Category — People

Which is the most boycotted company in the UK? Well right now I doubt anyone knows.

The last survey was carried out a few years back and is now out of date.

So here at A Just Life we thought it was time for another.

The survey should only take you 5 minutes to complete.

To avoid confusion!

A boycott is the act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with someone or some other organization as an expression of protest. (Wikipedia)

Not a UK consumer?
Then don’t feel left out as we’re really interested in hearing your views for our next (USA) survey.

Please pass on this link to anyone else you think would be interested.

Thanks

Inky

Click here to get wafted over to the survey centre

ps: curious as to why a company was included?

Here are a few early photos of the March held today (March 22nd 2008) from the Chinese Embassy in London to Trafalgar Square.

Luckily for us all there was a gap in the foul weather and we completed the march without the need for wet weather gear.

The rally in Trafalagar Square was another story!

Show your solidarity with the Tibetan people demonstrating against 49 years of brutal occupation.

March from

Park Crescent (near the Chinese Embassy) to Trafalgar Square

March 22nd 11.30am

Nearest tubes Portland Place and Regent’s Park

Its the You Tube annual awards. Avaaz, one of my favourite organisations, has submitted a fantastic video about how we get used and manipulated by our governments. Please watch it and give it your support.

Thanks

Petition to Chinese President Hu Jintao:The petition is being organised by Avaaz.  It reads: -

As citizens around the world, we call on you to show restraint and respect for human rights in your response to the protests in Tibet, and to address the concerns of all Tibetans by opening meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Only dialogue and reform will bring lasting stability. China’s brightest future, and its most positive relationship with the world, lies in harmonious development, dialogue and respect.

Please sign it now and support the people of Tibet

The Chinese have imposed at deadline for today (17th March 2008) by which time the Tibetan people must give up their claims of freedom and independence and stop all demonstrations.

If the Tibetans do not comply, then the Chinese Government will use whatever force necessary to ensure the order is complied with.

Martial law has been imposed across Tibet and a “Peoples’ War” has been declared against the Tibetans

Join the demonstration outside the Chinese Embassy to show your solidarity with the Tibetan People

Chinese Embassy 49-51 Portland Place, London W1B 1JL

March 17th 2008 4.00 pm (to coincide with the deadline set by the Chinese)

Slavery in the UK is not just alive and well, its growing rapidly.

The slaves are often people who have paid considerable sums of money to enter and work in the UK.

On arrival their passports and entry documents are taken away by the trafficker leaving them with no evidence to demonstrate that they entered the country legally and have a valid work-permit.

The traffickers then find them a job. (Main industries include food and food packaging, construction, hospitality, nursing and, increasingly, prostitution.)

They never see any pay. Instead it is “deducted” at source to pay off a real, or imaginary, debt and to cover the “costs” of their food and lodging.

Soon enough their visas will expire and then they become illegal immigrants and the traffickers have complete control.

The British Government is aware of the problem. In 2004 trafficking for all forms of labour exploitation became a criminal offence. In 2007 the government set up the Human Trafficking Centre, which is supposed to investigate and prosecute all forms of Human Trafficking. To date there has not been a single successful case brought to trial.

So for our 39th small step to make the world a better place please but pressure on the government to end the slave trade.

Thank you.

On March 13th 1988 Maung Phone Maw, a student, was killed by the Burmese junta during a peaceful demonstration at the Rangoon Instiute of Technology. By the end of that year the military had killed thousands of others; some on the streets, many in the closed trucks used to transport prisoners.

Two years later, Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, won the general election but Aung San Suu Kyi was prevented, by the military junta, from assuming the role of Prime Minister. Instead she was placed under house arrest; where she has remained, pretty well ever since.

Last year the the people took to the streets again. The protesters, including thousands of monks, pleaded for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the start of talks aimed at ending military rule.

The government’s response was mass arrests, imprisonment, torture and death.

Since that time the government has forced the closure of hundreds of monasteries and the population live in terror of arrest and torture.

Please support the people of Burma

By signing Avaaz’s online petition. To date they have collected 836,000 signatures but are aiming for 1 million.

By boycotting TOTAL. Total is of the biggest foreign investors in Burma. Its business partnership with Burma’s military dictatorship earns the regime hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

The world might be a small place but there’s still so much of it we all want to see. For those of us who aren’t interested in “sun, sand and sea” type holidays this usually means travelling to the other side of the globe to visit a developing country.

Most such countries are crying out for tourism as its often the only way they can earn substantial foreign currency. But badly done all the profits will go into the pockets of the big, overseas, operators leaving the local people with nothing or in the worst cases damage to their environment and culture.

So before you start booking that well-deserved summer break consider a few tips for travelling ethically.

1. Do you actually need to fly away? Is there another destination you could visit that won’t have such a high impact on your carbon footprint but would still satisfy your wanderlust?
2. Consider where your money ends up. With an all-in-one package holiday most of the money will stay with the tour-operator and the airline. Instead try using local hotels, restaurants and tour-operators and leave your money in the country your visiting.
3. Before you leave home check out a few websites for recommended eco-friendly hotels and tour-operators. Recommendations are important as you won’t want to spend too much time checking out green-credentials during your trip.
4. Eat local food. This will be made of local produce and support the small growers. It will also cut down on the eco-costs of importing food to satisfy the tourists’ demand.
5. Be sensitive in all that you do. Watch what the locals do and wear. Don’t be afraid to ask questions because some things you just won’t notice unless they’re pointed out to you. For instance in some cultures feet are considered dirty. Therefore if you’re sitting down its considered rude to point your feet at anyone else.
6. Don’t be afraid to challenge a business-owner but be your usual tactful and polite self. Personally I always ask questions about child-labour.
7. If something seems to be really cheap, ask yourself why. In India, where I travel a lot, it is often because the staff are paid a pittance or a child is working long hours to serve you.

Step 36 in our series of 40 small steps to change the world is to review your holiday plans and see if there’s someway to make them a little bit more ethical.