Make ACF Exec Director Don Henry your Proxy at Copenhagen

Make Don Henry Executive Director from the Australian Conservation Foundation your official proxy at Copenhagen.

If you're tired of all the hot air.
If you want action based on the science of climate change not industry lobby groups.

You can:

• Meet Don Henry from ACF (pictured below).
• Watch this video of Don explainig why Copenhagen is so important for Australia and the world.
• Read ACF's response to the latest CPRS developments in Canberra.
• Email your PM!
  
• Make Don Henry your proxy in Copenhagen!
• Don't let the Coal Industry have all the lobbyists! Donate to ACF so they can lobby the government at Copenhagen on your behalf.

Climate Activists Get Naked for Climate Change

What's with Greenpeace and getting naked? Do you think it's an effective activist tool? Maybe it's just a Euro thing? Do you think using this type of tactic helps draw attention or detract from the message? Click here if you can't see the videos below.

Have your say!

WHITE RIBBON DAY - NOVEMBER 25

By Deb Baxter - The Body Shop
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW)

White Ribbon Day was created by a handful of Canadian men in 1991 on the second anniversary of one man's massacre of fourteen women in Montreal. They began the White Ribbon Campaign to urge men to speak out against violence against women.
In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and the White Ribbon has become the symbol for the day.

Today hundreds of thousands of white ribbons are worn by men and women across Australia - men at work; men and women in all Australian police forces; men in national and local sporting matches and organisations; men in the media; men and women in politics; men in the defence forces; men and women in capital cities and in rural and regional Australia.

The campaign continues to go from strength to strength and now boasts more than 230 white ribbon Ambassadors Australia wide, as well as more events across the country and more organisations and individuals participating year upon year.

Through partnership with the White Ribbon Foundation, The Body Shop continues to support White Ribbon Day by selling White Ribbon merchandise in all stores across Australia.

The campaign aims:
• To raise funds for the White Ribbon Foundation.
• Increase community awareness of the need to prevent violent and abusive relationships.
• Change community attitudes so that men and women have healthy relationships free of violence.
• Get as many customers (particularly men) purchasing and wearing White Ribbons as we can.
Why?
• Statistics indicate that one in four women who have ever been in a relationship have experienced violence by a partner. This is an issue that is of major concern in the world today, in Australia, in our local communities, and among our friends and families. Through our support of White Ribbon Day we have continued opportunity to bring this issue out from behind closed doors.
• A study found that family violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness for women aged 15-44 years. It is responsible for more of the disease burden than many well-known preventable risk factors such as smoking, obesity or high blood pressure. (Vic Health, 2004)
• There is no excuse for abuse.

There are a number of ways you can get involved in White Ribbon Day

Send an E-Ribbon

Donate to the White Ribbon Foundation

Volunteer - Support is welcomed.

Visit your local The Body Shop to purchase a White Ribbon. All proceeds go direct to the White Ribbon Foundation.

Community Project - ANTaR Shop

By Betsy Shepard-Reed - NSW Trainer


Priscilla from ANTaR standing outside their new office / show still with the previous tenants sign above.

I’ve always understood that ideally, our Community Projects should be about using our skills to lend a hand to people who require them, so when the opportunity to help set up ANTaR’s new retail store popped up, a few of us jumped at the opportunity.

A 'BEFORE' Shot.

Isabel Brown went to scope out the store’s needs, and Gabrielle Liddle and I volunteered to merchandise the shop. A few staff in Melbourne checked out some old shop fittings in the warehouse to see what they could use.

Step ladder holding up an Indigenous art work, definitely a 'BEFORE' shot.

When we arrived, it was the day of ANTaR’s launch party for their new office location, new director and their online store. The ‘shop’ consisted of some space at the front of their street front office, with two empty book shelves, a trapezium table, a trestle table which doubled as someone’s desk, and a ladder sitting in the window that had some calendars on it- all in a 3mx3m space!

Another 'BEFORE' Shot.

ANTaR already sells some lovely products online, and someone from ANTaR had taken great care to organize their stock room exceptionally well (I’m sure that there’s a The Body Shop store that would love to poach her!) We raided it to stock their shop.

Gabrielle and I worked with Lesley from ANTaR to get a rough idea of what they had in mind, and then kicked into gear with Gab’s VM experience, and between us about 60 store fitouts.

The Body Shop HQ in Melbourne sent up some nesting tables, some window plinths, a stack of quad boxes and a gift wrap stand, so we got to work laying out furnishings, then started merchandising ANTaR’s product range of books, CDs, jewelry, greeting cards, and much more.

Another 'BEFORE' shot.

Once we’d set up a new window display, we watched pedestrians consistently stopping to have a look, and one even popped in to make the first purchase—before we were even done setting up!

By 2:30pm, we had done as much as we could, and we left the ANTaR team to organize their evening event, turning an empty shop front, loosely partitioned off from ANTaR’s office by a couple of posters into a shop space where hopefully they can promote their message while raising money through their second distribution channel. (Shall we suggest ANTaR At Home, next?!)

YOU CAN HELP!
If anyone out there has any sturdy, stable plate/book holders that you don’t need anymore, ANTaR’s shop could use them! The ones we left them with aren’t sturdy, and as we know, a well merchandised shop should be stable enough where people can touch things without them falling over! Drop them off to ANTaR or The Body Shop NSW Office, and we’ll hand them on!

ANTaR's Shop on Google Maps
ANTaR's Shop Online

-Oh, and they need someone to paint their street front awning, which still has the name of the previous tenants on it. Surely someone out there in Blog land knows someone who’d like to help?!

THE 'AFTER' PHOTOS... YAY!

Say No to Bad Wood

Australia imports illegal timber that is directly linked to biodiversity loss, human rights abuses and climate change.

This is unacceptable.

Please take the urgently needed action to stop it.

Visit www.saynotobadwood.org and send a letter to the Forestry Minister. It will only take you a few minutes.

You can also learn more about the impact of logging old growth forests in Australia from ACF.

Watch this short Greenpeace video about Saving Sumatra's Peatland Forests:

Leona says Animals Matter to her in new charity film

By Deb Baxter - The Body Shop
Top international singer Leona Lewis is backing the World Society for the Protection of Animals in a new campaign video launched today.

Leona pledged her support for the charity's Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) campaign at a video and photo shoot at the Sony Music studios in London. She was joined by her family dog Misty for the photo shoot.Speaking about her support for WSPA Leona said: "I wanted to get involved with the World Society for the Protection of Animals because I think they are doing great campaigns. I've always been a huge advocate for any charities that are trying to help animals, because they are trying to change laws to protect animals - which I think is amazing.”

"I support the World Society for the Protection of Animals - WSPA - because they are trying to end some of the most appalling acts of animal cruelty in the world."
"One reason animals are so vulnerable to cruelty is because there is no universal agreement between nations that animals can suffer and feel pain... The campaign for a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare could be the beginning of the end for animal cruelty across the world."
"It's up to us to give these animals a voice, and put a stop to cruelty and neglect, right now."
Leona calls on her supporters to join her in backing the Animals Matter campaign. Go to www.wspa.org.au/leonalewis to join in and pledge your support.

About WSPA www.wspa.org.au
The World Society for the Protection of Animals is the world’s largest alliance of animal welfare organisations. Through partnership with hundreds of member societies we strive to create a world where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty ends. We bring about change at both grassroots and governmental levels, to benefit animals. We support and develop high profile campaigns, scientifically-backed projects and innovative education initiatives. With our member societies, governments and international agencies, we also provide relief to animals in communities affected by disasters.

Miracles for Orangutans

By Adam Valvasori - Values Manager



Just a quick note to say how happy The Body Shop and WSPA are to announce we signed up a total of 19,980 of our customers who are interested in making a miracle happen for Orangutans in Borneo.

I'd like to also announce through the sale of the souvenir "miracle" tins, customer donations and staff fund raising efforts we're also donating $4,330 from The Body Shop At Home and another $3,516 from stores.

A total of $7,846... Woo-hoo!

Those that signed up will be receiving an email from WSPA soon with ideas empowering them to help the orangutans.

By the way, the ace photos in this post are courtesy of the Woden (ACT) team, having a monkeying around during the campaign.

Yay!

Our Government's unfair treatment of first Australians in NT

A Better Way is a new CSA video from ANTaR (Australian's for Native Title and Reconciliation).

If your government told you where and how you could spend your money, wouldn't you feel outraged?

If your government said it would only fix essential services to your property as long as you agreed to hand over control of your property for a fixed amount of time, wouldn't that sound ridiculous?

If someone came from outside your community and imposed upon you, your family and friends a system that you could plainly see would cause more problems than it solves, wouldn't you stand up and shout NO!

The truth is, this is how your Government treats Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory. In the NT this is the law. Aboriginal people have been standing up and shouting NO but their voices have been ignored.

Take Action!
Find Out More