Test how big feet you have ...

Ever wondered how much "nature" your lifestyle requires?
You're about to find out.

This Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates how much productive land and water you need to support what you use and what you discard. After answering 15 easy questions you'll be able to compare your Ecological Footprint to what other people use and to what is available on this planet.

CAUTION:
This quiz may surprise you, shock you,
but hopefully it will make you think...

www.ecofoot.org

//Johan

US citizens should read this

Recently I got an email from the good people at Ruckus.org which should be of interest to all citizens of the US of A:

We need your help with an intervention. Have you listened closely to what Uncle Scam is saying to our young people lately?

He brags that the G.I. Bill offers up to $50,000 for college when he knows that nearly six in ten of those serving our country receive no money at all and that one in four receive only half of the promised amount.

His No Child Left Behind Act makes lots of noise about changing the very nature of education. Behind the scenes it gives military recruiters an all-access pass to students’ personal information.

On the 2004 campaign trail he bluntly stated, “we're not going to have a draft - period." Meanwhile his minions are busy creating a “re-engineered” Selective Service to cover all men and women ages 18 to 34.

He publicly boasts of the strength and resolve of our “all volunteer army” while his Stop Loss Program blackmails thousands of those volunteers to re-up or be forced into service until 2031.

Counter Recruitment
There is an audacious youth led Counter Recruitment Movement quickly gaining momentum among anti-war groups and young people across the U.S. Students, young organizers, and community activists are already hard at work challenging the presence of military recruiters in their schools and neighborhoods. This movement has extraordinary traction and promises to become an incredibly juicy opportunity for young organizers across the country to build progressive political power on campus.

Action Camps
The Ruckus Society will partner with the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, the War Resisters League, the American Friends Service Committe, theNational Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth, and many other organizations to coordinate a series of regional Counter Recruitment Training Camps. The camps will help unify and strengthen the efforts of young people struggling against U.S. militarism.

The Camps have already been endorsed by United for Peace and Justice.

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Now the BIG question is:

What are you gonna do about this?

//Johan

Stora Enso replies

On April 7 i got this reply from Stora Enso regarding the logging in Sámi homeland:

Thank you for your message in which you expressed your concerns regarding balancing different livelihoods in Upper Lapland. To help find a solution, Stora Enso has initiated round table dialogue. Stora Enso is encouraging local stakeholders to participate. For further details please see the Upper Lapland fact sheet at Stora Enso Factsheets

Yours sincerely,
Marjaana Luttinen
Vice President, Environmental Affairs
Stora Enso Oyj

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Please read it and see if they are making progress in the right direction.

//Johan

Stop logging in Sámi homeland

On March 17 I sent the below message to Erkki.Tuomioja@formin.fi

Dear Mr Erkki Tuomioja,

In its report of 5th November 2004, the UN Committee on Human Rights reproached the Finnish government for not resolving the conflict over logging and traditional reindeer herding. The UN Committee urged the government to withhold any actions that might harm the Sámi people's rights to land. However, Metsähallitus has decided to continue logging important reindeer grazing forests, in defiance of the Committee's recommendations.

Metsähallitus has proven time and time again that it does not have the interests of traditional reindeer herding at heart.

Despite this legislation being in place since 1990, Metsähallitus has consistently prioritised other forms of land use, such as forestry, over reindeer herding. The old-growth forests that reindeer depend upon have been reduced piece by piece, project by project, and without considering the cumulative effects of all these activities. Over the last few decades, Metsähallitus has persistently logged important winter food sources for reindeer.

It is time for the Finnish government to live up to its responsibilities and protect the rights of the Sámi to practise traditional reindeer herding in Lapland, which are protected by national and international legislation and agreements.

If the Sámi people's rights to practise their culture and traditional livelihood are protected by the Finnish Constitution, why is the government's own logging company ignoring these rights?

If Finland fails to uphold its own Constitution, its international reputation will be damaged.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Johan

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On March 17 he replied that:

Thank you and your many colleagues for your message. I have forwarded it to the
ministry of agriculture and forestry, which is the authority responsive for
forestry issues.

Yours
Erkki Tuomioja

A really quick reply, but still no reply from the ministry of agriculture and forestry,
although the company StoraEnso sent me a reply. See later blog entry.

//Johan

Green Trade Justice

10-14 of April 2005 is the global week of action.
A world wide action to promote trade justice.

Do your part and send an email to the EU commission:

Vote for green trade

//Johan

Chimneys, ships and Kakinada

The famous chimney effect has struck again. Now in Kakinada on the shores of India. Since the now world wide ban on single hull ships there are a lot of ships that will be dismantled. Of course the EU which was first with the ban have not planned to take care of these ships. In many cases that will unfortunately be in Asia. This will have a negative effect on the environment and thus also on the possibility for many to maintain their livelyhood. These single hull ships contain a lot of toxic waste that will be released straight in to the surrounding environment.

This is of course not tolerable.
Do something.
Now.

Here is an aid and a lot of background info:
Shipwrecks soon on Kakinada beach

//Johan