Australia is a huge country, with nearly all people living in the main city areas, the rest is mainly the Australia bush and desert. It has far greener practices for many parts, and a thriving Green party movement. It also has good environmental policies in the city of Sydney, from nappy laundries to a thriving vegan movement.
Obviously climate change and wildfires is having a horrendous effect on koala bears, not least because the huge growth of both biodegradable packaging and Tencel is leading to over-plantations of flammable eucalyptus trees. Also some companies use chainsaws to harvest trees for essential oils.
One area that we can learn from is their approach to suncare. Due to high rates of skin cancer, everyone is sensible in the sun (slip on a shirt, slap on a hat, and slop on sunscreen). Wash off sunscreens before allowing pets to lick your skin as (like cocoa butter) it contains toxins (zinc and titanium dioxide).
please don’t eat kangaroo meat
Because Australia is kind of a land where other people landed, there is not much ‘national food’. The western foods are popular (beer, meat) and alas so is kangaroo meat, which is now not sold in most UK supermarkets, as customers were complaining. Lamingtons and pavlova are two popular desserts, as is their steamed date pudding (Aussie version of sticky toffee pudding). The climate means more tropical fruits (and a thriving wine industry) but overall cuisine is pretty similar to most European countries.
As well as buying vegan leather football boots (to avoid kangaroo leather), also don’t buy kangaroo meat. Often joeys are left to die in the pouch, when adult kangaroos are shot or clubbed to death. Recently BBC wildlife presenter Chris Packham has written an open letter to those behind the popular TV series ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’. Stating that to kill or harm creatures in the Australian jungle for ‘entertainment’ is no longer a worthy way to earn a living.
Circuses have gone, dancing bears have gone, cock-and-dog fighting are the sad preserve of psychopathic criminals. We have no performing dolphins and no chimpanzees dressed up for tea time. The cruel exploitation of wildlife for gratuitous entertainment, continues to damage the reputation of a ‘nation of animal lovers’. Chris Packham (letter to ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here’).
Australia’s Animal Justice Party
Australia’s Animal Justice Party campaigns for tougher animal protection laws, and increased penalties for abuse. The manifesto includes recognising all animals as sentient beings, promoting plant-based diets, outlawing international use of animals for sport, exhibition and ‘entertainment’ and outlawing research and experimentation, and promoting humane research. The party’s MPs have secured millions in funds for domestic abuse victims to find safe havens with pets, and to stop cruelty in many industries. Candidate Bronwyn is planning to introduce legislation to ban live exports (recently animals ‘cooked alive’ on a stranded ship, then those surviving had to endure a second trip). She also plans to improve animal cruelty prevention laws and protect national wildlife.
Young MP Georgie Purcell MP is a colourful character. She paid her way through college working as a stripper and pole dancer, to take a double degree in law and communications/politics. She has had a lot of media airtime, but says her background means she’s good at dealing with very difficult people! She met her husband at a protest against live animal exports, and is shaking up the establishment in Australia. More power to you, Georgie!
an Australian vegan knitwear brand
Willow & Claude is a vegan knitwear, to help save the millions of sheep slaughtered each year for meat and woold. Profits support the work of ollective fashion justice. You can also contact them for a discount if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Although sheep do need shearing to avoid over-heating, falling over (right one up if you see it upside down or it will die) and to see predators, the conventional wool industry has many issues. Some sheep are sheared too early (leading to hypothermia) and others suffer ‘mulesling’ (having chunks of skin sliced away to prevent flystrike, without painkillers). And many sheep are killed, when they get older and their wool production slows down). If you wear wool, choose companies that don’t kill the sheep, simply shearing the wool: like vegetarian wool or sheepskins.
interesting lessons to learn from Tasmania
Tasmania is one of the states of Australia. And like us, it’s an island. The difference is that it really looks after its nature and wildlife. It’s known as (along with Finland) as having the cleanest air on earth and almost half of all its land is protected nature and forest. In England, it was only a petition by 38 Degrees that stopped Cameron’s government selling off remaining forests to private land, something they later admitted was a huge error of judgement.
Cradle Mountain is now in a protected national park and can’t be touched by developers. This is good as the area is home to some of the oldest trees on earth (the Huon Pine tree is only 20 metres, but thought to be thousands of years old).
Tasmania looks after all its wildlife, including fierce-looking Tasmnian Devils (the biggest carnivorous marsupials who also have the largest bite-ratio by weight!) In fact, its main threat is road traffic, resulting in people campaigning for wildlife crossings to help them safely cross the road.
