Lafayette Lament

I noted just before Christmas that the Australian company, Lafayette Mining, which operates on the Philippines island of Rapu Rapu has gone into voluntary administration.

Here is an article by Andrew Hewett of Oxfam Australia that analyses exactly what went wrong with this company.

"Initially lauded as the darling of the Philippines' mining revival program, Lafayette quickly turned sour for local fisherfolk," Hewett writes.

"Just months after the start of mine operations in 2005, two cyanide-laden spills into the sea killed fish and created consumer fear. People refused to buy fish from the island. Communities on the island and surrounding the bay, whose livelihoods depend on selling fish, struggled to feed their families" Hewett continues.

Months later a government-appointed fact-finding commission chaired by Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes accused the company of gross negligence for failing to establish environmental safeguards.

With the mining company under administration Hewett says that "the real question now will be what happens to those communities on Rapu Rapu in the wake of the financial failure of Lafayette".

"Will the mine be abandoned, as so many other mines have been in the Philippines, leaving the local communities to deal with the legacy of continued pollution of their waters and fisheries? Will the administrators start a fire sale of the mine to try to pay off the company's debts to ANZ and others, which may result in another speculative operator without a commitment to social or environmental responsibility?"

Hewett concludes that the case demonstrates that an official complaints mechanism should be established in Australia to inquire into community dissatisfaction abroad.

"Doing so would ensure that Australian mining companies act in accordance with internationally accepted human rights and environmental standards. Compliance with these standards could have benefited all those who have missed out in the Lafayette case - communities, shareholders, mine workers and governments," he says.

Green theme for Pope's Midnight Mass

Once again Pope Benedict has returned to a green theme in his homily at this year's Midnight Mass at St Peter's.

Zenit reports that the pope cited an image from St Gregory of Nyssa in his Christmas Midnight Mass homily.

The stable in Bethlehem, the pope said, represents our "ill-treated world," polluted especially due to the abuse of energy and its exploitation.

Referring to John 1:14 -- "He pitched his tent among us" -- Benedict said that "Gregory applies this passage about the tent to the tent of our body, which has become worn out and weak, exposed everywhere to pain and suffering. And he applies it to the whole universe, torn and disfigured by sin. What would he say if he could see the state of the world today, through the abuse of energy and its selfish and reckless exploitation?

"Thus, according to Gregory's vision, the stable in the Christmas message represents the ill-treated world. What Christ rebuilds is no ordinary palace. He came to restore beauty and dignity to creation, to the universe: This is what began at Christmas and makes the angels rejoice. The earth is restored to good order by virtue of the fact that it is opened up to God, it obtains its true light anew, and in the harmony between human will and divine will, in the unification of height and depth, it regains its beauty and dignity. Thus Christmas is a feast of restored creation."

650kg of Carbon for Christmas

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas in Australia, the UK or wherever you are in the world!

And just to bring us back down to earth... here's the carbon cost of Christmas for the average Briton as calculated by the Stockholm Environment Institute.

650kg of carbon just for Christmas!

We'd better start selling our carbon credits!

The striking difference…

(Scrutinizing the WYD 2008 registration fee)

These days, looking at the workings of affluent Australia, I embarked on a different journey and came up with a striking comparison that led me to much reflection and sometimes despair. The weeks of fundraising allowed me to take a step backward and look at the entire dynamics of funding.

However, when I looked into the following figures, something just isn’t right:

WYD REGISTRATION COST (for five days):

• Middle Income Countries (like Philippines) : 250 AUD
• High Income Countries (like Australia) : 400 AUD

TRAVEL COST:

• Manila-Melbourne-Sydney-Manila (Middle Income Country): 1,000 AUD
• Melbourne-Sydney-Melbourne : 220 AUD

The estimated daily wage for Philippines: 8 AUD. For an Australian: 20 AUD/hour Therefore, it takes 35 hours (or 4.3 days) an ordinary Australian to work his or her way to Sydney. A Filipino has to work for 156 days (5 months) to come to Sydney next year.

How GREEN can we get?

Green Christmas Ideas

We often think of Christmas as a time of giving and celebrations. For the Christian world, there is so much reason for its people to celebrate. Yet, time and again, there is a reminder for everyone to dwell into the meaning of the season.

Can we truly reduce our carbon emission this Christmas? Is it possible to have a green Christmas?

Top Tips for a Green Christmas…

1. Shop locally
Supporting our local businesses helps maintain a healthy local economy. It also helps to reduce the need to travel long distances in our cars and cuts back on greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Buy Fair Trade Products
Fair Trade is an international certification scheme which ensures producers are paid a fair price for the goods they grow or make. The certification typically covers agricultural products, such as coffee, cocoa and sugar, but is expanding all the time to include manufactured products such as sports goods. Look for the logo on products you buy.

3. Buy sustainable gifts
Think sustainability in gift giving and you’ll discover some interesting new ideas. There are many unusual and useful products available that have been designed with the benefit of modern technology and a desire to reduce our impacts on the planet.

4. Give gifts which keep on giving
Many charities and environmental organisations offer gift services that not only solve the problem of buying for the person who has everything, but also help others, or the environment, for years to come.

5. Wrap with recycled paper
Use wrapping paper that is made from recycled paper, or else use paper that can easily be recycled. Avoid foil papers, plastic ribbons and other materials that can’t be reused or put in your recycling bins.

6. Turn lights off overnight
One of the delights of Christmas is the light decorations cheering our streets and homes. Turning lights off overnight reduces greenhouse gas emissions because of the reduced energy use – it’s also a great habit to get the family into.
Why not try out the new LED lights that are available. These lights are much more energy efficient than traditional bud lights and will last much longer too!

7. Spend time with people
Sustainability is not just about the environment – it’s also about the well being of people. With time being such a precious commodity why not set some aside to catch up with family and friends. It’s a chance to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

8. Buy locally-grown or organic food

Buying locally-grown produce supports the local economy and is better for the environment because it doesn’t need to be transported long distances in planes, trains, trucks and ships to get to you.
Certified organic food (look for the logo) is free of chemicals and pesticides and is grown naturally. It tastes great and is safer for both you and the environment.

9. Give charity or e-cards
Giving charity cards is giving twice because it supports a good cause while sending a festive message. E-cards are also a great idea as there is no paper, ink and transport involved – not to mention they are cheap to boot!

10. Donate to a good cause
Christmas is a time for giving and there are many people locally, and globally, that could do with our help. Give a donation to a charity this Christmas and help others in need.

11. Buy Green Power
Green Power is electricity guaranteed to be sourced from renewable sources, like solar, wind and hydro. This electricity produces no greenhouse gas emissions. Everyone can choose to source some or all of their electricity from Green Power all year round. Contact your electricity supplier for more information and support our Australian renewable energy industry.

12. Use less shopping bags
Remember to take your reusable bags with you this Christmas and avoid plastic bags altogether. If you forget then try to consolidate your shopping into fewer bags and say no to extra bags at the checkout. In doing so, you will reduce the impacts on the environment from the manufacture and disposal of plastic bags.

Murrindindi Climate Network

Here's an interesting local environmental group based in Murrindindi Victoria that seems to have a lot of practical ideas for action.

Check out a few of their suggestions here.

Meanwhile, over in the Philippines there is big news about the Australian owned Lafayette Mining company which operates on the island of Rapu Rapu.

The Age reports that Lafayette yesterday entered administration after a series of financial difficulties.

Local people on the island had long campaigned against the mine alleging that the company's operations had caused spillages and fish kills.

Fundraising Tips - have fun and raise money

Australia is a long way from home for all of us and not to mention quite an expensive place to visit so we've all been busy with various fundraising activities. Here are a few of our ideas:
1. We had a fete where we sold bbq sausages, ice-cream and drinks, had a kick-a-goal where the kids pay and if they score a goal against the professional goal-keeper they win a small prize. People donated items they no longer wanted and we sold them (trash and treasure this is called over here as one persons trash may be another persons treasure). We also took this opportunity to try and inform the local people about YPD and Green WYD.
2. The local people here held a concert in the school hall. They charged the public an entrance fee and had bands playing, choirs, Tamil dancers performing, break dancing and all sorts of entertainment. A great night of fun and also a brilliant fundraiser!
3. We had a 'walk to church day'. All the parishioners were informed in the newsletter and by Father Peter in the mass the previous week that if they drive to church on that Sunday they will have to pay a fine of $1. We stood outside the masses with a tin and everyone who drove contributed (usually more than $1). An excellent initiative to get people to be more environmentally friendly and raise money. We definitely noticed fewer cars in the car park that Sunday- excellent.
4. A sweep-stake was held here for a big horse racing event in Melbourne. People paid money to buy a raffle ticket, there were 16 horses taking part in the race. Out of all the raffle tickets 16 were chosen at random. 1 horse was then matched to 1 ticket and the ticket with the name of the winning horse wins. There were also 2nd and 3rd place prizes. Of course this concept can be used for all sorts of events, cricket games, football just use your imaginations.

Another idea that we are still working on at the moment is a bike-ride, we are hoping to get a big group of people to get sponsorship to do a bike-ride to raise awareness for our Green WYD campaign as well as raise funds, get fit and have fun. Also a possible event that we will be holding is a ball on St Valentines day, a night of eating and dancing for which we will be selling tickets.

Good luck with your fundraising. If we all work on it together we can achieve a lot.

Green World Youth Day Office Opens

No less than Bp. Christopher Prowse, the Bishop in-charge of the World Youth Day for Melbourne Archdiocese and its Western Regional Bishop blessed the Green World Youth Day Office.

Bp. Chris delightedly spoke with the local World Youth Day Team and personally blessed them in order to have a meaningful journey in the World Youth Day Preparations. The Parish Team had a good interaction with the Bishop and he encouraged them to sustain the energy and the good work.

Planting trees - and grass - for a Green Advent

Very happy to join this blog to update you all on our Green WYD project.So many things been happening that it's hard to know where to start.Let's begin with tonight - at the 6pm Mass at Holy Eucharist parish St Albans for the Third Sunday of Advent.Kins has already mentioned the launch of our Green Advent projectFor the first week we showed Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth movie.For the second week we organised a Walk to Church Sunday - a great event - not everyone walked but many did - and many of those who didn't paid a $1 donation to "offset" their use of the car!So tonight we organised the sale of tree and plant seedlings for the Third Sunday of Advent.We sold about 50 plants after this evening's mass - a very encouraging response.The plants all came from Iramoo Sustainable Community Centre at the St Albans of Victoria University.Tonight we sold mainly trees (wattles) and kangaroo apples (all gone) although we'd also like to sell a few native grasses since this area is in fact natural grassland.Let's see how we go tomorrow!

Green Fundraising for a Green World Youth Day--possible?

After almost two months of my stay here in Australia, I still can't do away with converting Australian dollars to my own currency in the Philippines. Either I end up not buying at all or I fall on a guilt trip afterward. Yes, everything out here in the land 'down under' is big.I came over here to help organize the next YPD training session in 2008 and to do something different. However, I still worry about the immense budget that the program will have. As to the big program in Sydney, I close my eyes and force myself to think of other things other than the onerous amount involved at such a gathering. The encounters made among different cultures, experiences, faiths, and ages is not quantifiable. But, drawing closer to the issue on climate change, I take a different stance and take a pledge to be creative in tackling the whole thing.Meetings, endless trainings and reflections were held in the preparation for next year. Most of it will touch on monetary concerns. Positively, we say that things will be all right. We bank on the generousity of people. We bank on the enthusiasm of the world to 'hop down under'. Still, the onerous requirement for those days loom into the picture.What have I done so far? What have we done so far? We push for the eco-solidarity thinking and look at carbon credits for the World Youth Day to move at a smoother pace. At the local level, we strive hard to put green actions and fund raising together. We just successfully launched the "Walk to church" campaign. Those that brought their cars were 'fined' a dollar for the Green World Youth Day program. We raised around $ 400 out of it. We are selling native plants in thanksgiving to the parishioners. I still feel inadequate with all the initiatives. Still, I dream of having a green fundraising for a greener world youth day.

WATER IS LIFE! - YPD 2008 Theme

Recognizing the universal significance on water among all the cultures and religions of the world, the YPD (Young People for Development) 2008 Training Session will take a closer look on the issue. Water, being at the heart of the web of life cannot just be overlooked when looking at environment and development. The 2007 Annual YPD Training Session in Cambodia discussed lengthily about climate change and how YPD can do something about it. YPD groups from the world over took the issue up through education, campaigns, projects and activities. For next year, the topic on water will be reflected as a continuation or a broadening on the climate change issue.The session will be held in St. Albans, a suburb in the West of Melbourne, Australia on July 5-10, 2008. In preparation for the event, volunteers have been meeting inter-religious groups, centers for environmental concerns and committed individuals who knows more about the issue.

YPD 2008 Annual Session on July 5-10, 2008

Next year's annual YPD (Young People for Development (YPD) training session will be in Melbourne, Australia on July 5-10, 2008. It is the first time that a YPD Formation session will be held in a 'developed' country and is co-organised by a Catholic Parish.YPD members and interested individuals/groups are encouraged to register early to prevent complications in terms of travel and visa arrangements. The 2008 program will be held ten days before the World Youth Day Program in Sydney. An eco-solidarity tour will be held on July 12-14 from Melbourne to Sydney for the YPD Session participants to take a closer look at Australia and to have a deeper understanding on the issues involved.

YPD Volunteers arrive in Melbourne

Kins from the Philippines and Amrit from England arrived in Melbourne last October and November 2007 respectively to volunteer for the YPD (Young People for Development) Training Session in July 2008. The two YPD members will be in Australia for a year to help prepare for the said program dubbed as Green World Youth Day. They were warmly welcomed by Stefan Gigacz-YPD Australia and Fr. Peter Carrucan of the Holy Eucharist Parish.The Green World Youth Day Program will be held in St. Albans, a Western part of Melbourne. It will be officially co-sponsored by the Holy Eucharist Parish of St. Albans, a Catholic Church. Holy Eucharist commits the year 2008 for the youth and the greening of its church.

Holy Eucharist Launches Green Advent

"To renew the face of the earth..." is a reason Fr. Peter Carrucan, Parish Priest of the Holy Eucharist Parish in St. Albans envisioned to launch the Green Advent Program. He further explained that Advent is a time to 'vigilantly wait' and hope for new things to come. It is why, he exhorted his parishioners to make use of Advent as a time to know more and do something for the earth.The Green Advent is an introduction of the Greening of the Holy Eucharist Parish. The greening program enables a group of earth keepers to take up the project and to neutralize the carbon emission physically emitted by the Holy Eucharist Parish. It will eventually encourage parishioners to embrace eco-ethical living.On the first week of Advent, the film An Inconvenient Truth was shown. On the second Sunday, people were encouraged to Walk to Church. Those that took their cars along were asked to donate a dollar for the Green World Youth Day Program. The third week of Advent will focus on Planting. Native Grasses, flowers and trees. Families are encouraged to plant in their homes as a sign of thanksgiving for 2007. The last Sunday of Advent is a Greening Solidarity Day. People can share household greening practices through exhibits and/or handing out of leaflets.The Green Advent project is organized by the earthkeepers of the Holy Eucharist Parish.