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Wednesday, August 13, 2008
ACS urges Chinese employers to go smoke free
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta-based American Cancer Society has its own Olympics quest.
Dr. Otis Webb Brawley, the chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, was in China this past weekend to launch an effort with more than 70 multi-national and Chinese companies to develop smoke-free worksites.
The launch coincided with the Beijing’s hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The society and consortium of Chinese partners are unveiling a new “toolkit” to help companies implement 100-percent smoke-free workplaces. More than 70 companies already have committed to become smoke-free at their Beijing facilities, and many also plan to implement those policies nationwide.
This complements a new law that the city of Beijing enacted on May 1 to mandate that public places — from government offices to public institutions — go smoke-free.
“With this collaboration of government, business, and public health [non-government organizations] China is well situated to curb the tobacco epidemic, which threatens to claim one billion lives worldwide this century,” Dr. Brawley said in a statement. “Tobacco increases the risk of at least 15 types of cancer. There is no safe way to smoke, and there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”
The Smoke-free Worksite Initiative is part of the American Cancer Society’s new Global Smokefree Partnership — a venture with a consortium of partners — to reduce tobacco use internationally, thereby helping prevent a number of cancers around the world.
The venture also exemplifies the international reach of the American Cancer Society, founded in 1913. It currently has offices in 3,400 communities with nearly three million volunteers across the United States and the world.
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Kiwanis honors one of its own
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Kiwanis Club showcased a local business leader who usually keeps a low profile.
But Sam Friedman’s low profile does not represent the role he has played in the Atlanta community.
In recognition of his contributions, Kiwanis on Tuesday awarded Friedman its highest honor — the Golden Rule Award.
Friedman, chairman of AFCO Realty Services, has contributed to the community in numerous ways.
He chaired the Atlanta Housing Authority early in its transformation. He has been active with the Atlanta Union Mission, the PATH Foundation, the Atlanta Kiwanis Club and the Buckhead Coalition.
(In fact, former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell, who is president of the Buckhead Coalition, came to the Tuesday lunch).
Currently, Friedman is developing a new hotel in Columbus near Fort Benning, and he has donated space in the hotel to the USO for its use.
Other people who have received the Kiwanis’ Golden Rule Award include: Chick-fil-A’s Truett Cathy, Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus; developer Tom Cousins; and another Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank.
The keynote speaker at Tuesday’s lunch was Susan Booth, artistic director of the Alliance Theatre.
She made a compelling case as to why business leaders need the arts to remain competitive.
Booth also shared a most interesting statistic from the National Endowment for the Arts. There are two million artists (actors, writers, musicians, etc.) in the United States, which means there are more artists than there are lawyers.
“Chew on that for a minute,” Booth said. And then she added that artists perform a special role in society. “We sell access to humanity.”
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