"All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it's here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster."
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Apr. 3, 2006
Students in Universities across the country (and world), are working for change. Many have realized that if we do not change our ways now, we will pay life-threatening consequences in the future.
I wanted to highlight the current waves of "activism in academia" because the two really go hand in hand. Learning about and becoming more aware of environmental issues ignites passion. The following sustainability digest was posted by the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley...please read on and share with others.
A recent escalation of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in over 45,000 people fleeing their homes since Monday.
As men, women, and children flee with whatever they can carry, camps for displaced people are straining under the burden. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said the situation could become "a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic dimensions."
A cease-fire has allowed supplies and aid workers to return to the area, but the situation is still dire. If you can, please donate to bring emergency water and sanitation aid into the existing camps. Even skipping one meal or latte makes a difference...you can collect change from friends too...just leave a jar in the common area with a sign posted!
Documentary filmmaker Lisa Jackson traveled to the Congo in 2006 to investigate the systematic rape of tens of thousands of women. Here is a link about her newly released documentary (which won at the Sundance Film Festival '08). And click here for more resources! How cool would it be to host a party to watch the film and discuss?
Teen pregnancy is a real problem that deserves honest solutions, not new laws that won't work. Studies show that 90 percent of pregnant teens seeking help do involve their parents from the start. But Prop 4 says that when a teen cannot notify her parents, she must either navigate a lengthy court process or spark an investigation of the family. Either way - she’s trapped and won’t get the support she needs during this critical time. Prop 4 doesn’t help our teens, Prop 4 harms our teens. That’s why I am voting no on Prop 4.
Follow the Oil Money is an interactive tool that tracks the flow of oil money in US politics. Click on one of the search tools on the right to find out which companies are pumping their dirty oil money into politics, who is receiving it, and how it correlates to key climate, energy and war votes.
On the shelf
Teaching Rebellion: Stories from the Grassroots Mobilization in Oaxaca, edited by Diana Denham and CASA Chapulin, is a compilation of testimonies from longtime organizers, teachers, students, housewives, religious leaders, union members, schoolchildren, indigenous community activists, artists and journalists--and many others who participated in what became the Popular Assembly of the People's of Oaxaca.
In your cup
Add Equal Exchange's Organic Love Buzz coffee to your grocery list this month (also makes a great gift!). For every 12 oz. package sold, Equal Exchange will donate 20 cents to the Small Farmers Green Planet Fund.
On the screen
Battle in Seattle illustrates that even against incredible odds, ordinary people can change the world. See it in a theater near you. Also, Watch this video, then show it to all your friends.
From the heart "...we must fight to bring domestic violence out of the darkness of isolation and into the light of justice...." -- Sen. Barack Obama
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In the United States, a woman is raped every 6 minutes; a woman is battered every 15 seconds. Worldwide, the rape of women is widespread in armed conflicts such as Colombia and Darfur. Trafficking of women has become a global phenomenon where victims are sexually exploited, forced into labor and subjected to abuse. We must stop this NOW.
Vote for justice. Vote for peace.
Take a self-defense class.
Organize your community (see these sites for resources: http://toolkit.ncjrs.org/ and http://www.amnestyusa.org/violence-against-women/resources/page.do?id=1051025
Whole Foods Market needs to assure that the products they distribute are produced ethically and do not exploit workers.
As the country's largest retail chain of natural and organic food, Whole Foods prides itself as the industry leader in social responsibility. However, Whole Foods has decided to ignore the ongoing labor crisis at Beef Northwest, a feedlot that services Country Natural Beef, a major supplier to Whole Foods. Workers at Beef Northwest have struggled for two years to be represented by the United Farm Workers, only to have Whole Foods turn a blind eye to the plight of farm workers.
Climbing PoeTree presents a multi-media two-woman show about unnatural disaster and a great shift in universal consciousness.
Trust me, you don't want to miss it.
When I saw Climbing PoeTree perform at the Empowering Women of Color Conference at UC Berkeley earlier this year, I was overwhelmed with a call to action. Their passionate art comes alive and inspires the soul to reach out to the world...to turn challenges into opportunities...to join the movement and build community.
Hurricane Season interweaves spoken word poetry, sound collage, shadow art, dance, film and animation to explore critical issues facing humanity through the kaleidoscope of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, namely: land rights and housing rights; water access and food justice; over-policing and mass-incarceration; state violence and militarization; racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia; environmental justice and climate change; globalization, migration, and economic justice. It is centered on building bridges, creating safety nets, and finding solutions through art to the interconnected problems our communities face—how can we become agents for change rather than victims of circumstance?
A “solutions-cipher” follows every show, where audience members participate in a dialog featuring local grassroots organizations, visionaries, and healers. The objective of the post-show “solutions-cipher” is to address the issues surfaced in Hurricane Season on a local level, to cross-pollinate creative strategies for self-determination, and to turn the passion generated in the show into action manifested in the community.
Get invovled in your local city and don't miss this amazing tour!
As if this isn’t outraging enough, I also read that the chemical is often found in baby bottles and sippy cups too. Healthy Child, Healthy World takes you through the rooms of your house to identify, item by item, toxic substances consumed by children and families everyday. And Healthy Toy database indicates which toys and car seats are lead-free.
I like the way one blog writer put it when she said “we mamas gotta be our OWN lobbyists.” California moms and dads can take action by supporting legislation to ban of bisphenol-A. State senate Bill 1713 needs our help. Make noise by contacting companies that use bisphenol-A and share the facts with parents you know.
The last time I was in the grocery store, the customer in front of me purchased a pack of gum and stamps. These two items could easily be crammed into the pocket of one’s jeans or carried in the palm of one’s hand, yet a plastic bag was provided for the purpose of convenient transporting.
Plastic bags. Pizza delivery. Chinese take-out. To-go boxes. Drive thru windows. Do we really need a plastic bag for a pack of gum and some stamps? In a society run on quick-n-easy conveniences, it seems we have stopped thinking and have become complacent to these everyday actions. While at the check-out counter it’s as if we don’t notice the resources that go into the making of the plastic, paper or individually wrapped Wrigley sticks.
Each of these conveniences contributes to global environmental change. By modifying our behaviors and lifestyles away from these polluting conveniences, we can make a big difference. While it may add a few minutes to my morning routine to stick a coffee mug or container into my bag before going to the café or office, I feel rewarded throughout the day for taking that extra step.
It’s even becoming “trendy” to BYOB - bring your own bag – to the grocery store or farmer’s market. The trick to remembering is to leave a few re-usable bags in the back of your car. While many stores are making money off tote bag sales (I recently entered a target that featured canvas totes decorated with green sayings as the new “hip-gotta-have-it” item of the month), any bag, purse or back-pack will work.
Going bagless is one of the easiest ways to reduce our ecological footprints. So please, next time you're at the store wrap it in peace, not plastic.
From breakfast foods to ice cream sundaes, bananas are in high demand around the world. Before this golden fruit ends up in your local supermarket, it travels through an international system of “free” trade. Eighty percent of the world banana trade is in the hands of 5 companies: Dole Food Company, Chiquita Brands International, Fresh Del Monte, Noboa and Fyffes. Since Central America is considered a valued hotspot for cheap labor and lax environmental laws, many companies control plantations in this region and compete with each other for profit. In fact, high demand by supermarkets and retailers have forced companies like Chiquita to seek cheaper sources of supply, creating competition between Latin American countries like Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia and Ecuador to offer lower prices. Read More »
Opting for public tap water over bottled water and supporting the efforts of local officials who prioritize strong public water systems over bottled water profits.
Water is a human right and not a not a commodity to be bought and sold for profit. I took the pledge...
Because bottled water corporations are changing the very way people think about water and undermining people's confidence in public water systems;
Because up to 40% of bottled water in the U.S. and Canada is sourced from municipal tap water;
Because some bottlers have run over communities' concerns and the environment when they extract water and build bottling plants to get local spring and ground water;
Because bottled water travels many miles from the source, results in the burning of massive amounts of fossil fuels, and contributes to the billions of plastic bottles ending up in our landfills;
Because worldwide there is a need for investments in public water systems to ensure equal access to water, a key ingredient for prosperity and health for all people; and
Because solutions to ensuring water as a fundamental human right require people acting TOGETHER and standing up for public water systems,
“Democracy don't rule the world, You'd better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence, But I guess that's better left unsaid.” (Bob Dylan)
COPINH (Civic Counsel of Popular and Indigenous Organizations) invites all world citizens to the “2nd Hemispheric Gathering Against Militarization”. The dates for this Gathering were chosen so as to build-up to the 3rd Americas Social Forum to be held in Guatemala City, October 7-12.
When you think of the 1.5 million barrels of oil in the US that are used to make water bottles from polyethylene terephthalate, of which about 90% are landfilled or incinerated, the cool clear liquid you are about to quench seems far from refreshing.
Not to mention that most of the bottled water in today's industry is just tap water in disguise! Corporations are turning a natural resource into a profit making consumer trap. Millions of money goes into advertisement to sale bottled water as cleaner, healthier and even better tasting then tap water.
Students from universities around the country are opting out of the bottle water biz and spreading a new trend in reusuable bottles like the Kleen Kanteen. Tufts Univiersity students are fighting back by pledging to not support corporate control of water. I really like how we as students can come together and make a tidal wave in our communities and world. Join the movement and take action today!
This message comes from Steve Stormoen, Youth Empowerment Initiative Coordinator, from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation:
Join the Think Outside the Bomb network for four days of learning, sharing, and activism, August 14-17 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. The conference will provide a backdrop for nuclear abolitionists, peace activists, ecologists, and other advocates of social justice and a livable planet to learn in-depth about the threat of nuclear weapons, the destruction caused by the nuclear fuel chain, and current political opportunities to move toward nuclear disarmament. Think Outside the Bomb is unique: it is the only conference of it's kind that is fully organized and led by youth (roughly defined as under-29), and does more than educate students and young people on the issues surrounding nuclear weapons, waste, and power -- it places us in the forefront of the movement, making change happen! Like previous national conferences, food and transportation to and from the conference will be provided!
The 2008 National Conference in Boston, MA, will explore such interconnected themes as localized resistance to militarism and empire, supporting indigenous resistance to nuclear colonialism, and turning back the resurgence of "poisoned power" (nuclear energy). It will include workshops, panels, dialogues, and skills trainings to strengthen our analyses of the role of nuclear weapons in the global political order, empower ourselves with new tools for effective community organizing, and deepen our commitment to building a better world. Read More »
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Because bottled water corporations are changing the very way people think about water and undermining people's confidence in public water systems;
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