❀ The Good News ❀

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Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

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A victory for our planet: Oil company Soco not to drill in Virunga World Heritage Site 

Oil company Soco International PLC announced this week that it will end its operations in Virunga and stay out of all other UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

Virunga is Africa’s oldest and most diverse national park. Its extraordinary landscape is home to an incredible array of wildlife, and 50,000 families depend on Lake Edward for jobs, food and drinking water. Together with government champions and activists within Democratic Republic of the Congo, your support helped remove this immediate threat. 

(Read full story here) 

Step Forward for Climate Change!

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency released a historic proposal to limit carbon from power plants—the single biggest source of the carbon pollution that is driving climate change.

In Rural Kenya, Women Are Breaking Barriers to Bring Clean Energy Into Their Homes

Check out this beautiful story here: http://www.care2.com/causes/in-rural-kenya-women-are-breaking-barriers-to-bring-clean-energy-into-their-homes.html

Victory! Super-Toxic Rat Poisons Will Be Pulled From Store Shelves

Animal advocates and environmentalists are celebrating an announcement that the makers of d-CON will stop producing a number of super-toxic rat poisons and pull products from store shelves by early next year. The announcement came as part of an agreement that was reached between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Reckitt Benckiser Inc. to cancel 12 d-CON products that don’t currently comply with EPA safety standards. 

Environmental, public-health and animal advocacy groups have been fighting to get these products pulled from the consumer market for years over concerns about their inhumane nature and the risks they pose to wildlife, pets and children.

(Read more) 

Great news for whales - World Court rules against 'scientific' whaling‏

The UN's International Court of Justice ruled that Japan must stop whaling in the Antarctic.

The decision was focused on Japan's so-called "scientific" whaling in the waters of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary around Antarctica. The government of Japan claimed it could lawfully kill as many whales as it liked, so long as they were killed in the name of science. Over the last decade, Japanese whalers killed thousands of whales, with little scientific results produced from the slaughter of whales.

Australia, New Zealand and conservation-minded countries around the world had long criticized this practice and called upon Japan to stop. Last June, after years of preparatory briefs and written arguments, world class legal teams for Australia (supported by New Zealand) and Japan argued the case. Nine months later, the World Court has released its decision.

The court ordered that Japan should withdraw all permits and licenses for whaling in the Antarctic and refrain from issuing any new ones under their current lethal whaling programme.

IFAW has campaigned to end commercial whaling for more than 30 years.

(Read more) 

Breaking News: Amazon Protected for Life‏

History has just been made in the Amazon. The Brazilian government, WWF and others have implemented a model of conservation for the world—an innovative finance approach that will ensure that the planet's largest network of tropical forest protected areas can be properly managed and monitored for generations to come. Located in the Brazilian Amazon, this network is an area three times larger than all the US national parks combined. 

(Read the story) 

Sunder the Elephant Wins Court Case!‏

Court Rules That Sunder Be Released! Sunder is a young Indian elephant who has spent the last six years chained up in a temple, miserable and alone, and endured beatings and abuse. After an epic campaign by PETA India, the suffering of this abused young elephant held prisoner in an Indian temple could finally be at an end, the court ruling in favour of releasing Sunder to a Sanctuary.

(Read the Store here) 

Victory on Organics!‏

Thanks to your actions, the U.S. organic standards will no longer allow antibiotics to be used in organic fruit production, and the National Organic Standards Board delayed the process for factory-farmed fish to be labeled organic!

Patty Lovera, our Food Program Director, delivered 25,000 public comments from Food & Water Watch supporters on these two issues at the National Organic Standards Board meeting in Texas last week. Patty has been attending organic standards board meetings for years, and works closely with a strong coalition to monitor the USDA's actions around organic to make sure that the standards stay strong.

Kijiji Canada: Stop puppy mills and prohibit the sale of household pets - UPDATE

After Change.org asked us all to join in asking more advertisers to drop their ads from Kijiji in the campaign (to stop puppy mills and prohibit the sale of household pets), Tangerine (formerly ING Direct), zulily and National Bank have all removed their ads from Kijiji Canada pet sales pages within 24 hours!

(Read more and view the petition Here) 

Sierra Club Canada Foundation congratulates CBC for new conflict of interest rules

Sierra Club Canada Foundation congratulates the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for putting an end to the practice of allowing its staff and freelance hosts to accept public speaking requests from companies, political parties or other lobbying groups “trying to influence public policy”.

More on the conflict of interest: http://www.sierraclub.ca/en/autosaurus-rex

Mexico City Bans Circus Animals in Shows

Mexico City has joined six other states within the country, banning animals in circus acts.

(Read more) 

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Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

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See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change!  

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☆ International Polar Bear Day! (and how you can help) ☆

That's right, February 27th is International Polar Bear Day! Why is this so important? Well because there are fewer than Polar Bears left in the wild and their numbers are dwindling thanks to global climate change, and pollution. 

Take Part in the Thermostat Challenge! 

This Challenge is thanks to Polar Bears Internatonal! Take part by simply adjusting your thermostat up or down a few degrees (depending on where in the world you live) to lower carbon emissions and help save polar bears. Share a photo and inspire others with their "My Planet. My Part" actions to help save polar bears and improve the health of the planet. Even better: make every day a polar bear day by installing a programmable thermostat, insulating your home, or taking other steps to save energy. It's all part of PBI's SOS campaign!

Tips from Scientists to Help Polar Bears:

The polar bear's survival is linked to the arctic sea ice, a habitat greatly affected by climate change. Research shows, however, that it's not too late to take action to save sea ice and polar bears by greatly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"PBI scientists have put together a list of which individual actions have the most impact. We suggest you look through these tips, find out what you're already doing—and then challenge yourself to add two or three more to help the bears. These simple steps will soon become habits and, eventually, part of a stewardship ethic that guides your daily choices and informs your everyday decisions."

Social Interactions

• Vote for political representatives who recognize that our carbon-based society isn't sustainable and who will work to establish an appropriate price for carbon
• Interpret the facts about global warming to your friends and relatives
• Encourage members of your social circles to adopt sustainable lifestyles—and lead by example
• To help create a stewardship ethic in your community and raise awareness of how lifestyle changes can make a difference, take part in local green initiatives like planting trees, recycling drives, or ride-your-bike to work days—or start your own.

Transportation

• Walk or ride a bike
• Use public transportation
• Drive the most fuel-efficient vehicle for your needed task and drive at the most efficient speed for your vehicle
• Avoid drive-through businesses; don't idle for more than 30 seconds
• Keep your car tuned up and maintain proper tire inflation

Home & Work

• Insulate buildings and heat/cool with efficient systems (e.g., rated by Energy Star)
• Generate your own power with wind and solar
• Let your utility company know that you want to subscribe to green power
• Use energy-efficient (e.g. Energy Star) appliances and equipment. Turn appliances off when not in use. Use low-tech methods when possible (e.g., line-dry clothes)
• Replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent or other energy-efficient bulbs (see Energy Star)
• Use no more water than needed 

Dining Table

• Buy and cook only what you'll eat. Don't waste food.
• Consume foods that are minimally processed and packaged (e.g., potatoes vs. potato chips)
• Purchase fruits and vegetables grown locally on small-scale farms
• Avoid products that result from tropical deforestation (e.g., palm oil, coffee that isn't shade-grown, South American beef)
• Consume less meat and animal products. Eat three meatless meals per week. (or even better go vegetarian and/or vegan)
• (And if you are going to consume meat then choose products like pasture-fed beef, free-range poultry, and wild salmon rather than CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operations) meats.) 

Marketplace

• Minimize consumption: reduce, reuse, and recycle
• Research vendors and buy from those with sustainable business models
• Avoid products with excess packaging
• Buy products created closer to home: for example, if you live in the U.S. or Canada, purchase goods made in North America instead of those shipped from far away.

Support Conservation

Another tip I will suggest today is to donate to organizations working to help Polar Bears and climate change, such as Polar Bears International, WWF. 

You can also "adopt" a Polar Bear from either of these organizations:

https://www.polarbearsinternational.org/adopt

http://www.wwf.ca/conservation/species/polarbears/

Lastly...

ReLove Plan.et is having a sale on the Polar Bear Necklaces (ending Friday). I already donate every month to WWF, but all proceeds of the Polar Bear Necklace will be going towards a Polar Bear adoption! :)  

Also, remember that no action is too small. Every step, every action accounts to the bigger picture. Your actions also inspire others, so always do what you can no matter how small it may seem! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ BLACK OUT SPEAK OUT! ☆

About BLACK OUT SPEAK OUT (blackoutspeakout.ca):

Launched on May 7, Black Out Speak Out (or Silence, on parle!, in French) invites organizations, businesses and citizens from across Canada to darken their websites on June 4, and speak out against changes introduced in the federal government’s budget act (C-38) by darkening their websites and taking other actions on June 4.

Black Out Speak Out is a joint project of CAPE, CPAWS, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecojustice, Environmental Defence, Equiterre, Greenpeace, Nature Canada, Pembina Institute, Sierra Club Canada, West Coast Environmental Law, and WWF Canada. (For a full list of partners, visit http://blackoutspeakout.ca/partners.php)

Please head over to http://blackoutspeakout.ca/ to find out what you can do, sign petitions, and speak out! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ Carbon Footprint of… Tea and Coffee?! ☆

Another awesome infographic coming your way, today by "Green Steve" regarding the carbon footprint of your tea and coffee! While the original post is directed at you lovely brits overseas, and while the statistics are from the UK, I think the lesson itself can easily be applied to North America, if not most of the world. It's all about being more conscious of our footprints and doing what we can to reduce them. Small steps add up, never forget that. 

So, without further ado, check out the carbon footprints of your tea and coffee! ;)  

Courteousy of Green Steve

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ 5 (Cute!) Reasons to Stop Global Warming! ☆

If our own survival on Earth isn't important enough for you to want to make more earth-conscious lifestyle choices, here are 5 more reasons…

Polar Bears:

Estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears in the wild. Polar Bears International says two-thirds of these numbers could disappear by the middle of this century if carbon dioxide emissions are not cut. Polar Bears depend on sea ice to survive, and the rapid loss of sea ice is their major threat; meaning they are losing land habitat, drowning, and even resulting to cannibalism and eating their young as they can no longer make the swim to reach prey. Other threats include pollution, poaching, and industrial impact. Hunting will become a threat if not well regulated.

Pandas:

Less than 1,600 left in the wild (2004 statistic)! Threats: China's growing economy. Forest habitat fragmented by roads and railroads. Habitat loss, poaching. Access to the giant panda’s primary source of food, bamboo, may become restricted as the basin of China’s Yangtze River is increasingly affected by climate change. 

Tigers:

As few as 3,200 left in the wild, and one of the most threatened species on Earth. Threatened by growing human populations, loss of habitat, illegal hunting, and expanding trade in tiger parts. A huge threat is the loss of their habitat due to deforestation; for products like palm oil, pulpwood for paper products, and coffee. Which is why buying recycled paper products (including toilet paper!), and knowing where your coffee and palm oil products are sourced, is so important. Be careful of the products you buy and the corporations you support that may be contributing to their habitat loss. 

Cheetahs:

Approx. 12, 000 left in the wild. Global Warming has been affecting the Cheetah's ability to reproduce, resulting in defects in their sperm and low testosterone. Another concern is the decline in population of the Thomson's gazelle, their main prey. Cheetah's are also being killed by poachers (yet another reason to never purchase fur!).

Orangutans:

Estimated 40, 000 left in the wild with rapidly decreasing numbers; they could be gone within a few decades. Threatened by the growing Palm Oil plantations taking over their habitat. Because orangutans live in only a few places, and because they are so dependent upon trees, they are particularly susceptible to logging. Aside from deforestation, logging roads also make them more vulnerable to hunting and poaching for illegal pet trade in Asia, placing the orangutan in danger of extinction.

What you can do: 

Buy sustainable forest products (choose recycled first!), sustainable palm oil, and other sustainable products. 

Reduce your carbon footprint in any way possible to reduce the effects of climate change. 

Get involved and sign petitions! There are lots you can find at change.org and thepetitionsite.com (I post them all the time on my twitter).

Support efforts by organizations making a difference (my favourite? World Wildlife Fund).

A little conscious thinking goes a long way. Making lifestyle changes and decisions that support a greener planet are not only good for the planet, but they are vital to the diminishing habitats and welfare of animals. Their climates are changing at alarming rates and we can all play a part in making it a brighter future, for Earth, for ourselves, and for the amazing (and cute!) animals of the world. 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ ReLove Plan.et is officially launched! ♥

I am very happy to announce that the new ReLove Plan.et Website is officially up!! I know that it took a while, so thank you for your patience. Go check it out ~_^.

www.ReLovePlanet.com

A little "forward"...

ReLove Plan.et (existing together) is a Mission, a Movement, a form of Inspiration and of Growth. It is a Goal and a Plan with lots going on. It is a joining together on the already growing movement to save Mother Earth and to save Ourselves. This is not something we can hope to accomplish divided. We must set aside our obsessive and compulsive need or desire to mindlessly consume. We must become Aware of our devastation upon the Planet. We must realize that if we fail to do this then we will Not Survive and neither will our planet. 

Our Governments and the heartless, greedy money-grabbing corporations behind the majority of all our pit-falls must be told No! It is time to use our voices in the democracy that we were given. 

We are the Consumer, so we also speak largely through our wallets. So make Eco choices. We must demand of our Governments an end to our dependancy on Oil. We must lead the demand for Renewable Resources and for Sustainable Solutions. We must make these demands before it is too late. Because these are demands to Live and to Survive. 

I'm not certain exactly why we are so slow in calling to action. It is any creatures' fundamental purpose to Survive. Yet are are killing ourselves and our home at a rapidly growing pace. We need to open our eyes and realize that Life is not about Consumerism and about Things. As David Suzuki enlightens; we must stop putting Economy above Ecology, because without Ecology we have no life and therefore no Economy anyway. All this obsession with Economy and on "Things" disconnects us from Nature, our home, and therefor from ourselves. You wonder why so many people are discontented or just plain depressed? We really don't need to look too far for the answer. 

Many people will miss out on the feeling of genuine, unreasonable Happiness. It is right in front of our grasp if only we chose to see it. Just sit, with Yourself, with Nature. There is no need to run around "getting things done" in our demanding society, giving in to the message that if you are not doing Something then you are wasting precious time. The point of life is to be Happy. That's it. If you're not enjoying life then it's time to re-evaluate your daily choices and lifestyle. You can't waste time, you can only Spend it. But you can choose to spend it wisely and happily. 

There is a growing urgency we are facing and it is certainly time to open our eyes. We WILL face the devastations of Global Warming and our impact on the Environment on a massive scale during our lifetime if we continue on like we are. Do you want a home left for your children and the generations to come? Then Wake up and become part of the Change! 

The Projects ReLove Plan.et takes on will be continually expanding and growing. So be sure to check back often and see what You can do to help!

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca   

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Earth Hour is Over, What's Next?

Hopefully you all participated in this year's Earth Hour. For those of you who didn't *waves finger* tisk tisk! It is important to participate in this global event because it raises awareness, gets you thinking, and shows your support against Climate Change.

Check out www.earthhour.org for more information on this awesome yearly event, and why you should take part (although this one is fairly obvious :p).

Also check out World Wildlife Fund (WWF) www.wwf.org , the organization behind Earth Hour. Their ultimate goal is "to build a future where people live in harmony with nature". Now who doesn't want to work towards that? They are a great organization that work to save our planet as well as the creatures on it. They have "adoptions" for endangered species, tons of information on local events, and other crisis that need your support to help our planet and wildlife. Show some love! ♥

Now I would like to think that just because Earth Hour is over doesn't mean that the well-being of the planet is going to be completely disregarded until next year's hourly event. The point is to raise awareness and to keep this awareness growing all year long. With that being said, here are some more tips to keep your eco-consciousness active all year round and all the little things that you can do that add up and mean a lot.

1. Turn off Your Lights! When you leave a room there is no reason to keep the lights on (unless of course someone is still in that room) so flicking off that lightswitch can make all the difference. The same goes for your TV. I'm amazed by the number of people that have their televisions on all day when no one is watching, and when no one is even home! Turn the darn things off!

2. Recycle, Reduce, Reuse. I know, I've mentioned this one before, and it's an obvious one. But I will say it again anyway: recycle, reduce, reuse!! Do it! And make the effort to buy recycled products such as paper, bathroom tissue, tin foil, books, absolutely anything you can think of! Need a little convincing of the environmental impact? If each household in Canada switched just one roll of their virgin bleached bathroom tissue to one roll of the recycled kind, we'd save almost 48,000 trees and prevent 4,500 kilograms of the air and water pollution that comes from making it!!!!

3. Buy Energy Efficient Appliances. If it's time to throw out that old appliance then look for new ones that have high energy efficiency. Lots are now marked with the "Energy Star" rating as well which makes this much easier when shopping. Plus you'll save lots on your bills which is always a bonus! Oh, and note to self; Refrigerators are one of the top energy-guzzling appliances in the home so you might want to trade up regardless if it's time for a new or not.

4. Unplug any Unused Appliances. All appliances use energy even when they are switched off. Note the little lights on lots of them that are still on when the electronic device is off, hmm? Unplug them when they're not in use, that little light isn't serving any good purpose and this easy step makes a world of difference!

5. Let Your Voice be Heard! Write a letter or email, or even a phone call if you can, to your local official letting them know about your concern for our environment and that you demand changes. We underestimate the power of the individual, so speak up and let your city and government know that you want to see changes before it's too late.

6. Be Smart with your Car. There's so much damage to be done by vehicles and so much we can change about it. You can start by driving less. We have legs for a reason--shocking I know ;p-- so use them and walk to do errands if you can. Your health and the planet will benefit from this. Ask yourself; do you Have to use your car? Maybe you can ride a bike or use the transit system? Maybe you can carpool to work? Second, you can stop idling! I seriously have to fight the urge to kick vehicles when I see them sitting there pouring out CO2 for no good reason. If every Canadian driver cut back on five minutes of idling a day, we'd save 1.6 million tons of carbon dioxide and 1.8 million litres of fuel!! Third, get a car that doesn't suck on gas. Environment Canada says pre-1988 vehicles are responsible for 50% of road emissions--shocking when they only make up 10-15% of cars!

7. Eat Locally and Organic. In Canada, over 60% of our food is imported, and the average food product travels 2000 km to reach your dinner table. Eating food that is grown close to home will not only save harmful CO2 emissions, but it will also be fresher! Win-win! ^_^ Buying Organic means you're not eating possibly carcinogenic chemicals and pesticides, you're not poisoning wildlife, workers, and waterways, you're not eating gmo ingredients, and the soil's nutrients are reused, not to mention you get more nutrients from the food.

8. Fly Less. Airplanes account as one of the biggest culprits to CO2 emissions high into the atmosphere, so they're obvious baddies. If you have to fly then buy carbon offsets to reduce the impact of your flight. Check out www.climatefriendly.com.

9. Have 5-8 Minute Showers. This may be asking too much of some people, so even reducing your shower to 15 minutes for you hour-long water-hogs would make a difference. Every minute you stand in your shower, you're spraying 15 to 30 litres of water down the drain! Here's another tip: if your shower can fill a 2-litre jug with water in under 10 seconds, its time for a new shower head. Get yourself a low-flow shower head to decrease the amount of water being used, ideally one that uses no more than 11 litres per minute. You'll save money on both your water and electricity bill (that water doesn't heat itself you know!). Turning off the water while you lather up is a great tip as well that will save more water! :)

10. Have an Earth Hour every week. Or even having an Earth Hour once a month can make a world of difference! Have fun with it and make it a social gathering with friends to get more involved. You might be surprised by how much fun saving the planet can be ~_^.

You know I could make a list of thousands of helpful tips, but I will keep it to 10 for now. If your mind is hungry for more eco goodness, I highly recommend buying the book "Ecoholic" by Adria Vasil. I like to think of it as a great encyclopedia to earth-friendliness that is packed full of useful information not only for our planet but for your own well-being as well. It is Canadian-based but, still, anyone can benefit from this amazing book.

Time for the fun part ~_^....What do You do to reduce your carbon footprint? Share your helpful tips you use throughout your day and how you make a difference. Also, share how you spent your Earth Hour so we all have more ideas on how to enjoy an hour with the lights out in the future, especially for those that plan on making this a monthly or weekly event.

Love & Bruises, xo

~Bianca

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.