Posted on January 28, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Target: Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
Goal: Develop a plastic waste reduction plan before there’s more trash in the ocean than fish.
Dumping of plastic in our oceans has expanded by a dramatic 1,900 percent in the past half-century. Creation of the material is expected to increase twofold again in the following 20 years. If the world stands by and lets plastic pollution continue at this rate, we will lose one of our natural resources and jeopardize the futures of our children.
More than eight million tons of plastics wind up entering our seas every year, where the pieces can remain for many years. There are expected to be 165 million tons of plastic waste in the sea at this moment.
We’re dumping what might as well be called one waste vehicle’s worth into the sea every moment; that is anticipated to hop to four per minute by 2050 according to a report by the World Economic Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Furthermore, that report has a dismal cautioning–we’re on track to have more plastic than fish, by weight, in our seas by 2050.
Also, the tossed plastic that doesn’t wind up in the sea is likely be placed in a landfill; those two resting places wind up holding around 70 percent of our plastic and only five percent of plastics are viably reused. It’s not only an issue of contamination, but of reusing these plastics properly. “After a short first-utilize cycle, 95% of plastic bundling material quality, or $80 to $120 billion yearly, is lost to the economy,” the report says.
The plastic waste issue has gotten out of control and now more than ever we need more recycling, reusable packaging, and decompose plastic packaging. Sign the petition below to save the future of our oceans and planet’s well-being.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary General Ban Ki-moon,
The amount of plastic waste in our planet’s oceans has increased tenfold in the last half century. A recent study by the World Economic Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation has anticipated we should expect to have more plastic pollution in our oceans, based on weight, than fish by 2050. Only five percent of plastic in landfills is actually reused properly, which raises the issue of reusability versus waste.
I urge you to take action and support the development of a plastic waste risk reducing plan that will help control plastic pollution in our seas, increase recycling, reusable packaging, and compostable plastic packaging. Also, I challenge you and your resources to find a solution for after-use plastics that can be turned into an economically valuable feedstock.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
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Posted on January 27, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Holocaust Memorial Day – 27th January 2016.
The world is marking Holocaust Memorial Day today, remembering the millions of people who were killed in Auschwitz and other concentration camps.
Events from the past; now history. Today’s citizens must not be blamed for these events happening. But it must never be forgotten; as it shows the endless cruelty of man – the alleged most intelligent species on the planet, but without doubt, also the most cruel.
Animals do not kill for enjoyment, humans do.
Who therefore, in reality, is the most ‘intelligent’ ?
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Posted on January 27, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Mark,
It’s 2016 and we’re back — taking on Doritos by crashing the biggest sporting event in the US again!
Last year, we made a video that looks suspiciously like one that could be in the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl marketing campaign — where budding filmmakers are pitted against each other to create the most Doritos-y commercial to be aired during the biggest sports event in the United States.
Our video demanded that Doritos and its parent company PepsiCo adopt a responsible deforestation-free palm oil policy, and it racked up a whopping 25 million views.
It worked! PepsiCo came out with a new palm oil policy at the end of last year! But it still contains massive loopholes — that’s why our fight isn’t over yet.
As the main sponsor of the Super Bowl,
all eyes are going to be on PepsiCo. And that means it is especially vulnerable to pressure from us. If all of us share this video right now, we can make this video go viral and force PepsiCo to act.
Under PepsiCo’s new policy, the rainforest will still be destroyed, endangered species like the Sumatran tiger and orangutan will still suffer, and workers — many of them children — will still be exploited.
This is because the policy does not cover PepsiCo’s business partner in Indonesia, Indofood, which produces all of PepsiCo’s products in South-East Asia.
We know that pressuring PepsiCo works. Our video made waves — it got more than three times the views of the ten official finalists in the Crash the Superbowl competition — combined. It forced PepsiCo onto the defensive — and that’s why we have to do it again.
PepsiCo’s palm oil policy is disappointing, but we can push the snack food giant to go the whole way and use only conflict-free palm oil. The SumOfUs community has already been instrumental in transforming the palm oil industry — we’ve made McDonald’s and Yum! Brands (owner of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell) commit to zero-deforestation policies.
Now let’s make PepsiCo do the right thing.
Thanks for all that you do,
Carys, Kat, Sondhya, Hanna, and the team at SumOfUs
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Posted on January 27, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dogs are dying during severe winter storms like the East Coast blizzard because owners are allowed to leave their pets outside in the bitter cold.
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Posted on January 27, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
UPDATE – 2030hrs GMT (UK):
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Dear Mark,
Burns, Oregon is a community under siege.
Armed extremists from several states have flooded this small town and the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, heeding the battle call of the Bundy militia.
Locals have been traumatized by this armed occupation — residents live in fear of these gun-toting thugs, and community leaders, faced with death threats and vandalism, have sent their families out of town for safety.
I’ve been here for two weeks, and have seen Burns residents stand up bravely to these bullies and tell them to go home. But the militants only dig in deeper — and now they’re looking to export these kinds of armed standoffs to other communities across the West.
We can’t let that happen. The Center for Biological Diversity is in Oregon, organizing on-the-ground protests against the occupation and rallies in other towns in favor of keeping public lands public. We’re in a pitched fight — over not just the Malheur but the future of other public lands in the United States — against those who would rather see our natural heritage turned over to profiteers so it can be logged, mined, grazed and bulldozed.
You can help us take on the Bundys and their ilk with a contribution to the Center’s Public Lands Defense Fund. The situation took a troubling turn over the weekend, when it became clear the Bundy clan wants to sow more armed conflicts across the West. They’re pressing ranchers to stop paying federal grazing fees and, in exchange, the militia will meet attempts to enforce the law with the threat of violence. It’s clear the Bundys relish these conflicts, complete with closed schools, shuttered government services and terrorized civilians, not to mention the desecration of public lands, wildlife refuges and native sacred sites.
They’ve moved from the illegal seizure of the Malheur to coordinating an active terror network whose openly stated aim is to overthrow the federal government and steal our public lands.
There’s a bigger picture here: In Congress, Utah Republicans Jason Chaffetz and Rob Bishop, both heavily funded by the oil industry, have proposed to sacrifice millions of acres of our land to drilling and fracking. They want to twist our laws and do with the pen what the Bundys are attempting to do with the gun. If we don’t stop them, they can do far more damage than what’s happening in Oregon. We need your help at this critical moment to protect and save our public lands. Make a contribution to the Center’s Public Lands Defense Fund. We’ll put your donation to work opposing the takeover of our lands by armed extremists and their allies in Congress.
Author and Oregonian Ursula K. Le Guin recently wrote:
“Ammon Bundy and his bully boys aren’t trying to free federal lands, but to hold them hostage. I can’t go to the Malheur refuge now, though as a citizen of the United States, I own it and have the freedom of it. That’s what public land is: land that belongs to the public — me, you, every law-abiding American.”
For the wild,
Kierán Suckling
Executive Director
Center for Biological Diversity @KieranSuckling
P.S. These scofflaws lack any respect for the natural and cultural heritage of sacred spaces like the Malheur. They’ve been pawing through artifacts belonging to the Burns Paiute Tribe and bulldozing a road through a fenced-off archaeological site. Ryan Bundy claimed a few days ago that American Indians had “lost their claim” to the land and that “the current culture is the most important.” It’s been inspiring to see the Burns Paiute leaders standing up to these bigoted bullies.
Please share this message with your social networks:
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Posted on January 26, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
For our non EU visitors – each member state of the EU holds the ‘Presidency’ of the EU for a period of 6 months. From Jan to June 2016 it is the turn of the Netherlands – Holland; a very positive nation when it comes to animal welfare.
This means that each member state currently has the Presidency once every 12-13 years, and so it has a lot of work to do to ‘push’ issues important to it at this time.
Below is a basic insight into the current situation, and the message from the Dutch which we very much welcome. SAV.
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The Netherlands presidency of the Council of the EU:
1 January-30 June 2016
The Netherlands presidency work programme focuses on four key areas: migration and international security, sound finances and a robust eurozone, Europe as an innovator and job creator and forward-looking climate and energy policy.
The presidency wants an EU that focuses on what matters to Europe’s citizens and businesses, an EU that creates growth and jobs through innovation and connects with civil society. The presidency will promote action at EU level only if it is more effective than policies at national level.
The presidency of the Council of the EU
Council of the EU
What is the Council presidency and how does it work?
29/06/2015
What is the Council presidency and how does it work?
A rotating presidency
The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every 6 months. During this 6-month period, the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU’s work in the Council.
Member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, called ‘trios’. This system was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. The trio sets long-term goals and prepares a common agenda determining the topics and major issues that will be addressed by the Council over an 18 month period. On the basis of this programme, each of the three countries prepares its own more detailed 6-month programme.
The current trio is made up of the presidencies of the Netherlands, Slovakia and Malta.
Eurogroup welcomes statements Dutch Chief Veterinary Officer at Animal Welfare Intergroup.
Today the Dutch Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Christianne Bruschke, unfolded the views of the Dutch Presidency on the future of the European animal welfare related dossiers, saying “animal welfare is not a hype but a basic need in our society as fundamental for a sustainable future”. She also stressed that high ambitions in the field of animal welfare should be reflected in EU regulations as individual EU countries are no isolated islands.
Dr Bruschke called on the European Commission to put forward a new Communication on an EU Strategy on the protection and welfare of animals for the period 2016-2020. In line with the recently adopted resolution of the European Parliament a new Animal Welfare Strategy should ensure the continuation of delivering high animal welfare standards across the Member States. Moreover, the Dutch Presidency would welcome the Commission to examine the perspectives of an updated, comprehensive and clear legislative framework for animal welfare. Such a framework would provide the opportunity to update existing regulations in accordance with new scientific insights, technological innovation and socioeconomic trends whilst addressing shortcomings and omissions.
Furthermore, a new EU platform on animal welfare, of stakeholder organisations and authorities of member states, run by the European Commission, could create more momentum and focus on the animal welfare challenges of the EU. Such a platform could facilitate discussions and exchange of experiences and best practices on implementation, control and enforcement of animal welfare regulations. The proposal of the platform will be presented at the next Agricultural Council meeting on 15th February.
Moreover, the Dutch Government remains to be a strong supporter of a reduction of transport times of slaughter animals to 8 hours as well as for the improvement of transport of conditions like space allowances. Although not expected during the Dutch Presidency, the European Commission should look into a revision of the current Transport Regulation and the reduction of transport times. In 2015 Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands filed a formal request for a revision of the Transport Regulation to the Commission. All three governments remain to urge the Commission for a revision.
Another point of attention for the Dutch Presidency is phasing out non-therapeutic mutilations in farming as reducing this practice will improve animal welfare and contribute to a more sustainable animal husbandry. One of the routinely applied mutilations is painful piglet castration. The Netherlands is fully committed to ending surgical castration by 2018, the deadline stipulated in the European Declaration to on Alternatives to the Surgical Castration of Pigs (Brussels declaration). Together with Germany and Denmark, The Netherlands have urged all involved stakeholders to sign the Brussels declaration and to act accordingly.
ENDS
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Posted on January 25, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
I just had to include these as they are some of the most incredible artworks I think I have ever seen produced – Enjoy !
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Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 