What did you vote for today?

I have just signed the AAVEZ petition in support of the people occupying Wall Street. It’s happening all over the world. Click here and you can too

http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_world_vs_wall_st/?vl

But I do feel such a hypocrite as I am still supporting Phillip Morris and Nescafe, so rather than just sign, I am looking really hard at the alternatives. I am going through my grocery list to see if there is anything I can change for the better. The main thing is not to be disheartened or expect to achieve perfection at once, but simply to begin.

If you want a product list or loads of information  on ethical companies and things you can actually DO, do check out  some of the suggestions on

http://www.ethical.org.au

10 things you can do		10 things you can do online
Use our website, book or iPhone app to switch brands in the supermarket Shop at a farmers market or food co-op Switch to Fairtrade at your workplace or community group Buy our book for friends and family. Great gift idea! Buy our book for your community group / church group Ask your library to carry our book Sell our books as a fundraiser Attend a workshop / tour Run your own Supermarket Tour Volunteer		Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Tell a Friend Subscribe to one of our news feeds Sign up for ECG Updates Spread the word via Facebook and Twitter Blog about us Subscribe / Post comments ( on company and issues pages) Give us feedback Give a company feedback

Here are some more possibilities

Household Action Challenge

So you've looked at your shopping list and are now making some best buys using the guide.
What's next? How about you and your community take on a challenge!

The Household Action Challenge is a 'Lifestyle Trial'- a community experiment in living out our values.
It's a week where your household, together with others, experiment in one aspect of sustainable living.

• What is it like to eat only food sourced from within 160km radius (100 Miles) from where you live?

• Or attempt to go zero waste (no black rubbish bag) for one week?

• Or live for 7 days without relying on electricity?

Find out more from their website.

Having already tried the first three for about seven years* (pre Phillip Morris and Nescafe), I am looking forward to having a couple of movie nights as they have some very interesting titles. I would particularly like to see the one on water
See these webpages for other interesting information and activities you might like to take part in.

http://www2.acfonline.org.au/category/smart-shop/blog/buy-nothing-new-october-make-pledge

If you want to know what the Greenhouse impact of your spending is within Australia and which items you may want to cut down on, the Australian Conservation Foundation Website offers some excellent information>

http://www.acfonline.org.au/consumptionatlas/

Good Luck with it!

Speaking of movies, I have finally seen "The Hunter." If you would like a little meat in your entertainment sandwich, not too many special effects and a highly original plot, I can  thoroughly recommend it.  Not exactly a Hollywood happy ending, but a dark, haunting film which also conveys some of the moodiness and mystery of Tasmania. 
* "The Hunter" also brought back some memories -that's how we all tried to live back then. I even recognised some of the places. It's a bit like coming to New York after watching thousands of thrillers and finding that steam does actually does come out of the sidewalk grates, only in reverse. 
Would like to see more movies made here. The whole place is like a film set - amazing buildings, authentic C19th streetscapes, rolling farmlands, clean air...lots of stories, though of course, the weather doesn't always want to co -operate unless you are filming storm tossed boat scenes or "For the Term of his Natural Life." There was quite a film industry here in the 1920's until it was overtaken by the Depression, Talkies and WWII. Would love to see some of those early films too.