Activate your power as a consumer
Offset your carbon emissions
Student Flights has teamed up with Cleaner Climate to allow travellers to offset carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from their flights. Calculating the carbon emissions from your flight and finding out how much it will cost to offset these emissions is simple. Just visit the Student Flights website and fill in your travel details in the Cleaner Climate calculator and you’re good to go!
Choose the right timber.
Greenpeace says Australia imports timber products that are illegally harvested from forests close to home. Over 80 per cent of Indonesian’s timber is illegally logged. Good wood is certified by a credible third party system such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or is in transition toward certification. Check out the Greenpeace Good Wood Guide. >> more
Demand better labelling and don’t buy products that contain palm oil.
Palm oil plantations are devouring the habitat for threatened species including orangutans by destroying the forest, blocking travel corridors and hampering migrations. Check out Palm Oil Action Group’s shopping guide and campaign. >> more
Support Zoos Victoria's palm oil campaign
It's a tragic fact the every year an estimated 1,000 orangutans die for palm oil. In July, Zoos Victoria will be launching a campaign called "Don't Palm Us Off" to address the serious and increasingly urgent issue of palm oil labelling. >> more
Use the The Guide to Ethical Supermarket Shopping to make wiser choices about your purchases.
Positive buying is favouring ethical products, be they fair trade, organic or cruelty free. This option is arguably the most important since it directly supports progressive companies. Negative purchasing means avoiding products you disapprove of such as battery eggs or polluting cars. >> more
Make sure you only buy orangutan-friendly soap
Approximately 90% of soaps contain palm oil. If the soap you buy lists as its ingredients PALM OIL or PALM KERNELL OIL, or simply states pure vegetable oil soap
(therefore not listing individual ingredients) the soap's production could result in deforestation and threaten the survival of the orangutan. Nurture with Nature in Byron Bay hand makes orangutan-friendly soap. >> more
Go to www.choice.com.au to make informed choices about products and services.
One of the Choice campaigns is: Misleading Green Claims
From everyday household items to cars and plane flights, growing numbers of consumers want to make more sustainable choices – but sorting the dodgy green claims from the genuine can be a minefield. Choice is campaigning to bring green labels and marketing up to scratch and help Australians get a better deal for themselves and their environment. >> more
Recognize the power we have as consumers. The choices we make determine what is in the market. Seriously consider the products and resources you use - paper, palm oil, fossil fuels and timber from rainforests. Demand that companies label products so you can make informed choices. Think about your choices – consumer choices do make a big impact on how business and industry operate. With every dollar you spend you have an impact on the planet and its people. Activate the power of the consumer.
Visit the companion website, www.theburningseasonmovie.com
