Co-founder and President of Equitable Origin David Poritz appeared on National Public Radio Station WBUR Boston on Friday to discuss the film "Oil and Water" and EO's work and mission. David and "Oil and Water" co-director Laurel Spellman Smith were interviewed by reporter Sacha Pfieffer for the "Radio Boston" program.
Beginning on September 1, 2014, Equitable Origin held a three-day workshop in Iquitos, Peru at the headquarters of the Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the East (ORPIO) the regional subsidiary of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle (AIDESEP) for the Loreto region of Peru.
On the 22 and 23 of August, Equitable Origin President David Poritz and VP of Standards and Stakeholder Engagement Soledad Mills traveled to Belize with James Anaya, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to meet with the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association.
Equitable Origin's Sebastián Pérez presents the EO system to representatives of OPIAC
Equitable Origin’s Pablo Yépez and Sebastián Pérez met with representatives from OPIAC, the Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon, in August 2014 to discuss the working relationship between the two organizations, share news and success stories, and to plan next steps in advancing mutual goals.
Jhon Wajai is a member of the Shuar Indigenous People of Ecuador and Peru. He provides technical and political support to Indigenous Peoples’ organizations in the Amazon region, including CONFENIAE, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon, and COICA, Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin.
On July 31 and August 1, 2014, Equitable Origin was invited to participate in a workshop with COICA and CONFENIAE, indigenous organizations of the Ecuadorian Amazon, to discuss best practices in the oil & gas industry and potential uses of the EO100™ Standard.
An enthusiastic audience collected in Providence, RI at 2:30pm on August 7, 2014 to watch the screening of Oil & Water at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
EO’s President and Co-Founder David Poritz participated in a Q&A session after the film with director Laurel Spellman Smith, answering questions that ranged from updates on the progress of Equitable Origin and the Cofan Survival Fund, to the best ways of changing oil companies’ practices.
On April 9th and 10th of 2014, in the Colombian municipality of Orito, Putumayo, with the participation of representatives from chapters and councils of the Indigenous Zone Organization of Putumayo (OZIP), Equitable Origin inaugurated the Awareness and Empowerment Workshop for the use and application of the EO100™ Standard as a useful tool for indigenous organizations in managing hydro-carbon activities within their territories.
On May 21, 2014, Fernando Benalcazar, EO’s VP of Global Implementation and VP Latin America, gave a presentation to mayors of the Colombian municipalities most affected by oil and gas exploration and production. He was invited to give this presentation by Dr. Gilberto Toro, Executive Director of the Colombian Federation of Municipalities.
The ISEAL Alliance has approved Equitable Origin’s application to progress from associate to full membership, the highest membership status in ISEAL, following a review of its standard-setting systems and monitoring and evaluation program.