Worldlog Week 41 – 2012

4 October was ‘World Animal Day’. I called for people to give animals the day off and to use this day to think about how we can treat animals with respect. I heard from a lot of people that they observed 'EatNoAnimals' day too, which is fantastic! What's more, around 100 Dutch businesses, including giants such as Vodafone, Bol.com and Toyota participated in EatNoAnimals day. The EatNoAnimals day is organised by an animal welfare organisation called Wakker Dier. The canteens in these businesses offered up vegetarian food, which is the right way to go! ï�Š.

4 October also saw the opening of a photography exhibition in Amsterdam that tells the story of Fukushima's animals. The exhibition shows photos of abandoned animals and pets after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Now that people have rendered Fukushima unlivable, animals have to live with the consequences…Four of the photos are available to view here.

The Chernobyl nuclear distaster, which happened 25 years ago now, has meant that animals have taken over the surrounding area. This video shows Chernobyl as it is today, and clearly shows why we must put a stop to nuclear energy production. The risks are simply too great.

The Boston Globe has a section called The Big Picture, and it has taken a breathtaking look at World Animal Day. The animal kingdom is a spectacular sight to behold!

The following is a clear, simple, and interesting German film about global meat consumption, and the problems it causes. People who can understand German should read ´People Eat Meat´ at http://t.co/SLuedAAU and then convince their friends and family to eat less meat.

Last week the Lower House debated a partial agreement two parties – The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) – presented on Monday, as they want to form a coalition. If there were ever a chance to make our society a greener place to be, then this accord does nothing to address it. The agreement promotes a ‘business as usual’ policy, even though PvdA leader Diederik Samsom had the opportunity to create a cabinet that would focus on sustainability and compassion. I deeply regret the fact the government is not taking responsibility for our lifestyles' negative impact and instead we are asking our children to pick up the bill, even as our ecological budget deficit is now running at 30%.

This week, public broadcasters promoted frog leg consumption during the highly popular Dutch soap ‘De Wereld Draait Door’ (The World Keeps Turning). I couldn't believe it, so I asked Parliamentary questions about it. I think public broadcasting promoting such abominations as preparing frog legs, recipe tips and all, is entirely inappropriate. We have been pushing for years for a legal ban on importing and selling frogs legs in the Netherlands, as there is zero control over the scale or the way frogs are killed within Europe and the Netherlands before consumption. We desperately need to create awareness for frog welfare and give them a protected status!

See you soon, Marianne