social marketing & corporate responsibility (CSR) & business and human rights
Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy crap we don’t need.
Buy Nothing Day commenced in Canada in the early 90ties to protest consumerism*. The day is currently held in about 65 countries either on Black Friday (end November) or the day after. It offers a 24 hour detox from shopping as opposed to Black Friday which offers ‘the buy-everything-you-can-in-the-shortest-amount-of-time-whether-you-need-it-or-not’.
Plants are flowering.
Baby animals are showing their little faces.
Days are getting longer.
The air is warming.
We have a spring in our step.
Here in Australia spring starts on 1 September. In the astronomical calendar spring begins on the 21 September. We tend to do things differently in down under.
The 1st day of spring is also Wattle Day. The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is an evergreen spreading shrub or small tree. Did you know there are more than 760 different types of wattle across Australia?
Yet, despite of the wattle’s iconic status some types are threatened by extinction. [Read more…]
January 2020 – the end of an old and the beginning of not just a new year but a new decade. A decade of hope and to move into the right direction.
A time for collaboration and consensus building. A time for integration of the different, of the poor, of the voiceless, of non-human animals, of plants, of everybody and everything. A time to create balance.
2019 will be a big year for women globally. There is a lot to be proud of. Yet, a lot remains to be achieved.
[Read more…]A balanced world is a better world. How can you help forge a more gender-balanced world? Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.
We are half way into January and by now, your new year resolution(s) are probably already out of the window. You are not alone:
But don’t let this stop you from having one or several resolutions. Drawing one year to a close and starting a new one is a powerful tool for reflection, for taking stock and to set out where you would like to be in another 12 months time… no goals = no results.
Pollution from burning coal is the single biggest driver of global warming – threatening life, health and the environment worldwide.
Happy 10th Anniversary Earth Hour!
Congratulations Earth Hour to one decade of persuading the world to turn the lights off for an evening or even the night. What commenced as a simple gimmick has turned into a world wide phenomenon stimulating debate about climate change and environmental issues.
Initially I viewed Earth Hour as a soft campaign making it easy and comfortable for people to indulge in a small gesture and feel good about themselves as they are ‘fighting’ climate change. [Read more…]
There is a day for absolutely anything you may think and yes, naming a national day for a cause is a frequently employed marketing strategy. Why? Because it can be a very effective to raise awareness – hopefully it will work for the National Eucalypt Day as well!
Ghost Gum a painting by Albert Namatjira
The National Eucalypt Day is an initiative of the Bjarne K Dahl Trust. It aims to raise awareness of the iconic gum tree and celebrate the important place they hold in the hearts and lives of Australians.
Eucalypts are the epitome of the Australian landscape:
Eucalypts, commonly known as gum trees, form an integral part of the Australian identity with the bush. From the children’s song Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree through to the distinctive smell of eucalypts to iconic paintings and photographs, eucalypts are an essential part of Australian culture, featuring in art, music and literature. Quoted from http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/eucalypts
Koala and Gum Tree
The gum tree is essential for the Australian landscape and for many animals – including the equally iconic Koala. We need to preserve eucalypts and there was a symposium about this very issue, read more here: http://www.eucalyptaustralia.org.au/conserving-eucalypts-symposium
The Australian Koala Foundation has released a tree planting list – of course, to be useful for Koalas, trees have to be planted in groups and need to be connected to other Koala habitat.
Let’s celebrate the Australian gum tree today and ensure they are here for future generations.
Further information:
Eucalypt Australia is a grant making Charitable Trust that focuses on eucalypts – a significant aspect of Australia’s natural environment and biodiversity. The Trust would like to inspire the public to appreciate eucalypts. It used to operated under the name of Bjarne K Dahl Trust as it was set up by his estate.
Some say that emphasising happiness actually makes us unhappy because we can’t be on a high all the time and might be putting too much pressure on ourselves. However, the definition of happiness is much broader than a particular feeling and relates to how content we are with our life.
“Happiness is about our lives as a whole: it includes the fluctuating feelings we experience everyday but also our overall satisfaction with life. It is influenced by our genes, upbringing and our external circumstances – such as our health, our work and our financial situation. But crucially it is also heavily influenced by our choices – our inner attitudes, how we approach our relationships, our personal values and our sense of purpose.” quoted from www.actionforhappiness.org
“Happiness is neither a frivolity nor a luxury. It is a deep-seated yearning shared by all members of the human family.” – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 2014
This year, International Women’s Day is getting a bit more attention in the industrialised world, especially in the USA, due to a certain President whose name I don’t want to mention as he is getting enough attention already… it’s a bit like certain reality TV personalities whose name I don’t utter because I am hoping they’ll go away sooner rather than later…
It is estimated that up to 4.6 million women marched peacefully on the streets of America for their rights: rights gained over centuries and not to be taken for granted anywhere in the world.
Rights to enjoy in some countries and not others; rights constantly under threat and rights never to be taken for granted.
