Latest news with #GeorgeH.W.Bush
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Points of Light, founded by former President Bush, aims to double American volunteerism by 2035
NEW ORLEANS — Points of Light, the nonprofit founded by Former President George H.W. Bush, will lead an effort to double the number of people who volunteer with U.S. charitable organizations from 75 million annually to 150 million in 10 years. The ambitious goal, announced in New Orleans at the foundation's annual conference, which concluded Friday, would represent a major change in the way Americans spend their time and interact with nonprofits. It aspires to mobilize people to volunteer with nonprofits in the U.S. at a scale that only federal programs like AmeriCorps have in the past. It also coincides with deep federal funding cuts that threaten the financial stability of many nonprofits and with an effort to gut AmeriCorps programs, which sent 200,000 volunteers all over the country. A judge on Wednesday paused those cuts in some states, which had sued the Trump administration. Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of Points of Light, said that while the campaign has been in development well before the federal cuts, the nonprofit's board members recently met and decided to move forward. 'What our board said was, 'We have to do it now. We have to put the stake in the ground now. It's more important than it was before the disruption of AmeriCorps,'' she said in an interview with The Associated Press. She said the nonprofit aims to raise and spend $100 million over the next three years to support the goal. Points of Light, which is based in Atlanta, was founded by President George H.W. Bush to champion his vision of volunteerism. It has carried on his tradition of giving out a daily award to a volunteer around the country, built a global network of volunteer organizations and cultivated corporate volunteer programs. Speaking Wednesday in New Orleans, Points of Light's board chair Neil Bush told the organization's annual conference that the capacity volunteers add to nonprofits will have a huge impact on communities. 'Our mission is to make volunteering and service easier, more impactful, more sustained," Bush said. "Because, let's be honest, the problems in our communities aren't going to fix themselves.' According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps, the rate of participation has plateaued since 2002, with a noticeable dip during the pandemic. Susan M. Chambré, professor emerita at Baruch College who studied volunteering for decades, said Points of Light's goal of doubling the number of volunteers was admirable but unrealistic, given that volunteer rates have not varied significantly over time. But she said more research is needed into what motivates volunteers, which would give insight into how to recruit people. She also said volunteering has become more transactional over time, directed by staff as opposed to organized by volunteers themselves. In making its case for increasing volunteer participation in a recent report, Points of Light drew on research from nonprofits like Independent Sector, the National Alliance for Volunteer Engagement and the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland. Sirangelo said they want to better measure the impact volunteers make, not just the hours they put in, for example. They also see a major role for technology to better connect potential volunteers to opportunities, though they acknowledge that many have tried to do that through apps and online platforms. Reaching young people will also be a major part of accomplishing this increase in volunteer participation. Sirangelo said she's observed that many young people who do want to participate are founding their own nonprofits rather than joining an existing one. 'We're not welcoming them to our institutions, so they have to go found something,' she said. 'That dynamic has to change.' 'I think for volunteering and the incredible work that Points of Light is leading to really have a deeper connection with my generation, it needs to be done in a way that isn't just talking to or at young people, but really co-created across generations,' said Edgar, who is 21. Karmit Bulman, who has researched and supported volunteer engagement for many years, said she was very pleased to see Points of Light make this commitment. 'They are probably the most well known volunteerism organization in the country and I really appreciate their leadership,' said Bulman, who is currently the executive director of East Side Learning Center, a nonprofit in St. Paul. Bulman said there are many people willing to help out in their communities but who are not willing to jump through hoops to volunteer with a nonprofit. 'We also need to recognize that it's a pretty darn stressful time in people's lives right now,' she said. "There's a lot of uncertainty personally and professionally and financially for a lot of people. So we need to be really, really flexible in how we engage volunteers." Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the 's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The is solely responsible for this content. For all of 's philanthropy coverage, visit /hub/philanthropy.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tour the Captain's Import Cabin aboard the USS George H. W. Bush
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Captain Robert Bibeau has been in command of the George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier for almost a year. To be the captain, you also have to be a pilot yourself. He is a part of the naval aviation, which makes his job even more prestigious. Not only is he in charge of the men and women on the flight deck and pilots, he's in charge of the 5,000 sailors that set sail on the CVN-77. 'I know for a lot of our sailors they get attracted to the Navy by the cool things and the cool operations, right, the aircraft carrier, the fighter jets, and most of us stay for the people,' said Captain Bibeau. 'You join the organization, you find a bunch of amazing people that you work with, that you build relationships with, you build a leadership style, and that's kind of what keeps people in.' RELATED: Shelby Mac gets her Navy uniform He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1997. Some of the coolest parts of the ship are made for the captain in honor of the ship's namesake. The Captain's Import Cabin, also known as his office, was modeled after the Oval Office when George H. W. Bush was in office. There is also a museum on board the ship with Bush's military history and some memorabilia. Bibeau looks back on his time in the early 2000s with enjoyment when his call sign, or name other pilots give you, was modeled after a popular show. 'I'm named after a character from South Park. 'TIMMMAYYY!' See, there you go, you nailed it.' To see more from Shelby's naval journey, check out the News 2 special report . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Scientific American
08-05-2025
- Business
- Scientific American
Shuttering of EPA's Energy Star Program Would Impact Electric Bills and the Environment
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to do away with its Energy Star program, the New York Times has reported—signaling the end of the efficiency certification project that has helped families and business to save more than $500 billion in energy costs since 1992, by the agency's own metrics. The EPA has not yet made the cut official, but employees were told in an internal meeting that Energy Star would be eliminated, according to the Times. What Is Energy Star? First put into place 33 years ago under the administration of George H.W. Bush, Energy Star is a testing and certification program for appliances and electronics. Businesses can use the Energy Star logo if their products are third-party certified as meeting the EPA's energy efficiency benchmarks; the agency also oversees continued post-market testing of appliances and electronics to ensure they are still performing up to snuff. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Consumers can also get rebates and tax credits on purchases of Energy Star-labeled products. The program additionally extends to certifying energy-efficient homes and apartment buildings, commercial buildings and industrial plants. These certifications affect local building code benchmarks and tax incentives for homeowners, says Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit research organization focused on reducing energy waste. 'The consumer labeling is the headline, if you will, but there are all sorts of other implications of this that aren't as well understood,' Nadel says. What Are the Impacts of the Energy Star Program? According to an annual Energy Star report released by the EPA in May 2024, the program has saved more than 5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity since 1992 and prevented 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the same period. More than $100 billion of Energy Star products are sold each year, and a 2022 survey found that 89 percent of Americans recognized the Energy Star label. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said an Energy Star designation was very or somewhat influential in their purchasing decisions. According to the EPA's 2024 report, each dollar spent on the Energy Star program spurred $230 in spending on energy-efficient infrastructure and services by homes and businesses. The EPA estimates the program saves a typical household $450 on energy bills each year. In April, a group of over 1,000 manufacturers, building owners and small businesses signed a letter asking EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to keep the program, which today has an annual budget of about $32 million. 'Most economists would agree it's generally a pretty good use of federal funds,' says Joe Craig, the chair of the department of economics at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Companies voluntarily participate in the program, and consumers voluntarily decide whether to buy products with the label. 'You could argue, in theory, it should be done by the private market, and the government shouldn't be involved at all,' Craig says. But he notes that few private companies are well-funded enough to run such programs. What Will Happen without Energy Star? There are a few other energy certifications that consumers and industry can turn to in the absence of energy star: LEED certification for buildings, for example, or specifications from the nonprofit Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), Inc., for products. Unlike the EPA, however, CEE does not independently test or certify products, and LEED certification is limited to architecture. States and the federal government set energy efficiency standards, but these are minimum requirements—not the higher bar of efficiency set by Energy Star. 'If it disappears, will there be something?' Nadel says. 'Probably, but my guess is it will probably be very ad hoc.' Utilities and states might set their own energy efficiency benchmarks, but that situation will be challenging for manufacturers to navigate, he says. 'People like that uniformity around the country,' Nadel explains. Outreach to consumers is also more difficult for a patchwork of local and state-level programs, compared to one well-established, widely recognizable federal one, he adds. 'They haven't worked out most of the details,' Nadel says, 'so time will tell how this evolves.'
Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Catherine Austin Fitts: US spent $21 trillion building underground bases for elites
Listen to article A former official in President George H. W. Bush's administration has made explosive claims that the US government secretly built a massive network of underground 'cities' to shelter the wealthy and powerful in the event of a catastrophic global crisis. Catherine Austin Fitts, who served as assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1989 to 1990, made the allegations in a recent interview on The Tucker Carlson Podcast, claiming the underground system was funded through more than $21 trillion in unauthorised government spending. Though her claims are unverified, Fitts pointed to research by economist Mark Skidmore of Michigan State University, who in 2017 reported uncovering trillions in unsupported budget adjustments within the Departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development between 1998 and 2015. One figure included a staggering $6.5 trillion in adjustments made by the US Army in a single fiscal year. 'I started looking at where the money went and found evidence pointing to the construction of underground bases, city infrastructure, and hidden transportation systems,' Fitts said. 'We estimate there could be around 170 such facilities, some even beneath the ocean.' Fitts alleged the facilities were intended as secure locations for elite shelter in case of a 'near-extinction event' but could also support covert government operations, including what she described as a possible 'secret space program.' Tucker Carlson, responding to the claims, added that he had once spoken with a contractor who claimed a transformer box near Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., was actually an emergency exit linked to a hidden government tunnel system. Fitts also suggested these facilities operate on advanced 'breakthrough energy' technologies, asserting, 'I'm convinced this energy exists. Some of the ships flying around the planet aren't using classical electricity.' While her statements remain uncorroborated, they come at a time of rising interest in luxury survival infrastructure. In early 2025, Virginia-based firm SAFE (Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments) announced plans to build a $300 million private doomsday bunker named Aerie, offering AI-driven medical care and 'wellness' features. Memberships start at $20 million, and the company says it aims to construct similar bunkers in all 50 states. SAFE's founder called Virginia 'ground zero for the finest demographic in the world' — fuelling further speculation that elite shelter projects may not be just science fiction. Whether fact or fantasy, Fitts' claims have reignited debate over government secrecy, defence budgets, and what lengths those in power might go to when preparing for the worst.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'The most patriotic thing': Arizona climate experts reel as Trump pauses volunteer report
Hundreds of American scientists who volunteered their time to help produce the congressionally mandated Sixth National Climate Assessment, due out in early 2028, received an email April 28 from the Trump administration. "At this time, the scope of the NCA6 is currently being reevaluated in accordance with the Global Change Research Act of 1990," it read. "We are now releasing all current assessment participants from their roles." The series of reports is the result of an act passed by Congress during the George H. W. Bush administration, in response to testimony in 1988 by climate scientist James Hansen that global warming was already worsening droughts and heat waves. Hansen told lawmakers to 'stop waffling' and deal with the problem. So they voted to mandate that a national climate assessment be produced approximately every four years. Past National Climate Assessments have synthesized the best available scientific understanding of how storms are intensifying, heat waves are becoming more extreme, crops are increasingly failing under the strain of drought and pests that shift into new regions in response to rising temperatures, and much more. The information is then translated into layperson summaries, maps and graphs and distributed to stakeholders and communities, where it can be used to inform policy and preventative measures designed to protect American lives, homes, businesses and wallets from the supercharged forces of a warmed atmosphere. Now, the second Trump administration, near the end of the first 100 days, which environmentalists say will devastate public lands, wildlife and climate progress for generations, has halted this volunteer effort signed into law by a Republican administration 35 years ago. The move is another example of President Donald Trump seeming to follow guidelines set out in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 blueprint for his second term, which he distanced himself from during his campaign. The document highlighted the report as "climate alarmism" and an obstacle to the president's scope of decision-making related to projects or initiatives that could pose additional climate risks identified by the scientist authors. It is yet unclear what legal challenges may follow. Multiple Arizona State University law professors did not answer The Arizona Republic's inquiries about what it means that this dismissal violates a congressional mandate. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes' office also declined to comment, but shared through spokesperson Richie Taylor that "Mayes is deeply concerned by the Trump Administration's ongoing efforts to undermine our ability to confront climate change ... and will continue to fight back against illegal actions taken by the President that threaten Arizona's communities." What is clear is that patriotic American climate scientists are dismayed. The announcement Monday dismissed the scientist authors of the Sixth National Climate Assessment from their roles on the report, not their jobs, as other outlets indicated. But the Trump administration had previously fired staff involved in coordinating the effort through the U.S. Global Change Research Program. This makes it difficult for "plans to develop for the assessment" or for near-term "future opportunities to contribute or engage," as the April 28 email suggests, might be the next step. "It's incumbent upon us to call out the reality behind the rhetoric here," Dave White, a professor at Arizona State University and director of its Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, told The Republic. "The Climate Assessment has, for all intents and purposes, been canceled." White was the lead author on the Southwest Chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment, which was published in late 2023 and celebrated by President Joe Biden. He traveled to the White House for its release that November and said being appointed to the role and in attendance at its release were some of the greatest honors of his life. "It is a patriotic duty and a patriotic responsibility," he said. "Many of us, including myself, are incredibly proud of that. These folks are doing this out of service to their country." Coverage of the fifth climate report: 'We can't be complacent:' Climate report offers mix of familiar warnings, new solutions That sense of American service stands in sharp contrast to Trump's treatment of the report as a political attack. White said the scientists involved actually take great care to make sure the process and findings are conservative, not alarmist, and based on robust scientific evidence. 'Contrary to the way it is being framed by this administration, this is a policy-neutral, nonpartisan effort," he said. "The goal with this report is to help every sector of society, all Americans: red states, blue states, manufacturing, agriculture, farming, ranching, as well as environment and health." "It really is one of the most patriotic things I could imagine," he continued, after a pause to reflect. "Like the Manhattan Project that brought together the greatest minds of a generation to unlock the power of the atom to help try to win the second world war, this is bringing the best minds and talent of universities and nonprofits and government partners together to come up with the best knowledge we have about responding to this incredible challenge that we face.' Unlike the secretive Manhattan Project, however, the Fifth Climate Assessment, which White noted was still available online at the time of the interview, offers a level of transparency not seen in most other government reports. He described it as a "very dynamic" set of chapters, all hyperlinked to each other so that any interested individual can follow the logical thread. The 2023 version includes an online interactive atlas that allows people to look at specific projections for a particular geography, like their own county. "It's easy, probably, for people to think of it as just another report that the government produces," White said. "But it's really designed to be something that empowers people, communities, businesses, farmers, ranchers to be able to understand and anticipate impacts." It also, importantly, does not recommend specific policy actions. "So the idea that it might have some embedded bias or climate alarmism is really, I think, just rhetoric from the administration to undermine the credibility of what is a really authoritative scientific consensus," he said. White was not involved in the preparation of the current sixth assessment. He said it's normal for scientists to step back for a cycle since the report can require 10 to 20 hours per week for several years on top of their regular jobs. Instead, Elizabeth Koebele, who grew up in Mesa and is now an expert on Colorado River policy and a faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno, was set to lead the next Southwest chapter. She told The Republic she was heartbroken to receive news this week that all authors had been released from their roles on the sixth assessment. "The Southwest chapter authors, which I led the selection of, are true experts in their fields," Koebele said. "They had already put so much work into exploring the scientific advances that have been made since NCA5. I'm devastated to lose the opportunity to work with this amazing team and to engage with communities across the Southwest to support climate resilience." Coverage from USA TODAY: Trump cuts reach climate scientists who labored for free Americans, and in particular Arizonans, may feel the lack of a sixth update to the National Climate Assessment. Koebele noted that the Southwest is "ground zero" for many impacts of climate change, particularly threats to water security related to aridification, a term for the shift from temporary droughts to more permanent low rainfall conditions. She also pointed out the Southwest has been a "key testbed for innovative climate mitigation and adaptation actions," progress that may be stalled without continued work on the report. "The absence of a National Climate Assessment that meets the report's historical standards of broad input, rigorous peer review and transparency has serious implications for the nation and especially for the Southwest region," Koebele told The Republic. "If decision makers and stakeholders do not have reliable, up-to-date information on how climate change may impact things the region values, their ability to respond suffers and, in turn, negatively affects all residents." Leading the way on heat: Sensing heat: How scientists in Phoenix study summer's deadliest invisible threat White identified three specific examples of how the fifth assessment, released in 2023, has already informed local strategies regarding Arizona's water resources and extreme heat impacts. He said he has received requests to present the report's findings and how to access its data from entities managing the state's water supplies, including the Phoenix Water Services Department and Salt River Project, one of central Arizona's major utilities. The city used his input to inform their decision-making about smart investments in water infrastructure, and SRP factored his knowledge into its plans to manage Arizona forests in sensitive watersheds. He did this work for Phoenix area officials as a volunteer. White also said he thinks ASU professor and sustainability researcher Jennifer Vanos' contributions to the fifth assessment's review of the toll extreme heat takes on outdoor worker productivity, and therefore Arizona's economy, have already informed local efforts to address this hazard. "In her innovative new section of the report, (Vanos) illustrated how the increases in both average and extreme temperatures that are projected based on our very complete and solid understanding of how climate change is impacting heat in our region, anticipate significant reductions in the ability of farm workers, utility workers, those in construction trades and more to cope with extreme increased temperatures," White said. "We anticipate that will be reduced by up to 20 or 25%, and so this information is incredibly vital for not only those frontline community members, but their managers who need to understand how they can reduce risks to their workers." New wildfire series: Are Arizona cities prepared to evade urban wildfires? If not, will they build back better? Last April, the Phoenix City Council passed an ordinance requiring employers who work with the city to draft a heat safety plan that ensures access for their outdoor workers to free and cool water, breaks as needed, access to shade or air conditioning and that helps employees adapt to the heat. That rule just went into effect May 1. A city spokesperson said they were not aware of any direct connection between the Fifth Climate Assessment and this new ordinance. But the advances in understanding of heat made by ASU climate scientists have been integrated in many official and unofficial ways with the evolving operations of Phoenix's Office of Heat Response and Mitigation. Vanos, for her part, is not convinced that all hope is lost for a future Sixth National Climate Assessment. She thinks there may still be some fulfillment of the congressional mandate, just different from what had originally been lined up. She uses the latest report in her class at ASU on "Climate and Health" and would miss having access to more recent data and insights to share with her students. But she remains confident in the lasting value of the 2023 assessment to which she contributed. She said she continues to learn from it and the report is making a big difference in the scientific world and beyond, where its complexity, derived from reliable data, critical thinking and traceable connections to climate change, can still support decisions about infrastructure needs and coping resources for exposed communities in forward-thinking ways. "I feel for the government staffers for who this was not a volunteer task," Vanos said. "But I am reminding myself that the NCA5 report as a whole, as well as the specific sections by location and sector, including the data, maps, and graphics, are still valuable to many people, communities, cities, farmers, and beyond, because they are." Read our climate series: The latest from Joan Meiners at azcentral: climate coverage from Arizona and the Southwest Joan Meiners is the climate news and storytelling reporter at The Arizona Republic and Her award-winning work has also appeared in Discover Magazine, National Geographic, ProPublica and the Washington Post Magazine. Before becoming a journalist, she completed a doctorate in ecology. Follow Joan on Twitter at @beecycles, on BlueSky at @ or email her at Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's weekly climate and environment newsletter. Read more of the team's coverage at by subscribing to This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump pauses mandated climate report, 'dismisses' Arizona experts
