By:Neil Monckton
See http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5143683170 for images.
By:Christine Leclerc
Yesterday I dresser up as Blitzen. Well, I wore antlers anyhow. Went down to the Sears in downtown Vancouver with a group of activists to chat up the public about Forest Ethics’ Catalogue Cutdown campaign. And of course, we wanted to send Sears the message that it’s time to stop using unsustainably harvested timber in the hundreds of millions of catalogues they produce each year. Not a good use of endangered forests if you ask me.
Our protest was one of 70 that took place across North America yesterday. We did manage to garner some media attention, but one of the main reasons for being down there was to meet face-to-face with members of the public to raise awareness about what Sears is up to. Mostly people entering the department store avoided making eye contact. Was it the antlers?
Luckily, the second largest response my pal James and I got was in the I-support-what-y’all-are-doing category.
But third place went to those who stopped long enough to say something, but not long enough to stick around to chat. The most memorable were:
* “They’re not the only ones doing it.”
To which I would have responded: “You’re absolutely right. But Sears is the largest catalogue producer to use unsustainably harvested forest products. Their current paper choices are unnecessarily destroying cariboo (an endangered species) habitat.
* “Yes, I know, and I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me that.” (referring to the postcards we had in hand)
To which I would have said: Fair enough. Please check out our website at catalogcutdown.org.
* “I really don’t have time to chat.”
To which I woulda said: Sure thing. Here, why don’t you take this postcard and look at it on you coffee break this afternoon.
Oh activism. How ponderous you are at times.
But the campaign continues.
http://biotic.non-saline.com/?p=147
