SUPPORT COTTONCAMPAIGN.ORG 03/10/2010
For updates on slavery in the cotton industry stay tuned to this organization: www.cottoncampaign.org.  Directly from Amnesty International's website: In May 2006, over 45 women were arrested without explanation in San Salvador Atenco, Mexico. Many were subjected to physical, psychological and sexual violence by the police officers who arrested them and then held in prison for days before being released on bail. More than three years have passed and they are still waiting for justice. None of the officials responsible for their abuse have been adequately held accountable. The Mexican Supreme Court has already affirmed that human rights violations occurred at San Salvador Atenco. Before concluding that it did not have jurisdiction in the case, the Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against Women and Human Trafficking (FEVIMTRA) identified 34 members of the state security forces as suspects in the crimes. The investigation is now in the hands of Mexico State authorities. Call on the governor of Mexico State, Enrique Peña Nieto, to see to it that those responsible for the crimes against the women of Atenco are brought to justice and that adequate reparations are provided to survivors and their families. SIGN THE PETITION AT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S WEBSITE OR JUST READ MORE ... This is also posted under the page in my main menu called POWER OF WORDS following the Amnesty International video. Ethical Clothing Pledge 03/08/2010
I ran across this website tonight and found it inspiring that people are taking such serious action to make change. Kudos to them! I want to share this site with readers. There's even a section about how to make underwear from your old t-shirts! It's pretty cute! I haven't taken The Ethical Clothing Pledge yet. I try to find ethical companies, but I still fail to purchase 100% ethically made products. I am a minimalist, which is good, but I admit that I have room for improvement. I admire those willing to go the distance and take this pledge. It shows such a strength of character.  - - - - - - - -T H E _ E T H I C A L _ C L O T H I N G _ P L E D G E- - - - - - - - - - I pledge to only wear clothing that is one or more of the following: 1. Pre-loved 2. Handmade (preferably by me) 3. Reconstructed 4. Made with ethical / environmentally friendly materials 5. Made by a company with strong ethical policy & workers' rights * Companies with environmentally friendly practices (such as cutting down on waste/energy/water) get brownie points * If I get one little inkling of sweatshop labour, I'm outta there!* Above all though, I think the most important thing is reducing the amount of things we use in the first place. Not purchasing ANOTHER piece of clothing just for the sake of it is the biggest statement we can make. Facets of Freedom 03/04/2010
I ran across the website www.onmywaythrough.com where I read a very thoughtful and inspirational posting called Facets of Freedom. Please check it out. 50in52journey.com 01/25/2010
THE PEOPLE OF THE JOURNEY  CLICK TO ENTER THEIR SITE 50 in 52 Journey is a non-profit company inspired by one woman and formed with the help of an incredibly diverse group of supporters. Dafna Michaelson is the JourneyWoman whose idea and vision started it all. Click HERE to learn more about her. The Co-Pilots are the Board of Directors of 50 in 52 Journey. Click HERE to meet them and learn who they are and why they believe so strongly in this project. As a non-profit, The Journey relies on the generous support of businesses and individuals who believe in the mission of 50 in 52 Journey: To find the people who are moving America forward; to share and celebrate the incredible ways in which ordinary people do extraordinary things every day; and to bring together both problems and solutions with idea-generators and problem-solvers through the 50 in 52 Journey foundation. This is a heart warming, inspiring story of a beautiful family adopting a special needs child from Reece's Rainbow in Eastern Europe. Click to read Kristin's blog. Pictured are parents (who also happen to be my cousins): Kristin and Jim with their three children (L to R) Allen, Michael, and Josi.  These are my cousins awaiting the arrival of Nadia!  Click to go to their website GOODWEAVE.ORG 01/19/2010
FROM GOODWEAVE.ORG: The handmade carpet industry exploits nearly 250,000 children. GoodWeave is helping to combat this problem and transform the handmade rug industry by certifying child-labor-free rugs and by providing education and opportunities to rescued and at-risk children. The GoodWeave program is implemented by RugMark International.  photo from Goodweave More from Goodweave.org's website: At the age of five, Manju was already working on the rug looms. While she has since been found and freed from illegal carpet work, some 250,000 children throughout South Asia still toil in obscurity. Through the GoodWeave certification program more than 3,600 kids like Manju have been rescued, rehabilitated and educated, and thousands more deterred from entering the work force. MORE CHILDREN'S STORIES  Her name is Lora Innes. She writes and draws a webcomic/print comic called The Dreamer by IDW. After attending a human trafficking conference she was inspired to do something to help. She came up with Comic Creator's Alliance. Her fundraising project to fight human trafficking brings together the talents of other comic illustrators to create a computer wallpaper comprised of female comic heroes. The fundraiser was launched on Human Trafficking Awareness day, January 11th. If you want to submit an illustration click here for more information or email Lora at: lora@thedreamercomic.com All donations will go to Love 146 and Gracehaven Straight from her website Lora says: "I wanted to split the proceeds between an organization working here in the US, and one focusing on a global effort. I'm sure there are many other charitable organizations working to end the same problems, but these are the two I've selected."  Love 146 Children are being trafficked and raped daily and slavery is one of the darkest stories on our planet. This physical, mental and emotional trauma can leave children broken and scarred for life. Interventions for these children are critical to their survival and restoration. For us, the hope of abolition is a reality today.  GracehavenGracehaven is a faith-based non-profit organization started in 2008 for the expressed purpose of providing shelter, security, and rehabilitation to girls under the age of 18 who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation in central Ohio. Gracehaven is a long-term rehabilitation facility allowing girls to stay as needed until they reach the age of 18. We will then help them transition to the next step in their life. While at Gracehaven, the girls will be able to earn their GED, as well as receive counseling and treatment for the horrible trauma and exploitation they have been forced to endure. Gracehaven is in the process of purchasing a house situated on 10 acres in an undisclosed location in NW Ohio. Once renovated, the house will be large enough to hold up to 10 girls at a time. The Secret Life of Paper 01/17/2010
Click on the image to watch the short film with an important message about reducing paper use in the United States.  A Documentary The Goldman Environmental Prize 01/16/2010
Directly from their website: The Goldman Environmental Prize Grassroots environmental heroes too often go unrecognized. Yet their efforts to protect the world’s natural resources are increasingly critical to the well-being of the planet we all share. Thus, in 1990 San Francisco civic leaders and philanthropists Richard N. Goldman and his late wife, Rhoda H. Goldman (1924-1996) created the Goldman Environmental Prize. The Goldman Prize continues today with its original mission to annually honor grassroots environmental heroes from the six inhabited continental regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America.  click image to go to their website The Prize recognizes individuals for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk. Each winner receives an award of $150,000, the largest award in the world for grassroots environmentalists. The Goldman Prize views “grassroots” leaders as those involved in local efforts, where positive change is created through community or citizen participation in the issues that affect them. Through recognizing these individual leaders, the Prize seeks to inspire other ordinary people to take extraordinary actions to protect the natural world. | AuthorFEATURED ArchivesCategoriesAll |
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