February 2010
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The impossible hamster The dancing hamster
Waste not water not
Without water we ain’t got nothing and although this planet is full of it, only a tiny proportion is fresh water. Then bear in mind that every drop of the wet stuff that passed through our pipes, taps, drains and cisterns has been cleaned to drinking standard, using more than a bucketful of energy in the process.
This month we challenge you not to waste a drop of it. So fix your dripping taps, stagger your showers (turn the water off for the soapy bit), give your toilet a hippo, get a big butt for your garden, plant a green roof or do away with bottled water. But whatever you do, let us know (email ). We’ll put your drops of good advice up on our website and our favourite answer will receive a Fairtrade chocolate bar.
A tenner says…
This will be the best 10:10 themed 10 days of your life. For everyone who’s ever wanted to come on an Otesha tour but didn’t have the time or the inclination to do the whole 6 weeks, we’ve got the perfect thing for you!
In partnership with the ever-amazing 10:10 campaign and hosted at the gorgeous Fforest Camps in Cardigan Bay, Wales, the very first Otesha 10-day tours are rolling out this summer. Register now to take part! We reckon we've dreamed up the perfect week and a bit in Wales for anyone who wants more green in their lives but doesn't know where to start. 10 days (local, organic, hedgerow) jam-packed of interactive learning about sustainability, hands-on volunteering, inspiring speakers, fun & games, and loads of ideas on how to green up your home / office / neighbourhood / uni / gran.
And if you want more…
Do the big one. Come along on the mammoth Lands End to John O’Groats cycle tour that’ll be taking the entire country by storm in July and August this summer. The tour’s already half full, so if you want to be in this cup, get your applications in sharpish.
Oteshanigans
Here’s a four and a half minute taste of life on tour. Oteshananigans , brought to you by Cress and Frankie (Team Cranky).
Help Haiti- Drop the debt
We all know Haiti’s in a bad way, but you may not know that Haiti is also struggling with $641 million debt- a legacy of loans from global financial institutions and donor nations to unelected governments of years past. So as the rest of the world wings aid into Haiti, don’t let Haiti’s own funds leave in the other direction. Petition world leaders, the IMF, and development banks asking them to cancel the debt immediately.
Know more
Get the Knowmore Firefox add-on here. Most of the time you won’t know it’s there, but occasionally as you innocently google your way through the web it’ll surface to tell you a bit more about the companies you’re looking at. Knowmore is a grassroots, web-based community dedicated to chronicling and resisting corporate attacks on democracy, worker's and human rights, fair trade, business ethics and the environment, and creating more informed and conscious consumers on the way. Hard to argue with that.
And finally
This month we've been dreaming about an Otesha home (anyone know somewhere we can move that can fit an office, loads of volunteers and some bike trailers?) And considering boycotting technology altogether in favour of carrier pigeons (which definitely won't crash repeatedly or need their hard drives replaced).
Jo, Hanna, Liz, Edd & Carla
The Otesha Project UK
www.otesha.org.uk
P.s. Check out our hanna, eco-celeb.