Today, the incredible organization Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) is trying very hard to bring attention to this tragedy in the Congo through their program Condition: Critical, Voices from the War in Eastern Congo. Condition: Critical is a multi-media initiative launched by Doctors Without Borders aiming to bring global attention to the humanitarian consequences of the intensifying war in the Congo.  Through testimonies, photos, and video, Condition: Critical goes beyond headlines and news reports to document how civilians are struggling to survive in Congo’s North and South Kivu provinces, Ituri province, and the Haut-Uélé region – where violence, displacement, and sexual violence are mainstays of daily life.

In addition to these efforts to bring this crisis into view for the world, Doctors Without Borders continue to carry out emergency surgery, treating injuries including gunshot wounds and burns; run mobile clinics to reach those who have fled to safer, more remote areas; provide health care in hospitals and health centers; respond to epidemics like cholera; provide medical care to victims of sexual violence; and provide psychological support for those traumatized by what they have experienced. The scale of this humanitarian crisis in the Congo is extremely large. In 2007, Doctors Without Borders employed more than 2000 field staff and spent more than 39 million euros to fund its projects in the country, most of them coming from private donations.

I personally implore you to please, at the very least, watch the video clip here and if you feel moved to help, please visit the Condition: Critical website or the Doctors Without Borders site to volunteer or donate whatever you can to help these amazing people on their difficult but important mission.

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” – The Dalai Lama

The Girl Effect.  Global Oneness.  (Red)Wire.  Starbucks. People Doing Good Things.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Greg Lee, the Chief Financial Officer of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Livestrong, about the design and buildout of the new Livestrong world headquarters in Austin, Texas. Livestrong is in the process of converting a 30,000 square-foot, 1950′s-era industrial building into a modern, green, collaborative workspace for their foundation’s efforts to combat cancer. You may have seen some video clips of Lance Armstrong touring the new facility yesterday here on EdgeHopper. In this interview, Greg gives us a more detailed look at all of the sustainable design elements of the new building and discusses the long-term financial savings they will provide. He also delves into the collaborative nature of the space and the teams at the foundation. I was going to turn the interview into a blog post, but Greg provided so much great information in such a passionate way that I wanted to have you hear it from Greg himself. To that end, this blog post is also about introducing the first edition of the new EdgeHopper podcast series. As I do more interviews in the future, I’ll try to include them as podcasts here on EdgeHopper and through iTunes as well. Hmmm…launching a new venture on Friday the 13th, gutsy eh? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this first interview with a fantastic person from an amazing organization.

Click to SUBSCRIBE to the EdgeHopper Podcast in:

At the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we fight for the more than 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. There can be – and should be – life after cancer for more people. That’s why we kick in at the moment of diagnosis, giving people the resources and support they need to fight cancer head-on. We find innovative ways to raise awareness, fund research and end the stigma about cancer that many survivors face. We connect people and communities to drive social change, and we call for state, national and world leaders to help fight this disease. Anyone, anywhere can join our fight against cancer. Join us at LIVESTRONG.org.

About the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign

Lance made the decision to return to cycling because he thrives on competition. For his Foundation, the competition is the global threat of cancer. Cancer is poised to become the world’s leading cause of death by 2012. The Global Cancer Campaign is a worldwide initiative uniting everyone from survivors like Lance to world leaders and policymakers who must commit to the effort to avoid a public health catastrophe. To put it simply, we’re going to build a global movement against cancer, and we’re going to win.

They have an incredible library of films available for free on their website. The hope of the project is that by showing the diverse ways oneness is expressed—in the fields of sustainability, conflict resolution, spirituality, art, economics, indigenous culture, and social justice—others will be inspired to create solutions to personal and community challenges from their own lived understanding of oneness.  Each one of the videos is downloadable for iTunes, iPod and also in HD Video.  They’re all subtitled in at least twelve languages and are open for sharing under a Creative Commons license.

You can subscribe to the Global Oneness Blog here and the iTunes Video Podcasts here.

Here’s a beautiful trailer for the project that is very moving and indicative of the quality of the materials available on the website.

The Global Oneness Project is a special project of Kalliopeia Foundation, a private grant-making foundation in northern California committed to honoring the unity at the heart of life’s rich diversity.

In addition to being a great cause, the (RED)WIRE site and the main (RED) site have some great design elements to check out.

Boone’s message: “America is in a hole and it’s getting deeper every day. We import 70 percent of our oil at a cost of several hundred billion a year. I’ve been an oil man all my life, but this is one emergency we can’t drill our way out of. But if we create a new renewable energy network, we can break our addiction to foreign oil. On January 20, 2009, a new President gets sworn in. If we’re organized, we can convince Congress to make major changes toward cleaner, cheaper and domestic energy resources.To get this done, I need your help. Check out the plan. If you think it’s worth fighting for, please join our effort, and encourage everyone you know to do the same.”

If a guy who made his fortune in oil and gas can say this and put out a plan to do it, maybe we should take notice and listen…and do something about it! This guy rocks. Find out more at http://www.pickensplan.com.

11/05/2008 UPDATE: Lots of people have emailed me asking how they can help and make a difference.  My recommendation is to check out Kiva: Loans that Change Lives.  Kiva lets you lend to a specific “entrepreneur” in the developing world, empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty.