Disse mennesker laver et fantastisk arbejde med - at forhindre at Nestle privatiserer al verdens vandressourcer. - at Tasmaniens urskove får lov at stå urørte - at havene ikke bliver fyldt med mikroplastik - at det bliver sta stop for flaskevand Vi kan bidrage med at lade være med at bruge produkter med microbeads og købe vand på plastikflaske Læs brevet forneden! Story of Stuff Project Hello Göran, It has been a busy few months for The Story of Stuff Project, and we want to let you in on everything that we have accomplished in the past few months. We have been working hard to write our own Story -- one involving all of our Community of global citizens fighting for a better, cleaner world. Weve been investing in new staff and upgrading our website to empower our Community and take on national governments and international corporations. Check out a snapshot of what the Story Community has accomplished so far, and where were heading next. --------------------------------------------------- Where we have been: Nestlés Stolen Springs: Great news for the embattled town of Fryeburg poland_springThe Issue: Around the world, Nestlé is threatening local water rights. For nearly a decade, Nestlé has been attempting to strong-arm the town of Fryeburg, Maine, into a 45-year contract to control its spring water. Our response: Thousands of us spoke up to Nestlé, and hundreds of our Story Community members contributed money to the towns fight, funding water stations and branded water bottles for the local schools to reinforce the value of their local water resource. Just recently, the town of Fryeburg received amazing news when the Maine Public Utility Commission published a study recommending that the PUC reject Nestlés contract with Fryeburg. The Story: Around the world, corporations are privatizing water, literally pumping it right out from under the people who depend on it. Nestlé has been one of the most ruthless companies, ensuring at the World Water Forum in 2000 that water was not defined as a human right. Since Nestlé has locked into law the idea that water is a commodity in need of corporate control, private entities are able to buy up and control ground water sources around the world, taking them away from communities that have relied on them for centuries. In a tremendous response, over 200,000 of our Community members signed a petition to Nestlé calling on the corporation to stop its global water grabs. After looking at communities currently affected by Nestlé, we focused on the town of Fryeburg, Maine, where local activists have been locked in legal battles with Nestlé for nearly a decade. Nestlé subsidiary Poland Spring has long eyed Fryeburgs natural spring water, and has sued the town numerous times, arguing in court that the companys right to grow profits supersedes the rights of Fryeburgs citizens. After nearly nine years of court cases, corruption, and a stinging defeat in the Maine Supreme Court, this year the citizens of Fryeburg have reason to be hopeful. fryeburg_water_bottles Fryeburg is current preparing to argue its case against Nestlé before the Maine Public Utilities Commission. All the cards seemed to be in Nestlés favor, but earlier this year, an investigative journalist revealed that the PUC was almost entirely controlled by Nestlé -- nearly everyone on the Commission, including the Public Advocate that was to argue Fryeburgs case -- was either a former Nestlé employee or had worked at a law firm Nestlé paid to lobby on its behalf. Only after the facts were publicly aired did the Commission recuse itself, to be replaced by a less biased group appointed by Maines governor. Hundreds of members of the Story Community chipped in to help out the people of Fryeburg. Our local allies, The Friends of the Fryeburg Water District, have been overjoyed at the outpouring of support, which will enable them to purchase state-of-the-art water stations for the children of the town. Word of the project also got out to the Mizu water bottle company, which has offered top of the line water bottles at a friendly discount, to ensure that the citizens of Fryeburg will treasure their connection to and ownership of their resource. Right now, our Fryeburg friends are in discussion with the local school administration to see if the donated water stations and water bottles can replace the bottled-water vending machine that currently sits in the schools hallways. Thanks to the good deeds of people like yourself, we are helping the people of Fryeburg take control of their own story -- and their own water. By having a close connection to their towns spring water, the children of Fryeburg and their families will have a greater appreciation for their most precious resource, and continue to fight for it into the future. This Saturday, Fryeburg got more good news when an unbiased Public Utility Commission released its preliminary report, recommending that it reject Nestlés attempted 45-year contract with the Fryeburg Water District. This remarkable move is a burst of good news for the people of Fryeburg. For the first time in years, there is a real sense that they can defeat the hulking multinational that has been hovering over their town. This is only one of many battles around the world currently raging between bottled water companies like Nestlé and the people who depend on local water resources. We are committed to ensuring local control of natural resources -- particularly one as vital as water -- and we will continue to support communities around the world when their resources come under attack. Portland Press Herald: Nestlé Waters bid to sign Fryeburg deal suffers setback, September 19th, 2014 Al Jazeera: Conflict of interest claims persist in Maines Nestlé water case, September 20th, 2013 Australias threatened UNESCO Heritage forests: VICTORY! Tasmania forestThe Issue: Australias government asked the UN to remove UNESCO World Heritage Site protections for tens of thousands of hectares of untouched wilderness it claimed were misclassified and should instead be logged. Our Response: Over 6,000 members of the Story in Australia wrote in to UNESCO, calling on the organization to keep the forests protected status. UNESCO responded by rejecting the Australian governments claims and maintaining the forests for the future. The Story: Tasmania is home to some of the most unique old-growth forest ecosystems on the planet, an ancient wilderness that has been untouched for thousands of years. After a long struggle on the part of activists, the forests were awarded UNESCO protection just last year, ensuring their safety. At least, that was the intent. But this year Tony Abbotts government made a shocking request, appealing to the United Nations to strip World Heritage Site status from 74,000 square hectares so that the ancient forests could be logged. Abbott made clear that, for him, this was an ideological move when he addressed the timber industry in a speech with I see [loggers as] the ultimate conservationists. I salute you. You intelligently make the most of the good things God has given us. The government claimed that the land had been misclassified and that it was actually degraded. Conservationists responded by releasing photos showing the area to be pristine, worth fighting to preserve. Our Australian Community sprang into action, and sent over 6,000 messages to the United Nations, letting the international body know loud and clear that Australians wanted their natural wonders safeguarded. This June, UNESCO categorically rejected the governments bid to delist the ancient forest, ensuring that it will continue as an ecological sanctuary for years to come. Australian Broadcasting Corporation: UNESCO rejects Coalitions bid to delist Tasmanian World Heritage forest, June 24, 2014 Johnson & Johnsons microbeads: A close defeat and a longer battle microbeads The Issue: Billions of plastic microbeads in personal care products, too tiny and buoyant for traditional sewage filtration systems, are flooding into our waterways daily, absorbing toxins and entering the food chain. Our response: Over thirty thousand of us sent a message to Johnson & Johnson, and we worked with allies in California to pass comprehensive microbead regulations. The measure came close, but failed by one vote in the state Senate. We are currently working with allies to prepare a push in next years legislative session. The Story: Our friends at the organization 5Gyres spend their time studying plastic accumulation in the ocean, and educating the public on the problem. But a few years ago, the scientists at 5Gyres had a mystery on their hands. While looking into pollution in the US Great Lakes, they discovered that the water around them was filled with nearly invisible plastic pellets. As the team began to take more samples and make more calculations, they realized that they were just looking at the tip of the iceberg -- the worlds waters were swimming with billions upon billions of these tiny plastic pellets. After further investigating, 5Gyres discovered that the trash was flooding into our waterways from the sewers. Microbeads have begun to show up in hundreds of beauty and personal care products, and theyre so tiny and buoyant, they escape sewage filtration systems. Since plastics are carbon-based, the tiny bits of trash absorb chemicals from the sewer, emerging into the ocean full of toxins. To the smallest creatures in the oceans food chain, the pellets look exactly like bits of floating food, so theyre gulped up and enter into the food chain. The plastic pellets are in hundreds of products and more every month, and its estimated that over a billion enter the worlds oceans daily -- where they will circulate and accumulate for centuries. Many of the major personal care-product manufacturers have agreed to phase out microbeads, but they have set long timelines and have talked about switching to biodegradable plastics. Such plastics do biodegrade, but only in unique conditions such as in industrial compost centers. When flushed out into the ocean, most biodegradable plastics are just as resistant to breaking down as traditional plastics. Thirty thousand members of the Story Community asked Johnson & Johnson to take a firmer stance on the beads, and our Community joined with 5Gyres and other partners to push for tougher legislation across the country. Legislators in California, Illinois, and New York introduced legislation regulating microbeads in the most recent session. New Yorks bill died in the states senate. Illinois bill passed, but the industry-friendly legislation contains so many loopholes that stronger regulation is needed. While it is progress forward, it is not enough to ensure the safety of the worlds oceans. In California, hundreds of Community members called their representatives to pass strong microbead regulations. Though it passed the California Assembly, the bill fell short in the state senate by one vote. The personal care product industry spent millions on this fight -- with Californias enormous market, its product standards often end up becoming the standard for the entire country. In response, we are already coordinating with coalition members to ensure passage of the legislation in 2015. We are fired up, as are our allies in the legislature. As further information emerges about the dangerous effects of the microplastics, momentum continues to build for real regulation, not simply industry self-policing established in the Illinois bill. We are going into the next legislative session ready for a real fight, and hopeful that we can help stem the dumping of microplastics into our oceans. NPR: Why Those Tiny Microbeads In Soap May Pose Problem For Great Lakes, May 21, 2014 Plastic bag regulation: VICTORY! plastic bag turtle The Issue: Every year, upwards of 500 billion disposable plastic bags are used around the world. The vast majority are only used for a few minutes, and spend the rest of their lifetimes -- hundreds or thousands of years -- as trash in the ground or ocean. Our Response: Working with a coalition of groups, we helped in passing historic plastic bag regulations in California, making the most populous state in the US the first to regulate single-use plastic bags. The Story: California uses 14 billion plastic bags a year, the vast majority of which are used for only a few minutes before they are thrown away, or end up polluting the land and ocean for thousands of years. Plastic bags are the second most-common source of ocean pollution, after cigarettes. As one of the more persistent and least necessary sources of pollution -- each plastic bag is used on average for about twelve minutes before being trashed -- plastic bags are a top target of activists looking to clean up our wastestreams. A large network of activist groups banded together, including Clean Water Action, Seventh Generation Advisers, 5Gyres, Californians Against Waste, The Sierra Club and others have been working on plastic bag legislation for years, and six times in previous years, historic statewide legislation to regulate plastic bags has fallen short of the votes needed to pass the California legislature. This year, the legislations chances of passing were better than ever -- and the plastic companies knew it. Led by manufacturer Hilex Poly, the plastic bag industry dumped $13 million worth of ads into the California capital city of Sacramento. It also paid to bus in communities from around the state that would speak its message. Our coalition was in for a huge challenge. A great number of activists walked the halls of the capital building, securing ayes (votes in favor) and tracking the total tally. The moment of truth came on August 25th, when the legislation came up short, receiving 37 ayes, four short of the 41 needed to pass. Only one week remained in the legislative session. Fortunately, the bill had strong support among a number of legislators, who maneuvered to ensure another vote. Our coalition had only a few days to get four additional votes, all the while corporate lobbyists were pounding away with their messages. One problem our allies encountered -- State Senators who had only heard the millions of dollars in messaging said they hadnt heard from their own constituents, and believed that none of their home district voters supported the legislation. Thanks to investments we had made to our technology upgrades we had made earlier in the summer, we were able to identify community members in those specific state districts and get them their Senators numbers. Soon, the Senators phone were ringing with concerned Community members calling in, and our allies in the capital reported that the calls really helped convince the skeptical legislators. After several nail-biting days, one by one, our activist network managed to bring about the votes and pass the historic legislation. The regulation will ensure that California is the first US state to regulate single-use plastic bags. We are working to repeat the process, first taking the fight to New York City -- which is currently debating plastic bag regulations of its own -- then rolling out tools to help Community members organize and pass similar legislation in their own hometowns. Los Angeles Times: Governor Brown says he would sign bill that would ban plastic grocery bags, September 4th, 2014 San Jose Mercury News: Mercury News editorial: Bag bans another California first well be proud of, September 1st, 2014 Plastic bottle ban in San Francisco: VICTORY! SF bottled water victory The Issue: Bottled water is one of the biggest, least necessary, wastestreams that we currently create. San Francisco debated historic legislation that would ban the sale of bottled water on city property, and invest in public water resources. Our Response: Hundreds of our Story Community members wrote in to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, voicing support for the water bottle ban, and helping to pass the legislation. The Story: With our friends at Corporate Accountability International leading the way in pushing the issue, San Francisco became the biggest and most visible city to debate regulations on the sale of bottled water. The historic legislation would ban the sale of bottled water on city property, as well as make important investments in public water resources to ensure access to fresh, clean water. Bottled water companies knew the importance of the move: San Francisco was one of the first cities to regulate plastic bags, and passage of this bill could establish it as model legislation for other communities to follow. Hundreds of members of our Story Community wrote in to support the legislation, which passed in a tough vote to kick off the next fight over unnecessary waste. San Francisco Examiner: SF becomes first major city to ban sale of plastic water bottles, March 4th 2014 Where we are going next: We are part of a unique global community interested in making the world better. We are continually working on ways to empower our Community to press for change. Over the coming months, we will be rolling out an online Citizen Muscles Boot Camp to guide Community members on how to become changemakers. We are also planning to invest in further technology to make it easier for Community members to interact, and to launch campaigns to improve their hometowns. Let us know if you are interested in bringing positive change to your own community, by writing to [email protected]. We are tremendously excited to be working on these opportunities, and to continue to fight for a cleaner, healthier, more just planet. Thank you for all you do! Claiborne Deming, Emma Cape, Allison Cook and the rest of the Story of Stuff team P.S.: Were investing in tools and staff so that our Community can continue to make the world a better place. Being a member of our Community is free, but if youre interested in our work, we would appreciate it if you became a supporter. Thank you! At the Story of Stuff, were rewriting the narrative that has us overworked and trashing the planet. Were working to build a world that is healthy, sustainable, and just. Sustain our movement. | Unsubscribe.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 21:50:02 +0000