And Now Australia...

A few weeks ago, I brought you the story about the inhumane killing of dolphins in Japan and now the WA government wants to introduce a similar plan. The shark cull plan will use baited lines to kill large sharks off selected beaches.

The WA Government has tried to justify their actions by saying that they will only target sharks over 3 metres. The government believes they are doing the right thing because the numbers of shark attacks have significantly increased in the last 3 years and they felt they had to do something about it.

This statement did not sit well with the residents of WA. More than 4,000 protested gathered at Perth’s Cottesloe Beach on Saturday 4^th January 2014. 

A protestors signs during the anti-shark culling rally at Cottesloe Beach

Natalie Banks, a protest organizer raised a really good point saying “there is going to be other marine life caught in the bait lines, not just sharks and there’s going to be sharks under 3 metres also caught in the bait lines”. I agree with Natalie’s point - how is the WA Government going to regulate what enters the baited lines? This plan isn’t just about killing the sharks - it’s going to destroy all marine life that gets caught in these lines.

“We are ruining the marine ecosystem” (Natalie Banks)

This is a topic that is close to my heart, as I have always wanted to go shark cage diving in Perth but there’s not going to be any sharks if the WA Government. It’s very heart breaking to read what the government plans to do. I understand that the WA Government wants to protect the swimmers from shark attacks, but environmentalists have found evidence that suggests, “killing sharks will not prevent attacks”.

References

ABC News 2014, ‘WA Government standing by shark despite 4,000 strong protest at Cottesloe Beach’, ABC, accessed 6 February 2014, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-06/wa-government-standing-by-shark-cull-after-protest/5185802>.   

Inside the Iconic Blue Box

Our assessment required us to choose an organisation or company that we consider to be a global citizen. We had to create a research poster and present our findings to the class. I decided to research Tiffany & Co., which is a multinational company that specialises in luxury jewellery, stationery, personal accessories and fragrances.

 Tiffany & Co. states that…“Corporate social responsibility is fully integrated into every aspect of the company” (Tiffany & Co. 2013) 

I truly believe with the quote above because I was browsing the companies website and I was surprised to see that Tiffany & Co. really prides itself on protecting the environment, their employees and the community at large. Over the years, Tiffany & Co. has introduced many programs so I will just mention the ones that I feel have been the most successful. In regards to the environment, Tiffany & Co. has implemented many successful initiatives to reduce the company’s paper resources. In 2008, they introduced a program called ‘The Catalog Choice’ which allows customers to select the type and number of catalogues they receive. Additionally, Tiffany & Co. resorts to using email communications and electronic catalogues for customers who prefer digital media.

Tiffany & Co. ensures that it operates at a high standard through implementing programs that address social issues such as protecting basic human rights, providing grants to non-profit organisations, making charitable donations to local and international organisations, and having a zero tolerance policy towards blood or conflict diamonds. Tiffany & Co. welcomes diversity in all forms and operates a respectful and fair working environment. The company really values their employee’s well-being and safety, the skills they bring to the company and any issues that are important to them whether it’s personal, medical, financial or legal issues.

I think every girls dream is to own a piece of Tiffany & Co. jewellery (I know that it was mine) because they sell such iconic and classic pieces. But, next time you’re buying a piece of jewellery, ask yourself ‘how environmentally friendly is their packaging and paper?’ or ‘where do they actually source their diamonds from?’ or ‘do they respect their employees?’. I fully admit that I was extremely naïve when it came to thinking about these questions… I never asked myself these questions because I just thought that all organisations were “good”, honest and responsible. Well, I know that isn’t the case but listening to other groups presentations really opened my eyes to how some multinational organisations operate. 

References

Tiffany & Co. 2013, Tiffany & Co. Corporate Responsibility, T&CO., accessed 18 January 2014, <http://www.tiffany.com.au/CSR/>.  

Until next time! :) 

An inhumane "cultural tradition"

I’m referring to the drive hunt dolphin killing that occurs in Taiji, Japan. Every year, fishermen and divers gather hundreds of dolphins into a secluded bay where they select a few dozen to sell to marine parks and aquariums and brutally kill the rest for their meat. It’s an annual dolphin hunt made famous by an Academy Award-winning documentary called the “The Cove” which shows the bloody and cruel slaughter of dolphins in Japan.

I feel that the documentary caught the attention of its viewers, but also millions of people around the world. I haven’t actually watched the documentary because I know that I wouldn’t be able to handle watching the brutal scenes - I feel physically ill just looking at some of the images. I think it's important to share this information with people and that's exactly what I'm trying to do here through blogging about. I’m extremely disgusted by the inhumane actions of Japanese fishermen and divers and I’m sure I’m not the only one. US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy took to Twitter saying, “Deeply concerned by inhumanness of drive hunt dolphin killing”.  

Yoshihide Suga (Japan’s Chief Cabinent Secretary) defends the actions of Japanese fishermen and divers stating...

“Dolphin fishing is a form of traditional fishing in our country”

 

Today, dolphin drive hunting is banned in Hawaii so here’s hoping that Japan is next to stop the unjust slaughter of innocent dolphins.

Please show your support by signing a petition to stop the brutal killing of these magnificent creatures. I showed my support by signing a petition called 'Global Olympic Dolphins' that I found at https://www.causes.com/olympicdolphins. The petition is asking the International Olympic Committee to NOT consider Japan's Toyko 2020 Olympic bid, until the Japanese Government agrees to make dolphin hunting illegal in Japan. Please help us put an end to dolphin hunts in Taiji. 

References

ABC Environment 2014, Japanese fishermen capture dolphins ahead of slaughter, ABC, accessed 21 January 2014, <http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2014/01/20/3928424.htm>.  

The Age 2014, Dolphin slaughter begins in Taiji as protests grow, Fairfax Media, accessed 21 January 2014, <http://www.theage.com.au/environment/dolphin-slaughter-begins-in-taiji-as-protests-grow-20140121-316d5.html>.  

Until next time! :)

Change Starts With Us

My friend shared this video on her Facebook and the title really caught my eye. It is about the world of porn and sex trafficking. I obviously know that sex trafficking is a serious problem around the world, but I did not really understand the impact and/or influence that porn has on the sex trafficking industry.


Click this link to watch the video...


http://www.faithit.com/the-way-this-video-connects-porn-and-global-injustice-will-make-you-see-the-world-in-a-very-different-way-warning-you-cant-unwatch-this/


I found this quote to be extremely insightful...

'The key thing about sex trafficking is supply and demand and without the demand, the supply would dry up'

People do not realise that by purchasing/downloading and watching porn... they are contributing to this very serious problem. The change starts with us! People do not realise that they are fuelling an industry that exploits women.


So, what can you actually do about this problem? Follow the steps 'pray, share, give' as Tony Anderson discusses in the video above or please visit http://www.unearthedpictures.com/ for more information.  

Until next time! :) 

The Destruction of an Australian Landmark

What am I?

• The world’s largest reef system, stretching 2300 kilometres
• Can be seen from outer space
• Home to breathtaking marine plants and animal life such as coral, jellyfish, fish, sharks, rays, whales and dolphins

Hopefully you would have guessed that I am talking about the Great Barrier Reef. Last year, I was lucky enough to go scuba diving in the beautiful Australian landmark. It was such an amazing experience, I remember the water being sky blue and the creatures being bright and magical. Like nothing I had ever seen before.

I was browsing my Facebook news feed and came across a post about the Abbott Government approving a coal port to be built in the Great Barrier Reef. I could not believe what I was reading, so I did some more research and read that this shocking statement was actually TRUE.

I came across an article that stated that the Abbott Government approved that a massive coal port would be built about 50 kilometres north of the Whitsunday Islands, which is located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. The dredge soil will be dumped into the Great Barrier Reef.

“The expansion would make the Great Barrier Reef the world’s largest coal port”

It is unbelievably sad that this development has been approved. It is going to create HUGE problems for the marine plants and animal life that call the Great Barrier Reef their home. I can not even imagine what damage the dredging will create for the Great Barrier Reef at large. The Great Barrier Reef generates about 69,000 jobs and boosts our economy by approximately $5.68 BILLION in 2011-2012. The coal port is going to destroy the environment, communities and peoples livelihoods.


Recent reports state that the decision on whether to allow the coal port expansion has been delayed till Friday 31st January 2014 but more action is needed...

Please support ‘Save the Reef’ by signing the petition to save the Great Barrier Reef and jumping on Twitter or Facebook by sharing this image; 

Until next time! :) 

Cultural Awareness

Last week, we learnt about cultural awareness. Before then, I had not really thought about what it meant to be cultural aware. I kind of just thought cultural awareness meant being aware of other peoples cultural background. But, I did some additional research and found a definition of cultural awareness - I discovered that it means much more than that. 


The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing states that ‘cultural awareness’ recognises that we are all shaped by our cultural background which influences;

• How we relate to other people
• How we interpret the world
• How we perceive ourselves

Never the less, my family have taught me to respect other peoples cultures. I try to not make any judgements about my friend’s culture. I do not judge people based on the colour of their skin. I believe that I am very accepting of others. 

I understand that within any culture, people’s values, beliefs and behaviour vary enormously. I feel that I am aware that different cultures exist as over the years I have made many friends from many cultural backgrounds - lebanese, greek, chinese, vietnamese (just to name a few). Also, I attended high school in Darlinghurst, where their were students from all over Sydeny from a wide range of cultures. I got the opportunity to learn about their culture's values, beliefs and behaviours. Although, I do not really know much about my Chinese heritage. I was not raised in a traditional Chinese household - I was born in Australia, my parents were born in Australia and even my grandparents were born in Australia and we do not speak the language. We consider ourselves to be more Australian than Chinese. I am not embarrassed or ashamed of being Chinese - that is just the way I was raised. 

As Michael Jackson says “It don't matter if you're black or white”.

Please visit http://www.culturaldiversity.com.au/practice-guides/cultural-awareness  for more information about cultural awareness. 

Until next time! :) 

Food Wastage

I was watching the news last night and the news reporter was talking about food wastage being a contemporary global issue. The headline stated that...
 Australian households throw out a staggering $8 BILLION worth of food every year!

The headline really caught my attention so I wanted to find out more. After doing some research, I feel like this topic needs to be addressed, as Australian's waste an enormous amount of food when there are so many people that go hungry in the world each day. With Christmas only a few days away and families consuming a large amount of food. What can families do with their Christmas leftovers? I know that after our Christmas feast, there are always leftovers and we do not know what to do with them. We do not want to throw them out but we usually eat out with family and friends so we do not get the chance to enjoy the leftovers. And I am sure that there are more households out there that do not know what to do either.

Want to limit your food wastage?... Here are some tips...

An unbelievable amount of food is wasted in Australia each year. That got me thinking about how much food the entire worlds population waste each year, so I did a little more research. I found that according to the United Nations Environment Programme approximately 1.3 BILLION tonnes of food produced in the world for human consumption is wasted each year.

This could be a huge problem in the future. Studies predict that there could be a food shortage in 10 years! This is due to the world’s population expanding combined with the effects of climate change.

So, what can you do with your left over food instead of throwing it out? Check out this video to see some ideas about what to do with food that isn’t edible anymore.

Jon Dee founded ‘Foodwise’ which is part of Do Something’s campaign. It attempts to reduce the environmental impact of food consumption in Australia. It provides Australians with information and advice about food wastage and what they can do to reduce their food wastage. 

“We need a global solution to ensure food is not rotting in bins while people go hungry” (Jon Dee, CEO of Foodwise)

Please visit http://www.foodwise.com.au/about-foodwise/the-campaign/ for more information about this wonderful campaign.

Until next time! :)