Author Archive: robyn

Friends of the Earth Adelaide > Articles by: robyn

Chip in to help fund Indigenous Land Rights

January 18, 2017

FOE’s former nuclear campaigner Nectaria Calan invites us to contribute to Adnyamathanha woman Leslie Coulthard travelling to South America for an Indigenous Land Rights exchange. Every little bit helps.

Mapuche Aboriginal Exchange Gofundme link

Nectaria writes:

“The Mapuche Aboriginal exchange is coming up in February this year, and although the organising collective has been tirelessly fundraising for over a year, they cannot completely fund all participants. They have allocated half of the money needed per participant ($1400) for Adnyamathanha woman and current Australian Nuclear Free Alliance committee member Leslie Coulthard to participate, so I am looking to raise another $1400 fund her trip. Over the years the Adyamathanha have faced various threats to their lands, from uranium mines (Arkaroola and Beverley) to the current proposal for an underground coal gasification project at Leigh Creek. The Adnyamathanha have always stood strong in protecting country and it would be very special if a community member could travel to Chile for this historic cultural exchange, which will see Aboriginal and other first nations peoples hosted by a Mapuche community for two weeks. This kind of face to face exchange is invaluable for building global solidarity between indigenous peoples facing common threats to country. Please help make this happen.

More info on the exchange program here on Facebook:

If you would like to get in touch with Nectaria please contact us on adelaide.office@foe.org.au

Old_Notes

SA drink container deposits turn 40!

January 2, 2017

Friends of the Earth’s campaigning was instrumental in getting legislation introduced in 1977 to require a refund of the deposit on the price of drink cans and bottles.

Campaigners marched from Adelaide Uni to the steps of Parliament House to roll thousands of cans down the steps.

Refer to the following article.

From the article:

Sustainability Minister Ian Hunter said “About 580 million drink containers are recycled in the state every year.”

“The Government said the state’s waste and recycling sector employs almost 5,000 South Australians”

Congratulations to members of Friends of the Earth active during the 70s. We await the rest of Australia and the world to catch on.

FoE, Food, Old_Notes, Sustainability

Make a quick submission to AVPMA about Roundup being found to be a potential carcinogen by the WHO

December 24, 2016

Please make a brief email submission to the APVMA Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority asking them to take notice of the World Health Organisations findings that glyphosate (Roundup) is a potential carcinogen. This is being organised by Friends of the Earth Melbourne.

Link to make an easy submission here

Roundup is widely used for weed control around the world, especially in home gardens and by councils. It is also used on GM crops and to help non GM crops around harvest time.

From the FOE Melbourne website:

Last year the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – declared glyphosate – the main ingredient in the herbicide RoundUp – a probable carcinogen. We hoped that the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) – would intervene to protect our health. It hasn’t.

The APVMA has decided not to review its current approval for glyphosate because it claims to know better than the specialised cancer agency of the World Health Organisation. Why so? Because it has access to unpublished industry data that has never been subject to peer review and that regulators refuse to make public!

Who trusts the word of giant chemical companies over the World Health Organisation?

Monsanto has made enormous profits from virtually unrestricted use of glyphosate and now the truth has come out. Monsanto has lied to us again – and the APVMA must stop supporting an industry that is putting all of us at unnecessary risk.

Contact us if you need help with your submission adelaide.office@foe.org.au

Actions, Environmental Law, FoE, Food, Old_Notes

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Report into development of an unconventional gas industry in S-E SA

December 21, 2016

The Natural Resources Committee has released its final report into develepment of an unconventional gas industry in the South East of SA (around Mt Gambier).

From the government Media Release: media-release-nrc-fracking-report-tabled-291116-1

“After review of all evidence and additional research, the committee has reached the positon that social licence does not yet exist for the development of an unconventional gas industry in the South East,” said Ms Steph Key (ALP member for Ashford). “This has been made starkly apparent by widespread opposition from the local community and it is the overarching finding of the inquiry.”

“This is not to say unconventional gas exploration and development should never occur in the region, but that in the committee’s view, obtaining social licence is a necessary precondition to such development occurring,” Ms Key said.

“Throughout the inquiry, all evidence the committee heard, both for and against unconventional gas development, has been in the context of myriad external forces including climate change considerations, production and export price, export demand, technological advances, renewable energy growth, and very notably, public opinion,” said Ms Key.

A link to the full report is found in the media release.

Clean Futures, Climate, Mining, Old_Notes, Sustainability

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Video of presentation of anti-nuclear postcards & petition to Jay Weatherill

December 21, 2016

The Australian Conservation Foundation have released a video documenting the handover of signed postcards and a petition against nuclear dumps to Premier Jay Weatherill in mid November. A group of Traditional Owners plus representatives from the ACF, the Conservation Council and Friends of the Earth met with the Premier to show him evidence that 35,000 Australians do not want a nuclear waste dump in SA.

Watch the video here:

South Australian Radioactive Waste Dump – Community says “No way, Jay!”

Thanks to Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner Dave Sweeney.

Actions, Clean Futures, FoE, Nuclear, Old_Notes

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