Hello Everyone,

How do you stop Shell from doing anything?

Life is so busy these days and it seems that we are just hurtling towards our own ends!

The politics of international finance is overwhelming don't you think? Is it not just simpler to try to live with good manners and a communal spirit and make a difference where you are?

I don't know. DO NOT want to sound helpless but I think I am when it comes to these kinds of issues.

Say thanks Deb, your site is so thought provoking and agitating and intelligent and all and more. Appreciate your writing and say thanks again.

Bye for now

Lestie,

Hey Girl it's wonderful to hear from you!

Some simple and immediate ways to effect change:

1. Sign petitions and share them with everybody. Join petition networks like Care2 and Change to sign petitions daily.
2. Share videos on all of your social sites and start dialog
3. Take one day to create a form letter on a particular topic and send the email once a day to government officials. Once the letter is created you can resend from your email inbox without having to generate another letter.
4. Make it a daily topic of conversation to break through the passive mindset barrier. Our voice, when strong and consistent, is our most effective tool.
5. Donate to environmental organizations like NRDC so they have the resources to get more people involved and send a louder message.
6. Self regulation. Examine your energy use to cut your carbon footprint.
7. Add a conservation comment to your voice mail

More complicated ways to effect change:

1. Rally
2. Protest
3. Start a conservation club - similar to a gardening club
4. Create flyers and distribute
5. Volunteer with environmental and wildlife preservation groups
6. Have bumper stickers made
7. Put a sign in your front lawn
8. Hold dinner parties with environmental and wildlife welfare theme
9. Call government reps daily with a prepared statement

What is most important is to change the mindset of indifference. These are not passive issues. Without stable planetary poles life simply ceases to exist. If you enjoy the privilege of a busy life, love your family, and cherish the Earth this issue matters. What wouldn't you do to save a loved one from danger?

There are greater numbers in the masses than there are politicians and oil moguls. The numbers are on our side. If this were a schoolyard fight it is equivalent to 1 person against 100. It's a no-brainer.

We have to get over the political conditioning that government entities work in the best interest of the masses. Time and again this has been disproved. Politicians receive millions of dollars each year from oil moguls. How is anyone to believe politicians are unbiased? Ask yourself this - How unbiased would you be if you were guaranteed anywhere from 3 million to 22 million dollars a year? Honestly, would you have the ability to bite the hand that feeds you?

The oil moguls spend that money because they are aware that they are outnumbered. They don't pay politicians out of the kindness of their hearts.

Hello Deb and Everyone,

As I logged on to answer this fine advice, I noted that there were 37 people viewing your site Deb ... now that is what I call good writing and pull, congrats and fine action.

Thankyou for your suggestions, I will certainly read through them again and again and see which I can put into action and then make a commitment to myself to rotate an action a month say so that I start to build a footpront of a different kind - one of protest against indifference!

Maybe you should turn this advice into an article? Make it a sticky topic for sure with a bit of editing - ignore what I said and head it something like "What you can do to make your difference"

Just thought I would say a say but I certainly say thanks again.

Cheers now

Our extremely savvy BellaOnline Frugal Living editor, Jilly, has some outstanding posts in her forum!

She has taken the Go Green challenge to an exciting level. She is installing self sustaining solar power for her house, which presented her with a unique challenge as she professes her handyman skills are not that of a professional.

You should absolutely check out her two forum threads as she goes through this experience. She has also provided sites that enable others to learn how to do self sustaining, renewable energy.

A HUGE way to go to Jilly - You absolutely rock!

Jilly's First Solar Panel

PowerStation Marine Deep Cycle Battery

I'll pass this along to some covens that are looking for a major project for their Litha/Sonnenwende rituals. I'll also ask a Chaote I know who is experimenting with how he can effect a company or institution via their logo to see if a computer leak can be 'arranged'. Or even have a nice internal war break out in the company.

I'll also mention the other things they can do covered in this thread to cover the practical side of things too.

Hmm- that might make a good article/project

Ninjahedgewych,

Be sure to keep Animal Life posted. Please feel free to share any of your forum links here so others can have ease of access to more information. The single greatest thing we can do for each other is to share productive information. I am excited to hear how the project ideas come together.

I'd love to put together a comprehensive article. I'd love it more if several editors got together and did a group release to elevate awareness. I believe it would have a greater impact. The topic is certainly relevant to a large cross section of subjects. The more people realize the enormous crossover, the more they will move away from a passive awareness mindset.

Fair enough, I am working on one more article on the art of invisibility, then will do something on the Pagan approach to environmental matters

Just realised that my latest article did cover one angle of this - just scroll down to the middle.