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Update. May 2012 (last day of Autumn edition) Mining Boom .. Cheap imported food .. Tuna Choices .. Container Deposit legislation .. End of Greed .. Free2Work |
Mining billionaires...
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There's been much talk of mining billionaires in the media.... but not too much chatter about how they affect what turns up on your table. As it turns out, the mining boom, with it's unintended side effects of a high dollar, high input prices and soaring labour costs, has lead to a drop in demand for Australian made goods and an influx of imported cheap goods. |
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The Australian Manufacturing Worker’s Union think it's a bit silly, so they've tried to set the record straight with This is the Real Story, and some mining promo ads Paid extra and Fly in, ship out. And finally, we all need a fair go, A fair go for billionaires. |
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The Future of Food - cheap food comes at a price
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Cheap imports have seen Australians eating more foreign processed food. See how our trade balance in processed food has changed over time. The Great Australian Bite . This last week The Age ran a special series of reports on the Future of Food. This included the Curse of the private label and Canned: why local tomatoes cop a pasting. See all articles at The Future of Food. |
| So, what can you do?
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Tuna ain't tuna - choose pole and line
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If you choose to eat canned tuna, there is one thing you should remember – choose ‘pole and line’ caught tuna. Currently, most tuna is caught using large-scale industrial fishing methods, which threaten fish stocks and the marine environments that support them. Last year, Safcol became the first Aussie brand to go 100% pole and line giving us a more sustainable option – now every Australian supermarket has a pole and line option. See 6 reasons to change your tuna to pole and line. See the most sustainable tuna options. |
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Regarding even more sustainable seafood choices, remember 4 best fresh fish choices - Trevally, King George Whiting, Mullet and Australian Wild Salmon. More info and options here |
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2.5 billion reasons for Container Deposit legislation!
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Victorians
consume over a million tonnes of packaging per year; around 30%
of these being drink bottles. A significant amount are recovered
by residential kerbside recycling at the cost of local governments.
More than half however - some 2.5 billion containers - are littered
or landfilled. |
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Sign the online
letter to Federal Environment Minister Tony Bourke and your
state premier, urging them to support a national container deposit
system. More on the campaign.
...and an essential
old Seinfeild episode. |
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The End of Greed - a resource for churches
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The consumer culture in which we are immersed urges us to acquire as many things and experiences as our incomes will allow. But what if our habit of acquiring more is simply a modern manifestation of greed? |
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Baptist World Aid have just released a fantastic package including book, sermon series, bible studies and videos on ethical purchasing. They all come under the title 'The End of Greed - consuming as if God, People and the Planet Matter'. An essential resource for helping christian people of God live out an ethic of care in our consumer culture. More at endofgreed.com |
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Free2Work Academy - assist with critical research
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Free2 work is one of the international sources we use in our company assessments. Free2Work rates companies’ performance based on their code of conduct, implementation of code, transparency, response to child labor and efforts to empower workers. With the view to develop Australian specific content for Free2Work, a two-day intensive Free2Work Academy is being run this July in Sydney. It will include an introduction to Free2Work methodology and will look at the complexities around supply chain transparency and corporate social responsibility. |
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This is a
unique opportunity for ECG volunteers and others to acquire research
skills. Contact us
directly for more information on a significant discount on admission
costs for ECG volunteers. Find out more.
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The Greatest Speech Ever Made
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Check this out if you haven't before. It's been around for a while but got my attention. The Greatest Speech Ever Made
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| Get
the Guide! - pocket guide, iphone-android app, books -
www.ethical.org.au/shop |
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