PRIKKEL

Hey everyone,

I have soo interesting news: I was on the Prikkel-weekend from Oxfam, from friday til monday, with a lot of fairtrade, open-minded ppl and much much information. I want to share some impressions, ideas, impulses with you.

Soo...
first of all: Make IT fair - By the way: Do you know, where the materials used in your mobile phone come from? Did you know, that a little bit from your mobile phone, lets say 1 gram tin, supports the war in Congo? Did you know, that the recycling process from a mobile phone is unbelievable difficult because of the mixture of the different materials? - If you didnt know that, dont dare to have a look at www.makeitfair.org
By the way, if you have an old mobile phone, send it gratis to www.zoozoo.be and even get money for it!
In connection with those information, also have a look at the cradle-to-cradle idea: a recycling system which is based on a circle-system, not a linear one: up-cycling instead of down-cycling - trash becomes material. http://www.cradletocradle.nl/

The story of stuff: We are buying and buying and buying, consuming all the time. Did you know, that just 1% of the things the average US citizen buys will last longer than 6 months?! Did you know, nthat the happiness-index in the US went down, since after WW II the nation of consum was proclaimed? Where is all the stuff going we are buying, eating, consuming, throwing away? Where does the stuff come from? How can a radio cost $ 4.99 if the production costs are pretty much higher? www.thestoryofstuff.com watch the movie and get a lot more answer than you had questions... ;-)

Desertec-Concept: Solar energie is a form of ebergie which is gratis, almost everywhere available - the sun shines for everyone. So a group of scientists came together to think about that - and a revolutionary idea came up: It is a fact, that in 6 hours in the world's deserts the sun gives so much energie to cover the total consumtion of energie in the world for one year. Six hours and the whole energie-problem is solved? Its of course not as easy as it seems, but still - it is easier than you might have thought.
A system from mirrors in the Sahara, or a huuuge parc of solar cells with high-tech connection to Europe (the technique alreadey exists) - this is already going on! (E.g. in California) Interested? http://www.desertec.org or, german: http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/0,1518,658357,00.html

Architecture for Humanity: This is a concept which combines ideas for more efficient and so sustainable buildings. You can not critize something without giving a constructive idea, a solution: How can Haïti be rebuild? How can you give the poorest of the poor an access to water and elictricity? How can we avoid that the developing countries are making the same mistakes we made? How can we combine development with climate change?
http://architectureforhumanity.org

What is the future of fairtrade? Since fairtrade is no longer a brand for treehuggers and old-hippies but a new niche for a special group of consumers of the LIDL, ALDI, Carrefour ect. the question is: What is with Oxfam, Max havelaar ect.? The big chains as mentioned above are cxreating their own fairtrade brands - not always following the philosophy of Oxfam and CO but still - it is fairtraded. (Instead of working with small farmers they are working with bigger fabrics in the South and keep the price lower than Oxfam can do) How much fairtrade is in a fairtrade product?
A critical reportage from CANVAS: http://www.maxhavelaar.be/files/u2/terzake-6-augustus-2009.pdf (nederlands informatie)
http://terzake.canvas.be/uitzending/terzake-68-fair-trade/

Social entrepeneurships: More and more young ppl build up their own business - and combine social responisibility with economics. http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/
(it even became a new area of studys btw) For example: www.lemonAid.de , www.armedangels.de

Okay okay, we have lots of problems, from C as climate change to P as poverty. But as you believe it or not: There are still ppl with visions, ideas and - probably the best thing - potential. Have a look at the newest ideas at: http://www.ted.com/

Voedselkilometers: How long did your food travel until it lays on your plate waiting for you to eat it? This is an idea to promote local consum from the UK - a little too simple because it just counts the kilometres, not the real impact on the enviroment in all cases (like fairtrade food or food from big plantages which lesson biodiversity ect.) But still - it is a good and funny idea to eat local but think global :-) http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/food_matters/foodmiles.shtml (By the way: Check your personal ecological footprint at http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/)

Even though there is a lot morte to share, this will be my last impulse for today: The book "Thinking in systems" from Donella Meadows http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557 which deals with the method of thinking more widely and connect problems to learn how to solve them. :-)

Thanks for the attentions and forgive my enthouthiasm :-D

love, sara