sust-mar: enviro group says "no" to Shell

Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:41:28 -0300 (ADT)
From: Paul A Falvo <pfalvo@chebucto.ns.ca>
To: Sustainable Maritimes <sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca>
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <sust-mar-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>

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Nothing local in the sust-mar queye today ... so here's something from "up
North" ... where a local eco group said "no" to a donation from Shell!
~paul :)

=========================================================================
Northern News Services Limited
News/North - Yellowknifer - Deh Cho Drum - Inuvik Drum - Kivalliq News 
Yellowknife NT Canada 
=========================================================================


   Declining award has reward

   Ecology North earns donations after turning down $5,000 national prize

   Richard Gleeson
   Northern News Services

   Yellowknife (May 15/02) - A local environmental group's rejection of a
   nomination for a national award is paying dividends. 

   So far Ecology North has received $400 in donations from Yellowknifers
   who support its decision to opt out of the Canadian Environmental
   Awards because Shell is a sponsor.

   Some of the donations came in response to member Paul Falvo's
   challenging others to match his donation of $50 in an attempt to make
   up the $5,000 in environmental funding award winners get from Shell.

   The awards are detailed, and Shell's logo prominently displayed, in an
   insert in the May/June edition of Canadian Geographic. The same
   information is posted on the magazine's Web site, which features a
   link to the Shell Canada web site.

   Ecology North member Bob Bromley said the group's decision was based
   on Shell's history in Nigeria but also reflected the Ecology North's
   disdain for multinational corporations.

   "It sends the wrong message," Bromley said of the award's corporate
   sponsors, which include Toyota and Panasonic.

   "It's corporations with no homes and therefore no responsibility that
   got us in the situation we're in today."

   Shell is currently fighting a lawsuit in the United States that
   alleges it played a role in the 1995 torture and hanging of Nigerian
   environmental and social activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others.
   Shell denies the allegation.

   Criteria questioned for sponsors 

   Canadian Geographic editor Rick Boychuk refused to say whether the
   environmental or human rights records of organizations were considered
   before they were chosen as sponsors.

   "They are responsible corporate citizens in Canada," Boychuk said of
   Shell Canada. "They are criticized, but all kinds of advertisers in
   the magazine have critics."

   One panellist who nominated the Yellowknife-based organization for the
   award was less enthusiastic about Shell's association with the awards.

   "(Canadian Geographic) was doing it very very quickly, they didn't
   have very much time to get (the awards) organized, and I should have
   paid more attention to who the corporate sponsors are," said Kevin
   O'Reilly.

   The Canadian Arctic Resources Committee research director said he's
   aware of at least one other nominee who said thanks but no thanks to
   the awards because of Shell's involvement. O'Reilly said he sent an
   email to Boychuk and another of the award organizers asking if there
   was any way to disassociate Shell from the awards.

   He also suggested Canadian Geographic consider adopting a criteria --
   an environmental screen -- to check the environmental records of
   sponsors.

   "The response I got was it was too late to ask Shell to back out,"
   O'Reilly said. "They didn't bother to respond to the ethical screen
   idea."



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