$20 Mn. to Help Colombia Clean Up its Solid Waste Management / US$20 millones para apoyar a Colombia mejorar su manejo de los residuos sólidos
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009From the World Bank:
Financing to address health and environmental problems
The US$20 million for implementing the Solid Waste Management Program in Colombia will seek to improve the quality and coverage of the country’s integrated waste treatment services, benefiting close to 400,000 people thanks to the appropriate management of solid waste in landfills built by the project.
“This [...]
Colombia’s Surprising New Tobacco Control Law
Friday, July 24th, 2009Colombia has just passed a law on tobacco that is, well, surpising, given the language of the original bill and how strongly the industry lobby fought against against any amendments to toughen it.
Among other things, the new law:
bans sales to minors of any tobacco product, and requires vendors to check for proof of age;
bans placement [...]
Update: Colombian Government Finally Gets Its Eco-Teeth
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009Nearly a year ago I posted about the environmental sanctions law approved by Colombia’s congress. What I didn’t know at the time of posting was that a week later the Executive Branch would raise formal objections to the law — essentially an attempt at a line-item veto. The Senate and Chamber of Deputies refused in [...]
An Illustration of the Mining Dilemma in Colombia
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009I just read a good article in Tierramérica that illustrates well, I think, the current split in Colombia over mining, particularly mining that affects protected areas. They examine the controversy over AngloGold Ashanti’s gold exploration activities in the municipality of Cajamarca, in Tolima Department*, in the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) and the Central Forest [...]
A Loan to Improve Colombia’s Water and Sanitation Services
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009From the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB):
Colombia will improve its water and sanitation services with assistance from the IDB
Program will help to reduce costs and expand service in poor areas
The Inter-American Development Bank will support Colombian government efforts to improve water and sanitation services, reduce costs and rates, and expanding coverage, particularly to poor, underserved districts.
These [...]
The Status of Global Renewables
Saturday, May 16th, 2009The Vienna, Austria-based Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) has just released its latest review of the global state of adoption of renewable energy sources — solar (both photovoltaics and passive systems, such as solar water heaters), wind, geothermal, wave, biofuels and small hydro (REN21 excludes large hydropower projects from its review). [...]
LAC Projects Receive 2009 SEED Award
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009This year’s recipients of the SEED Awards were announced yesterday by the SEED Initiative at a reception linked to this year’s session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), and several of the recipients were from Latin America.
What is the SEED Award and who is the SEED Initiative? you ask. The Initiative was founded [...]
FONTAGRO to Fund IDB Studies on Climate Change Impact on Agriculture
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009From the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB):
FONTAGRO extends agreement with IDB
The Bank will manage the Fund until 2011 and finance climate change impact studies
The Inter-American Development Bank and the Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology (FONTAGRO, for its initials in Spanish) have extended until 2011 their agreement whereby the IDB will continue to manage the Fund, [...]
Eye on Ads: Promoting Handwashing
Thursday, April 30th, 2009It’s a relatively simple thing that it’s too often overlooked by local sanitary authorities and technical assistance programs, but soooooo important in improving public health and hygiene: getting everyone in the habit of regularly (and properly) washing their hands with soap.
Below are two public service ads (PSAs) sponsored by Colombia’s Environment Ministry (MAVDT), originally released [...]
Culmina armonización andina de requisitos para productos de higiene doméstica y absorbentes de higiene personal
Monday, April 20th, 2009Synopsis in English: The Andean Community (CAN) is putting the finishing touches on the new Community norm to harmonize member states’ (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru) sanitary control regimes regarding household and personal hygiene products, such as soaps, detergents, fabric softeners, surface cleansers, stain removers, bleaches, air fresheners, sanitary towels, disposable diapers, tampons, towelettes, etc.
To refresh [...]




















