NBC's Coverage of the Ends of the Earth

I commend NBC for its Green series, and particularly enjoy the Today Show's coverage of the Ends of the Earth.

The series hasn't mentioned it, but their work fits very well with achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, especially number 7. -- Environmental Sustainability. This Goal has three targets -- No. 9: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources. No. 10: Halve by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation; No. 11: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.

The first target deals with the broad issues of environmental sustainability -- and all the policies our governments and international accords need to achieve to ensure that we mitigate the negative effects human beings have had and continue to have on the environment.

Google and Cisco have helped the UN Development Programme to create an MDG Monitor website. Partners are the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Relief Web of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). .

The MDG Monitor is designed as a tool for policymakers, development practitioners, journalists, students and others to: TRACK progress through interactive maps and country-specific profiles; LEARN about countries' challenges and achievements and get the latest news; and SUPPORT organizations working on the MDGs around the world See http://www.mdgmonitor.org/

The MDG Awards Committee is planning an MDG Awards Festival and Telecast, to be held at the United Nations on June 5, 2008. See the website http://www.un-mdgawards.org/.

All who are contributing to achieving the MDGs (corporations, non-governmental organizations, schools, academic, business associations, etc.) are invited to apply and to publicize their efforts. Grammy Awards Producer Nile Rodgers will produce the event. Come on, Come all! Show the world what you're doing.