make a difference

This week has wizzed by but I don’t want to stop making the little tiny bit of effort I have comitted myself to so:
thanks to millionandnine I have joined the women’s action network
Amnesty International helped me email and write letters to:
End impunity in Guatemala – 10 women were murdered for every week of 2004 – I remember reading about this over a year ago and getting really angry and upset yet never even tried to do anything about it – I hope this little helps

Wrote a letter calling for the release of Sayed Ali Akbar Mousavi-Kho’ini who was arrested duing a peaceful demonstration in Tehran calling for legal reforms to end discrimination against women in Iran on June 12th 2006. I’m full of respect and admiration for his courage.

Sent another email to the Thai authorities about the Hmong refugees at risk of forcible return to Laos.

Sent an email calling on the Chinese authorities to ensure that an end is brought to the human rights violations directed at members of Rebiya Kadeer’s family.

Emailed Yahoo! to ask them to stop violating human rights in China. Shi Tao recieved a ten year prison sentence for sending an email about a Communist Party decision. Evidence leading to his sentencing included account holder information provided by Yahoo!

Now off to the post office!

Joined campaign to end bad housing for the next generation.
Here:
http://england.shelter.org.uk/howtohelp/howtohelp-1129.cfm

For years rich countries have bullied poor ones to open their doors to floods of cheap imports. Now they are using the World Trade Organisation to kick down the door altogether.
Fair trade puts people at the centre of world trade. Trade rules should allow people to work themselves out of poverty by selling their products to rich countries and other developing countries at a decent price. They should also be able to protect their economies until such time as they are established enough to compete with the more developed countries.
To sign the petition follow this link:
http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.htm

Two weeks ago I wrote to tesco to ask them to join Roundtable. Here is their reply:

Thank you for your patience with this enquiry.

Tesco is deeply concerned about the loss of rainforest and the implications this holds for the habitat of the orang-utans it supports and we believe that we can make a real contribution to work in this important area.

I am therefore pleased to announce our intention to join the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to help the industry identify ways of sourcing this widely used ingredient more responsibly. We hope that by sharing our knowledge and ideas, we will make a positive contribution and help to build a sustainable supply chain.

Thank you for making your views known to us.

Hooray! Customer pressure can work:)

at http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp
not feeling very inspired today:(

Today I wrote to the Prime Minister of Jamaica, calling for urgent reform of existing legislation to combat sexual violence against women.

To take part in this action follow this link:
http://amnesty.org.uk/actions_details.asp?ActionID=126

“Ecotricity or British Gas green tariff?” I need to Email Ofgem to call for clarity on green electricity. OFGEM has a responsibility to protect consumer interests so I requested that they develop an accreditation scheme for green electricity tariffs.
This is essential to ensure so-called green tariffs, like the one I’ve just signed up for, mean anything and hopefully will ensure companies become competitive over being greener to win our custom.
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/choose_green_energy/index.html

about gas flaring that I thought I would write another entry. I didn’t really know much about this until I tried to write my letter to Shell. I found this helpful http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/gasflaringinnigeria.pdf
Such a pointless, selfish, abusive, polluting waste of resources. We need to demand that companies that take our money are required to report and be accountable for their policies, practices and pollution.
It seems that it’s not just Shell but a heap of oil companies. How ironic that Shell is seeking to promote itself positively as the sponsor of “Wildlife photographer of the year”.

Shell was ordered by a Nigerian Court on 14 November 2005 to stop flaring gas in Iwherekan, in the Niger Delta.
So far, Shell hasn’t done so and has applied for a stay of execution in the courts.
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/corporates/press_for_change/email_shell/index.html

Please sign Early Day Motion 697 “Modernising Company Law” and back amendments to the Bill to make UK business work better for people and the planet.

http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/corporates/press_for_change/company_law_697/index.html