Category: Direct Action

Voting for REAL Action on Climate Change

In Vancouver, a blogger of the informative DeSmogBlog saw a sign that read “Next Election I’m Voting for REAL Action on Climate Change – Please Reduce Emissions Now”. Voters Taking Action on Climate Change’ (VTACC) is a grassroots organization that is putting their vote where they live (within the climate).

VTACC are based in Vancouver, but let’s hope that they encourage other groups to start up!

His group is called ‘Voters Taking Action on Climate Change’ (VTACC) and it’s made up of a group of local neighbourhood residents who are concerned about global warming and are calling for political action on reducing emissions.

Weapons Make for Neat Looking Furniture

peace chair
In Cambodia, some weapons are being turned into furniture. I like this idea of repurposing old machines of death into useful things for everyday use. It’s a great sign of human creativity. Although I do wonder how comfortable that chair is.
Don’t forget that there is always coffee machines made from old weapon casings.

After more than 30 years of civil war, ending in 1998, the Cambodian gouvernment destroyed 125,000 weapons across the country. In this time (name withheld by request), a small arms specialist with the European Union, and British artist (a different name withheld) saw an opportunity, and decided to create The Peace Art Project Cambodia (PAPC) in November 2003. The Peace Art Project Cambodia was a sculpture project turning weapons into art as expressions of peace.

Blogs for Empowerment

Information technology can be used for more than spam and this is a perfect example. Blogs for African Women uses blogging to communicate ideas and share resources with women to empower them.

Nine young women, activists in non-governmental organisations or community programmes in Lagos, will come together online and face-to-face to gain technical skills in blogging, podcasting and wikis over the next six months. Networking for Success is geared towards women who are already looking for ways that technology can help their work, who want to reach out to other organisations and collaborate more effectively.

Eco-Coffins for the Eco-Dead

Plan on dying some time? Well, now you don’t have to take the planet with you; instead you can help the planet on your way out. You can use:

A coffin made from recycled paper

Ecopod is a revolutionary design in coffins made from naturally hardened, 100% recycled paper. The time and consideration gone into the concept and design of the Ecopod we feel has culminated in a product with much to offer.
Made from 100% ecologically sound materials the Ecopod is the ideal product for a non toxic burial or cremation. Perfect for use in greenfield sites.

A coffin made out of cardboard

They are made from cardboard, but are unlike any other cardboard coffin on the market. Made from 90% recycled material, a rigid honeycomb construction provides strength and stability whilst being 100% biodegradable. Our product has been tested at crematoria and at traditional burial sites and are suitable for both

No Impact Man

A man living in New York City has decided to respect the environment, by making no impact. That’s right ZERO IMPACT on the environemnt while living in NYC, you probably have a lot of questions and he probably has the answers.

Here is his a snippet from the project philosophy:

Saving this planet depends on finding a middle path that is neither unconsciously consumerist nor self-consciously anti-materialist. The idea for No Impact Man is not to be anorexic but to be abundant, not to be eco-efficient but “eco-effective,” in the words of the environmental scientists William McDonough and Michael Braungart.

This dude is someone we can all learn from.