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March 2006
Resources related to Ethical Purchasing
In February I addressed Byron Shire Council on the topic of developing an Ethical Purchasing Policy - the text of the pitch is here. Council voted to develop a policy, and this page is some resources that might be helpful in that process
This post contains a list of resources related to ethical purchasing, especially by local governments. I will update it from time to time as I hear of any more.
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Future of Food - video screening and panel discussion
I attended this presentation, and would highly recommend either catching a screening local to you, or getting hold of the DVD. I understand that Byron Child have the screening rights to the DVD in Australia, and also copies for sale, and can be reached via their website www.byronchild.com. For US readers you can go directly to their website www.thefutureoffood.com
byronchild magazine and Bay FM Community Radio presents the Australian screening of
The Future of Food
The Future of Food, a brilliant must-see documentary by Deborah Koons Garcia, is a chilling investigation into the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and foods that have quietly filled the grocery store shelves, and the multinational corporations that are seeking to control the world’s food system.
byronchild magazine and Bay FM presents the Northern Rivers premiere of
The Future of Food, followed by a panel discussion.
When: March 29th, 7 pm sharp, doors open at 6:15
Where: Byron Community and Cultural Centre
A Bay FM fundraiser, the screening is followed by a panel discussion, facilitated by Nyck Jeans. Panellists are: Catriona Macmillan, co-founder of OTACnet; Helena Norberg-Hodge, founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture; Jude Fanton, director of Seed Savers and Danielle Leonard, manager of Regenesis Farm.
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Presentation to Byron Shire Council regarding its proposed Ethical Buying Policy
Yesterday I addressed Byron Shire Council, where the Green mayor - Jan Barham - had proposed ( agenda item for the motion) the creation of an ethical purchasing policy, after the bad publicity generated by awarding a sewage upgrade contract to Kellogg Brown and Root.
The motion was passed 8:1 after much debate with only Cr Tucker objecting.
My address, with links to the sources of the material I quote, follows ....
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Screening and Panel discussion: The Future of Food
Kali Wendorf sent me this announcement for an BayFM fundraiser. Danielle, Jude, Helena, Catriona are all well worth listening to.
byronchild magazine presents two special Australian screenings of The Future of Food, a brilliant must-see documentary which examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat. The screenings are fundraisers for the Byron Bay High School and BayFM. The film, produced by Deborah Koons Garcia, is a chilling investigation into the Genetically Modified Organisms and foods that have quietly filled the grocery store shelves, and the multinational corporations that are seeking to control the world’s food system.
The first screening on March 23rd, 7:30 pm, will be at the Byron Bay High School as a fundraiser for their five-year environmental plan. Tickets are on sale at the school. The second screening, on March 29th, a fundraiser for the local community radio station, Bay FM, will be followed by a panel discussion with Catriona MacMillan, co-founder of OTACnet; Helena Norberg-Hodge, founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture; Jude Fanton, director of Seed Savers and Danielle Leonard, manager of Regenesis Farm. It will be held at the Community Centre at 7:00 pm.
Date: March 23rd
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: The Byron Bay High School, Multi-purpose Centre, Broken Head Road
For more information: (02) 6684 4353
Tickets: $12 for adults, $6 for children
on sale at the Byron Bay High School
Date: March 29th
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: The Byron Bay Community Centre, main auditorium
For more information: (02) 6684 4353
Tickets: $15, $12 for subscribers
on sale at Bay FM
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Freecycle - Byron Bay group opens, free stuff
I've been a fan of Freecycle for a while, now Laura Doe has set up a local chapter and announced it yesterday ....
WAIT ----- DON'T THROW IT OUT!If you no longer love your stuff, set it FREE!!
Byron Bay Freecycle™ lets people "recycle" things no longer used, but too good to throw out. The goal is to find a good home for things otherwise headed for the landfill.
One person's trash is another person's treasure!
Join the Byron Bay Freecycle™ Network
FREE & OPEN TO ALL, 24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR
For more details about the worldwide Freecycle™ organisation see www.freecycle.org
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Past the Peak: How the small town of Willits plans to beat the coming energy crisis
I recently received (via Ken Gebser on the IC-Info mailing list) a copy of an article about Willits California, a town which - like Byron Shire - has more than its share of smart, progressive downshifters.
A boyish 37-year-old with a Ph.D. in biology, Dr. Jason Bradford only relocated to Willits from Davis with his wife, Kristin, a medical doctor, and their two children last August. Initially interested in energy issues while studying climate change in the Andes several years ago, Bradford didn't really know what he was getting into when he decided to sponsor several screenings of The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream just two months after arriving in town. Hosting a film that proclaims human civilization is going to run out of oil and is therefore doomed doesn't usually guarantee a visit from the welcome wagon. But then again, Willits isn't most towns. Bradford's initial invitation to view the film has blossomed into a popular movement that aims to, in the words of one member, "reinvent the town."
The rest of the article is available here on Metroactive.
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