Trae prepared these "alternate Dear Santa letters" as part of our December 8th rally. They are great - so I thought I'd post them for all of you to read. Wonderful messages to share with family and friends this season and every season to follow. Tiffany
Dear Santa;
You’re a great guy and Christmas is one of my favourite times of year. I hope you don’t mind but along with my Christmas list I have a few suggestions:
- Please reduce the amount of packaging that you use for toys and clothing. I am learning what a mess the planet is in right now and I think we could all take a bit more responsibility for the lifecycle of products we consume.
- Please stop making things that are bad for my health. I am just an innocent kid and my parents cannot watch me every second. Every time you do a cost/benefit analysis that incorporates injury and death, please ask your moral conscience what is the bottom line.
- Finally, please stop leveraging the lagging work standards in developing countries as a way to increase profit. All elves are people and I trust you to treat everyone who supplies goods to your workshop fairly.
Santa, my family and I just want the spirit of Christmas back and we want to celebrate responsibly so there are many more Christmases to come.
Sincerely,
Trae Robinson
(Writer, Mother, Eco-Activist)
Monday, December 17, 2007
An Alternate Approach to the Holidays
Dear fellow Londoner:
This time of year it can be tough just to be a family. There are so many pressures from consumer flyers, mall frenzies and high expectations for entertaining; - even the charities that we hold dear seem to get in on the Christmas racket.
Most of all, parents want to feel like they have created a sense of magic and wonder for their children and families. Consumer conditioning has translated this desire into a tendency to buy more stuff, which puts a strain on the pocket book and the holiday spirit.
Can we have the magic otherwise? At Council of Canadians, we invite you to reclaim Christmas from commercial interests. When parents and their children enter an honest dialogue about what is important to them, amazing discoveries can be made. You might discover that:
ü The greatest gift anytime for your friends and family is the precious commodity of time. When we try to be together without the need for the most toys or the best dressed dining table - we have more time to play.
ü The gifts cost more that you may know. After children learn how corporations make toys and clothes in today’s global marketplace, they will probably insist on ethically made and fairly traded goods. Children are targeted more than ever in advertising and it is essential that they become consumer literate.
ü You have a voice and a role in the future your children will inherit. Together, we can ask for healthy products, less packaging and higher workplace standards for the products we consume. Our “dear Santa” letter is one of those ways to make your voice heard. Please discuss it with your child and send it along today. If you need more copies, they are available at www.---
We wish you the joy of the season and encourage you to dialogue with your family about reclaiming Christmas from the corporations.
Sincerely,
Trae Robinson
(Writer, Mother, Eco-Activist)
This time of year it can be tough just to be a family. There are so many pressures from consumer flyers, mall frenzies and high expectations for entertaining; - even the charities that we hold dear seem to get in on the Christmas racket.
Most of all, parents want to feel like they have created a sense of magic and wonder for their children and families. Consumer conditioning has translated this desire into a tendency to buy more stuff, which puts a strain on the pocket book and the holiday spirit.
Can we have the magic otherwise? At Council of Canadians, we invite you to reclaim Christmas from commercial interests. When parents and their children enter an honest dialogue about what is important to them, amazing discoveries can be made. You might discover that:
ü The greatest gift anytime for your friends and family is the precious commodity of time. When we try to be together without the need for the most toys or the best dressed dining table - we have more time to play.
ü The gifts cost more that you may know. After children learn how corporations make toys and clothes in today’s global marketplace, they will probably insist on ethically made and fairly traded goods. Children are targeted more than ever in advertising and it is essential that they become consumer literate.
ü You have a voice and a role in the future your children will inherit. Together, we can ask for healthy products, less packaging and higher workplace standards for the products we consume. Our “dear Santa” letter is one of those ways to make your voice heard. Please discuss it with your child and send it along today. If you need more copies, they are available at www.---
We wish you the joy of the season and encourage you to dialogue with your family about reclaiming Christmas from the corporations.
Sincerely,
Trae Robinson
(Writer, Mother, Eco-Activist)
Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game
Green group tests toys for toxins, publishes results online
You may remember that a child's plaything or two has been recalled for high lead levels recently -- and by a plaything or two, we mean millions. So it's a tad troubling that in testing 1,268 toys, the Michigan-based Ecology Center found that 35 percent contained lead, mercury, cadmium, and/or arsenic -- and only 23 of the toxic toys had been recalled. Seventeen percent of the tested toys exceeded the federal recall standard for lead, including a Hannah Montana card-game case with five times the safe lead level. "Plenty of toys don't have these chemicals in them," says the Ecology Center's Tracey Easthope. "This is a problem we can solve and it's a problem we should not have. It's something parents should not have to worry about." Perturbed parents can check out the Ecology Center's full searchable results of the testing at HealthyToys.org. http://www.healthytoys.org/home.php?source=weekly
You may remember that a child's plaything or two has been recalled for high lead levels recently -- and by a plaything or two, we mean millions. So it's a tad troubling that in testing 1,268 toys, the Michigan-based Ecology Center found that 35 percent contained lead, mercury, cadmium, and/or arsenic -- and only 23 of the toxic toys had been recalled. Seventeen percent of the tested toys exceeded the federal recall standard for lead, including a Hannah Montana card-game case with five times the safe lead level. "Plenty of toys don't have these chemicals in them," says the Ecology Center's Tracey Easthope. "This is a problem we can solve and it's a problem we should not have. It's something parents should not have to worry about." Perturbed parents can check out the Ecology Center's full searchable results of the testing at HealthyToys.org. http://www.healthytoys.org/home.php?source=weekly
Sunday, December 2, 2007
December: Events Around the City
Dec 8th
International Day of Climate Action - The Council of Canadians takes the lead in organizing our London demonstration.
Date: Saturday, December 8, 2007
Time: 10:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: Covent Garden Market
*Volunteers needed please email: londoncoc.powershift@gmail.com to discuss how you can help. For more information visit http://www.londoncoc.blogspot.com/.
Dec. 9, 2:00 PM
Civic Garden Complex Holiday Tea/Fashion Show
Discover something new...clothing made from Bamboo! Considered superior to cotton, bamboo is accelerating into becoming one of the most desirable fabrics in the clothing industry. Its qualities provide benefits to young and old. See the fashions and hear what makes bamboo so special. Presented by Modrigal Inc. Windsor, Ontario. Coffee or Tea Desserts.
The Garden Club of London will be decorating the facility with stunning festive displays. We are sure you will enjoy the atmosphere while sipping your tea, savouring desserts and watching the fashion show.
Tickets: $12.00/ person (inclusive)
Tickets may be purchased at the London Civic Garden Complex from noon to 3 pm Monday to Friday (unless facility is rented)
Dec 10th 7:00 pm
Green Party of Canada London West Annual General Meeting and Holiday Gathering. Please join us at the Wortley Roadhouse at 7:00 pm for our Annual General Meeting and for some Holiday Cheer. We will be electing a new Executive, a report from the GPO provincial AGM, address from our federal nominee Monica Jarabek, discussing our successes over the year and making plans for next year. All are welcome but only current members may vote in election. To update you membership contacts me or you may renew on the night.
Dec. 11th @ 7:15pm
The London Environment Network is a collaborative of local environmentalcommunity groups and individuals looking to enhance and strengthen the workof local organizations committed to protecting, conserving, restoring andpromoting a clean, healthy, sustainable environment for present and futuregenerations. We would be pleased to see you at our next meeting on December11th, City Hall 7:15 pm. Along with a brief meeting, some Xmas socializingis expected to add to the mix.To get in touch email us at:London.environetwork@gmail.com.
Dec. 15
CALLING ALL BIRDERS Christmas Bird Count
The Annual Christmas Bird Count in London is organized by the McIlwraith Field Naturalists. Though The Coves area has been included in the count in the past, this year Friends will coordinate our efforts with McIlwraith volunteers to perform a more comprehensive survey of the area.
We are looking for volunteers to join a birding team to cover The Coves natural areas. We are also calling upon people with bird feeders in their yards to contribute to the count from home.
If you are interested in getting involved - please contact us via email or phone. We are also interested in any tips that may be helpful to counters, such as sightings of species uncommon in the area.
Dec 18th
GreenDrinks London Holiday Celebration. Join us at the Poachers Arms for a celebration of all things Green.
International Day of Climate Action - The Council of Canadians takes the lead in organizing our London demonstration.
Date: Saturday, December 8, 2007
Time: 10:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: Covent Garden Market
*Volunteers needed please email: londoncoc.powershift@gmail.com to discuss how you can help. For more information visit http://www.londoncoc.blogspot.com/.
Dec. 9, 2:00 PM
Civic Garden Complex Holiday Tea/Fashion Show
Discover something new...clothing made from Bamboo! Considered superior to cotton, bamboo is accelerating into becoming one of the most desirable fabrics in the clothing industry. Its qualities provide benefits to young and old. See the fashions and hear what makes bamboo so special. Presented by Modrigal Inc. Windsor, Ontario. Coffee or Tea Desserts.
The Garden Club of London will be decorating the facility with stunning festive displays. We are sure you will enjoy the atmosphere while sipping your tea, savouring desserts and watching the fashion show.
Tickets: $12.00/ person (inclusive)
Tickets may be purchased at the London Civic Garden Complex from noon to 3 pm Monday to Friday (unless facility is rented)
Dec 10th 7:00 pm
Green Party of Canada London West Annual General Meeting and Holiday Gathering. Please join us at the Wortley Roadhouse at 7:00 pm for our Annual General Meeting and for some Holiday Cheer. We will be electing a new Executive, a report from the GPO provincial AGM, address from our federal nominee Monica Jarabek, discussing our successes over the year and making plans for next year. All are welcome but only current members may vote in election. To update you membership contacts me or you may renew on the night.
Dec. 11th @ 7:15pm
The London Environment Network is a collaborative of local environmentalcommunity groups and individuals looking to enhance and strengthen the workof local organizations committed to protecting, conserving, restoring andpromoting a clean, healthy, sustainable environment for present and futuregenerations. We would be pleased to see you at our next meeting on December11th, City Hall 7:15 pm. Along with a brief meeting, some Xmas socializingis expected to add to the mix.To get in touch email us at:London.environetwork@gmail.com.
Dec. 15
CALLING ALL BIRDERS Christmas Bird Count
The Annual Christmas Bird Count in London is organized by the McIlwraith Field Naturalists. Though The Coves area has been included in the count in the past, this year Friends will coordinate our efforts with McIlwraith volunteers to perform a more comprehensive survey of the area.
We are looking for volunteers to join a birding team to cover The Coves natural areas. We are also calling upon people with bird feeders in their yards to contribute to the count from home.
If you are interested in getting involved - please contact us via email or phone. We are also interested in any tips that may be helpful to counters, such as sightings of species uncommon in the area.
Dec 18th
GreenDrinks London Holiday Celebration. Join us at the Poachers Arms for a celebration of all things Green.
International Day of Climate Action
The U.N . IPCC has issued it's grimmest report to date. It statesunequivocally that climate change is upon us, the consequences will beserious no matter what, and to avoid calamities of an almost unimaginablescale, the world community must take draconian measures to reduce greenhousegasses: all increases in emissions must stop within seven years, to befollowed by a rigid course of sharp reductions -- reductions that hardlyseem possible given the ever-growing consumption patterns of the world. And,as sobering as the IPCC report is, scientists of note are saying that theprognosis is actually significantly worse -- that the report does not eventake into consideration the most recent and most troubling findings (such asthis summer's record breaking arctic melt).
In two weeks the U.N. climate conference will convene in Bali, Indonesia.The ground rules will be set there for the all-important negotiations forthe post-Kyoto treaty. It is imperative that Canada and the USA take aconstructive pro-active role (and the Bush administration is still pushingfor "voluntary" measures!, and who knows what the dithering Harpergovernment is doing on any given day).
But there is hope. Just as we in Canada have witnessed this year arevolution in public concern, awareness, and determination to act, the worldaround us is waking up to the climate crisis. On Saturday December 8th: International Day of Climate Action , (midway through the Bali conference)there will be demonstrations in more than 50 countries.
Demonstration in London.
Date: Saturday, December 8, 2007
Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: To be announced very soon.
Street: To be announced very soon.
For more information visit http://www.londoncoc.blogspot.com/.*Volunteers needed please email: londoncoc.powershift@gmail.com to discuss how you can help.
In two weeks the U.N. climate conference will convene in Bali, Indonesia.The ground rules will be set there for the all-important negotiations forthe post-Kyoto treaty. It is imperative that Canada and the USA take aconstructive pro-active role (and the Bush administration is still pushingfor "voluntary" measures!, and who knows what the dithering Harpergovernment is doing on any given day).
But there is hope. Just as we in Canada have witnessed this year arevolution in public concern, awareness, and determination to act, the worldaround us is waking up to the climate crisis. On Saturday December 8th: International Day of Climate Action , (midway through the Bali conference)there will be demonstrations in more than 50 countries.
Demonstration in London.
Date: Saturday, December 8, 2007
Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: To be announced very soon.
Street: To be announced very soon.
For more information visit http://www.londoncoc.blogspot.com/.*Volunteers needed please email: londoncoc.powershift@gmail.com to discuss how you can help.
Garbage! The Revolution Begins at Home
Thought this might be of interest - http://www.garbagerevolution.com/.
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