Worldlog Week 12 – 2012

This week’s Worldlog was written by colleagues of Marianne Thieme who is currently on maternity leave.

Marianne was delivered of a baby girl on Monday 12 March. Mother and baby are doing well. Marianne and her husband Jaap Korteweg have named their daughter Amélie. Marianne will resume writing her Worldlog just as soon as she can.

In the mean time it’s business as usual in the Lower House and a number of important successes have been notched up. For example, the Lower House has passed our motion in which we call on the government not to cooperate in any way in the construction of mega-sties abroad. The motion was submitted following an investigation by Dutch animal welfare organization Wakker Dier which revealed mega-sties are being built in countries such as Romania and Bosnia with Dutch taxpayer's money that is acquired under the guise of "development assistance". The investigation reveals that the Netherlands is allocating tens of millions of euros to finance the construction and expansion of mega-sties abroad.

There was also broad parliamentary support for our proposal for a green makeover of playgrounds and schoolyards in the Netherlands. Esther Ouwehand had already pointed out to the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport that a green living environment is hugely important for the health and development of children. The minister will be discussing with municipalities the possibilities for greening schoolyards and creating more natural playgrounds.

While the beneficial role nature plays in people’s health is undeniable, the policy of our current government under prime minister Rutte is placing ever more strain on nature in the Netherlands. This development is disastrous for public health. Research has demonstrated time and time again that a green living environment is crucial and that people are healthier when they see nature around them, including nature in urban areas. This is of particular importance for children as they grow up: children have been shown to play outside much more often and longer when they have access to green and natural playgrounds.

Fun to read and with a nice video clip: the clear, robust column of Mark Bittman, columnist of the New York Times on vegetarian food. The products of the Vegetarian Butcher from The Hague (Marianne’s husband) also gets a mention.

But in October I visited a place in The Hague called The Vegetarian Butcher, where the “butcher” said to me, “We slaughter soy” — ha-ha. The plant-based products were actually pretty good — the chicken would have fooled me if I hadn’t known what it was — and I began to consider that it might be better to eat fake meat that harms no animals and causes less environmental damage than meat raised industrially.

The destructive earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that hit Japan in March of last year resulted untold numbers of stray dogs and cats. In the rush to escape the nuclear disaster that followed, people sometimes left their pets behind. Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS) is searching for the abandoned dogs and cats and providing them with the care they so desperately need. Thanks to the efforts of the volunteers of JEARS, more than 600 animals have been saved since the disaster struck. Bravo to this organization. Check for more information (and to make a donation): http://jears.net/

Until next week!