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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." 
Margaret Mead, American anthropologist, 1901-1978
 


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  1. STOP this TOTAL DISASTER, say Avaaz

    Posted on

    STOP THE TOTAL DISASTER

    There’s a new petition on the online global community Avaaz.

    I am asking you to PLEASE READ IT, and if you’re willing to, to SIGN IT.

    Either way, please, please SHARE IT.

    So here’s the scoop:

    Energy giant Total is about to build the biggest heated oil pipeline in the world. 

    Avaaz say that the impact of this oil pipeline is three fold:

    1. The oil pipline will displace thousands of farmers.  
    2. It will pass through key elephant and chimpanzee reserves.
    3. It will threaten crucial biodiversity hotspots.  It will cross over 200 rivers, 12 forest reserves, and skirt Africa’s largest lake.   ONE LEAK could threaten some of Africa’s most biodiverse mangroves and coral reefs.

    This is all done to extract 1.033.417.417.032 litres of oil, a fossil fuel – taking us closer to a climate catastrophe.  Mind you, Total's CEO have publicly committed to preventing it!  In Total’s Climate Report 2019 concerning climate change, it was stated “Clearly, we need to take stronger action.”

    Avaaz: Stop the TOTAL disaster

    Let’s have a quick look at Total and Biodiversity:  Commitments and Actions

    “Given its business, Total sometimes works in sensitive natural environments. We are aware of the stakes involved and have taken measures to ensure that biodiversity and ecosystems are taken into account in our projects and operations.” Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Total wrote.

    Total’s biodiversity policy includes (and I quote):

    • Applying the Mitigation Hierarchy, an approach to avoid, reduce, mitigate and, if necessary, compensate any loss in biodiversity

    • Taking ecosystem sensitivity into account.

    • Managing biodiversity by integrating risks and impacts in our environmental management systems. • Reporting on biodiversity performance to stakeholders.

    • Working with local and international partners and our industry associations to improve

    Online community Avaaz are attacking the pipeline plan in three ways

    1. A call to Total’s CEO Pouyanné now to make him famous in the media so everybody knows about these plans
    2. To support the growing movement on the ground
    3. To push the French government with what Avaaz calls “razor-focused advocacy”.

    Avaaz points out that this is all about fighting for what we all care about.   We need to protect the precious life on earth, to stand up for basic human rights – and to protect life and biodiversity for future generations.

    Join this massive call to STOP THIS TOTAL DISASTER and share widely.

    Please let’s help communities in Uganda.  Let’s help them defend their lands and the reserves the wildlife need.

     

     

     

  2. Please see this video from Gravitas - how nature is reclaiming its spaces due to the Coronavirus

    Posted on

    Sometimes you see something on the internet or on television that really hits you hard and makes a point extremely well.

    I saw this video, this afternoon, and I wanted to share it with you.  Please share it with everyone you can.

    The ultimate message is that we SHARE this planet.  It demonstrates how dominant the human race has become - and how selfish.   I am not going to tell you anymore about it - please just watch it for yourself.   Here it is:



    Thank you, Gravitas.

    Please vow to make a difference today. 
    Find out how to reduce your impact on the earth's resources here.

     

     

     

     

  3. Happiness is....

    Posted on

    A new survey commissioned by entertainment channel W showed that material gifts don’t necessarily bring us great happiness. 

    The survey was done for Davina McCall’s series, The Davina Hour, and the hour focused on happiness. 

    It showed that the simple pleasures in life are the best.   Out of the 2,000 people surveyed, 56 said a kiss and a cuddle was their top treat, then sharing a laugh, the joy of clean sheets, and stroking a pet.

    Nature featured several times in the top 20:

    1. Stroking a pet (4th, 30%)
    2. The smell of freshly mown grass (13th, 16%)
    3. Morning birdsong (18th, 11%)
    4. Walking barefeet in the sand (20th, 10%)

    Doing things for others also featured, including Doing a Good Deed and Giving a Present.   I know I feel happy every time I put the bird feed out and fill up their water bath.  People also felt happy when they heard from an old friend, received kindness from a stranger and had a compliment, so there are a few things we can all do to make the world a happier place, if we don’t do them already. 

    Last year for Christmas, my husband gave a donation to SPANA for their mobile veterinary clinic to help care for working elephants in Myanmar.  Every time I think of this clinic going about its work helping to care for working animals, it gives me a glow.  SPANA do a wonderful job, and I'd far rather have a gift which gave animals the chance to have a happier healthier life, than anything else.

    Friendship also rated well, with 21% saying hearing from an old friend made them happy, and 11% having a cup of tea with a friend.

    The top 20 pleasures which make us happy were:

    1. A kiss and a cuddle – 56%
    2. Laugh with others – 54%
    3. Clean sheets – 38%
    4. Stroke a pet – 30%
    5. Get a bargain – 25%
    6. Receive a compliment – 24%
    7. Find money – 21%
    8. Hear from an old friend – 21%
    9. Do a good deed – 19%
    10. Have a lazy Sunday – 18%
    11. Have a cup of tea with a friend – 17%
    12. Give a present – 17%
    13. Smell of freshly mown grass – 16%
    14. Find out you lost weight – 16%
    15. Sit in front of a log fire – 14%
    16. Kindness from a stranger – 14%
    17. Relax in a warm bath – 12%
    18. Morning birdsong – 11%
    19. Find something you’d lost – 11%
    20. Walk barefoot in the sand – 10%

     

     

  4. Being lonely - can a pet help?

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    When we talk of health and being well, much of the talk is often centred on physical health – but mental health matters too.

    And the Royal College of General Practitioners recently revealed that loneliness can be just as bad for our health as illnesses such as diabetes.

    More than 1.1 million people in the UK are thought to be chronically lonely, with 17% of older people having human contact less than once a week.

    So the RSPCA is urging people who know someone who may be lonely to consider adopting a rescue pet or to volunteer.

    The Chief Scientific Officer at the RSPCA, Dr Julia Wrathal, said:  “Adopting a pet can be a fantastic way to combat loneliness and animals can make wonderful companions for those who find themselves alone.”

    Pairing people with pets could also help ease pressure on animal charities.  Older pets are hard to re-home, and older people could adopt older pets – they don’t need to take on a youngster.  It’s often the older pets who really just want a loving, caring home with a lap to cuddle up next to, and a stroll around the garden or a short walk around the block.   


    There are benefits to adopting a pet:

    They make great companions.  There’s someone to meet you when you get home.  Walking a dog is a great way to meet people when you’re out and about.  Dogs mean you need to get out and about for exercise and you can get to meet other dog owners and build up quite a network of people to say hallo to!

    Evidence suggests that when we stroke animals - or in the case of dogs, when we just look into their eyes - our bodies release oxytocin, a hormone that brings about bonding between individuals as well as helping us feel more optimistic and lowering blood pressure.  They make us less vulnerable to the physical effects of stress.

    That said, owning a pet won’t be for everyone. 

    So what do you do if owning a pet long term isn’t for you?

    You could volunteer – it’s a great way to meet people and you can build it into a regular routine.  When I volunteered for Cats Protection, an elderly lady used to bring her knitting and radio along to help.  She would sit in the pens of the more nervous cats and knit listening to the radio at one end, and the nervous cat would sit at the other and gradually come to say hallo as she knitted away.  It was a great way to give cats in the cattery human companionship and keep them in touch with people.

    You could also foster – a short term arrangement – or longer!   Fosterers are great when kennels and catteries are particularly busy or when there are cats and dogs who aren’t coping with life in a rescue and need more of a homely environment.  Contact your local rescue to see how you can help.

    The RSPCA says that interacting with animals can be a great way to overcome loneliness in people – and help animals at the same time! 

    And if you’d like to help the elderly with pet care, you could become a volunteer for the Cinnamon Trust who have volunteers all over the UK.  They help with dog walking and all sorts of activities to help the elderly keep their pets, whether the older people live in a care home or in their own homes.  

     

  5. Wild Horses of Alberta Society....

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    So yesterday I was having a canter around the BBC website and having a browse and I came across a video made by the Wild Horses of Alberta Society.

    The Society is "committed to the preservation of these magnificent animals in their natural environment" and they have a number of videos on their You Tube page which I must say I did enjoy.  

    As well as informing the public about the history of these wonderful horses, the Society  is also working with the government to establish reasonable and achievable wild horse population management solutions, and also another objective I particularly like is their work to promote the welfare of wild horses by rescuing, gentling and rehoming of wild horses providing veterinary care.

    They also have a wild horse adoption programme.

    Of course, being a horse lover I had to have a look, and the video was just wonderful!   The wilds of Alberta, the care the people took of these wild horses and the spirit of the horses was just - for me - really moving.  

    Here's one of their videos, A Year with the Wild Horses - do take a look!

     

    The organisation entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the province of Alberta back in November 2014 - a 5 year agreement.  It means WHOAS can run 2 programmes in a large area of the Sundre Equine Zone - 

    1. Firstly, a contraception program for wild horse mares - this should help manage horse populations
    2. Secondly, an adoption program so that WHOAS can rescue wild horses in trouble on private land or that are found abandoned or injured.

    It's always interesting to see how people are working to help animals and I do wish the Society well in its work.

    Click here to visit the Wild Horses of Alberta Society's website