Tell Kevin Rudd that 5% is not enough

From Who on Earth Cares - An initiative of our Values Partner - Australian Conservation Foundation
The Government announcement of a target to reduce carbon pollution by only 5% by 2020 will have major impacts on our nautural icons and the future of our children. This decision will not position Australia to save much loved natural icons like the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu and the Australian Alps.
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has made it easy for you to send our Prime Minister and Cabinet members a post card urging them not to give up on our much loved and important natural icons.
Show your support for Australia’s special places. Send an e-postcard by clicking the link below.
http://www.whoonearthcares.com/saveicons/postcard.php
Your comments will be sent to Kevin Rudd and included on the Who on Earth Cares website.
Find out more about our icons at risk.

One Laptop Per Child

By Adam Valvasori - Values Manager

This is an ad for One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). The innovative not-for-profit getting inexpensive and robust laptops into the hands of children in developing countries. It highlights the importance of education in alleviating poverty and human rights abuses. It also goes straight for the jugular of some of the horrible things adults are also teaching children.

Food for thought whilst many of us are (luckily) considering: Mac, iPod, Blackberry, Sony, Toshiba, Dell or iPhone.



Skills: the right to education
by olpcfoundation

The Body Shop will be campaigning against child trafficking in 2009.

5% isn't global leadership on climate change

From our Values Partner - Australian Conservation Foundation

Image via: The Sydney Morning Herald

The Federal Government has failed a major climate change leadership test with its white paper on emissions trading, the Australian Conservation Foundation said.

“A weak target to cut emissions by just 5–15 per cent by 2020 will not position Australia to save the Reef, Kakadu or the Australian Alps,” said ACF executive director Don Henry.

“Australians have not given permission for our government to give up on our much loved and important natural icons.

“ACF is deeply concerned about the billions of taxpayers’ dollars that this scheme plans to hand directly to the big polluters, with virtually no strings attached.

“This could herald a new era of pollution protectionism.”

“The weak targets announced today will damage Australia’s international reputation and hold back progress towards an effective international agreement,” Mr Henry said.

“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s advice that developed countries, as a group, must reduce their carbon pollution by 25–40 per cent is already on the table of international negotiations.

“Today the Prime Minister said Australia would seek a 450ppm outcome in the international negotiations, noting that this would give the world a chance of avoiding the worst of climate change, however this does not fit with his target numbers.

“Professor Garnaut said for Australia to do its full and fair share to achieve this global goal, Australia would need to cut emissions by 25 per cent cut by 2020.

“A weak target to cut emissions by just 5–15 per cent by 2020 is simply not credible.”

ACF is urging all sides of politics to do more to secure a global agreement by supporting a much stronger 2020 target ahead of the crucial United Nations’ climate conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.


The Body Shop will be campaigning again with the ACF in July 2009.
If you think the Government has just short changed our and our children's future, do something! Email the PM now.

Homeless World Cup

By Deb Baxter - The Body Shop

Photo By: Sydney Low / Photoworx
MELBOURNE 2008
HOMELESS WORLD CUP
BREAKS DOWN PREJUDICES
Research conducted during the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup at Federation Square and Birrarung Marr has shown that two-thirds of event spectators surveyed have changed their perspective of homeless people.

The Homeless World Cup is a world-class, annual, international football tournament that uses football as a catalyst to help people who are homeless to change their lives; and to change the attitudes of governments, media, public and key influencers to create better solutions to homelessness around the world.

The global event unites teams of people who are homeless and excluded from society to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent their country in an unique street soccer tournament.

Proving that sport has the power to change the world, 82 per cent of spectators surveyed during the Melbourne event agreed that the Homeless World Cup contributes to a sense of community well-being.

82 per cent also agreed that the Homeless World Cup breaks down stereotypes about the homeless community.

85 per cent strongly agree that the Homeless World Cup is a fun and entertaining event.

Three-quarters of spectators agreed that the Homeless World Cup is an event that gives them an opportunity to show other people how special their community (Melbourne) is.

“It has put a face of humanity on the issue,” said one spectator. “Homeless people aren’t just people to be ignored. They have something to offer the community as much as anyone”.

Another spectator said: “This event has helped humanise the problem and reminded me it affects all ages and races.”

Over 300 fast and furious street soccer matches were played at Federation Square and Birrarung Marr last week, showcasing the skill and passion of over 500 homeless and marginalised players from around the world.

Melbourne embraced the event, with packed grandstands cheering, chanting and stomping their appreciation of the players and their sportsmanship.

Researcher Dr Emma Sherry from Deakin University has also been conducting research with The Big Issue’s Street Soccer Program since 2006 and in 2008 she has interviewed over 90 participants from nine Street Soccer Program sites around Australia.

“The Big Issue Street Soccer Program assists many individuals, much more than just the eight players in the Homeless World Cup team,” Dr Sherry said.

“It provides them with connection back into the community, physical activity and links into support services.

“One out of five of the participants noted that their team members have become their family.

“The Homeless World Cup as an event assists in giving participants a goal but more importantly, it raises awareness of the issue of homelessness.”

A legacy of the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup will be the continued roll-out of 30 Street Soccer Program across Australia by The Big Issue, providing weekly soccer training sessions and support for homeless and marginalized people.

The Homeless World Cup has triggered and supports grass-roots football programs in over 60 nations engaging 30,000 homeless players every year.

Player research conducted by the Homeless World Cup international body consistently demonstrates that over 70 per cent of players experience a significant life change. They come off drugs and alcohol, move into homes, jobs, education and training, repair relationships and even become coaches and players.

For more information on the Homeless World Cup visit http://www3.homelessworldcup.org/

What are your rights?

By Adam Valvasori - Values Manager

The 10th of December marks the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). I think it represents one of humanity's most important achievements! The UDHR has 30 Articles. Here is a distillation of each Article with one key word. These words not only sum up the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the work of Amnesty International as we strive to promote and protect the rights enshrined in this declaration. There's also a couple of hip videos below to check out.

Know your rights.
Celebrate them.
Defend them!

...

1 Life

2 Dignity

3 Security

4 Freedom

5 Respect

6 Justice

7 Equality

8 Remedy

9 Protection

10 Fairness

11 Fair-Trial

12 Privacy

13 Movement

14 Asylum

15 Identity

16 Family

17 Home

18 Conscience

19 Expression

20 Participation

21 Democracy

22 Welfare

23 Work

24 Leisure

25 Health

26 Education

27 Culture

28 Human Rights

29 Solidarity

30 Responsibility

...

Danielle TV on MUZU.

Celebrating World AIDS Day

By Adam Valvasori - Values Manager

Image via the Burnet Institute's World AIDS Day Photographic Exhibition which focuses on their work in Mozambique.

Today is World AIDS Day. HIV and AIDS doesn't directly affect me and it probably doesn't affect you either. However, if you care about human life you have to be concerned about this global epidemic. I'm really glad I went to the Burnet Institute's World AIDS Day event 'Celebrate Africa' last Friday night where I had the chance to stop and reflect about its impact on everyone in the world including you, so listen up...

25 million people have died from AIDS since it's discovery in the early eighties. AIDS today is the number one killer in the developing world. It's only by luck, a chance of longitude and latitude that you and I were not born in a developing country, therefore it's only by luck that you are not directly affected by the virus. Of the estimated 33 million people living with AIDS today, 67 per cent live in sub-Saharan Africa. It has brought countries -already struggling to escape economic poverty- to its knees.

In a country like Mozambique which has a population comparable to Australia, 18 people contract the AIDS virus every hour (440 daily). It's killing a MCG full of Mozambicans every year.

A cartograph, showing the world with the number of people living with AIDS. Via: www.worldmapper.org

But how does AIDS affect me really?
Ok I realise I'm lucky, but I also feel I can do more than simply be aware. As someone who wants to be an active part of this world, a global citizen, I can do more to help fight this ongoing tragedy. I feel a responsibility to help in the short term by supporting humanitarian organisations to improve prevention and treatment.

I also feel a responsibility to address the more complex long term issues that contribute to the spread of HIV like the security of human rights, the removal of gender inequalities and the lobbying of Governments for stronger health and social support systems - as per the Millennium Development Goals.

"This 20th World AIDS Day provides opportunities for both celebration and concern. Celebration because worldwide, fewer people are being infected with HIV and fewer people are dying from AIDS. Finally.
...
Twenty years ago, some ten million people were living with HIV. Since then, the epidemic has more than tripled in size. And it is still growing. For every two people who start making treatment today, another five become newly infected. So instead of getting shorter, the queues of people requiring antiretroviral therapy are getting longer and longer. There is thus as real and urgent a need as ever for a brilliant and diverse coalition that is ready to lead and deliver on AIDS." - Dr Peter Piot Executive Director of UNAIDS

So there is something to celebrate today, we now have anti-retrovirals to treat the infected and prevention programs which are starting to work. As global citizens who work at The Body Shop we can also celebrate our achievement in helping to prevent HIV and AIDS.

You might remember our Get Lippy - Prevent HIV campaign in March. We sold special edition guarana lip butters around the world. In Australia we raised AUD$63,500 and globally over AUD$2.6million for the Staying Alive Foundation.

The Staying Alive Foundation, funds HIV awareness and prevention for young people around the world. Our funding has enabled them to support 83 new youth groups, acting as leaders in community based HIV prevention programs that reaches thousands of people at the "grass roots".

MORE:
To read more about the different groups we are helping through the Staying Alive Foundation, click here. The Body Shop - MTV partnership will return in 2009 with the Yes! Yes! Yes! To Safe Sex campaign.

Read the very user friendly UNAIDS' Aids Outlook 09 report. It provides perspectives on some of the most pressing issues that will confront policymakers and leaders as they respond to the challenges presented by AIDS in 2009.

Donate to the Burnet Institute's fantastic work from the laboratory research they do on the virus to the community education programs the operate in developing nations. www.worldaidsday.com.au

Watch Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS' full World AIDS day address below or via this link.