Monthly Archives: October 2008

Payson Stevens to be honored by PCI for his work with My Himachal

Payson Stevens to be honored by PCI for his work with My Himachal

Payson Stevens, one of My Himachal’s advisors would be honored on 8th November in San Diego, California for his work with My Himachal. Project Concern International (PCI), one of the largest non profit organizations in US is hosting Hands Across Borders 2008 to celebrate the diversity and spirit of South & Southeast Asia and an “Honor Roll” of local individuals and nonprofit organizations whose commitments are making a real difference in South & Southeast Asia..

A total of 30 NGOs would be honored while Md. Yunus, the noble peace prize winner from Bangladesh would also be honored in same event with Humanitarian award.

Sponsored by QUALCOMM Wireless Reach and including major corporate sponsors, the Forum would see a keynote address by Professor C.K. Prahalad.

About Payson R. Stevens

Payson R. Stevens, President and Creative Director of InterNetwork Inc. (1979-99) and well as InterNetwork Media Inc. (1993-2004), both award-winning science/consulting groups with clients in government, industry, and academia originally attended molecular biology at the City University of New York and oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He has also studied at the Arts Students League and the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

An artist, designer, writer, and film maker for over thirty years, he is one versatile man. Lead author of Embracing Earth: New Views of Our Changing Planet (Chronicle Books, 1992), which appeared in four foreign-language editions, he was also contributing author and artist/designer to the award-winning college textbooks, Geology Today (CRM, 1973) and Biology Today (CRM, 1971). His film credits include a CINE Golden Eagle Award (1980) for a national Public Television broadcast script on Antarctica.

From 1981 to 1995, Stevens and his company helped develop a series of sponsored Earth-science reports, brochures, posters, and multimedia projects for the major US science agencies which won numerous awards for design and writing in annual competitions.

He has also produced and directed ten acclaimed educational CD-ROM titles on Earth-science and environmental subjects, two of which debuted at the Smithsonian Institution’s 1995 “Ocean Planet Exhibition.” In 1994, InterNetwork received the Presidential Design Award for Excellence from President Clinton for the CD-ROM science-journal prototype, Arctic Data InterActive, the first time this honor had been given for multimedia work. Stevens is also an accomplished public speaker and has presented at numerous conferences on the environment, technology, and design. He has also been an advisor on environmental sustainability and ecotourism issues for the Great Himalayan National Park in India. Stevens is currently painting/drawing in his studio in Del Mar, California, and during annual trips to the Kullu Valley, India where he lives part of the year with his wife, the writer Kamla Kapur.

About PCI

PCI is a San Diego-based global health and development organization started in 1961. Since then it has implemented thousands of projects around the world to prevent disease, improve community health and promote sustainable development, reaching millions of families in countries in Africa, the Americas and Asia.

PCI’s projects in India reach some of the most vulnerable people throughout the country, including children at risk of contracting polio; women and children in rural communities; HIV positive people in urban slums; and most recently, thousands of people affected by some of the worst flooding in the country’s history. PCI also uses its convening power to help people here learn more about the world.

The South & Southeast Asia Forum on Nov 6th will give this extraordinary group of people a chance to share their experience and explore ways to collaborate.

Envi-Savours Environmental Mela

Envi-Savours Environmental Mela

On October 4, 2008 Envi-Saviors, a Upper Banjar Valley-based NGO, held its first Environmental Mela. It was part of Himachal Pradesh Wildlife and Environmental Week. The event was held at the Jibhi government school and included 1-10th classes with 460 students in the audience.

A contest was held in which 53 girl and boy students from the school participated. Each student had 10 minutes to read or recite an essay or speech on the environment. There were three winners in two groups: 6th-8th class and 9-10th class. One of the presentations included a kala jatha/street theater skit by 13-14 year old students. Topics included water pollution, forest protection, protecting nature, and global warming.

The six winners received English-Hindi dictionaries and ten consolation prizes which were donated by My Himchal.

My Himachal Advisory Board member Payson R. Stevens gave a short talk on global warming and the impacts that will affect HP. He also showed images of the Earth from space from his book, Embracing Earth: New Views of Our Changing Planet.