As COP15 gets underway, the Global Observatory's work begins: opening up the climate issue to the world, to help illuminate what is happening and why it matters. GO founder (and former President of Costa Rica) Jose Maria Figueres is moderating the opening civil society event; President Figueres has been a long time climate leader, having signed the first bilateral agreement on climate change ever, with the United States in 1994, and instituted the first price on carbon ever in 1995.

Greenland Dispatches #1 -- "Ice Floes"
Over Greenland by Plane, Copenhagen to Washington’s Dulles Airport, July 3, 2009

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The Philanthropist, a new drama on NBC (10pm on Wednesdays), premiered last week to great reviews -- some are describing it as "James Bond meets philanthropy". Thanks to the commitment of all involved with this new show, NBC.com is plowing new ground, enabling viewers to learn about the real-world issues raised in each episode, and connecting them to resources and a way to make a difference. Check out http://www.nbc.com/the-philanthropist/philanthropy/ to see what we're doing. The show is headlined by James Purefoy (from the HBO series Rome), with Jesse L.

Today is both Father's Day and the Summer Solstice. How wonderful is that, to connect a celebration of fathers to a celebration of seasons, of our planet's natural cycles. My father taught me so much about caring for others and caring for nature, and loving the great redwoods and blue spruces and pines of our mountains of Northern California, and admiring the strength, loyalty and perseverance of the great wolves of Central Idaho, where we moved as I entered high school. He taught me about caring for those who have the fewest resources, who are most marginalized, and who need the most.

It is appropriate that our first blog is from the Democratic National Convention, not because it is political or partisan, indeed, in spite of that. It is because this is a week about hope and about the possibilities. Conversations are filled with discussions of what will be possible with Barack Obama as president -- new policies, new business opportunities, new models for our communities, for bringing jobs back to the parts of America that have lost so many due to outsourcing or the energy crisis.