ecomonkey

Copenhagen: What Went Wrong?

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:30:00 +0000

In between avoiding mainstream media as much as possible Ecomonkey has heard an assortment of responses to the Copenhagen fiasco and we imagine you have too. It's not entirely clear what exactly went so wrong and what was so difficult about agreeing on a fair solution to safeguard the future of human life on planet earth, but, what do you know... it didn't quite go according to plan, hmmmm.

For a great insight and analysis of the day by day action and inaction, The Stupid Show was the screen to be watching. We've watched most of the episodes and despite the clear lack of budget which allows for some highly amusing moments as well as the odd transmission break, Franny Armstrong and her team have produced a quite brilliant. summation of the whole sordid affair. If you watch nothing else, be sure to view the final episode (above). It will break your heart and make you smile - a classic we think (watch on The Stupid Show to view all the sections of this episode in succession).

When your eyes have dried and a pick me up is in order, try this highly apt poetic commentary from Marcus Brigstocke on BBC Four's The Now Show, 19Dec09. Just perfect, unlike the conference.

Further Info:
The Stupid Show / The Age Of Stupid / 10:10 Campaign

Copenhagen: Torture

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:57:00 +0000

Further Info:
VisionTV

Copenhagen: Democracy Without People

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:41:00 +0000

No suprises here. 'Leaders' don't want to listen to us. FOE and other NGOs representing the needs of ordinary people, have been refused admittance to the conference. Business as usual then.

From: Anna Markova, 16Dec09, Indymedia Danmark
"The controls at COP15 process are becoming ever more evident and frantic as civil society organisations and those who tried to join protests get their accreditation revoked. Intense footage has traveled round the Internet of police just inside Bella Centre violently pushing back 200 accredited delegates trying to get out of the conference venue and join the Reclaim Power protest outside.
Delegates from Friends of the Earth, Avaaz, Tck Tck Tck (fluffiest campaign in the world), La Via Campesina, and more, faced a surprise this morning at the entrance to the Bella Centre. The organisers had previously told NGOs that due to massive overbooking, the number of delegates per organisation would be reduced. Now they were telling them that all of their delegates' permits had been revoked. Friends of the Earth staged an impromptu sit in in the entrance hall..." Full article here

Further Info:
Indymedia Danmark / FOE

Age Of Stupid On The Tele!

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Oooh, oooh, oooh, we had no idea The Age Of Stupid was being aired on the television - huzzah! If, like Ecomonkey, you don't have a TV and/or missed the showing last night, watch it on BBC iPlayer and tell everyone - this is a MUST SEE movie! Available until next Monday.

From: The Age of Stupid, BBC iPlayer
"Drama-documentary-animation hybrid starring Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, watching archive footage from 2008 and asking why climate change wasn't stopped before it was too late.

Broadcast on: BBC Four, 10:00pm Monday 14th December 2009
Duration: 90 minutes
Available until: 11:29pm Monday 21st December 2009"

Further Info:
BBC iPlayer / The Age Of Stupid

Canada Faces Legal Challenge...

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:20:00 +0000

...for Breaking Federal Global Warming Law

From: FOE Canada, 15Dec09
"OTTAWA – The Government of Canada is facing a landmark legal challenge in the country’s top court for failing to take action on global warming -- specifically for refusing to respect a federal law that requires reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Yesterday an appeal was filed with the Supreme Court seeking to argue that the Government is breaking Canadian law by failing to comply with the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act (KPIA). It is the first climate change lawsuit in Canadian history.

Filed by eminent Canadian lawyer Chris Paliare and Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal) on behalf of Friends of the Earth Canada, the application alleges that the federal Minister of the Environment and the Governor in Council are ignoring the rule of law by failing to comply with the Act, duly passed by Parliament in June 2007."

Further Info:
FOE Canada

The Value Of Nothing, Raj Patel

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:17:00 +0000

The opposite of consumption isn't thrift. It's generosity.

Raj Patel, author of the acclaimed Stuffed and Starved has written a new book called The Value Of Nothing about how we have misplaced value on things that are of little, if any, positive benefit to us. Raj persuades us to resist being part of 'market forces' and value what is truly important instead. Here's more:

Raj Patel's The Value of Nothing: a film from Portobello Books on Vimeo.

From: Raj Patel, The Value Of Nothing
"“This is a deeply thought-provoking book about the dramatic changes we must make to save the planet from financial madness” — Naomi Klein. Opening with Oscar Wilde’s observation that “nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing,” Patel shows how our faith in prices as a way of valuing the world is misplaced. He reveals the hidden ecological and social costs of a hamburger (as much as $200), and asks how we came to have markets in the first place. Both the corporate capture of government and our current financial crisis, Patel argues, are a result of our democratically bankrupt political system..."

Further Info:
Raj Patel

Not Rocket Science: The Ethics Of Food

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:57:00 +0000

"...eliminating waste, cutting fatty and sugary foods and reducing meat and dairy consumption would make the biggest contribution towards improving health and reducing the environmental impacts of the food system...
...there is strong evidence that many changes in consumption which benefit the environment also have the added advantage of improving nutritional health in the UK."

Despite strenuous efforts by some elements of our media, corporations and economy obsessed government bodies, the quite obvious links between food, ethics, sustainability and health, remain indisputable.

What we eat, where it comes from, how it is grown, produced, packaged and even how it is then retailed, affects our health and wellbeing when we eat it, as well as the health and wellbeing of those who grow, farm, produce and sell those same products.

The factors of growth (whether or not food is grown organically, how many and what kinds of chemicals are added and unnatural processes administered to plants, trees and soil, how the soil and plants are nurtured), production (how food is processed, stored and in some cases transformed into end products) and retail (how far and by what means it is transported - from farm to production plant to factory to storage to transportation to point of sale to further transportation to point of consumption - what kinds of packaging are used, the handling of products from farm to store and the conditions under which they are sold) drastically affect the environment - both locally and globally.

The Sustainable Development Commission released a report last week called Setting The Table. It offers advice to governments on how elements of sustainability in food should be prioritised to maximise health, wellbeing, ethics and sustainability. The insight that there need not be a difficult decision between one or another of these factors is key to making a valuable difference to the long-term sustainability of our local and global societies.

From: Setting The Table Report, Sustainable Development Commission, 10Dec09
"...The reasons why food systems need to be transformed into sustainable ones are well documented. The diets of UK consumers are a significant factor in a number of critical sustainability issues such as climate change, public health, social inequality, biodiversity, and energy, land and water use, to name only a few. Defining a sustainable diet thus becomes a test case for whether the government can achieve a better match between evidence and policy, and whether the supply chain and consumers can achieve a better match between choice and living within environmental limits..." Download the full report here

Further Info:
Sustainable Development Commission / Setting The Table, SDC Report Dec09 / Defra Food 2030

A Sad Day For Fairtrade

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:51:00 +0000

From: Joe Turner, 9Dec09, Civil Society, Finance
"In the battle for ethical trading, Monday 7 December will go down as Black Monday - the day when the Fairtrade Foundation finally lost all credibility.

In the headlong rush to certify everything that moves the Fairtrade Foundation, Britain's self-proclaimed guardian of all things fairtrade, gave Nestlé the ethical pass it so desperately wanted. I shudder to even type the words: The Fairtrade Kit-kat.

Yes, that biscuit coated in the most sickly chocolate has finally burst through the winning tape. But only the four-fingered version, you'll understand.

The two-fingered version can continue being made by children and slaves in the Cote d'Ivorie. Four fingers good, two fingers bad.Though apparently they will also certify the two-fingered version. At some point in the undefined future.

The problem is not really that multinational brands are interested in the fairtrade mark, because that is what it is for, in the sense that many consumers want the multinationals to improve their purchasing policy. The problem is when the brand behind the label is so notorious and when the act of certifying devalues all those smaller brands who will inevitably lose out against the world's biggest food multinational. Brands, don't forget, who were the originators of the fairtrade concept...

...Those multinationals can use fairtrade as an ethical crutch - deceiving consumers to the extent of their ethical credentials whilst continuing with their ways with more than 90% of all the raw materials they buy. Nestle uses 370,000 tonnes of cocoa a year. The Fairtrade Kit-kat deal represents 4,300 tonnes of cocoa. Just over 1% of Nestlé chocolate will be fairtrade.

Nestlé are not doing it from the goodness of their heart. They are doing it because they think they can extract some positive feelings from people of goodwill and at the same time hoodwink us from the reality of the way they do business..." Full article here

Further Info:
Civil Society / Boycott Nestle

The Wave, Climate Camp...

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:48:00 +0000

...and the campaign for worthwhile, long-sighted, sustainable results from governments at the Copenhagen Conference continues...

Did you have fun at the Wave yesterday? Ecomonkey certainly did! It was encouraging to see so many people from all over the country, representing a myriad of organisations, groups and ideas, gather together in London to help make a valuable difference to our present and future. Around 40,000 people attended the day's events which included several city bike rides, the CCC rally, Climate Rush action and the main march to and around Westminster. We spotted Caroline Lucas valiantly peddling the legendary Rinky Dink sound machine along the streets. Let's hope the politicians who didn't take part in The Wave, at least listened to the many voices of reason. (Some pics)

Climate Campers performed their ususal magical trick of producing a fully equipped, ecological campsite seemingly from nowhere and a very cool camp is currently running in Trafalgar Square. If you can go down and join them to support the cause, please do.

From: Climate Camp
"Tracy Worthy from the Camp for Climate Action said: “We are here with the Parliament in view to highlight that the elitist and undemocratic talks in Copenhagen are part of a political and economic system that puts corporate profits before the needs of people. We need system change, not climate change.”

“The false solutions being pushed in Copenhagen, such as carbon trading, will not solve the climate crisis. For the bankers, corporations and politicians who brought us the financial crisis, Copenhagen is no more than business as usual.”

The location of the camp was kept secret until the last minute, when the target was announced through mass text-messaging. The activists met up at Jubilee Gardens (outside the Shell Building) and marched on to Trafalgar Square. Tracy Worthy commented, "The camp will be a space for people to get inspired and prepared for taking action during the COP15 talks.""

Further Info:
Climate Camp / Indymedia / BBC News

The Cost Of Coke

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:50:00 +0000

From: India Resource Center, Press Release, 30Nov09
Community Rallies Against Coca-Cola, Demands Climate Justice

"..."Coca-Cola cannot continue to mine for millions of liters in Mehdiganj when our communities do not have enough water to sustain their lives and livelihoods. Coca-Cola must shut down," said Nandlal Master of Lok Samiti, the primary community organization organizing the protest...

..."Operating water guzzling bottling plants in drought hit areas where the communities and farmers do not have access to water is highly unethical and criminal. Coca-Cola should never have located its plants in drought prone areas, and as droughts become more frequent in India as a result of climate change, we will increase our efforts to shut down Coca-Cola in these areas," said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center..."

Varanasi, India - Armed with banners demanding "Climate Justice Now!" and "Shut Down Coca-Cola", over 2,000 villagers marched to the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj in India today demanding its closure. Villagers have accused the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj of worsening the water conditions in the area by over-extraction of groundwater as well as pollution.

The community was also angered by Coca-Cola's decision to continue production and extraction of groundwater as the area faced severe drought this year and thousands of farmers experienced failed crops and water sources dried up. 2009 was the worst drought year for India in the last 40 years and June was the driest June in India in the last 80 years, a testament to a changing climate... Full article here

Further Info:
India Resource Center

Climate Emergency Rally, Sat 5Dec09

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:29:00 +0000

From: Campaign Against Climate Change
Saturday 5th December
12 noon Speakers Corner, Hyde park
"Challenge the government to take emergency action on climate change!

Saturday 5th December will see the biggest UK demonstration on climate so far with greater commitment than ever before from a wide range of NGOs, brought together by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition. The main event, called “The Wave” will leave Grosvenor Square at about 1.00 pm to surround parliament for the ‘wave’ event at about 3.00 pm. The Climate Emergency Rally will precede “The Wave” and rally-goers will feed into it as it leaves Grosvenor Square.

The Rally will be a chance for demonstrators to put concrete demands to government for emergency action on climate (see below).

Speakers include Michael Meacher MP, Simon Hughes MP, John McDonnell MP, Caroline Lucas MEP, Maria Souviron (Bolivian ambassador), John Stewart (HACAN – anti Heathrow 3rd runway), Chris Baugh ( Public and Commercial Services Union) and Ellie Hopkins (UK Youth Climate Coalition). Musical interludes will be provided by Seize the Day.

We want to make sure there is no chance that the Government will ‘spin’ the climate demo as simply in support of their position at the Copenhagen Talks – whilst we want to demand a fair and effective international agreement we also want to demand much more action on climate from the UK government, here at home. We believe that in any case there is no chance of an effective agreement until the North wins the trust of the South and it will only do that if Northern countries like the UK match words with action and take radical emission-reducing measures at home.

We will demand:
Declaration of a Climate Emergency
10% cuts by end 2010
A million green jobs by end 2010
Ban domestic flights
55 mph speed limit – scrap the roads program
End Agrofuel use

Most of these demands (and more) were in Early Day Motion 2057 (now re-tabled as 189) which was signed by 45 MPs. See more here. There is a growing movement for emergency climate action in the UK. Lets make sure it continues to build ! Join us at the Climate Emergency Rally !

For the “Million Green Job” demand see the new pamphlet from the Campaign against Climate Change Trade Union Group. More info here.

Cyclists will want to join the CLIMATE EMERGENCY BIKE RIDE assembling at 10.00 am at Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Camden Councillor and ‘Cutting the carbon’ founder Alexis Rowell will speak at the start and there will be stops at BP HQ – to protests against agrofuels (speaker Maryla Hart, Biofuel Watch) and tar sands (speaker Jess Worth, New Internationalist)– and at Eon HQ – to protest against New Coal (speakers James Willis, Climate Action Medway, Alyson Austin anti-openacast Ffos y Fran, Tess Riley, Climate Camp). The bike ride will finish at the CLIMATE EMERGENCY RALLY, around 12.00 noon.

And don’t forget the big day in Copenhagen a week later on 12th December – see how to get there at www.campaigncc.org/copenhagen"

Further Info:
Campaign Against Climate Change / The Wave

The Wave, This Saturday, London - Be There!

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Ecomonkey is getting very excited about The Wave this Saturday when thousands of people (hopefully more) who want a fairer, more sustainable, safer future will be making our voices heard on the streets of our capital. If you are able to join us, please do! Together, our presence will help encourage 'our' government to take positive action that will see us through to a brighter, sustainable future. Bring friends, dress in blue and prepare for a day of FUN!

From: The Wave
"On Saturday 5 December 2009, ahead of the crucial UN climate summit in Copenhagen, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life will march through the streets of London to demonstrate their support for a safe climate future for all.

Part of a global series of public actions, The Wave will call on world leaders to take urgent action to secure a fair international deal to stop global warming exceeding the danger threshold of 2 degrees C.

The Wave - which is not just a huge march but a whole day of exciting campaign activities - is organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, will show mass support by people from all backgrounds for a better, low carbon future for the UK and the world.

We want the UK Government to show leadership at Copenhagen. We want them to Protect the Poorest, Act Fair & Fast, and to Quit Dirty Coal now, to inspire the deal the world needs..

Join The Wave - the UK’s biggest ever demonstration in support of action on climate change. Please also add The Wave as an event to your Facebook and Twitter accounts."

Further Info:
The Wave / Facebook Event / Twitter Event

A Gift, The Dream And You

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:00:00 +0000

"...The most unrealistic person in the world is the cynic, not the dreamer. Hope only makes sense when it doesn’t make sense to be hopeful. This is your century. Take it and run as if your life depends on it."

This truly inspirational address by author, journalist and environmentalist, Paul Hawken at the University of Portland Commencement 2009, speaks many truths about why we are here and what we could be creating and giving back - both individually and collectively - during the precious time we have been given on this wonderous planet.

From: Paul Hawken, Commencement Address 2009, University Of Portland
"Let’s begin with the startling part. Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation... but not one peer-reviewed paper published in the last thirty years can refute that statement. Basically, civilization needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades.

This planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken. Buckminster Fuller said that spaceship earth was so ingeniously designed that no one has a clue that we are on one, flying through the universe at a million miles per hour, with no need for seatbelts, lots of room in coach, and really good food—but all that is changing.

There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn’t bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: You are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring. The earth couldn’t afford to send recruiters or limos to your school. It sent you rain, sunsets, ripe cherries, night blooming jasmine, and that unbelievably cute person you are dating. Take the hint. And here’s the deal: Forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.

When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse. What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world. The poet Adrienne Rich wrote, “So much has been destroyed I have cast my lot with those who, age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world.” There could be no better description. Humanity is coalescing. It is reconstituting the world, and the action is taking place in schoolrooms, farms, jungles, villages, campuses, companies, refuge camps, deserts, fisheries, and slums..."
Full inspirational speech here

Further Info:
Portland University Commencement / Paul Hawken

HMIC Report: Adapting To Protest, Nov09

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:30:00 +0000

From: David Gilbertson, Guardian, 25Nov09
"When the history of British policing is written, Denis O'Connor's report will justify an entire chapter to itself. I was by no means confident that the policing inspectorate would challenge the complacency of many in the top ranks of police forces England and Wales. I was wrong.
The report may be diplomatically written in a Whitehall mandarin dialect, but read between the lines and it represents a withering critique of the state of public order policing. It should be required reading for every serving chief police officer in the country..."

"...So far as the Met is concerned, this report will not make comfortable reading. One man at Scotland Yard stands out as the architect of an approach to public order that has now been deemed fundamentally flawed. I believe Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, who oversaw the Met's hardline response to protesters over the last decade, and has defended it to the hilt throughout, should now consider resigning." Full article here

From: Paul Lewis + Sandra Laville, Guardian, 25Nov09
"A blueprint for wholesale reform of British policing to create a service "anchored in public consent" was unveiled today by the inquiry prompted by Scotland Yard's controversial handling of the G20 protests in London. Denis O'Connor, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, used his report to demand wide-ranging reforms and a return to an ideal of policing based on "approachability, impartiality, accountability and … minimum force".
The findings received almost unanimous support across the political spectrum. The prime minister, Gordon Brown, said the government would "take the action" needed to reassure the public that policing is fair..." Full article here

Further Info:
Adapting To Protest - HMIC Report, 25Nov09 / Guardian1 / Guardian2

Walls Come Tumbling Down - Whitechapel Art Gallery, 2Dec09

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:14:00 +0000

From: A World To Win
"The significance today of 1989, the year of revolutions, Wednesday 2 December...

12-2pm, Wednesday December 2
77-82 Whitechapel High Street London E1 7QX

The Whitechapel Gallery is next to Aldgate East Underground Station and near Liverpool Street, Tower Gateway DLR.

All welcome but space is limited so please reserve your place by emailing: info@aworldtowin.net or telephone: 07871 745258"

Further Info:
A World To Win / Wanted: a leap in imagination

Climate Rush, The Movie

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:27:00 +0000

The Climate Rush film is ready for viewing. Directed by Tubby Brother, the documentary follows the Rushrugettes (!) as they prepared for the first Rush on parliament last year. The trailer looks great! Check it out here, tell all your friends and then book yourselves in for a screening (details below).

From: Climate Rush - A Film by Tubby Brother
"To believe in something so much you are willing to break the law is the thinking behind the women of Climate Rush.
These passionate young women, inspired by the actions of the Suffragettes 100 years ago, believe government inaction on climate change threatens the future of humanity..."

Screenings:
Tuesday 24th November - The FleaPit
49 Columbia Road, E2 7RG
Open: 6 - 11pm | Screenings: 7 & 9pm | Free entry

Sunday 6th December - Cinematters @ Passing Clouds
1 Richmond Road, Dalston, E8 4AA
Screening: 6.30pm | Entry: £3 includes jam session at 9pm

Further Info:
Climate Rush Trailer / Climate Rush / Tubby Brother on Vimeo

Copenhagen: The Importance Of Cycling

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:24:00 +0000

This excellent article by Robin Barton in the Independent last month demonstrates Copenhagen's shining example of how a city can become more sustainable and why cities like London should learn much from it. More comprehensive, joined up, city-wide, safe cycle routes are needed in conjunction with car drivers being discouraged from driving. Hmmm, now what kind of infrastructural change could do that and will Boris be taking notes?!

From: Robin Barton, The Independent, 18oct09
"Forty years ago, London and Copenhagen had similar ratios of car to bicycle use, and both faced an exodus of workers moving out of the centre and into the suburbs. But after ' the energy crises of the 1970s, the two cities diverged. Danes were restricted in how much they could use their cars and commuters began to campaign for a better infrastructure for cyclists. Today, there are almost 200 miles of bicycle lanes in the city, and 40 per cent of its 1.8 million inhabitants cycle to work. The city has evolved cyclist-friendly policies, such as the Green Wave – a sequence of favourable traffic signals for cyclists at rush hour..."

"Once a working-class neighbourhood (the 33-hectare site of Carlsberg's brewery there is being redeveloped over the next 20 years as a sustainable city within a city), hip Vesterbro connects Frederiksberg to the city centre. This is where Gehl Architects is based, just a 15-minute cycle ride along Gammel Kongevej. As I pedal, the nuances of Copenhagen's street design reveal themselves: cobbled pavements run over T-junctions so it is the car driver who feels out of place and is extra alert when turning. Railings and barricades, against which cyclists can be squashed, are absent. Bikes can be wheeled up and down city steps on stone slopes or retro-fitted metal troughs. There are racks and dropped kerbs outside many shops and, most importantly, the wide bicycle lanes along this main artery are slightly raised...

Mikael Colville-Andersen, film-maker and blogger, has chronicled Copenhagen's transformation on www.copenhagen cyclechic.com and www.copenhagenize.com over the past three years ... "In Denmark," he explains, "bicycles are like vacuum cleaners: we all have one and we all use them every day, but we don't think about them all day, we don't have 10 of them, we don't polish them ' before we vacuum. The bicycle is a tool. It helps me pick up my children and my groceries."

Nobody was more surprised than Colville-Andersen when his site took off, but for those outside Europe's cycling cities, it was a taste of an alien world. In Britain we have been conditioned to believe that cycling is something that can be done only in special places while wearing specialist safety equipment and clothing. Yet here were men, women and children cycling to work or school, looking stylish and feeling safe. It was cycling as transport, not sport..." Full article here

Further Info:
The Independent / Copenhagen CycleChic / Copenhagenize

NZYD Fundraiser, Auckland 19 Nov09

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:39:00 +0000

Along with other international groups the New Zealand Youth Delegation will soon be heading to Copenhagen for the Climate Change Conference. Ecomonkey is proud to know one of the 12 young activists from all over NZ who will be attending to play their part in these potentially life changing talks and if Amanda's enthusiasm and active commitment to social change and environmental protection are anything to go by, we are convinced the group will make a positive impact.

Amanda says: "I have been fortunate to be selected as a delegate of the first ever New Zealand Youth Delegation. We are 12 young kiwi's passionate about ensuring climate policies look after the people and planet for generations to come, and are heading to the UN Climate Change Negotiations – also known as COP15 – in Copenhagen this December. We have helped mobilize thousands of young kiwi’s to participate in the conversation about regenerating our planet, and have a voice – which we are taking to the COP15, departing in two weeks time..."

If you are in or around Auckland this Thursday, pop along to Freemans Bay to help the group celebrate their imminent departure. As well as entertainment and nibbles there will a lovely eco raffle and a fabulous auction of painted canvas bags designed by NZ creatives and celebrities including Megan Hosking (of Alto), Che Fu and Lucy Lawless!

From: New Zealand Youth Delegation
"NZYD has so far been 95% self funded, with all the delegates paying their own way to date. The passion and commitment shown by NZYD's delegates is inspiring and worth celebrating... So we're throwing a bit of a do!

NZYD Official Leaving Party & Fundraiser
Charity Auction! Live Entertainment! A night of FUN!

Thursday 19 November 2009, 6:00pm - 9:30pm
Freemans Bay Community Centre, 52 Hepburn Street, AKL

New Zealand celebrities and other icons such as Che Fu, Barbara Kendall, Lucy Lawless, Robyn Malcom, Len Brown, Bob Harvey and many more have painted and hand decorated designer organic canvas bags which will be up for auction, alongside many more exciting items!"

Further Info:
NZYD Copehangen 09 / Facebook Event

Mother Earth Rights...

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:26:00 +0000

...and rights of all beings in Copenhagen Treaty

From: Trees Have Rights Too
"One year on from planetary rights being presented to the United Nations, Mother Earth rights and rights of all beings have been included in the forthcoming Copenhagen Treaty currently being drafted for the international climate change negotiations to be held in Copenhagen in December.

Paragraph 13 of the Non-Paper No 52 (of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action under the Convention, to give it it’s full title) currently states:

“Noting that a shared vision for long-term cooperative action should take account not only of the rights of human beings, but also of the rights of Mother Earth and all its natural beings as the adverse effects of climate change also have a range of direct and indirect implications for the full and effective enjoyment of human rights – including the right to sustainable development, self determination, statehood, life, the right of people not to be deprived of their own means of subsistence, the right to water and the right to live well – and are increasingly posing a risk to security and the survival, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.”

As of yet, the inherent rights of the wider earth community have not been included. The rights listed are are specifically human-centered. Most are not rights identified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (the exception being right to life), nor are they enshrined in national or international legislation. The proposed list does not take into account of the wider inherent rights that apply equally to all beings (including humans).

The inherent rights and freedoms that could be included here are:
* the right not to be polluted;
* the right to restorative justice; and
* the freedom of a clean and healthy environment.

The implications of such wording for the future protection of biodiversity and restoration of large degraded eco-systems is of course enormous..."
Full article here

Further Info:
Trees Have Rights Too / Hopenhagen

The Bike Bloc: Copenhagen Dec09

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:15:00 +0000

From: The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination
"Everything we take for granted: the weekend, gay rights, contraception, women wearing trousers, the right to strike, to form a union, the abolition of slavery. Everything was won by disobedience, fought for by people who refused and resisted, claimed back from those in power. Their disobedience was a gift to our future.

Every form of rebellion we know, from protest marches to lock-ons, barricades to boycotts, factory occupations to street parties, super glue actions to climate camps was invented, dreamt up and designed. More often than not, by a small group of people huddled together, laughing and creatively conspiring with each other; engineering the art of resistance.

The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination and Climate Camp are plotting together to design and build a new tool of civil disobedience for the RECLAIM POWER mobilisations taking place in Copenhagen, during the UN climate summit in December. Made from hundreds of recycled bikes, The Bike Bloc will merge device of mass transportation and pedal powered resistance machine, postcapitalist bike gang and art bike carnival.

Bike hackers, welders, climate campers, artists and engineers will be working together to design and build The Bike Bloc across two cities: Bristol (Arnolfini Gallery 15th 30th Nov.) and Copenhagen (4th- 18th Dec.) Come and take part, either designing and building the prototype in Bristol, putting together the real thing in Copenhagen or swarming with us on the day of civil disobedience on the 16th of December.

*Put the fun between your legs, become the bike bloc.*

For times and how to get involved:
funbetweenyourlegs.info
bikebloc@climatecamp.org.uk"

Further Info:
The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination / Climate Camp / Climate Justice Action

Freeconomy Feast & Off Grid Living

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:05:00 +0000

It's all happening in Bristol next month! An air of sustainable proactiveness is afoot as the 2nd November sees Nick Rosen talking about living off-grid and the 2nd annual free foraged feast is to be held on the 28th - Buy Nothing Day.

Mark Boyle is founder of the wonderfully useful Freeconomy movement which aims to connect local communities by encouraging us to share our skills, services, time, experience and 'stuff' with our neighbours. If you haven't used it yet, check it out here.

In the spirit of sustainable sharing, Mark and friends are hosting the 2nd Freeconomy Feast in Bristol next month. If you would like to attend or get involved in making it happen, do read on.

From Mark via the Sunrise Celebration Newsletter, October 2009
"Those of you who came to the 'Food for Free Freeconomy Feast' on Buy Nothing Day last year know what a fantastic day it was! A team of about 10 volunteers, various musicians and random helpers served up a three course meal for over 150 people with full service and drinks for FREE! All ingredients were either waste food or foraged from the wilds of Bristol, including the drinks!

Well this year we plan on doing the same, but hopefully even better! The team already includes Fergus Drennan (the BBC's Roadkill Chef and professional forager) and Andy Hamilton (author of 'The Self-sufficientish Bible' and forager) and myself.

We need the following helpers / volunteers to make it happen and get involved:
1. General Volunteers - chopping, serving, cooking, greeting people
2. Skippers - people who can find loads of waste food from Bristol and those who want to learn how to do it
3. Cooks / Chefs - those who can cook and those who can menu plan for a lot of people!
4. Foragers - people who can forage and those who have no idea but want to learn
5. A driver - ideally with a decent size van!
6. Networkers - people who will promote it through contacts, friends and local networkers
7. Musicians and performers - singers, musicians, jugglers, poets etc
8. Anyone else who feels they can contribute in any way!

Some of the help will be needed on the day, some will be needed in the run-up to it. All roles will be supported by others ... It is going to take place on Buy Nothing Day, 28th November in Bristol. If you want to get involved, or have some questions, then email me asap at: mark@justfortheloveofit.org

Buy Nothing Day is a really important occasion, a chance for everyone to take one day out of consuming the planet. Please support it either by helping or coming along to enjoy the food and entertainment on the day."

Also in Bristol next month:

How To Live Off Grid
A talk by Nick Rosen, author of How to Live Off Grid
Presented by Bristol Indymedia
7:45pm, 2nd November 09
@ The Cube Cinema, Bristol

From: madboy23, Bristol Indymedia, 18Sep09
"Nick has written extensively on the notion of living off grid, that is how to disconnect yourself from energy and utility companies in order to make yourself self-sufficient and sustainable. Why would you want to do that you may ask? Well as climate change and energy resources such as oil continue to decline, the cost and availability of cheap energy will also decline. Currently our energy needs are being fulfilled by others, such as gas from Russia and Oil from all over the world putting the UK in a very precarious position in terms of energy. This means that new energy solutions will have to be found for the population of the UK..." More info

Info source: Sunrise Celebration Newsletter, October 2009

Further Info:
Freeconomy / Bristol Indymedia / Sunrise Celebration

Chocolate Week 2009: The Ethics of Cocoa

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:39:00 +0000

Although Ecomonkey has been labouring under the impression that every day is chocolate day it appears that 12 - 18 October was the 'official' Chocolate Week 2009. Well, we're a bit late but think this calls for an extra slice of delicious homemade chocolate and beetroot brownie!

From: Ethical Consumer
"Chocolate was one of the first, flagship Fairtrade products. Since 1998 sales of Fairtrade chocolate have grown from £1m to £26.8m in 2008.

But outside of the ethical leaders, who ensure human rights and environmental standards in their supply chains, there's a dark heart to the chocolate trade. More than a third of cocoa (from which chocolate is made) traded globally comes from the Ivory Coast, West Africa. In August this year INTERPOL rescued 54 children, victims of organised slave labour, from Ivory Coast plantations. A US State Department report found child labour, forced labour and people trafficking in the Ivorian cocoa trade. Ethical Consumer's new report examines industry responses to the human rights challenge.

Ethical Consumer's new report rates the companies behind 38 chocolate brands across 17 ethical categories in four main headings - Environment, Human rights, Animal rights, Politics.

Best Buys for boxes of chocolates: Booja Booja, Divine, Traidcraft
Best Buys for chocolate bars: Divine, Montezuma, Traidcraft, Plamil, Vegan Organica

Ethical lagards at the bottom of the ranking table were Mars (with an 'ethiscore' of 2 out of a possible 20), Nestle, Tesco and Asda (each with zero out of 20)

Ethical Consumer's report is independent of and not endorsed by Chocolate Week 2009."

Further Info:
Chocolate Week 2009 / Ethical Consumer

Soil Association: Organic Debate

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:47:00 +0000

From: Soil Association
"What is organic?
Organic farming recognises the direct connection between our health and the food we eat. Strict regulations, known as ‘standards’, define what organic farmers can and cannot do – and place a strong emphasis on the protection of wildlife and the environment. In organic farming:

* pesticides are severely restricted – instead organic farmer develop nutrient-rich soil to grow strong healthy crops and encourage wildlife to help control pests and disease
* artificial chemical fertilisers are prohibited – instead organic farmers develop a healthy, fertile soil by growing and rotating a mixture of crops using clover to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere
* animal cruelty is prohibited and a truly free-range life for farm animals is guaranteed
* the routine use of drugs, antibiotics and wormers is disallowed - instead the farmer will use preventative methods, like moving animals to fresh pasture and keeping smaller herd size
* the production and use of GM in animal feed is banned

Why does it sometimes cost more?
As the costs of farming with oil-based fertilisers and chemicals increase, the price gap between organic and non-organic is closing. Where there is a price difference, you are paying for the special care organic farmers place on protecting the environment and improving animal welfare."

Further Info:
Soil Association

The Illegality Of War

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:54:00 +0000

In 1928, after the horrors of World War One, we, along with the rest of the world, signed a Treaty For The Renunciation Of War - the Kellogg Briand pacts. It stated that we would never ever wage aggressive war against another nation and that we would settle all differences peacefully...

From: YouTube: Make Wars History
"Chris Coverdale explains why as a U.K. citizen you are committing a criminal offence by paying tax! (full lecture here) He also explains how we can remedy this situation and bring those responsible for the illegal wars to account."

Further Info:
Make Wars History

Seasons Passing

racheblue@hotmail.com (racheblue @ bAd) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:13:00 +0000

Halloween falls on the 31st October every year and some of us like to spend the evening running around the streets in 'spooky' costumes scaring others for no other reason than it is what we are told is traditional. Others of us resolutely shut ourselves inside refusing to answer the door to all those pesky kids ringing our bell in the hope that we'll give them some kind of 'treat' - preferably one that involves cash. Some of us may have a bowl of sweets or fruit ready by the door to offer to our seasonal visitors. But why do we do any of this?

Ecomonkey wonders why we find ourselves 'celebrating' this festival year after year in unexplained rituals, often meaningless and seemingly unavoidably commercial ways. We are fairly sure that Halloween has absolutely nothing to do with the purchase of scary looking, luridly coloured, plastic toys and costumes. So what is it all about?

In traditional Pagan times, the turn of October into November was celebrated as Samhain which marked the end of Summer, harvest season and the transition from the old year into the beginning of a New Year and the start of Winter. Thus October 31st was New Year's Eve. Rather than being feared, ancestors and spirits were remembered and called upon for guidance throughout the coming year.

Before the Roman invasion of Britain the Celts believed that winter's long dark nights encouraged malevolent spirits out to play particularly on October 31st when the barrier between the world of the living and that of the spirits was thought to be weakest. The Celts danced and feasted around bonfires to protect themselves from dark spirits but also to warm and welcome friendly spirits and encourage the souls of those in purgatory on toward Heaven.

When Roman Catholicism turned the Pagan festival of Samhain into All Saints or All Hallows day, November 1st was designated as a day when the saints were remembered and honoured. The following day was All Souls day when prayers for the dead would be offered. At this time, All Hallows Eve simply marked the preceding day when these joyous celebrations began.

Over time, as we have been trained to become more afraid of death and all things spiritual and non-scientific, the festival's celebratory, thanksgiving elements have been replaced with a more sinister element. Now, instead of being a time for contemplation and remembering, an acknowledgment of time passing, summer's end and winter's approach all we seem to have left is consumerism and spooky stories centred around evil spirits, scary ghosts, frightening witches and mischievous spirits.

It seems a shame that we have been conditioned to not only avoid that which is spiritual, natural and seasonal but also to be afraid of what our 'modern' time-poor minds no longer easily understand. Perhaps this year, we can mark the change of seasons by bringing back some of that traditional joy, celebrating all that has passed and all that is to come. A recognition of the circle of time in which we live and die and gratitude for those who have lived before us and those who will continue after us. A celebration of Life itself.

Rachelle Strauss from My Zero Waste offers a lovely explanation of this seasonal celebration in her article How to bring meaning and reverence to Samhain on Ooffoo.
"In our culture, Spirits, rather than the loving reminders of our dead, are portrayed as frightening beings. 'Tricks' are the price we pay if we do not 'treat' visiting ghosts and ghouls.
For me, nature is showing us true trick or treating with global warming. Climate change is the price we are paying for not treating the natural forces of life with respect and reverence. Maybe this would be a good time to think about our own actions and the impact they have on the environment...
...During Samhain, we can understand that death is followed by rebirth and reduce our fear of death and dying. Last week I was sitting in the garden watching the trees shed their leaves. I was touched by how the leaves simply 'let go'. They didn't struggle or try to hang on, they knew it was time for release and in the spring time new growth would appear..." Full article here

Meanwhile, over on NewAge.co.uk we are encouraged to use this time of year to shed layers of the past we no longer need and plant the seeds that will take us forward into a brighter future. We can't argue with that.
From: New Age - Celtic Festivals - Samhain
"Samhain or Samhuin stands between the worlds of the living and dead and outside of ordinary time. It's the day that past memories meet the hopes of the future. The veil between us and the spirit world is at its thinnest tonight and we remember our ancestors, recent and from the distant past. It is death that gives life its purpose and decay that fertilises new growth.
It is a time to plant the seeds of new projects, allowing them to germinate over the winter months. It is also considered the time to end old projects and to generally take stock of one's life.
Samhain allows you to come to terms with your past year and leave all mistakes and regrets behind you, in order to move on. Look forward to what the future holds. Use the magic of this time to say good-bye to a bad habit or addiction, an old relationship, or anything else negative in your life - Samhain is the night to leave it all behind."

Further Info:
Halloween on Ooffoo / BBC Food Halloween / New Age - Samhain