torsdag 28 maj 2009

Touffie flyttar till ett nytt hem!


We have lately been so busy organising and packing for our removal that no time was left for exploring and writing much more in our blog. Yes, it will take us few days (hopefully not few weeks...) before we all settle in our new home, but then we will be back with more green news and fun!

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Planeträddarna



Planeträddarna är ett spel baserat på frågesport (utgivare WWF och Söderenergi) för 10 till 12-åringar. Spännande och lärorikt (mycket fakta). Man kommer även, inom kort att ta fram en handledning för lärare som ger tips på hur spelet kan användas som verktyg i undervisningen.

Hur ska det gå för de fyra ungdomarna Nemi, Ming, Rosanna och Simon? Kommer de att kunna hjälpa jorden med hjälp av sin kunskap om energi och klimat?

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Människan är en apa som alla andra


The book "L'Homme est un singe commes les autres" by Emmanuelle Grundmann unveils the human face of apes and gives us the opportunity to discover our deep similarities. A beautiful book, with new and fantastic photos of apes, putting them in parallel with their cousin - Man: a disturbing and enthralling result showing how much the origins of our behaviour and our abilities are anchored in the world of apes. A work which is a plea to and a alarming cry warning about programmed dissapearances of and for emergency to act and save the apes.

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5e juni - vi har alla en träff med planeten


On 5 June, we have a date with the Planet! That evening, the film Home, directed by French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand and produced by Luc Besson, will have its world premiere! The creed of Home is: “It’s too late to be pessimistic.”

The date is a symbolic one, World Environment Day, and Yann Arthus-Bertrand decided to mark the start in a profound way: For its world premiere, Home will be released simultaneously in more than 50 countries and in all existing media – TV, Internet, DVD and in theatres – in order to reach the widest audience.

The film Home speaks to its viewers that we all have a responsibility toward our planet.


The trailer of the film begins with these words: “Life, this miracle of the universe, appeared about 4 billion years ago…” After a pause, the voice resumes: “And we humans, only 200,000 years ago… yet we have succeeded in disrupting the balance…" Before the end of the century, this exploitation without measure will have exhausted almost all of the planet’s reserves. Thinking about what we still have left can help us to accept this new challenge and to convince us: all that you see is not only a landscape, it is the beloved face of our Earth.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a photographer as well as a writer, journalist and director. He also chairs the environmental association GoodPlanet, which works for sustainable development and in public education, particularly for young people. On 22 April he was named Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Environment Programme. Here, he recounts the adventure of shooting Home, a film that was an obsession for him for two years. He talks about it in these words: “It is a film that has a mission and I believe that the people who worked on this film have no doubt worked more on this one than on another because they felt good, and that what we were doing was important, that the way it was going to be distributed, that what we were going to say was essential. I think it is a film unlike any other.”

The film Home is carbon offset, which means that all the CO2 emissions engendered by making the film are calculated and offset by sums of money that are used to provide clean energy to those who don’t have any. For the last 10 years, all the work of Yann Arthus-Bertrand has been carbon offset in this way. To watch the trailer of the film Home, click here: www.home-2009.com
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onsdag 20 maj 2009

Paint4Planet - Children Call for Action


When looking for, and reading about, climate change (and how this can affect future generations) I came accross the initiative "International Children's Painting Competition - Paint for the Planet".

While we may be ready to colonise other planets, children continue to fall prey to climate-related disasters. According to a 2007 environment report from the UK, approximately 175 million children will be affected by natural disasters induced by climate change over the next decade. This is 50 million more than the past 10 years.


Children are hoping that adults might help with the solution to combat climate change. Young artists from around the world have lent their voice to the message through the 'Paint for the Planet' event. Youngsters sent in 200,000 entries to the recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)initiative.

On October 25th 2008, a selection of the winning paintings from the collection was auctioned out at the Harvard Club of New York City, to raise emergency funds for children affected by climate-related disasters. A statement from UNEP said that the proceeds would go to Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund. Prior to that, on October 23, an exhibition featuring more of the original artworks from the competition was opened to the world, at the UN headquarters in New York. The event 'Paint for the Planet' consisted of the exhibition and the auction.

After New York, the exhibition has been travelling around the world, with a final stop being the climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009.

Here are some key facts about children and climate change:

More than 46% of the world's population is now younger than 25 years old.

Approximately 175 million children will be affected by natural disasters induced by climate change, over the next decade. This is 50 million more than during the ten years to 2005.

Children are more likely than adults to perish during natural disasters or succumb to malnutrition, injuries or disease in their aftermath. Over 96% of all disaster-related deaths worldwide in recent years have occurred in developing countries.

Women and children account for more than 75% of displaced people following natural disasters. For instance, during the July 2007 floods in Bangladesh, 4.2 million children were affected, 300,000 of them under the age of five.

An estimated 650,000 people, of which 300,000 children, were affected by the back-to-back hurricanes in Haiti in 2008.

Factors that play a role in climate change, such as emissions from vehicles and factories, significantly harm children's health. Deaths from asthma, which is the most common chronic disease among children, are expected to increase by nearly 20% by 2016 unless urgent action is taken. Smoke in the home leads to the deaths of nearly 800,000 children each year.

Nearly 10 million children under the age of five die every year of largely preventable diseases. Malaria – which currently claims the lives of around 800,000 children every year – is sensitive to changes in temperature and rainfall and could become more common if weather patterns change.

In a 6-year study from Peru, researchers found an 8% increase in hospitalizations for diarrhea with every degree centigrade increase above the normal average temperature.

Every child will have safe water in the UK, but only 1 in 3 children in Ethiopia will. By 2020, it is projected that some 75-250 million people in Africa will be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. Forty-four percent of the continent's population is under the age of fifteen.

Developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America are forecast to see reductions in agricultural productivity of between 5 and 25% by 2080s due to climate change. In 2006, 1.6 million children under the age of five required major humanitarian assistance in drought-stricken areas of the Horn of Africa.

The number of children dying each year due to the effects of malnutrition – currently 3.5 million – is likely to increase as a result of climate change.

Climate change could cause an additional 40,000 to 160,000 child deaths per year in South Asia and sub- Saharan Africa through GDP losses alone by 2100.

Climate change can also have a significant impact on a child's ability to attend school. For instance, during the July 2007 floods in Sudan, nearly 200 schools were damaged, affecting nearly 45,000 children.

A survey conducted in 2005 by the UK Government found that 24% of the 1,000 10 to 18 year olds questioned believed climate change presented the greatest threat to the world's future.
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Faktabank om vår planet


A GREAT way, for children (and ourselves :-), to learn about our planet! Check this out, I am sure you will enjoy. Read more...

tisdag 19 maj 2009

Vattendroppar = Människor


"When the isolated drops meet, they share the majesty of the ocean to which they belong." - M.K.Gandhi Read more...

Tidig fostran för ett hållbart samhälle


I have always believed that best investment one can make is in education for children. And nowadays we speak so much about the need for creating a sustainable future for our children and generations to come. But what can we do, as a society, to help our children become earth-friendly citizens? When looking for answers I have found a publication which originates from the international workshop ‘The Role of Early Childhood Education for a Sustainable Society’, held in Göteborg, Sweden, in May 2007. Maybe too long for reading (only 135 pages :-) but worth having a look at, just to get an idea.


The Contribution of Early Childhood Education to a Sustainable Society” report published in 2008, explains how to educate young children with the aim of preventing further degradation of our planet and contributing to a sustainable society where values of human rights, peace and justice are upheld.

The publication argues that as early childhood education is about laying a sound intellectual, psychological, emotional, social and physical foundation, it has an enormous potential in fostering values, attitudes and skills that support sustainable development.

There is a great deal in the traditions of early childhood pedagogies that align with education for sustainability for example, like use of the outdoors for learning and learning through real life projects.

The publication cites concrete case studies and best practices in Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Iceland, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

UNESCO is the lead agency for United Nations Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).
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Välkomna till (den inte så underbara) Disneys värld


In 2008, the French non-governmental organisation Peuples Solidaires published a Report on toy production in China called "CHINE - BIENVENUE DANS LE MONDE (PAS SI) MERVEILLEUX DE DISNEY". Simultaneously the French NGO launched a campaign to raise awareness about the working conditions in Disney toy factories in China. According to Peuple Solidaire organisation, Disney is one of the world largest group for entertainment but when it comes to working conditions of Chinese in toy factories, there is no illusion about entertainement but, on the contrary - it seems like a nightmare.


Moreover, in the campain it says that the reports on toy production, written by SACOM (Students and Scolars agains corporate misbehaviour - Chinese organisation), clearly show the existence of basic violation of rights such as: wages below the guaranteed minimum, forced non-renumerated leave days, extremely long working hours (12h to 18h) and non-renumerated extra hours, no possibility of voluntary resignation, hygienic and safety problems, brutal methods and harassment, etc.

Just as an example, to give more "colour" to wages of chinese workers in the toy industry, in France a guaranteed daily minimum is 50 EUR net, while in China the daily average pay is 3,5 EUR - and the majority of workers are women.

It will be interesting to see if this campaign will have some positive and genuine impact (not only "cosmetic") in the Code of Conduct (social responsibilty and ethics) of Disney and other mega toy producers.
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Vilka kemikalier finns hemma hos oss?


A virtual visit to a home and what kind of chemicals we can find in our living space and in our garden. Worth checking as it provides useful information. Read more...

Tips för friska barn och hälsosam, grön livsstil


Looking for simple steps for non-toxic, healthy green living? TheSmartMama can help! Jennifer Taggart, TheSmartMama, is the author of Smart Mama's Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Child's Toxic Chemical Exposure.

Could be something to consider reading! Read more...

måndag 18 maj 2009

15 råd om leksaker


I have found good advices at the Swedish Consumer Agency website about what one should think of when buying toys for children under age of 3.

All this is great but to me the shopping reality is different. I have been buying children's toys for years now and it is very difficult (almost impossible) to find out information about the toy quality: the tendency of the European (and probably US as well)toy companies is to have a tag saying "Designed in..." with NO mention where the toy has been produced! Moreover, I have not seen a toy with a tag (or info on the box) specifying chemical/material content of the toy. And there is much more... You may ask yourself, what is the solution? I think we should be well and accurately informed! Read more...

söndag 17 maj 2009

Jorden som en trädgård


The morning is so beautiful - sunny and colourful. So, I just feel like sharing a little thought...

"The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities; but to know someone here and there who thinks and feels with us, and though distant, is close to us in spirit — this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden." - Goethe Read more...

lördag 16 maj 2009

Barn och kemikalier


Further to my research on what information we have here in Sweden about chemicals and children, I was pleased to find the brochure "Kemikalier i barns vardag". It speaks about risks for the child, its health and environment, risks to be avoided.

"Kemikalier gör mycket i våra liv enklare. Men de kan också vara farliga, för både hälsan och miljön.

Kemikalieinspektionen arbetar för att förebygga skador från kemiska produkter. Vi sätter upp regler och kontrollerar företagen. Men vi kan inte skapa ett fullständigt riskfritt samhälle för barnen. Dina omsorger som förälder behövs självklart."

I also recommend reading the "Barn och kemiska hälsorisker" and "Kemikalier i leksaker. Rapport från ett inspektionsprojekt 2005" reports. Read more...

Faktablad – ftalater i leksaker



I am not an expert in chemicals but I know that ALL toys which are not natural and certified ecological (with the adequate label, although there none such specifically for toys!), are full of toxic chemicals. Unfortunately, not many parents/grandparents are aware of this and one seems to never have enough information about it. On the Swedish Chemicals Agency you can find a short report on the most common chemical - ftalater - in (plastic) toys, which gives you an idea how "healthy" this is long-term for the child...

On the same site, you can also read that the "three less dangerous phthalates DINP, DIDP and DNOP are banned in all toys and childcare articles if they can be placed in the mouth."

I just wonder, how do you explain that to the child and make sure that the toy is NOT to be put in the mouth? Read more...

fredag 15 maj 2009

9 miljoner leksaker återkallade


In 2007, Mattel recalled nearly two million Chinese-made toys over concerns they contain excessive levels of lead paint and loose parts. Dirt-cheap labour and a massive expansion in capacity means China makes more than three-quarters of the world's toys, with an export value in excess of £7 billion. But increasingly, there is evidence of inadequate safety standards, poor quality control and very bad labour conditions.

For those who are not keen in buying Eric Clark's "The Real Toy story" book, I have found an extract from it on "This is London" news. I think it clearly gives an idea of the real cost of cheap toys from China which are colourful, nicely designed (often in some European country) and attractive, not only for children but also for those buying for them - adults. By the way, I have noticed (when checking labels on toys) that most of the time it says "Designed in Danmark" or "Designed in Sweden" with no mention of where they are produced! Read more...

Den verkliga sanningen bakom leksaker


Each Christmas, British children unwrap over £2 billion worth of toys in a global industry worth £30 billion a year. Toys get more expensive, more elaborate, more expensive. But so many of them are less fun to play with. Play value isn't the overriding factor these days; the bottom line is. And this bottom line is achieved by sweatshops overseas, corporate bully-boy tactics and insidious viral marketing in which only social outcasts do not possess the latest craze.

When searching about toy production, I discovered Eric Clark's "The Real Toy Story", a book which I find fascinating. It describes, in brief, the history of the toy industry over the last century. It further explains how toys go from idea to prototype to toy box and how marketing runs the show. The most shameful in an often shameful industry is the manufacturing. Most toys are made in China, in often the most awful of conditions. Dormitory-based workers labour fifteen hour shifts, seven days a week. They are fined for mistakes, over-charged for bed and board. Hazardous chemicals take a devastating toll on their health. The CEO of an American toy company can earn more than entire workforces at dozens of Chinese factories.

The book is easy to read, with plenty of facts and figures, but they don't detract from the flow. You can find it on Amazon. Read more...

Jultomtens verkstäder - en svensk rapport


Two months ago I met Kristina Bjurling from SwedWatch to learn more about the social aspect of toy production in China. Kristina took part in the research work and spent some time in China gathering information for the Report "Billig, snabb och lydig - en rapport om kinesiska leksaksarbetare och företagens ansvar"" and for a Documentary "Santa's Workshops" which takes us to the real world of China's toy factories. The Report is one of the very few (in fact the only one which I know about) report on toy production done by Swedish organisations.

In the documentary and the report (based on over 100 interviews in nine toys factories), Chinese workers tell us about long working hours, low wages and dangerous work places. Those who protest or try to organise trade unions risk imprisonment. Low labour costs attract more and more companies to China. Today more than 75% of our toys are made in China. But this industry takes its toll on the workers and the environment. European buyers blame bad conditions on the Chinese suppliers. But they in their turn say that increasingly hard competition gives them no option. Who should we believe? And what can you do to bring about a more fair and more humane toy trade?

Santa's Workshop is a film by Lotta Ekelund and Kristina Bjurling. Research by SwedWatch. Produced by Fair Trade Center and LottaFilm, with the support of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation’s cultural fund, the Study Promotion Association / Studiefrämjandet, the Swedish Consumer Agency and the consumer cooperative societies Svea, Stockholm, Norrort, Väst and Solidar. Read more...

torsdag 14 maj 2009

Slavliknande villkor i leksaksvärldens "sweatshops"


I spoke with a friend of mine who is a journalist and asked why do we read so little in the Swedish media about the toy industry. We all know that the biggest toy production is in China but not many people question how and in what conditions toys being sold in big or small stores have been made. My friend said that the "story of toy production" is only interesting when something "big happens"! And does many of us still remember the 2007 scandal when the world-leading toy maker Mattel recalled nine million China made toys in a week time? Just a little reminder from Deutsche Welle news. Read more...

torsdag 7 maj 2009

Äntligen, ett första inlägg!


Finally the blogg is operational, after much thinking and wonderings... In fact, for over a year now I have been searching and gathering interesting facts and info, always related to toys and children, and the impact the toy industry has on children and our environment. And there is so much one should be aware of that sometimes it is a bit frightening. I find that there is very little information here in Sweden about the issues which I would like to talk about, so I am much focused on the news from abroad. For this reason, I have decided to write in English as you will find many of my postings related to English and French sites.

And not to forget, the lady on the picture is (not me:-) but) a pen, now used to scribble down a first draft text for the blogg! It is most probably made in China but I got it as a present! Certainly would not be my first choice! I "vote" for GREEN!
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