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Recycling
wars
Since May 5, Greenpeace's “Stop
Coca-Cola trashing Australia” video has received almost
1 million views. However free-to-air television channels
7, 9, 10 and SBS have all declined to broadcast the group's
anti- Coca- Cola, pro-recycling ad. The 'recycling wars'
went virtual as Coca-Cola bought the top advertising slot
for searches of the environmental group's name. More
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Palm
oil – label it!
It
is estimated that within 10 years 98% of the rainforests
of Indonesia and Malaysia will be gone unless there is
a halt the continuing growth of palm oil plantations.
According to some estimates, an area the size of Greece
is cleared every year for palm oil plantations.
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Check out a new report
giving a thorough and independent overview of the facts,
issues and challenges surrounding palm oil. Net Balance's
'Palm
Oil in Australia' report has been commissioned by
WWF-Australia and the Australian Food and Grocery Council
(AFGC).
Also Choice magazine
have just released their updated report on ‘Palm
oil labelling‘. It identifies that most major food
producers use palm oil but label it as vegetable oil.
The EU, the US and Canada all require palm oil to be
labelled.
> Sign the petition
on labeling at Change.org.
> See more on what
you can do.
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Bangladesh
– safety pact?
Australian retailers
Woolworths, Kmart and Target are facing threats of a consumer
boycott after declining
to sign an international agreement to improve fire
safety and working conditions in Bangladesh, one month
on from the collapse
of the Rana Plaza garment factory which resulted in the
deaths of 1100 workers.
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K-Mart and Target are owned by Wesfarmers
Ltd, who, with $58.9 billion in 2012 revenue, rank
21 among the world's largest retailers. Woolworths
Ltd, with $56.7 billion, rank 18. Their ethical sourcing
policies are here
, here
and here
respectively.
Power actually
does equal responsibility. They may need reminding.
> Sign the petition here
> Vote with
your dollars when buying clothes. See
our guide to ethical
clothing > More on the safety
pact |
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Avoid
Food Waste - June 5th
This year’s World
Environment Day has the theme of food waste and sustainable
consumption. Roughly one third of the food produced in
the world for human consumption every year — approximately
1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted. To get some
insight into this reality in Australia, see Hungry
Beast and George
Negus Report (2011).
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some simple things you can do:
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Buy
locally – reduce food miles – find food close
to you at farmers’ markets, food swaps, coops. Check
what's nearby to you on the Local
Harvest map.
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Compost
food waste - see Going
Green Solutions for composting solutions, bokashi
bins, and biodegradable/compostable catering and packaging
supplies.
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Quick
bites ...
- Europe's recent
ban on insecticides linked to bee death, has prompted
action here in Australia (20/5/13) The
Age. Sign petitions to the Federal
Environment Minister, and Bunnings
Warehouse to stop stocking neonicotinoids.
- A new independant
third-party certification body for genetically-modified-organism
free foods - GMO-ID
- has been launched in Australia. (20/5/13) AusFoodNews
- Bill Oddie, of ‘The
Goodies’ fame, speaks out on how HSBC
bank clients have contributed to deforestation in the
Malaysian state of Sarawak where less than 5% of rainforests
are untouched by logging or plantations. See his amusing
Bankwatch
film and read ' Why
I was chucked out of HSBC headquarters' (14/5/13).
... and for more
ugly things about HSBC.
- Consumer power saves
Aussie company Spring
Gully Foods from financial brink (24/4/13) Businessspectator
- Craft beer brand
'Cricketers Arms' acquired by Independent Distillers,
part of Asahi
Group (24/4/13) SMH
- French luxury giant
LVHM
buys 49% stake in iconic bush brand RM Williams but
pledges to keep manufacturing in Australia. (15/4/13)
SMH
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