participants must be adults 21 years of age or older who:

1. Function as county, regional, city or town emergency management, public safety or public health personnel, working full or part time on either a paid or volunteer basis, regardless of official title;
2. Have substantive responsibility (alone or with others) for oversight, preparation or exercising of local emergency plans, policies and/or procedures for natural, human caused or public health emergencies/disasters; and
3. Feel competent reading and understanding written English, and using a computer with Internet broadband connectivity.

If you interested in being considered as a pilot tester please click on this secure application link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B2MJ8CWand complete our pilot tester eligibility survey by 12:00 midnight, Eastern Time, September 4, 2015. We will notify applicants about acceptance as pilot testers as soon as possible. We will send eligible pilot testers a link to the training and they will have 1 week to complete the training.

If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact Jennifer Brooks at shriver.recruit@umassmed.edu

Water Security. Even in the U.S. Water Contamination by Products and By-products of Nuclear Energy

The downside of nuclear energy.
                            Contamination of water and other environmental resources.


http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-navajo-water-lady/

The Navajo Water Lady 

AUGUST 16, 2015, 9:31 AM|In this corner of the Navajo Nation, just 100 miles west of Albuquerque, N.M., an estimated 40 percent of residents don't have access to running water. Their savior is Darlene Arviso, born and raised on the Reservation, who drives her precious cargo - a tanker truck filled with water - to make monthly deliveries to 250 families. Lee Cowan reports.

Sustainable Development Goals. Where to Start?

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ISSUE 2 - 14 August 2015 Where to Start As we get ready for the SDGs to be formally adopted in September, there is a lot you can do. For any company seeking to be sustainable, it begins with operating with integrity – respecting fundamental responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. The UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles provide a universal language for corporate sustainability and a framework to guide all businesses regardless of size, complexity or location. The most fundamental contribution a company can make towards achieving societal priorities is to be financially successful while upholding a high standard of ethics and treatment of employees, the environment and the community. Doing business responsibly can be a tall order for companies of all sizes – whether a multinational with operations in 100 countries, a business heavily reliant on suppliers in markets with substandard norms, or a small company located in an under-developed or conflict-prone country. The UN Global Compact has developed a 5-step guide that supports participants in integrating sustainability throughout their strategies and operations. Learn more. Member States Reach Consensus on SDGs to be Adopted in September On 2 August, the 193 UN Member States reached agreement on the document that will constitute the new sustainable development agenda, including the SDGs, that will be adopted this September by world leaders at the Sustainable Development Summit in New York. Concluding a negotiating process that has spanned more than two years and has featured the unprecedented participation of civil society, countries agreed to an ambitious agenda that features 17 new sustainable development goals that aim to end poverty, promote prosperity and people’s well-being while protecting the environment by 2030.         The Ten Principles  | All Our Work  | What You Can Do  | Events  | Submit your COP