A fresh attitude for a new era
Tired of reading about doom and gloom? Exhausted with the talk of economic crisis?
My original intention in setting up this website was to write about positive news and ideas, and to promote my own efforts to be creative. My vision is shifting all the time. I still want my words to inspire and motivate, but many of the issues on which I am focusing are challenging; I am inevitably uncovering information that is not, on the face of it, positive, but these issues need facing head-on. We need to work together to find just and durable solutions.
I’ve become increasingly involved in campaigns to protect our natural environment and wildlife. Many current events are extremely troubling, but we need to stay informed, not least about threats to the environment and the plight of animals. We can be positive in our reactions and spread the word so that others understand and act.
Click on Blog to keep up to date with my latest posts.
I am currently doing in-depth research about palm oil cultivation in Indonesia. I am looking at the effect on forests and wildlife, including, of course, the effect on orangutan habitat.
Not only is the Tripa peat forest in Sumatra still being slashed and burned, but there are now plans to destroy even more forest in the province of Aceh in Sumatra.
A Canadian mining company, East Asia Minerals, is pushing for more than one million hectares of protected forest in Aceh to be cleared.
The company says it is actively involved in developing a new spatial plan for Aceh.
This is a shocking development that further menaces wildlife and biodiversity in Aceh, where thousands of acres of the Tripa forest have already been destroyed by palm oil companies.
Under the proposed new spatial plan, large areas of protected forest would be re-zoned for mining, logging, and palm oil cultivation.
(See Blog for full information.)
There is a petition on change.org, which has already been signed by more than 18,000 people and calls on the governor and vice-governor of Aceh to think again about the spatial plan and the destruction it would cause.
Elsewhere on this site, read news about the campaign to prevent shale gas exploitation in France. Environmentalists gave a muted welcome to the announcement by French president François Hollande that there will be no shale gas exploration or exploitation in France during his presidency. Seven applications that have been made for fracking permits are to be rejected, but there are many permits still in place, and a large number of exploration applications that were not mentioned by Hollande.
Anti-shale gas activists have called on the government to take a harder line, and to ensure that no exploration work will be carried out. Militants want the immediate abrogation of all licences and the rejection of all requests for permits that could enable multinationals to exploit shale gas and oil.
There is good news in Quebec. The new Natural Resources Minister, Martine Ouellet, says the Parti Québécois government will impose a complete moratorium on the exploration and exploitation of shale gas. She said she didn’t foresee a day when there would be technology that would allow safe exploitation of the gas.
Keep up, too, on my blog with the latest developments in Australia in the campaign to protect koalas and get them listed as endangered through the country. Their habitat is also being destroyed.
I am putting together a new video about the plight of the koala, and have just added a video about sea cucumber fishermen in Indonesia. (Click on the Video Stories section.)
Read, too, about BAWA (the Bali Animal Welfare Association). The association feeds, vaccinates, and sterilises street dogs; finds homes for puppies; and educates local people about animal care.
For inspiration, check out my film reviews, and, for information on how to stay in good form, click on Health and Wellbeing. A new interview – with House of Yoga teacher Karla Kelly – will be online soon.
A friend has asked me to mention this organisation:
Cancer Support France
She says the local Languedoc branch particularly needs support
CSF-Languedoc
A quote to remember: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” – Albert Einstein
Einstein also said: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Chinese proverb: “Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.”
And here are a few inspiring links:
Spiritual Cinema
The Shift Network
Tonic.com
Ode Magazine
The Grandmothers Speak
Playing For Change
Humanity’s Team
Apologies; ads are now appearing on this website; it’s now WordPress practice to place such ads and I have no control over what appears. I’ll monitor the situation and decide whether to pay to remove them.
Unless otherwise stated, all original content © 2000-2013 Annette Gartland. All rights reserved.
