chrischinchilla

A fascinating and indepth article about the ten worst corporations of 2008, not many surprises... 

www.alternet.org/workplace/108321/the_10_worst_corporations_of_2008/?page=entire

Tags: 2008 | Corporations

jose

November 5th, 2008.

new eco market to challenge supermarket duopoly

Friends of the Earth has revealed its latest campaign to challenge the dominance of Australia's supermarket duopoly.

Recently over 70 people crowded into the Friends of the Earth (FoE) bookshop to learn more about the innovative Eco Market project that promises to create a truly sustainable alternative to shopping at the supermarket.  Cam Walker, FoE Campaign Coordinator told the crowd that the first outdoor Eco Market is planned to launch  this December at the Elsternwick Primary School with approved stallholders selling the majority of the product lines found in a supermarket.  The Eco Market won't be the place you shop before you go to the supermarket for the toilet paper and toothpaste, it will be your one-stop-shop to replace your supermarket trip altogether.

Every product and service on sale at Eco Market will aim to be a ‘best buy’ in terms of environmental, social and ethical outcomes as defined by Friends of the Earth.  Each stallholder will carry information about their products to help customers understand the environmental benefits of shopping at their stall.  Walker said "Eco Market is about much more than selling products, it’s about giving the public a real alternative to the unsustainable supermarkets.  It is also focused on educating the community about the issues and problems behind Australia's current food and grocery system and how to make ‘an informed choice’ when shopping".

Guest speakers Giselle Wilkinson, Founder of Sustainable living Foundation and Dave West, Founder of The Boomerang Alliance gave the supermarkets a serve, describing them as greedy, unethical, relentless, unacceptable and the most disreputable sector of corporate Australia.  Their examples of deplorable supermarket behavior complimented those that were recently aired on the ABC Four Corners program titled "The Price We Pay" (screened 1/9/08) where a raft of discounts and rebates highlighted the supermarkets’ abuse of market power.

If the Melbourne Eco Market is successful, the concept will be rolled out across other major Australian cities to provide a real sustainable supermarket alternative.  Whilst the Eco Market isn't going to put a major dint in the big supermarket chains overnight, it will help build the movement that forces them to dramatically reform their practices to be more in line with values that respect producers, consumers and the environment. 

Further information can be found at
www.foe.org.au/sustainable-food/activities-and-projects/the-sustainable-supermarket 
Audio from the Public Information Event can be found at
http://www.foe.org.au/resources/audio-centre/Eco_market_info_session.mp3/view

For further comment contact:
Cam Walker or Mara Bonacci
cam.walker@foe.org.au , mara.bonacci@foe.org.au
Friends of the Earth Melbourne
03 9419 8700

Alternative contact:
Martin Pritchard
0403 440 996
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Images from the Eco Market Information Session can be found at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30468727@N03/ 

Friends of the Earth
www.foe.org.au 

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jose

A proposal for reframing human rights

Chris Richards and Jose Ramos  

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets out the minimum standards needed for every person in the world to  live a dignified, peaceful life that is free from injustice. It is a visionary document – one that dreams of a world free from war, genocide and tyranny. It is truly global – one that values each and every person who walks on the face of the earth irrespective of their sex, colour, religion or politics. For progressive people, it presents the primary foundations for building a better world.

But as a topic, human rights isn’t exciting public attention. Like peace, many people refer to human rights as if it was passé – a leftover from the loony left. There are a number of reasons. First, in political theory and public thinking, individual Responsibilities are overtaking Rights as the method to leverage social change (in use, for instance, to address disparities in the economic, social and political access held by Aboriginal communities and those without work). This effectively passes the ‘buck’ for social justice outcomes from governments to the people.

Second, in political parlance ‘values’ have overtaken ‘rights’ as the benchmarks for minimum standards expected in a civil society. Values are hot. Human rights are not. Thus, in a recent interview given to The Age, Federal Treasurer Peter Costello denied any immediate aspirations to become Prime Minister and nominated instead his agenda of three items: security, immigration and values. Yet politicians like Peter Costello who advocate that this country needs to govern and educate according to its values give very little guidance about what those values might be (see below for some examples). This ‘values vacuum’ creates an opportunity for us. Values are politically presented as standards of conduct that should be promoted by governments, our communities and our schools. If we can fill the ‘values vacuum’ with human rights (that are framed much more seductively than in the normal way we talk about human rights) then the public may warm more to the social justice outcomes that these rights offer. Before we develop this idea further,

lets take a look at….

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