Eco-Operate

Shoshone treatment - What's more wrong than this?

I was looking at the WITNESS site and I happened on to this
video which was chosen as the 'editior's pick' in honor of Earth
Week. This video depicts the despicable treatment of the
Shoshone people for the benefit of mining interests...in
our own 'backyard'. To help correct this injustice
go to Oxfamamerica

Human rights ... abuse in Riau land dispute

The following aritcle comes from the Jarkarta Post and I found it through
Borneo Orangutan Survival UK (www.savetheorangutan.co.uk)

They have 'to the minute' news articles, alerts and TAKE ACTION'S regarding
orangutans survival which also by extension encompass issues regarding deforesta-
tion, palm oil production (and more), and future biofuel production.
Quite a lot info can be gleaned there-these folks are doing a great job of
informing the rest of us.

Link: Human rights body finds rights abuse in Riau land dispute
The Jakarta Post.

Human rights body finds rights abuse in Riau land dispute

Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post |  Sat, 03/08/2008 12:11 PM  | The Archipelago

The National Commission of Human Rights has found human rights abuses in the
prolonged land dispute between the Sakai tribe and forestry company PT Arara
Abadi in Riau, Sumatra. Chairman of the commission's fact-finding team, Jhony
Simanjuntak, said the Sakai people had lost their right to live peacefully and safely
because of the company's continual intimidation.

He said the company deployed security personnel and trained dogs to drive away
farmers working on the disputed land and to intimidate children traveling to and
from school.

The team, which visited the land early this week, found dual ownership of certain
enclaves had triggered the dispute. The Sakai people have lived in the 10 villages
and have farmed the surrounding areas in Bengkalis and Siak since 1830. They
were granted official ownership of the land in 1940 by the Sultan of Siak. PT Arara
Abadi obtained the forest concession in 1996.

"When the company came in, it did not know the Sakai people were living and farm-
ing in the enclaves, which has caused a dispute," said Jhony at a press conference
at the Governor's Office here Thursday.

According to the fact-finding team, the Sakai tribe should be recognized as the
land's rightful owners under the 1999 Forestry Law. However, the tribe has not
sought legal protection because of the complicated bureaucratic process involved.
The law guarantees the Sakai people's right to the land but approval from the gov-
ernment is also required.

"Government approval has proven difficult to obtain because the criteria it sets
is unrealistic," said Jhony. 

"The conflict has become complicated because many farmers have claimed plots
of land which were also included in the forest concession. Land claims have led
to the arrest of many farmers and, in this case, Arara has no authority to make
arrests. Instead, it should maintain its assets, including the land in the forest
concession," he said.

Cleantech Blog

   

    The Cleantech Blog is an excellent place to keep up-to-date about
    the world of alternative energy. Richard T. Stuebi's post from
    Monday has some interesting observations on 'Cleantech' ads placed
    in Forbes Magazine (13) and then Steve Forbes editorial denying
    climate change. Read his post...

    Cleantech Blog has 13 contributors or so and is considered a
    '50 Best Business Blog' by the Times. What I also like is the slew of
    links on energy related topics so you can get a lot of info on emerg-
    ing technologies and their potential effects in one stop under head-
    ings like: Best of the Field, Energy, Global Warming & Carbon, Solar,
    Environment, Green Consumer & Tech, Greentech Media...and more.

   

Do you get your wood from the rainforest?!

When you're running around on the weekends trying
to do a little home improvement or buying materials
for furniture or sculpture projects do you ever think
about where your retailer gets their wood?

To learn more about responsible wood choices go to
www.rainforestrelief.org

This link is where you'll find a recent PSA from
Rainforest Relief director Tim Keating.
http://www.rainforestrelief.org/documents/RR_PSA.final.sm.mov

They're looking for ways to get the word out on TV, Cable,
Websites etc.

Join them, donate, spread the word...do something to  help
conserve rainforests and all the species that live therein!!!

Does anyone really NEED to a purple heart letter opener?

A Lighter Footprint

Yahoo has a Carbon Footprint Calculator that you can use to see what impact you
and your friends/family are having on the planet. What's great about it is that one
can instantly make a plan and 'pledge' to offset their impact.
In measurable amounts of carbon you can decide to what degree you can
lessen your impact through simple and often easy choices.

Equally good, or maybe even better is that the site shows how many others are
making a 'pledge' and to what extent their positive accumulative effect will be.

Current count:
62,050 People are pledging to save 168,467 TONS of C02/yr
Which is equivalent to 125 not driving for about a year.

"10 Things Never to Buy"- "21 Things to Recycle"

For two great lists put together by Co-op America of "10 Things Never to Buy" and
"21 Things To Recycle" - spelled out nicely by Shannon Murray of greenpride.org for
our benefit - visit her site now!