Category: Armchair Activism

https://www.facebook.com/farm.animals

Compassion in World Farming is a charity that campaigns to improve the rights and welfare of farmed animals across the UK, Europe and beyond. 

https://www.ciwf.org.uk/our-campaigns/

“We campaign to end factory farming. Farm animal welfare and wellbeing is at the heart of all we do and all we do is founded on scientific fact. Our supporters are pivotal to the success of all our campaigns. Find out how you can help and join us in actively seeking global reform for billions of farm animals suffering around the world…”

For the past twelve months they have been running the ‘End the Cage Age’ campaign with petitions targeting UK agricultural ministers and asking for a ban on cages to be debated in Parliament.

Now they’re calling on the European Commission to ban cages for all EU farm animals. If you’d like to add your name to the petition, please click on the link below:

https://eci.endthecageage.eu/?lang=en&shareURLHMAC=9b1efa17478d1dc921ee0563cc24d830568278c70d7bd8a998e5f026107bf81f&shareURL=https%3A%2F%2Fciwf-uk.endthecageage.eu%2Fen-INT%2Flive&channel=channel170

Since I was encouraging everyone else to try the 2Minute Beach Clean, I thought I’d better do one myself. And what better place than Shetland? Shetlanders are already pretty good at this type of thing. Every year, about April time, they hold Da Voar Redd Up that sees over 20% of the population do a gargantuan litter pick around the beaches, coastline and roadsides. No mean feat.

https://www.shetlandamenity.org/da-voar-redd-up

We picked a pebbled beach at Mavis Grind (which translates as ‘the gate on the narrow isthmus’) situated in the north mainland. This is where the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea are but a stone’s throw away from each other. It was used as a shortcut up until the 1950s when men would drag their boats from one side to the other. 

https://www.shetland.org/plan/areas/north-mainland

I have a confession to make. The 2Minute Beach Clean turned into twenty odd minutes because we became like magpies and couldn’t stop. Like true Shetlanders we rewarded our hard work with a well-brewed flask of tea and the infamous big biscuits sourced from a local bakery.

https://www.beachclean.net

If you like to stroll along the beach with the wind in your hair, can I interest you in the #2minuteBeachClean? 

With summer here (allegedly), it’s great to smell the salty ocean and feel the sand in between your toes without having to navigate through piles of plastic rubbish. 

Don’t get angry about it, use that valuable energy to get active and constructive. Just take a bag and pick up for two minutes. If every beach visitor did this, can you imagine the impact?

This has become a global movement and it can make such a difference. Check out their Instagram account here and post the fruits of your labour for the world to see:

https://www.instagram.com/2minutebeachclean/

Website: https://www.mcsuk.org

We’ve all seen the dispiriting images of beaches strewn with litter and sea life trapped and ensnared in plastic rubbish. What can we do about it individually and collectively? 

The Marine Conservation Society “work to ensure our seas are healthy, pollution free and protected” and offer suggestions on how we can all do our bit to help the marine environment around our shores.

They are active in Scotland. To find out more click on the link below:

https://www.mcsuk.org/scotland/scotland

They do really important campaign work. Last summer they petitioned Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, to approve 41 new marine conservation zones in England and this has become a reality.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/31/uk-creates-blue-belt-of-marine-protected-areas-twice-englands-size

Every signature counts and it’s easy to add your name to these crucial campaigns. Their e-news is also worth a read.

https://www.mcsuk.org/campaigns/

Their website is: https://www.onekind.scot

One Kind’s core purpose is “Ending cruelty to Scotland’s Animals”. They are a charitable organisation that has the ear of the Scottish Government when it comes to advocating on animals’ behalf. They also regularly feature in the Scottish media when animal issues are being discussed because of their researched, measured and considered opinions and tone. 

Issues they currently campaign about are snaring, fox hunting, live exports, mountain hare culling, improving conditions on salmon farms and banning the use of cages for hens and farrowing crates for sows. If you are interested in being kept up-to-date with their progress and signing their petitions, then scroll down to the bottom of their website’s Home page and click on the link about their email sign up.

Note: They don’t inundate your email inbox and only make contact when they need supporters at crucial times in their campaign work. All good stuff.