A Win for Sharks!

BY raintees

July 26, 2011

After months of dialogue since the conservation group Oceana presented a bill to the Chilean National Congress, Chile has become a new leader in shark protection by unanimously passing a bill to ban the practice of shark finning from its national waters. The new ban affects 30 shark species that travel the eastern Pacific to the Southern Ocean along the Chilean coastline. Of the 30 species, 15 are specifically targeted for finning.

So what is finning and why is this important?

Finning is the act of slicing off the fins of a shark out at sea and then dumping the body (often still alive!) overboard. You can also check out our in depth look at this issue here.

Without fins sharks cannot swim and therefore no longer possess the ability to hunt for food, evade other predators, or even breathe. The fin is used in an Asian delicacy called shark fin soup. The fin itself provides no flavor to the soup but absorbs flavor from various broths and has a thick, stringy texture. The shark fin market has boomed with China and Hong Kong trading tens of thousands of tons every year, with other countries not falling far behind.

Finning is killing millions of sharks every year with a projected 38 million just in 2011 alone. With Chile passing the bill to ban finning from its national waters, we can hope that number will drop – now and the years to come. This bill is a small step towards saving our sharks and removing them from the Endangered Species List… but a step nonetheless.

By
Raissa Wagner
Rain Tees Contributer

Posted in: Conservation

1 Comment

Recycling Tips!

BY raintees

July 22, 2011

You’ve heard the old saying thousands of times: “Save the Rainforest” – but maybe you think that you live too far away to do anything that really matters. Truth be told, you’re wrong!

If you and your family have not already started recycling, you should begin. Recycling helps our society reuse what we’ve already produced; therefore reducing the demand to cut down our precious rainforests and create more products that may be harmful to our Earth.

Here are some simple tips your family can do that will help our environment.

-Use cold water in the washer whenever possible.

-Store food in re-usable containers instead of plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

-Save wire coat hangers and return them to the dry cleaners.

-Take unwanted, re-usable items to a charitable organization or thrift shop.

-Recycle everything you can: cans, glass bottles, paper products, motor oil, etc.

-Look for local recycling centers that take the items your garbage hauler doesn’t.

-Use phosphate-free laundry and dish soaps.

-Don’t leave water running.

-Install a water-saving shower head.

-Get a free energy audit from your utility company.

-Have your water heater insulated free of charge by your utility company and set it at 130 degrees.

-Turn off the lights, TV, and other electrical appliances when you leave the room.

-Lower your thermostat by one degree per hour for every hour you’ll be away or asleep.

-Turn your heat down, and wear a sweater.

By
Raissa Wagner
Rain Tees Contributor

Posted in: Conservation

3 Comments

Moksa Organics and IFAW’s Animal Action Campaign!

BY raintees

July 18, 2011

Moksa Organics is a favorite of the Rain Tees team and just recently they created their limited edition “Kilimanjaro” product line to support the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Animal Action Campaign for the endangered African Elephant. Moksa created a luxurious body bar soap and body butter using 100% certified ingredients and fairly traded ingredients of shea butter and cocoa butter from a women’s cooperative in Nigeria.

Elephants are the largest land animals on our planet, yet they are rapidly declining in numbers. In 1900, there were more than 10 million elephants worldwide. Sadly, by 1979, less than 1.4 million remained and today, fewer than 650,000 exist.

Moksa and IFAW are working to change those figures and with every purchase of a Kilimanjaro product by Moksa a designated dollar amount will be dedicated to this special IFAW fund. Help them reach their goal of $10,000 here!

Elephant in Tsavo East National Park.

In addition to relief efforts, such as relocation and securing habitats for elephants in National Parks, IFAW has also created their Animal Action Campaign for the African Elephant.

Their education program will engage 5,000,000 students, teachers and families in more than 15 countries to learn about and celebrate elephants, which are among the smartest, most social and emotional of all animals.

Elephant family on the move in Amboseli National Park.

The program will also introduce young people to the challenges that threaten the survival of this remarkable species, including habitat loss, poaching fueled by ivory trade and conflict with human communities.

Learn more about this campaign and give back here!

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

Posted in: Conservation, News

23 Comments

Zoe Tryon and Nina Gualinga - Credit: Zoe Tryon

Battle in the Jungle

BY raintees

July 8, 2011

Rain Tees contributor Zoe Tryon (pictured above left with Nina Gualinga) is in Costa Rica this week fighting for the rights of the Kichwa indigenous people of Sarayaku, who are leading a historic battle for justice and the rights of indigenous people around the world.

Sarayaku means “river of corn” and encompasses more than 300,000 acres of pristine rainforest that more than twelve hundred Kichwa have lived off for millennium.

Patricia Gualinga – leader of the women of Sarayaku

Sadly, they are threatened daily by oil companies. While they have done all that they can to resist destructive drilling attempts, they were invaded by an Argentine oil company aided by the Ecuadorian government 8 years ago and have been fighting ever since to get to the InterAmerican court of human rights.

Oil pipelines already run endlessly through Ecuador like veins.

Many children living in the villages have died from contamination or suffer from cancer and other diseases caused by contamination.

There remains a huge area of unexploded pentonite from seismic testing which is slowly contaminating the land and water.

What’s even more tragic is that while their sacred land was being destroyed, several members of Sarayaku were brutally tortured.

In response, Sarayaku has brought a historic case against the government which Zoe reports to us from at the Inter-American Court on Human Rights in Costa Rica.

Sabino Gualinga – spiritual leader of the Sarayku people sings a sacred song in ceremony before the hearing

Women danced in front of the court whilst the men played drums and blew horns – here Nina Gualinga and Marlon Santi – was head of CONAI

The final hearing is July 8, 2011, with a decision from the court expected this fall.

While the oil company has since stopped drilling and left Ecuador, the Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, has already announced that he plans to allow drilling in these highly endangered areas.

It seems hard to believe that a president of any country would allow more than six million acres of endangered tropical forest, legally titled to more than 5 indigenous cultures, to be decimated for his own profit but that is exactly what is happening.

Cristina Gualinga

Spread the word and stay tuned for more information on this case as it progresses and in the meantime let’s stay hopeful that justice will prevail because as Zoe quoted Margaret Mead so aptly from the courtroom this week, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”