The Huon Valley Environment Centre is a grassroots, volunteer run, not-for-profit charity based in the Huon Valley, Southern Tasmania. Among its aims are to provide the general public with access to information and educational materials on environmental issues and concerns, and to assist in the development within the local community of an awareness and need for the protection of the environment. It also has an eco shop that sells all kinds of environmentally aware products. The centre is currently being sued by woodchipping giant Gunns Ltd and is keen to receive donations or hear from anyone who’d like to volunteer in any way. Visit www.huon.org for more info.
STOP RAPE IN DARFUR
In Darfur rape is used as a weapon of war. In July last year the Sudanese government finally agreed a UN resolution to send a 26,000-strong UN/African Union peacekeeping force to protect the civilians of Darfur. However the peacekeepers are still not in place. Women who dare to venture out of their homes to collect water for themselves and their babies will be gang-raped. If they don’t collect the water, their babies will die. You can help stop rape in Darfur by joining Amnesty International, which is leading a campaign to ensure the promised peacekeepers are brought in. Visit www.amnesty.org.au for more info.
GET UP FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
Campaign group GetUp! is calling for people to support its campaign to urge the politicians to adopt a trading emissions scheme (ETS), as outlined in Professor Ross Garnaut’s report that was commissioned by the federal government. Under the ETS, companies will have to buy permits to emit greenhouse gases within an overall emissions target (according to Get up currently the target is 60% reductions by 2050 over 2000 levels) set by the Rudd government. The scheme will be designed to ensure Australia meets its target as part of a global agreement to reduce greenhouse pollution. However GetUp! believes the Garnaut report could have gone further and needs your help to spread the message. Visit www.getup.org.au for details.
HOMOPHOBIA IN INDONESIA
Indonesian GLBTIQ people are under fire from the mainstream media and medical professionals, after reports that a serial killer Verry Idam Henyansyah happened to be gay. Campaign group Arus Pelangi reports that gay men have been arrested and psychologists are publicly proclaiming queer people to be immoral. Arus Pelangi (which translates as Rainbow Flow) was formed in January 2006 in response to a desperate need in Indonesia for formal legal representation of the GLBTIQ community. It aims to take an active role in the process of formal policy reform that protects the rights of queer people. For more information on how you can help, visit http://aruspelangi.or.id/eng
