Report back: November 2014
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 25 November 2014 01:22
- Written by editor
Paov,
My job is pretty amazing! Every day, I get to see the hope our community of 5 million people is building around the world. And I can feel the power that we’re building to hold the world’s largest corporations to account, and to create the fair and sustainable world we so badly need.
I wanted to share just a little bit of that hope and power with you, and show you the difference that our community's actions and generous donations are making around the world.
First off, meet SumOfUs member and Canadian water researcher Jessica!
When mining company Imperial Metals dumped almost 15 million cubic meters of toxic water and slurry into Canada’s rivers and lakes, our community stepped up. Together, we helped fund Jessica and the Quesnel River Research Centre to monitor water quality following the breach. Her research (and our donations!) mean that we can work to hold the company responsible for cleaning up its mess – and make sure it doesn’t happen again. She’s on the water right now to keep an eye on the stituation!
Then there’s Douglas Nealoss, the elected councillor for the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation in the Great Bear Rainforest in Canada, and an incredible human being:
Despite overwhelming opposition, Canadian oil giant Enbridge is pushing to build a massive pipeline to export the dirtiest tar sands oil all over the world. But in response, thousands of us in the SumOfUs community chipped in to the "Pull Together" fund, and were able to raise $80,000 to support First Nations lawsuits that could actually stop this pipeline for good -- a huge win for the whole planet.
When we asked Douglas what message he wanted to share with all of us who stepped up to help in this epic fight, he said: “I would say a big thank you! Enbridge is not just a First Nations issue. It’s not just my community.” And that together, “we can put an end to this project.” We couldn’t agree more.
These are just two of the dozens of communities and groups that SumOfUs has supported. While most of our money goes to our community's own campaigns, when we can have more impact by just giving money away, we will. If you can keep supporting our community's work with a donation today, please do. It's always an act of hope to donate, and it's that hope that is changing the world.
Also in Canada, check out these SumOfUs members standing in solidarity to protect the Athabasca River from tar sands expansion!
With the Alberta government days away from passing new water rules that could literally prevent the Athabasca River from running dry, SumOfUs members in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal sprang to action to call out Petro-Canada and parent company Suncor to stand up for the Athabasca.
In the words of Leslie Cardinal, a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation who spoke at Suncor’s headquarters in Calgary, "We know there needs to be an economy but there needs to be a better way of doing business. Especially for our future generations. To all the 50,000 people who signed the petition, thank you."
I also wanted to share what we're doing in Australia, where our community is literally saving this from destruction:
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s most majestic treasures, but with huge profits on the line, Indian company Adani is desperately trying to build a massive $16 billion coal port right on top of the Reef. But thanks to hundreds of thousands of people around the world speaking out – like you – more and more banks are backing down and pledging to not fund the destructive project!
Already, because of our work, seven of the world's biggest banks have said no, which led to The Sydney Morning Herald calling the prospects for the port “challenging”. And with pressure mounting, Queensland’s state Premier -- the guy who has been a cheerleader for the project since the beginning -- is trying to claim he actually wants to protect the Reef but was facing “a very strong campaign of misinformation by green groups”. For the record, those “green groups” are us (and our many amazing partners on this work!). But we're fairly certain it's him who needs to check his facts!
Also, check out this superstar!
She’s just one of the hundreds of thousands who have spoken out against topless models appearing on “Page 3” of Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspaper The Sun. When the paper crossed another line and started offering a “Page 3 girl” as a raffle prize, we knew we had to do something.
So thousands of us complained to the Advertising Standards Authority – the UK’s independent auditor for advertising – and they sided with us and ordered the promotion be taken down! In their words, the ad "is sexist, offensive and socially irresponsible." We couldn’t have said it better – no one should be exploited for Rupert Murdoch’s corporate bottom line.
Unfortunately, humble, diligent bees are still in the corporate firing line. Despite strong scientific evidence that pesticides made by Bayer and known as “neonics” are killing bees around the world, stores around the world continue to sell these deadly toxins. In response, the SumOfUs community is working hard to protect the bees.
After more than 750,000 of us signed a petition, we raised tens of thousands of dollars to support beekeepers fighting in the courts to uphold a European neonics ban, launched a major study showing that plants sold in major nurseries are often treated with bee-killing pesticides, and rallied outside shareholder meetings and dozens of stores to demand these deadly pesticides be pulled from shelves! And it’s working! Major retailer Home Depot has already pledged to take action, and we’re working to push its key competitor Lowe’s to do the same.
SumOfUs staff and members donned these pineapple costumes outside the Thai embassy in London to raise the profile of a very serious abuse of corporate power:
Hundreds of thousands of us have stood up for Andy Hall, a human rights defender facing prison in Thailand for exposing worker abuse in a pineapple factory. And this month, with public pressure mounting on authorities and the company involved, one of his four charges was dropped!
With Andy still facing three more charges, thousands of us have also chipped in to help fund his legal defence. He emailed the SumOfUs team just the other day with this message to share: “Sometimes it may feel I fight against all odds, but with everyone's support, I fight on not alone but with the energy of many others amongst and behind me.'” Thanks Andy – you’re an inspiration.
But here’s the thing: corporations don’t just want to sue individuals. They’re using massive global trade deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to push for the right to sue entire countries – any time a country passes a law they claim threatens their profits. But we have a plan: every time our trade ministers meet to hold high-level talks on this secret deal, we’re there to expose them. Last month, SumOfUs members in Sydney did just that. Check out this amazing video of what happened on the day:
Already, our community has played a big role in stopping “Fast Track” legislation in the US Congress, which would virtually guarantee these trade deals passage in the US. In addition, we overwhelmed an official public consultation on trade policy in the EU and Australia, and built strong public opposition to deals that were meant to be completed months ago. World leaders are keen to ram these deals through, and we’re going to keep up the pressure to make sure they’re scrapped.
Thank you so much for being a part of this inspiring community with me. Together, we are living proof that people power can work, and does work. Not only are we forcing corporations to do the right thing, but we’re building the path towards the better world we all want. I’m humbled by our community every single day, but also so excited to see what we can do together in the years ahead.
Thanks so much for all you do.
Taren, and the whole team at SumOfUs.org