CONTENTS:
1. ACTION ALERT: SAVE VAST KOREAN WETLAND/TIDAL FLAT
2. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DUGONG CAMPAIGN
3. IGN ECOSTUDY GROUP – FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2003
4. PGL2 ONLINE REGISTRATION STARTED
5. VEGETARIAN WEBSITES IN JAPAN
6. QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY STUDY
7. JAMBO JUNE EVENTS
8. ALISHAN/TENGU TID BITS
9. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL TOKYO
10. TELL’S 4TH ANNUAL CHARITY WALK/RUNATHON
11. MERCURY IN JAPANESE WHALE MEAT
12. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DUGONG CAMPAIGN
13. DATABASE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS
14. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: PULSE MAGAZINE, FALL 2003
15. FOOD REPORT IN THE GUARDIAN
16. ORGANIC COTTON: AT LAST, FREEDOM FOR FARMERS
17. ABOUT WWOOF JAPAN
18. SPENCER KAGAN JAPAN TOUR UPDATE
19. INTRODUCING ECOSIG
20. FRIENDS OF THE EARTH HIKES IN JUNE
21. INFO ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN NETWORK
22. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN NETWORK ECOSTUDY GROUP
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1. ACTION ALERT: SAVE VAST KOREAN WETLAND/TIDAL FLAT
(from Richard Evanoff)
Forest Networking: a Project of Forests.org, Inc.
May 30, 2003 (current until June 6, 2003)
TAKE ACTION: Save Vast Korean Wetland/Tidal Flat
http://forests.org/emailaction/south_korea.htm
On June 5 the president of South Korea is expected to announce whether his
government will permit the destruction of one of the world’s most
ecologically important tidal flats. Saemangeum is a huge tidal flat and
wetland on Korea’s west coast. A government project seeks to destroy these
huge tidal flats and adjacent marine area by cutting it off with a 33
kilometer long dike/dam in order to undertake the largest land reclamation
project in the world.
Most South Korean citizens oppose this project, and it has been condemned
by environmental organizations worldwide. Religious leaders are only now
finishing a 350 kilometer “Three-steps-one-Bow” March. Every third step
they fall to their knees and bow their heads to the ground. They will reach
Seoul on May 31st, to be joined by a massive rally. June 5th is Environment
Day in Korea, and many expect President Roo Moo Hyun to say something about
Saemangeum. Please demand that the President cancel this poorly conceived
project by responding to this alert:
http://forests.org/emailaction/south_korea.htm
By Forests.org, Inc.
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2. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DUGONG CAMPAIGN
(submitted by Richard Evanoff)
A Japanese activist and acquaintance of mine is looking for
volunteers who can help edit and rewrite material for the current campaign
to save the dugong, a sea mammal that lives in the waters off Okinanawa.
The dugong is threatened by the construction of a heliport by the U.S.
military. The Japanese organizers need volunteers who can help get
information about this campaign to people living in the U.S. and elsewhere
in English. If you can help, please contact
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. IGN ECOSTUDY GROUP – FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2003
DATE: Friday, June 13, 2003
TIME: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
PLACE: Aoyama Gakuin University, Shibuya (Tokyo) Campus, Building
#8, 3rd floor (10 minutes walk from Shibuya station; 5 minutes walk from
the Omote-sando subway station)
DIRECTIONS: Come in the main entrance to the university (with the
statue of John Wesley at the second floor level of the the building just to
the right), walk down the tree-lined walkway until you reach the chapel (on
your right). Building #8 is the next building after the chapel (between the
chapel and the library). Take the elevator to the 3rd floor. As soon as you
come out of the elevator follow the signs to the meeting room.
PRESENTER: Dan Wolf
TOPIC: “The Role of Personal Growth in the Political Realm”
FUTURE PRESENTATIONS:
July 11: Erik Kaye, “A System for Non-violent Confrontation, Part II”
August: Summer vacation — no meeting
September: Corinne Sutter, “Working Class Life”
David Loy has also volunteered to possibly give a presentation
sometime in the autumn and an invitation has also been extended to Hilary
Nicholson to do a presentation in the autumn if she can. Richard Evanoff’s
presentation “In Defense of Anarchism” will be postponed until there’s an
opening.
Richard Evanoff and Guy Exley serve as co-coordinators for the IGN
EcoStudy Group. If you would like to give a future presentation or have any
questions about the EcoStudy Group, please [see the end of this newsletter
and] contact Guy Exley at Azalea Garden B-108, 2-2-25 Mure, Mitaka-shi,
Tokyo 108-0002. Tel: 0422-72-0315. E-mail:
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4. PGL2 ONLINE REGISTRATION STARTED
(from Kikuchi Keiko)
The registration for the 2003 Peace as a Global Language conference
has started online and there’s a discount for registering early online!
Conference fee
3000 yen for two days (2000 yen for one day)
Students 800 yen for two days (400 yen per day)
< Onsite payment>
4000 yen for two days (2500 yen for 1 day)
Students 1000 yen for two days (500 yen per day)
Please go to our website and register!
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5. VEGETARIAN WEBSITES IN JAPAN
(from Richard Wilcox)
Here are some vegetarian websites with info on health and nutrition etc.
In Japanese:
http://www.jpvs.org/index.html
http://www.ivu.org/japanese/
http://www.san-iku.co.jp/
(this one’s got all the info on nutrition at:
http://www.san-iku.co.jp/knakamoto/knakamoto-index.htm)
and also English/Japanese site for veg’s in Japan
http://www.vegietokyo.com/
One more site below has quite a few links to healthy food
(organic, veg, macrobiotic, etc.)promoting sites.
http://allabout.co.jp/health/healthfood/subject/msub_naturalfood.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY STUDY
Belinda Woodhead, a post-graduate QUT university student, is undertaking an
online study of foreign women’s nutritional behaviours in the Tokyo area.
She would greatly appreciate your participation in this study to help with
the advancement of research in this area of womens` health in Japan. Please
send email to Belinda for information regarding how you can participate.
Also, please feel free to email any questions you may have regarding the
study. Email:
b2.woodhead@student.qut.edu.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. JAMBO JUNE EVENTS
http://rocky71.hoops.livedoor.com
6/8 (Sunday) – Kamakura Hiking, Documentary movie, and Kamakura Beach
clean-up!
We will meet at the ticket gate of Kitakamakura Station (on the Yokosuka
Line) at 10:00AM.$B!!(BFrom Shinagawa Station, take the 9:14AM Tokaido
Line
train (arriving at Yokohama at 9:30) and change at Yokohama to the 9:34
Holiday Kamakura Express train. This arrives at Kitakamakura at 9:55AM
Hiking Course (about 7.5 Kilometers) – Ajisai (Hydrongea) Temple – Kenchoji
Temple – Han-sobo Sculpture Gardens – Suizenji
Temple (Should be a pretty easy hike)
1:30 PM – Documentary Movie – CHOMSKY – 9/11 Power and Terror
This film will show at the Kamakura Shougai Gakushuu Center Hall (a 1
minute walk from Kamakura’s East Ticket Gate). Advanced tickets are 800
and tickets bought on that day are 1000. Please call Ms. Furukawa
(0467-22-4997) for more information. The film is put on by Amnesty
International.
After the film, we will meet at Kamakura Station at 3:15 and go to the
beach for fun, clean-up, and to see the sunset. Cancelled in case of rain!
6/14 (Saturday) – 7:00 – 10:00 PM – Charity Party at Jambo International
Center (Takadanobaba) 1000, Please bring some snacks/drinks. The proceeds
will go to Mpumalanga Parks Board (SOUTH AFRICA), a group in South Africa
that works to protect the environment while, at the same time, promoting
the development of the local people.
6/15 (Sunday) – 10:00AM – 12:00 Noon at JAMBO International Center in
Takadanobaba – The monthly spirituality discussion group is for people who
are interested in talking about how to make their lives more spiritual and
joyous. It is informal, and today we will discuss “In 10 years, what kind
of life do you hope to have? How can you start moving there?” (PART II)
We’ll enjoy a potluck lunch after the discussion.
6/28 (Saturday) BIG Tomodachi Jamboree Party in Shibuya at Forum 8 on June
28 (Sat.) from 6:00 to 9:00pm. on the 3rd or the 5th Floor. About 100
people will attend. Find language exchange partners, international friends,
private students or teachers, homestays. Beer, wine, soft drinks and food
for Y2,000 w/reservations (Y2,500@door) Contact me (David) by 6/26 by email
if you want to make a reservation. Half of the each JAMBO member entrance
fee will go to Mpumalanga Parks Board (SOUTH AFRICA), a group in South
Africa that works to protect the environment while, at the same time,
promoting the development of the local people. You can find the map at
http://www.kokusaika.org/e/tomodachi.html or simply meet me at Hachiko (the
dog statue next to Shibuya Station) at 6:30PM.
6/29 (Sunday) – Ooyama (Big Mountain) Hiking Course (in Tanzawa) – Meet at
the Odakyuu Line’s Isehara Station’s Ticket Gate at 11:00 AM. From
Shinjuku, take the 10:01 Odakyuu Line Express train. This arrives at
Isehara at 10:58AM. From the station, we take a bus for about 30 minutes
and have a four and a half hour hike which has waterfalls, shrines,
temples, and views of Mt. Fuji (in nice weather).
Hope you’ll be able to join us for some of these events. The outdoor events
will be cancelled in case of rain. If you have any questions, call or fax
David at 03-5996-3687. My PHS number is 070-6612-9052. Or email me
(jambo@tky.3web.ne.jp).
Peace, Love, Joy and Laughter,
David
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8. ALISHAN/TENGU TID BITS
Alishan Market Day May 17, 2003 – Report
A huge warm thanks to everyone that chanced the dark skies and came out to
enjoy the second (of many to come) Alishan Organic Market Day. Last year we
held our event in August, and thinking it was too hot opted to try our
second event in May. It was almost too cold (though it threatened, it never
did rain). Jack’s famous banana smoothy / drink bar was closed before it
even opened. Sales at the cafe of the hot dishes like Thai Curry, Veggie
style Chilli Con Carne and hot chai and coffee were “hot sellers”. Sunday
a regular cafe day was warmer and we sold mainly cold dishes. Oddly the
cold beer sold well on both days.
Outside we had 30 vendors ranging from Thai massage therapists to homemade
breads, jewellery, soaps, etc. One fresh made bagel baker sold over 400
bagels (pumpernickel etc.).
On the cafe deck we enjoyed the musical offerings of a number of talented
artists. I have to admit that life felt nearly perfect with children
running around, a warm cup of soy chai, and an acoustic guitar duo singing
Neil Young covers. We had a number of people say “Today felt like I’m not
in Japan.” It did feel nostalgic.
Hope to see more of you next time. Interested in being a vendor? Please
contact us. Especially craft makers.
For a QuickTime slide show or video (requires QuickTime 6+) via our
homepage. http://www.alishan-organic-center.com/en/news.html
Need Your Workplace Rights Explained?
The General Union, a union and NPO for both Japanese and non Japanese
workers. Their aim is to obtain fair and legal working conditions for
language teachers and other foreign workers in Japan. Have a problem with
your job? Contact them via their homepage.
http://www.generalunion.org
Cooking Classes
The Alishan cafe will begin cooking classes in June. Our first teacher will
be presenting South and North Indian Dishes. Learn things like uppma,
fresh roti breads that are easy to do on a single burner and desserts. The
first series will be 4 classes offered on every other Wednesday midday.
Y3,000/per class or Y10,000 for the full series. Anyone interested in
taking or teaching a class please contact Leon at tengu@gol.com
BOSSA NOVA AND JAZZ
In the Alishan cafe Saturday June 7th, April Perkinson (a professional)
presents an evening of Bossa Nova and Jazz. From16:30 – 20:30. No Table
charge. Contact us if you need directions or a map
Check out Jack’s June specials and everything else at:
http://www.alishan-organic-center.com/en/tengu/shop/index.htm
Komahongo 185-2, Hidaka Shi, Saitama Ken, 350-1251
ph.0429-82-4811, fax.0429-82-4813
tengu@gol.com
http://www.alishan-organic-center.com
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9. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL TOKYO
Reply-To: ignj@yahoogroups.com
If anyone would like to join amnesty international japan, we have an
english-speaking group (group 78) here in tokyo and there are some other
english-speaking groups elsewhere in the country and of course lots of
japanese-speaking groups too. please contact annette ajkaye@gol.com for
group 78. Other groups can be found through the www.amnesty.org webpage
under japan. The more we can do to increase numbers and participation, the
better.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
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10. TELL’S 4TH ANNUAL CHARITY WALK/RUNATHON
Tokyo English Life Line (TELL) thanks the 650 runners and walkers and all
the donors and volunteers who helped to make TELL’s Fourth Annual Runathon
on May 3 the best ever. Participation increased by nearly 100% over the
2002 Runathon, and the net income for TELL rose by 170%, to 2,500,000,
thanks to generous cooperation from all facets of the international
community. That income supports the work of TELL in providing free
telephone counseling and fee-based face-to-face counseling to all in need,
regardless of ability to pay.
TELL was founded in 1973 to provide telephone counseling in English.
Celebrating 30 years of service in 2003, it has expanded its telephone
counseling service (03-5774-0992) hours to 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Its clinicians
offer professional face-to-face counseling in English, Japanese, and French
as well as workshops and training programs for schools and other groups
(03-3498-0231). The only accredited, nonprofit counseling center serving
the international community in Japan, TELL’s goal is to provide
comprehensive mental health services. Thanks the success of the Fourth
Annual TELL Runathon, it is one step nearer that goal.
Photographs of the event are available for downloading at
http://homepage.mac.com/wordworker/
For further information, contact the TELL office (03-3498-0261;
admin@telljp.com) or External Communications chair Ruth McCreery
(045-314-9324;
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11. MERCURY IN JAPANESE WHALE MEAT
(from Richard Evanoff)
** PACKAGED WHALE MEAT IN JAPAN CONTAINS HIGH LEVELS OF MERCURY
An international moratorium on commercial whaling has been in place since
1986. But many people in Japan still consume cetaceans, particularly
toothed whales. New research suggests that eating these whale products may
have unexpected consequences. The findings indicate that packaged whale
meat in Japan contains dangerously high levels of mercury.
http://sciam.rsc03.net/servlet/cc?lJpDWZUEkKHOplFRpgDhkDqiE0EC
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12. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DUGONG CAMPAIGN
(submitted by Richard Evanoff)
A Japanese activist and acquaintance of mine is looking for
volunteers who can help edit and rewrite material for the current campaign
to save the dugong, a sea mammal that lives in the waters off Okinanawa.
The dugong is threatened by the construction of a heliport by the U.S.
military. The Japanese organizers need volunteers who can help get
information about this campaign to people living in the U.S. and elsewhere
in English. If you can help, please contact H. Takeuchi directly at
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
13. DATABASE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS
(from Kimiharu To
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Hi, this is Kimiharu To of Japan Environmental Education Forum(JEEF). On
behalf of the JEEF, I am pleased to announce the launching of our new
database site on organizations working in the area of neivornmental
education among East Asian countries. www.jeef.or.jp/EAST_ASIA/index.html
This database has been developed as a part of the Japan Environmental
Education Forum’s international projects in order to assist educators,
associations, researchers, students, and others in understanding the
diversity of organizations, activities and perspectives in the area of
environmental education among the East Asian countries. As of April 2003,
there are approximately 100 entries representing 8 different nations in the
East Asia, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia,
Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh. By the end of FY2003, we plan to add
approximately 75 organizational data representing Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Laos,
and Papua New Guinea.
Since this site is not perfect one yet, we will keep on maintaining and
upgrading this site. So, if any of you would like to express concerns on
this site, such as advice, criticism or/and question, please kindly inform
us. We will try to incorporate them in timely manner after examining the
feasibility and plausibility.
Let’s hope our efforts in saving and restoring natural and cultural
diversities prevail for future generations.
JAPAN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FORUM
TWINZ bldg. 4th. Floor
Shinjuku 5-10-15, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022
TEL.+81-3-3350-6770 FAX.+81-3-3350-7818
E-mail :
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14. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: PULSE MAGAZINE, FALL 2003
(from Planet Drum
The PULSE for Fall 2003 will tackle challenges to bioregionalism as a model
for political action and its relevance for social change. We want to
address three obstacles to broader acceptance of bioregional principles:
1. “real-world” economic and political boundaries;
2. bioregions in a changing biosphere;
3. urban living.
These “Hard Questions for Bioregionalism” are intended as areas for “edgy”
thought-provoking discussion to prime further thought and action.
PULSE is published for its members and relies on their initiative and
creativity for its content. Your submission can be any of the following:
personal account, interview with a remarkable individual, report on an
organization, announcement of an upcoming event or conference, book or
video review, recommended reading, suggested course of action, manifestos,
diatribes, stories, artwork, photos. Submissions should not exceed 2500
words. Deadlines for submission is August 1, 2003. Please send submissions
or direct any question via email or post:
Planet Drum Foundation
PO Box 31251
San Francisco, CA 94131
planetdrum@igc.org
Please read below for more detailed descriptions of the “Hard Questions for
Bioregionalism.” We look forward to receiving your contribution to the next
edition of the PULSE.
“Hard Questions for Bioregionalism”
1. “Real-world” economic and political boundaries:?Bioregionalism implies
that historically arbitrary political boundaries should be replaced by
demarcations such as watershed, mountain range, and biotic community.
Presumably, that means challenging power structures and states. What are
ways that you confront the political impositions of county, state and
federal jurisdictions and economic pressures of multi-national corporate
rule? How are these political boundaries made visible on the landscape? Are
you taking action that directly challenges political boundaries that
disrupt or divide natural systems? How does bioregionalism affect political
practice and discourses of power? Are there pragmatic actions that can
actually alter bureaucratic structures to facilitate feedback on the
bioregional level?
2. Bioregions in a changing biosphere: The debate among climatologists is
no longer whether or not the climate is changing, but what will be the
eventual effects of global warming. The questions faced by bioregionalists
in regards to global warming are not only about how to decrease levels of
greenhouse emissions but also about how to respond to long-term climatic
changes that are already underway. Beyond Kyoto Protocols and alternative
energy, what does bioregionalism have to say about a changing biosphere?
How are you facing the realities of global warming and how do bring a
bioregional perspective to these global changes? What are the changes you
are witnessing in your local bioregion as a result of global warming and
climatic change? Are you noticing shifts in the biotic community where you
live? Are you seeing new species migrating from neighboring bioregions as
rainfall patterns, sea levels, and growing seasons change? How does a
changing biosphere affect our conceptual understanding of the bioregion? As
people begin to migrate/relocate in response to climatic changes such as
increased frequency of droughts or floods, what will happen to our
understanding of community and local culture?
3. Urban living: Call it bio-urbanity or eco-hip, there are a growing
number of city-dwellers who are applying notions of reinhabitation,
sustainability, and permaculture to the urban centers they’ve chosen to
reinhabit. The relevance of bioregionalism to urban living is continuously
called into question. Are you living bioregionally in the city? Are you an
urban pioneer or urban neohomesteader??~What is your style of
“reinhabitation” in the city? How do you bring a bioregional sensibility to
an urban setting? How can it be made more relevant to city-dwellers? Where
do you find “wildness”? What is the relationship of the city to the
bioregion where it is located? What does the bioregional principle of
“local culture” mean in terms of a cosmopolitan city? What are ways that
you?celebrate the emerging biourbanism? What is the bioregional role of
indy-media websites, community radio, zines, alternative newspapers,
community event/art spaces, etc?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
15. FOOD REPORT IN THE GUARDIAN
(from Andrew Welford)
The Guardian newspaper in London recently published a series of articles on
food – where it comes from, how it gets to us, what’s in it, what it’s
doing to us…
Naturally it has a bit of a UK bias, but lots of interesting, useful and
frightening stuff.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/focus/0,13290,951051,00.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16. ORGANIC COTTON: AT LAST, FREEDOM FOR FARMERS
By Meena Menon (from The AgBioIndia Bulletin)
Anandrao Mukundrao Subedar from Tivsa village, Yavatmal district,
Maharashtra, is one of the pioneers of organic farming in Vidarbha. But
Subedar, one of the largest landholders in the district, was also the
largest user of chemicals and pesticides at one point. “I achieved
record-breaking yields of 14 quintals (one quintal= 100 kg)/acre in 1984.
We thought we had conquered all pests in cotton. Synthetic pyrethroids rid
us of the American bollworm but then we got the white fly. In 1985 we lost
all our cotton to white fly. It was an insect we had never even heard of
before. Our losses made us think and when we analysed the reasons,
obviously the rampant use of pesticides was the cause. Yields had come down
to 2-2.5 quintals/acre from an average of 6 q/acre,” he reminisced.
“We knew the answer was not to use chemicals. At that time we had no
options, not a single university could help us and even the Central
Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, was unable to give us any
advice,” he said.
“It was Fukuoka whose book revolutionised our way of thinking — here was
a man saying we could grow crops without any chemicals. Bharat Dabholkar
was also instrumental in changing my farming practices and after I met him,
in 1990, I decided not to use any chemicals. I want to repeat what
Dabholkar (one of the pioneers of non-chemical farming) has said, “The only
input we need is our grey cells.”
Now he farms 260 acres in Tivsa, 19 km from Yavatmal. Subedar loves to
experiment and to this day keeps growing several varieties of cotton to
select the best. “I found that high yields have no relationship with
chemicals or fertilisers — we can prove that on our field. The other trick
is to get a suitable variety of crop — we want an indeterminate type. And
the third factor affecting yield is the distance between two rows and two
plants. There must be room for cotton to grow.”
He grows sugarcane, banana and tuvar (lentil) but cotton is planted alone.
“In 2002, I planted cotton on 45 acres, of which 35 acres is rain-fed.” He
has grown 18 varieties in 2002 and wants to prove that not a single cotton
type requires spraying. Since 1990 he has stopped all chemicals and is in
search of a suitable variety of cotton. It has taken him five years to
stabilise the yield. Last year yields were 8 q/acre. He uses 30 kg cowdung,
30 litres cow urine and 300 litres of water along with black jaggery and
ferments it for five days. This solution is mixed in 20 times the amount of
water and sprinkled on the field.
The use of chemicals and pesticides is very high in this district and five
years ago Rs 100 crore was spent in this district alone. Now spraying is
considerably reduced and the amount spent on chemicals and pesticides has
come down to Rs 40 crore (estimates from various local farmers and dealers).
Subedar’s expenses for cotton are about Rs 4,000 per acre; it was double
that when he was using chemicals. Large landowners and rich farmers can
spend upto Rs 12-14,000 on chemicals and pesticides with about 20 sprays in
one season for cotton. Subedar and other large farmers like Om Prakash Mor
and Baburao Wankhede have inspired scores of farmers to stop using
chemicals in this region.
Subedar has managed to inspire his neighbour, a small farmer and his
employee to stop using chemicals. Around 1993, when Kisan Mehta visited
CICR, Nagpur, to suggest organic farming, he was met with disbelief. Mehta
has been involved with organic farming since 1986 when a small group of
Gandhians became concerned about the large-scale use of chemicals in
agriculture. They formed a trust called Prakruti which aimed to develop an
environmentally sustainable society and decided to work towards
discontinuing the use of chemicals and fertilisers, hybrid seeds and heavy
machinery in agriculture.
Cotton which in 1993 used up more than 50% of pesticides on just 5% of
land, was the main target and since Vidarbha was the largest cotton-growing
area in Maharashtra, they targeted that area. Mehta made 20 trips to the
region to meet farmers and convince them of the need to stop using
chemicals.
A German group, Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA),
Hamburg, which was interested in supporting organic cotton efforts, visited
Vidarbha to confirm that many farmers were growing cotton without chemical
fertilisers. Jens Soth of EPEA contacted the director of CICR, Nagpur, in
1993 for information on non-chemical ways of growing cotton. The
interaction with the CICR scientists, who were working on the
low/no-pesticide option for pest management in cotton led to a project that
EPEA took up with GTZ of Germany.
Subedar said, “When EPEA showed an interest in our cotton, Soth came here
and took samples and it was confirmed that we were growing organic cotton.”
Mehta’s efforts and those of the farmers and later of CICR laid the
foundation for an organized platform to grow cotton organically and export
it. Meetings started in August 1994 with farmers over five districts of
Nagpur, Wardha, Yavatmal, Amravati and Akola and resulted in 135 farmers
committing1,200 hectares of land to organic cotton by June 1995, according
to Mehta.
On December 19, 1995, the Vidarbha Organic Farmers Association (VOFA) was
formed with 132 farmers as members The idea was to have an independent
organisation for farmers to help in marketing of cotton on a non-profit
basis. Agreco agreed to certify the farmers and each farmer was provided a
diary to record cultivation practices. The season of 1996 brought a bumper
crop of cotton organically grown without much hindrance from pests, notes
Mehta.
“We had prepared a complete 70-page booklet for farmers who were interested
in organic cotton cultivation. The cotton was grown under international
organic standards certification guidelines and the German support ensured
certification and other requirements. Over 1,200 hectares were soon under
organic farming, making it (then) the largest area in the world under such
cultivation,” Mehta said.
Subedar was made president of VOFA, Manohar Parchure vice president and Om
Prakash Mor, secretary. Though it was decided that VOFA was not a
commercial organisation and would help market produce, differences
developed and there was a dispute which ended when Mor walked out and
founded Eco Farms which also sells and markets organic cotton and other
produce.
Subedar adds, “We want to promote organic crops and we feel farmers should
get a good price. Cotton is being exported since 1995 and we sell
1,500-2,000 quintals every year.”
VOFA has distributed Rs 51 lakh in incentive wages to its members since
1995-96 . In 2002 too farmers got Rs 700 per quintal as bonus, apart from
the premium per quintal. It is also making efforts to sell organic produce
other than cotton from this year.
Of VOFA’s 205 members, 90 are practicing organic farming. The total area
under cotton is 1,250 acres and the minimum landholding is 3 acres; the
maximum is 54 acres. The total land under organic cultivation is 3,500
acres (spread over Wardha, Amravati and Yavatmal districts).
When VOFA began in December 1995 there were 132 farmers; that number rose
to 250 in 1994. Members donated the first year’s profit per quintal of Rs
130 to VOFA to form a sort of corpus which has swelled to Rs 6.4 lakh. In
1999-2000, the Japanese company Fair Trade which buys their cotton, gave
the cottonpickers a bonus of Rs 2 lakh for clothing. The Fair Trade company
also donated Rs 1 lakh towards the corpus.
For farmers like Raosaheb Dagadkar from Usalgavhan, Dhamangaon taluka,
Amravati district, exporting organic cotton is the only reason to grow it.
He is India’s Fukuoka and closely follows his mentor’s principles of
do-nothing farming which sets him apart from other farmers. A member of
VOFA, he is a certified organic cotton farmer. His farm is also a
pilgrimage place for farmers from near and far. On the day I visited him,
he was taking around a group of farmers who had come to see how he grew
crops without any chemicals or fertilisers. He grows til, jowar, bajri,
cotton, vegetables and fruit over 110 acres. Farmers were amazed to see
that he neither sprayed insecticides nor used urea.
To a purist used to seeing crops in neat rows, his farm can appear very
untidy. Weeds grow everywhere and there is barely any space between two
plants. “Fully-grown cotton fields become like a forest — I can’t enter,”
he joked. His farms are full of weeds but that does not bother him. Weeds
are a goldmine and he uses them to mulch his land. The trick he says is to
know which ones to keep on top and which down. “I find compost expensive so
I use what is there in nature. All we need to do is create conditions for
earthworms to grow and then there is no need for bullocks or ploughing.”
“When I read One Straw Revolution in 1990, I decided to adopt do-nothing
farming. First there was a reduction in yield but now I usually get 4-6
quintals a year for cotton. This year I expect around 6 quintals per acre.”
VOFA is one of the few commercial organic cotton ventures in the country.
Maikaal bioRe Ltd, which claims to be the largest organic cotton venture in
the world, in Bheelaon, Madhya Pradesh, has over 1,000 farmers involved in
organic cotton production. The production of organic cotton started in 1991
as a private initiative of Mrigendra Jalan, Managing Director of the
spinning mill, Maikaal Fibres Ltd, and Patrick Hohmann, Managing Director
of the Swiss cotton yarn trading company, Remei AG, according to a report
from Maikaal bioRe.
A pilot project was initiated in 1992 with a few farmers on 15 acres. It
has since expanded to over 1,000 farmers and 7,600 acres in 80 villages of
Khargone district. Remei developed partnerships with manufacturers to
produce a whole range of quality, fashionable, ecological-social garments
made of Maikaal bioRe’s organic cotton. The entire supply chain was
integrated in 1995 when Coop, the retailer joined. Coop is Switzerland’s
second-largest supermarket chain and Europe’s market leader in
ecological-social products.
According to Hohmann this was the world’s largest project on organic
cotton, from the cultivation to the marketing and product sale stage with
the active and conscious participation of farmers, spinners, retailers and
purchasers. Every year since 1993 at the open house in the ginning factory,
hundreds of farmers meet their production partners from abroad, apart from
designers, researchers and others involved in this cooperative venture.
Farmers are encouraged to practice biodynamic agriculture, while
certification is as per the requirements of organic agriculture only.
In Kogawa village in Kasrawad taluka of Khargone district, Sher Singh grows
cotton on 8.5 of his 10.5 acres. He is a certified organic farmer since the
last four years, part of Maikaal, and last year his yield of cotton was 12
q in 7 acres.
He also grows tuvar, makai (maize) and mung. His cost of inputs for
chemicals and pesticides used to be Rs 2,500-3,000 per acre, but since the
last three years, the costs are down to Rs 1,300 per acre. All the inputs
are provided by the company.
There are 12 or 13 organic farmers in this village who get premiums of
10-20% on organic cotton.
After switching to organic farming, Singh found that yields dropped to 12 q
in 8 acres in the first year from 25 q in 8 acres. He tried to keep his
morale up by visiting other organic farmers and did not lose his nerve. In
the second year he harvested 16 q from 8 acres. He feels things will be
better this year. Farmers with Maikaal now believe that pests are fewer and
expenses less in organic farming.
Organic farmers get a premium of 10-20% above market rates. However, price
need not be the only incentive for organic farming. The importance of
organic farming in regions like Vidarbha which is marked by poverty and
drought, cannot be overstressed. Every year many farmers commit suicide in
this region and NGOs like Dhara Mitra and YUVA are trying to promote
organic farming among small farmers in a bid to reduce their cost of
cultivation. It is not only for that extra premium that farmers must adopt
organic farming — in some cases it may save their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
17. ABOUT WWOOF JAPAN
WWOOF (weekend workers on organic farms) Japan is a program facilitating
travellers and holiday makers to visit hosts around Japan and receive
meals, boarding, learning and be part of the family or community at no
financial cost, in return for assisting the host with the work they do.
WWOOF hosts include farms, holiday inns, ski resorts, and more. A 12 month
membership is 4000 yen allowing you to visit as many places as you like. We
do have hosts that will accept people all year round. Please have a look
at http://www.wwoofjapan.com/index_e.html and see information on what a
WWOOF Japan membership will give you. One can see a preview of some (not
all) of our hosts at
http://www.wwoofjapan.com/preview_e.html
You can join and pay online via our website or pay at any post office
throughout Japan – see the website for details. Members have access to
bilingual forms from our website to use to communicate with hosts and make
plans that best suit them. WWOOF is a great way to see Japan away from your
daily grind. You can arrange to visit a host for just a day or two or for
longer periods, or start out with a day or two and extend if you like it.
Check out our website for all the details at http://www.wwoofjapan.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
18. SPENCER KAGAN JAPAN TOUR UPDATE
(from Jane Nakagawa)
This is a great chance to see Spencer in Japan and learn more about coop
learning, multiple inteligences and brain research re how people learn. The
attendance fees for workshops (experiential–focus on practical teaching
tips/demonostration of same) below range from free to 3000 yen. Please
contact the listed contact persons below for more detailed info re the
workshop at each location below.
Also please be advised that there could be some small changes to this
schedule/possible additions in the coming weeks.
Spencer Kagan Japan workshop tour schedule as of May 21, 2003
Monday, Sept. 15, 2003 (Nagoya) 1:00-5:00 PM
“Cooperative structures and language learning”
Contact: Linda Donan
Cooperative learning is a natural catalyst for language learning.
Cooperative learning structures can be incorporated easily as part of any
lesson, with a powerful impact on comprehensible input and frequency of
language output opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, the cooperative
structures reduce the affective filter and provide a positive, natural
context for language learning. Come learn a range of simple cooperative
learning structures that can be included in any lesson to promote language
learning, including Draw-A-Gambit, Three Pair Share and Same Different.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003 (Nagoya) Nanzan University 6:30-8:30 PM
“Brain friendly instruction through cooperative learning structures”
Contact: Louise Haynes
The brain readily learns information when presented through brain-friendly
instructional strategies, but retains little when information is presented
in ways contrary to the way the brain best learns. In this presentation Dr.
Kagan presents five principles of brain-friendly instruction and how those
principles can be implemented through simple instructional strategies
called structures. In this presentation Dr. Kagan shows brain-imaging scans
that demonstrate greater engagement when brain-friendly instructional
strategies are used. Come deepen your understanding of the brain and of the
revolutionary instructional strategies called structures. Structures such
as Visualize Share, Take Off/Touch Down, and Categorizing will be
demonstrated.
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003 (Tokyo) at Teachers College, co-sponsored by
Teachers College, JASCD and GILE
“Kagan Cooperative Structures to Promote Language Learning, Caring, and
Peace”
Contact: Michele Milner
Dr. Kagan’s simple cooperative structures are transforming instruction in
classrooms world-wide. His simple structures dramatically increase
comprehensible input, language practice opportunities, and a safe context
in which to try on unfamiliar language forms. At the same time students
learn to accept and celebrate diversity, and understand and care for each
other. The ultimate outcome is a transformation of social orientation from
a “Us versus Them” to a “We” orientation. Come experience the power of
Kagan’s simple cooperative structures like Timed Pair Interview,
RoundRobin, and Mix-N-Match.
Sunday, Sept. 21, 2003 (Tokyo) TBA. Please contact Jane Joritz-Nakagawa
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2003 (Tokyo) Location TBA.
“Cooperative structures for any lesson”
Contact: Diane Nagatomo
Dr. Kagan presents a revolutionary approach to instruction: Structures.
There is always a structure in the classroom. Structures determine academic
achievement as well as a host of non-academic outcomes. Knowledge and
implementation of a range of structures dramatically improves educational
outcomes. Come learn the theory of structures and experience the power of
Kagan structures like Numbered Heads Together, RallyRobin, and Team
Statements.
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003 (Tokyo) Soka University
“Multiple intelligences: visions, myths, and structures”
Contact: Prof. Sekita
Multiple Intelligences Theory offers education three powerful visions: 1)
teaching the way students best learn; 2) developing a range of
intelligences; 3) celebrating diversity. Dr. Kagan and his co-workers have
developed dozens of easy-to-use, easy-to-implement structures such as
Kinesthetic Symbols and Visualize Share for each of eight intelligences.
The structures allow any teacher to realize all three visions as part of
any lesson. Come deepen your understanding of Multiple Intelligences Theory
and of structures such as Kinesthetic Symbols, Window Panes, and
RallyRetell; novel ways to align instruction with the three visions.
Friday, Sept. 26, 2003 (Tokyo) Seisen University, 5:30 – 8:30 PM “Positive
human relations via cooperative structures” (Pre-conference workshop at
Peace as a Global Language II conference)
Contact: Alison Miyake
Classroom structures determine academic achievement as well as a host of
non-academic outcomes.
Traditional classroom structures undermine positive social relations.
Cooperative structures, in contrast, enhance understanding of self and
others, respect for differences, empathy, self esteem, as well as liking
for school and classmates. Remarkably, cooperative structures improve human
relations without taking time from academics. Students actually learn and
retain more when cooperative structures are used. To help you build
positive peer relationships in your classroom, while maximizing student
learning come learn structures like Team Interview, Agree-Disagree
Line-Ups, and Timed Pair Share.
Sunday, Sept. 28, 2003 (Tokyo) Seisen University
“Cooperative structures, character, and peace”
(Experiential plenary at Peace as a Global Language II conference)
Contact: Alison Miyake
There is always a structure in the classroom, and the structures we use on
a daily basis form character. A teacher cannot choose not to impact on
character formation. An important question is the direction of that impact.
Traditional classroom structures (individual worksheet work; having
students raise their hands one at a time to be called on) if not balanced
by cooperative structures, have a demonstrable negative impact on character
and diminish our long-term hopes for peace. In this experiential plenary
session, we will examine a fifteen-virtue model of character and analyze
the impact of traditional and cooperative structures on virtue acquisition.
Finally we will explore how structure forms character which in turn impacts
on long-term prospects for peace. To help you build character in your
classroom, and increase our long-term prospects for peace, come learn
structures like Three-Step Interview, Paraphrase Passport, and Corners.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
19. INTRODUCING ECOSIG
(from EcoSIG, the ecological issues Special Interest Group of the Japan
Exchange and Teaching Program)
EcoSIG is interested in various ecological issues and is always
open to ideas about new projects. Here is a list of our current projects.
EcoSIG is intreseted in various ecological issues and is always
open to ideas about new projects. Here is a list of our current projects:
– Eco-SIG YahooGroups (about 250 members): an information network
for current issues, upcoming events in Japan and any other relevant news.
To sign up please visit
– EcoSIG website: see
– PR: We have access to wider memebers of the JET community (in
total there are over 6,000 JETs living in Japan) at various annual
functions where we are happy to publicise the activities of other groups /
interests / companies relevant to ecological issues
– EcoBusinesses: we are currently compiling a directory of
businesses with an environmentally friendly focus that are in Japan.
– Low-impact living in Japan, organic agriculture…
– The BEE (Bicycle for Everyone’s Earth): an annual bicycle ride
from the North to South of Japan which aims to raise awarenss about
environmental issues along the way; see the website at
– The Echo: EcoSIG’s quarterly magazine publication
– The Environmental Action Guide: currently being revamped
– Assisting in the organization of Earth Day celebrations across Japan
– Down the Earth English (see the link at
education lesson plans suitable for use in the English langauge classroom
– A seed bank for our members to exchange surplus seeds
We are very keen to expand the number of organizations we network
with. Currently, we have informal liaisons with a number of environmental
interest groups and businesses in Japan. We are also affiliated with the
JET Program.
We have an active listserve of around 250 members, which provides a
useful network for information sharing (be it upcoming events, current
issues, etc), so please let us know of anything that should be broadcast on
it. As mentioned above, EcoSIG is also represented at most JET events and
is happy to publicise the work of other relevant groups from its booths.
Members of EcoSIG come from various nations but most members are
JET Programme participants and therefore currently living and working in
Japan.
EcoSIG, (the ecological issues Special Interest Group of the Japan Exchange
and Teaching Program, membership is available to JETs and non-JETs)
e-mail: ecosignc@yahoo.com
Mail: Alli Barnes, 2-1, 1057-3, Orihashi, Satomi-Mura, Kuji-Gun,
Ibaraki-Ken, 311-0506.
Or, Kerry Helston , 102, Mountview Maekubo, Ikeshita 516, Sakata-Gun,
Santo-Cho, Shiga-Ken, 521-0221.
See our website at
in_japan/about.html>
Join the email listserv, at
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
20. FRIENDS OF THE EARTH HIKES IN JUNE
(from Friends of the Earth)
The following Friends of the Earth hikes are scheduled for June.
There are no reservations — just turn up at the meeting point. The trips
are cancelled only in case of continuous heavy rain or snow, or a typhoon
warning, but the leader makes the final decision at the meeting point. Each
person is responsible for buying their own train and bus tickets.
JUNE 8: Myoujingatake / Myoujougatake / Yumoto (moderate). Meet at
7:30 a.m. at Shinjuku Odakyu Station at the front end of Platform 5. This
course goes up the mountain slopes of the eastern side of the Hakone
caldera from Doryouson Temple and along the caldera ridge from
Myoujingatake to Myoujougatake. We can see fine views of Hakone National
Part and Mt. Fuji from the top of Myoujingatake. The trail ends at Hakone
Yumoto where is is possible to visit an onsen. Walking hours: 6. Total
transportation: 2,490 yen.
JUNE 15: Saitama Kenmin no Mori / Maruyama (easy). Meet at 8:30
a.m. at Seibu Ikebukuro Station at the rear end of Platform 7. This hike
follows through the Ashigakubo Orchard via Kenmin no mori up to Maruyama.
There are fine views of Okumusashi and the Chichibu Mountains from the top.
Then we go to Ohno Touge and down to Ashigakubo Station. Walking hours:
4. Total transportation: 1,360yen.
JUNE 22: Summit-of-the-mountain beer garden (moderately easy). Meet
at 10:00 a.m. at Shinjuku Keio Line Station at the rear end of Platform 3.
Starting fromTakao-san guchi, we walk along the Koshu Kaido for 30 minutes,
and go into a mountain path from there which leads to Takao Mountain. We
then go to the summit-of-the-mountain beer garden (2 hours viking and drink
2700 yen female; 3,000 yen male). The night view is very beautiful. From
there it takes about 40 minutes walk on the paved road to Takao-san Guchi.
Walking hours: 4.5. Total transportation: 740 yen.
A donation of 1,000 yen is requested to cover organzing costs and
as a contribution towards the work Friends of the Earth is doing on
environmental issues Japan and through Friends of the Earth International
in 68 countries around the the world.
Most hikes are about six hours and many are in mountainous areas,
so you should be reasonably fit. Although the leaders take every
precaution, participation in all hikes is at your own risk. You should
bring your own lunch and drinks (including plenty of water), a flashlight,
emergency equipment (first aid kit, extra food), rain gear (not an
umbrella), and health insurance card. It is advisable to wear proper hiking
or walking shoes, since some of the trails can be muddy or rocky.
For more information see the Friends of the Earth website at
send an e-mail to
line. Friends of the Earth can also be contacted at 3-17-24-2F Mejiro,
Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0031. Tel: 03-3951-1081. Fax: 03-3951-1084.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
21. INFO ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN NETWORK
REGISTRATION: To register with the International Green Network,
please request a registration form from Richard Evanoff at
193-0941. Registration is open to both individuals and groups. There is no
registration fee or dues of any kind. Small donations (1,000 yen or less)
to help cover operating expenses are welcomed, however.
NEWSLETTER: The International Green Network (IGN) Newsletter will
be published irregularly and sent to all people who register with the IGN.
An e-mail version will be sent to those on e-mail and by regular mail to
those who are not. Items for publication may be submitted by anyone and
should be sent to Andrew Welford at
3-28-12-201, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0004. Please send general discussion
items to the e-mail list (info below) rather than to the newsletter;
however, if there is something you would like to share with everyone in the
IGN, please send it to the newsletter so that those who are not on e-mail
can receive it. We especially welcome: news items; events info; profiles of
organizations and groups; alternative business advertisements (published
free of charge); short articles; and opinion pieces. Please send items for
publication in the form in which you would like it to be published since
editing will be minimal.
WEBSITE: The International Green Network maintains a website at
website should be sent to Tony Boys at
E-MAIL LIST: By joining the IGN listserv, you will be able to
exchange messages with other group members. To register for the e-mail
list, send an e-mail message “subscribe ignj” to
simply send an e-mail to
belong to the IGN e-mail list, you may unsubscribe by
sending an email to
available at
be correct but if there are any glitches, please contact the IGN list
moderator at
FAIR USE NOTICE: This newsletter may contain copyrighted material
the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the
copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to
advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this
constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for
in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.
Section 107, the material in this newsletter is distributed without profit
to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research and educational purposes. For more information go
to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml If you wish to use
copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond
‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
22. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN NETWORK ECOSTUDY GROUP
The IGN EcoStudy Group was started in January, 1997 by a small
group of people interested in meeting informally to discuss current social
and ecological issues. Meetings are held on a more or less monthly basis,
usually on the third Friday, although the date varies from month to month
depending on the participants’ schedules. The group focuses mainly on Green
issues widely construed, including environmental problems, human rights,
feminism, anti-racism, globalization, alternative politics / economics,
labor issues, fair trade, cooperatives, indy media, and the like, but there
are no limitations on themes. Anyone is free at any time to volunteer to
give presentations or to propose possible topics for future discussion
(although there are no obligations to do so). The usual format is for the
person proposing a topic to give a brief introduction to the topic and then
open the floor for discussion. If there are any readings, cassettes,
videos, etc. that you would like people to familiarize themselves with
beforehand, please make them available for circulation. Since this is a
discussion group, you don’t need to be an “expert” on the topic to give a
presentation; it is perfectly acceptable to either share something you
already know about a particular topic with the group, to present reading
materials or videos instead of giving an oral presentation, or to simply
propose a topic that you would like to find out more about and discuss with
others. The International Green Network is not affiliated with any
political party (although political parties are welcome to participate in
its activities) and has no particular ideological stance (although
individual members often do!). The group is open to everyone, regardless of
nationality, educational, ideological, and occupational background (or
anything else!). Please feel free to invite anyone who may be interested to
join us! There is no formal membership or dues. Announcements of meetings
are publicized in the International Green Network Newsletter. The
International Green Network also welcomes individuals to form groups in
their own local areas, which we will also be happy to publicize in the IGN
Newsletter. To receive the IGN Newsletter send your name and mailing
address (e-mail preferred) to Richard Evanoff at 1933-8 Hazama-cho,
Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 193-0941 or e-mail
to see you at a future meeting!
In this article written for the New Internationalist website, CEO
reports on World Water Forum which took place in Kyoto, March 16-23.
Read the article the New Internationalist website:
http://www.newint.org/features/kyoto/index.html
Activists from around the world succeeded in making water
privatisation the dominant, most controversial issue during the one-
week Forum. Their testimonies on the often disastrous local
experiences with transnational corporations running the water
delivery systems torpedoed the PR strategy of pro-industry think-tank
World Water Council (WWC), which co-organised the forum.
While activists took another important step in turning the tide and
promoting people-centred alternatives to privatisation, there is
still a long way to go. International financial institutions like the
Asian Development Bank and power blocs like the European Union are
stubbornly hanging on to water privatisation as the recipe for
water delivery in the cities of the South.
Read the article the New Internationalist website:
http://www.newint.org/features/kyoto/index.html
——————————————————-
Adam Ma’anit
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
Paulus Potterstraat 20
1071 DA Amsterdam
Netherlands
tel/fax: +31-20-612-7023
e-mail: ceo@corporateeurope.org
http://www.corporateeurope.org
CEO, is a European-based research and
campaign group targeting the threats to
democracy, equity, social justice and the
environment posed by the economic and
political power of corporations and their
lobby groups.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), is a European-based research and
campaign group targeting the threats to democracy, equity, social justice
and the environment posed by the economic and political power of
corporations and their lobby groups.
CEO publishes a quarterly newsletter – Corporate Europe Observer –
featuring reports on the activities of major corporate lobby groups, issue
specific overviews, news updates, analysis, reviews and more.
The Corporate Europe Observer is currently published in print, e-mail
and web (.html and .pdf) versions. For back issues, see:
http://www.corporateeurope.org/backlist.html
We also regularly produce issue briefings on various issues, such as
climate change, trade and investment and in-depth expos$Bis(B of specific
lobby groups. For a complete list of past briefings, see:
http://www.corporateeurope.org/briefings.html
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
Paulus Potterstraat 20
1071 DA Amsterdam
Netherlands
tel/fax: +31-20-612-7023
e-mail: ceo@corporateeurope.org
http://www.corporateeurope.org
http://www.gatswatch.org
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