Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category

Queensland forests bulldozed

Posted on: August 9th, 2016 by bfcomau No Comments
 greenpeace

landline1 landline
Hi

As you read this, Queensland’s forests are being cut down at one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. We put laws in place to prevent this 17 years ago. But the previous state government broke their election promise and bulldozed our nature laws. Right now, Queensland parliamentarians are deciding whether to bring the laws back. This is our chance to protect our native forests. But we’ve got to act fast.koala1

Queensland MPs go to vote in just one week and they need our support. A vote from one MP could make all the difference. And we can show them they have the community backing they need. Sign the petition and help our MPs choose forests.

Hundreds of scientists from around the world have sounded the alarm bells – calling on the Queensland government to urgently stop clearing native forests and woodlands. [1] Land clearing is double what it was before the laws were axed and Queensland has already suffered great losses of trees and bushland that stood for centuries. We can’t afford to lose any more.

Here’s why we need to bring back our land clearing laws now:

  •  Habitat loss is one of the greatest threats to our unique biodiversity and wildlife. Precious species like koalas are on the brink, and further loss would be devastating for their survival.
  • Land clearing damages our Great Barrier Reef. Destroying trees near our coast increases run-off and pollution from land to sea, reducing water quality and smothering corals and seagrasses.
  • Land clearing worsens climate change and drought. If we continue at this rate, carbon emissions from tree clearing in Queensland alone will wipe out the gains made by the Australian Government’s land-use climate policies in just 18 months. [2] We’ll see drought worsen, hurting farmers and our ability to produce food.

In 2016, we should know better than to destroy what’s left of our precious forests and woodlands. It’s time we ask ourselves – are we willing to sacrifice unique species like the koala to continue outdated, reckless clearing of native trees and forests? It’s got to stop with us. Speak up now.

Our MPs are under pressure from industry lobbyists who want to keep bulldozing our trees. We have to show them there’s huge support to restore our native vegetation laws, but we only have one week left before they vote.

Add your voice and help bring back the laws that protect our forests.

Thanks for all you do,

Jacki Boyce
Greenpeace Australia Pacific

[1] Scientists’ declaration: Accelerating forest, woodland and grassland destruction in Australia, Society for Conservation Biology Oceania.
[2] Climate change and Australia’s tree clearing crisis, The Wilderness Society.
 

Greenpeace Australia Pacific is part of a global movement of people taking action for a green and peaceful future. We are 100% independent and don’t accept any money from business or government. So, we rely entirely on voluntary donations to carry out our campaigns.  The best way to help us keep fighting climate change, defending our oceans and protecting ancient forests is to make a donation. Thank you! To get in touch with a friendly human being, use our website contact form. You are receiving this email because you subscribed using bob@naturallyhealthywellness.com.au If you no longer want to receive our emails, we’ll be sad, but you can unsubscribe here

Our team at Greenpeace Australia Pacific acknowledge that we meet and work on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay respect to their Elders, past and present, and acknowledge the pivotal role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within the Australian community.
 

 

 

 

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is this the END of Monsanto?

Posted on: June 22nd, 2016 by bfcomau No Comments
 monsanto chemicals

monsanto chemicals

Dear Avaazers,

This has my head spinning. In months, Europe could actually ban the killer herbicide that Monsanto’s entire business model is based on!

Glyphosate kills *everything* except Monsanto’s genetically engineered crops, transforming our planet into ecological wastelands where nothing can live but one GM crop. It’s apocalyptic.

Even worse, its use is skyrocketing, has been found in 90% of our bodies, and a new study says it likely causes cancer!

This month, we won a massive battle to block renewal of glyphosate’s license in Europe. Everyone told us this was impossible, but we changed the game! Leading EU politician Pavel Poc said: “Avaaz is indisputably the driving force on glyphosate”.

The EU will decide on the ban within months. This is the moment – if we all chip in now, we can trigger a plan to fund independent science, keep pressure on leaders sky high, and get a win in Europe that goes global — chip in the cost of a drink or a meal to make it happen:
YES, I’LL DONATE $3

YES, I’LL DONATE $6

YES, I’LL DONATE $12

YES, I’LL DONATE $24

YES, I’LL DONATE $48

To donate another amount, click here.
The media is hailing our year-long campaign as having “blindsided” Monsanto, who thought a new glyphosate license was in the bag. But now they’ll be coming at this with everything they’ve got. To meet them head on in the coming months, we need to:

  • Fund the independent science that is desperately needed to counter the industry-funded studies.
  • Build the pressure on key countries and politicians to stand strong on glyphosate.
  • Crucially – articulate the clear, sustainable alternatives to glyphosate-type herbicides — this is key to winning over farmers and politicians.
  • Mobilise rapidly for every committee, every council meeting, every backroom bureaucratic process where the EU tries to get out of making a clear decision (we have one of these coming up just this week!)
  • Start taking this fight global — the US, Canada, Brazil and a slew of other countries could decide soon whether they also ban glyphosate.

People told us we were crazy when we said the Paris climate summit could change the world, but we dared to hope, pooled our time and money, and we won. Then, they told us we were crazy when we said we could *end* the Monsanto model of chemical agriculture. What happens next, depends on all of us:

YES, I’LL DONATE $3

YES, I’LL DONATE $6

YES, I’LL DONATE $12

YES, I’LL DONATE $24

YES, I’LL DONATE $48

To donate another amount, click here.
Our planet is one tremendously fragile, interdependent ecosystem, and Monsanto’s wasteland agriculture is taking a wrecking ball to it. Scientists say we are likely approaching tipping points in our “biodiversity” where more and more ecosystems begin collapsing, in a cascade reaction that could go beyond our control. As with climate change, we have grown so powerful, and yet remained so unwise, that we are threatening the survival of the planet that sustains us.

Let’s be wiser. We are the front lines of our people’s response to this atrocity against nature, and our future. Every Avaaz victory has flowed from millions of our individual decisions to choose to trust, to hope, and to act. Let’s make that choice together now.

With hope and determination,

Alice and the Avaaz team

P.S. In the next 18 months, the voices of scientists, doctors, and farmers will be crucial. If you are an oncologist, a scientist working in any area relevant to glyphosate licensing, or a farmer that has experience with this pesticide or alternative sustainable methods, please let the Avaaz team know here.

Sources:

Recall of Monsanto’s Roundup likely as EU refuses limited use of glyphosate (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/06/recall-of-monsantos-roundup-likely-as-eu-refuses-limited-use-of-glyphosate

Nothing we can’t do (Avaaz)
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/nothing_we_cant_do/

What Do We Really Know About Roundup Weed Killer? (National Geographic)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150422-glyphosate-roundup-herbicide-weeds/

Bill Nye on Glyphosate: ‘We Accidentally Decimated the Monarch Butterfly Population’ (EcoWatch)
http://ecowatch.com/2015/07/22/bill-nye-glyphosate/

The Rise of Superweeds—and What to Do About It (Union of Concerned Scientists)
http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/rise-of-superweeds.pdf


Avaaz.org is a 44-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed “Community Petitions Site” on 2013-11-26 using the email address info@bobfordham.com.au.
To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact us, or simply go here to unsubscribe.

To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).

 

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What if it never cost you to pay for outrageous Power Bills ever again?

Posted on: June 6th, 2016 by bfcomau No Comments

 

Well in the very near future, this will be possible……

EXPERIENCE POWER WITH PURPOSE!

*What if we could offer our customers responsible energy at a competitive and affordable rate or less than the utility charged? eg: with up to a 50% carbon offset.

*What if we could create a network of entrepreneurial-minded men and women who wanted to create a sustainable world, too?

*And what if we didn’t wait for change in our industry, our communities, and the world but instead set the wheels in motion ourselves?

*Imagine making an impact on other people’s lives and the health of the planet all while determining your financial future …this is our sincere desire.

Would you feel good about that?

There is a huge Energy “Juggernaut” Pre- launching into Australia right now…

Its definitely worth a look. And the timing is ripe for You & The Planet!

Collectively, we can make a difference 🙂

Australians are passionate about the environment, and so is Viridian!

That makes Australia a natural choice for our company’s first international expansion.  Whether you’re a Viridian Associate in the U.S. or an Australian interested in getting in on the ground floor there, this is a huge opportunity. We’ll be open for Associate enrollment soon, and will begin serving customers later this year.

Sneak Peak on what’s to come…http://www.liveviridian.com/australia

AUSTRALIA PRE-LAUNCH EVENTS:
The Empower Call
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Every Monday

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98% of Our Cellular Health is determined by our Environment…

So Come Along And Make A Difference!

your opportunity

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Nestlé is sucking Michigan dry while Flint’s children drink poisoned water.

Posted on: February 9th, 2016 by bfcomau No Comments

Tell Gov. Snyder to stand up to privatization and invest in our public water system so the people of Flint have clean water again.

There’s a water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

Children are being rushed to the hospital with irreversible brain damage; the federal government has declared a state of emergency, and dangerous water contamination is causing residents to go blind, develop skin lesions, and lose hair and even their memory — just from bathing in their own homes.

The entire community is living in fear — all because Governor Rick Snyder wanted to save money, and switched the city’s water supply from one of the largest and cleanest water supplies in the world to the highly corrosive Flint River.

Meanwhile, Michigan’s Governor has been cozying up with Nestlé, allowing it to pump 200 gallons of fresh water every minute out of the state’s reserves.

Sign my petition calling on the governor to take immediate steps to fix the poisoned water supply for Flint, invest in public water infrastructure, and keep companies like Nestle from taking over our clean public water sources.

I have two kids, and my family has lived in Michigan for generations. This could happen anywhere in the state, and it’s terrifying that we need to be afraid of a simple drink of water. That’s why I started a petition on SumOfUs Community asking Governor Snyder to stop the privatization of our public water, and instead invest in public clean water for all of us.

Nestlé is the largest owner of private water sources in Michigan — water the people of Flint sorely need – and the water-guzzling corporation has deep ties to Governor Rick Snyder’s office. This is the same office that thought nothing off undermining the public system that was supposed to keep the people of Flint safe.

Deb Muchmore, the head spokesperson for Nestlé Michigan, is married to Governor Snyder’s chief of staff. As Michael Moore wrote recently, “The Muchmores have a personal interest in seeing to it that Nestlé grabs as much of Michigan’s clean water as possible.”

Nestlé is the worst. It’s been repeatedly sued over its aggressive acquisition of private water reserves and the alarming amounts of water it sucks out of Michigan’s ground. The multinational has been under fire in Michigan since 2003 when A judge ordered Nestlé to stop its operations due to ecological harm and a massive reduction in water levels from its operations. Even as recently as last year, Nestlé Waters CEO Tim Brown said that if he could bottle more of drought-stricken California’s water for profit, he would.

Join me and demand Governor Snyder reverse the corporate takeover of our shared natural resources while Flint suffers.

As far as I’m concerned, allowing companies like Nestle to do whatever they want comes hand in hand with undermining the public water system we rely on. Water problems across the state are due to corruption, self-interest, and putting the public’s interest last. And we’ve had enough.

I’ve been a SumOfUs member for little over a year and already, I have seen the organization fight back against water privatization in Oregon and in Canada, and I’ve started this petition so we can fight for Michigan too. We need to come together behind the people of Flint and say enough is enough.

Call on Governor Snyder to stop the privatization of Michigan’s water supply.

Thanks for all you do,

Mark Zandstra and Grace Zandstra.
Life-long Michigan residents, and SumOfUs supporters since 2014

**********
More information:

After Bottling Michigan’s Clean Water, Nestle Comes Under Fire For Ties To Snyder Admin, MintPress News, Feb 3, 2016
Michael Moore: 10 Things They Won’t Tell You About the Flint Water Tragedy. But I Will, HuffPo, Feb 1, 2016
“Privatization is not the solution”: Michigan Activists Fight for Water Justice, In These Times, July 15, 2015

take-action-sign-petition

SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy. Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in AU$3.

Have a great idea for a SumOfUs campaign? Start your own petition and the best ones could be emailed to the whole SumOfUs community.

Further Interesting Reading….

Recall – Good Start 2 Liquid Infant Formula
Fountain Pen, on Mon, 15 Feb 2016 13:56:15 -0800

Ottawa, February 14, 2016 – Nestl Canada Inc. is recalling specific lots of Nestl brand Good Start 2 Concentrated Liquid Infant Formula from the marketplace due to potentially reduced bioavailability of nutrients. Consumers should not use or consume …

Trije posavski karateisti v Velenju na stopni?kah
ePosavje.com, on Mon, 15 Feb 2016 01:11:15 -0800

V soboto so se trije karateisti iz Posavja, ki letošnjo sezono tekmujejo za Karate klub Žalec, udeležili 11. mednarodnega karate turnirja NESTL ŽGANK v Velenju, na katerem je sodelovalo preko 400 tekmovalcev iz 7 držav. Najmlajši med trojico, Žiga Suša …

Karateisti na mednarodnem tekmovanju „Nestl Žgank“ v Velenju
Lokalno.si, on Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:37:30 -0800

V soboto, 13.2.2016, so se ?lani Karate kluba Novo mesto in Karate kluba Krka Šentjernej pod vodstvom trenerja Franja Horna udeležili mednarodnega tekmovanja v karateju, ki je potekalo v Velenju. Tekmovanja se je skupno udeležilo 520 tekmovalcev iz …

Nestle recalls infant product as a precaution
Brandon Sun, on Sun, 14 Feb 2016 15:37:30 -0800

The company says it has put out a recall for its Nestl? Good Start 2 Concentrate 359 ml with Omega Infant Formula, packaged in a tetra box. Nestle says the minerals in the formula may separate over time and appear as black particles in the concentrate.

Nestle recalls infant product as a precaution
580 CFRA Radio, on Sun, 14 Feb 2016 15:37:30 -0800

The company says it has put out a recall for its Nestl? Good Start 2 Concentrate 359 ml with Omega Infant Formula, packaged in a tetra box. Nestle says the minerals in the formula may separate over time and appear as black particles in the concentrate.

Nestl Breakfast Cereals Semarakan Pekan Sarapan Nasional
Bisnis.com, on Sat, 13 Feb 2016 07:56:15 -0800

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA — Nestlé Breakfast Cereals kembali berpartisipasi dalam kampanye Pekan Sarapan Nasional (PESAN), untuk mendorong masyarakat agar menerapkan perilaku sarapan sehat dan gizi seimbang setiap hari dengan target 8.000 anak …

Nestl First Milk launch programme to develop next generat
FarmingUK, on Thu, 04 Feb 2016 11:52:30 -0800

Nestlé and First Milk have launched the Next Generation Dairy Leaders Programme, a scheme for young farmers that aims to identify, nurture and develop the next generation of dairy leaders. The two year programme will focus on a small group of the most …

Nestlé & First Milk launch programme to develop next generation of dairy leaders
FarmingUK, on Fri, 05 Feb 2016 01:57:09 -0800

Nestlé and First Milk have launched the Next Generation Dairy Leaders Programme, a scheme for young farmers that aims to identify, nurture and develop the next generation of dairy leaders. The two year programme will focus on a small group of the most …

 

Campbell Newman’s latest attack on Solar

Posted on: October 13th, 2014 by bfcomau 4 Comments

This is outrageous. Over the weekend Premier Campbell Newman has taken aim at solar, blaming Queenslanders who choose to go solar for power price rises and therefore the need to sell off the state’s poles and wires*.

It’s simply not true. The major component of the average Queensland power bill is network charges**, those poles and wires which have seen dramatic levels of over-investment and pushed up power prices – so much so that the Federal Senate is holding an inquiry into this so-called “gold-plating” of the grid***.

Tell Premier Newman to stop his wild campaign against Queensland solar homes – write a post to the Premier on his Facebook page.

Solar citizens meet in Ashgrove to combat Newman Govt attack against them
More than a hundred people gathered in the Queensland Premier´s electorate vowing to fight what they claim is a campaign against owners of solar panels.

 

Let’s show the Premier that he should stand up for solar, no excuses. Tell Premier Newman that Queensland wants more solar, not less. Write a post to the Premier on his Facebook page.

Solar is helping hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders save on their power bills every single day. Premier Campbell Newman’s attack is trying to make a ridiculous excuse for his government’s desire to sell off the state’s poles and wires, and that’s a fact.

By writing Premier Newman a quick Facebook post on his wall we can show the government that we won’t be made the scapegoat for the government’s decisions.

Yours for a solar-powered Queensland,

Claire, Campaigns Director

PS. In June we forced Premier Campbell Newman to back down on his plans to slug solar homes with extra power charges. The Premier’s latest attack on solar homes shows that he’s still wildly out of touch with most Queenslanders who support solar. Tell Premier Newman on his Facebook page that solar is helping Queenslanders take control of their power bills and that we want more solar not less.

* http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/privatisation-deal-would-zap-power-costs-premier-newman-claims-but-labor-says-it-will-drive-prices-up/story-fnihsrf2-1227088267945

** http://www.qca.org.au/Electricity/Electricity-Prices-2014-15/Electricity-prices-2014-15/Electricity-Prices-Overview

*** http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Electricity_and_AERhttp:/www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Electricity_and_AER

Solar Citizens
http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/

Solar Citizens is working to protect the rights of million of Australian solar owners to cut bills, create cleaner power and take energy generation back into our own hands. You can also keep up with Solar Citizens on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

 

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