Climate Spike SUCCESS!

Awesome job and a big CONGRATS to all the Oxfam Action Corps who took action for our campaign spike Tuesday! If you haven't heard, that day, May 20, marked a big push for our activism regarding climate change, and how the Big Ten food and beverage companies are contributing to it. We specifically targeted the two companies who rank lowest on our scorecard for climate, Kellogg and General Mills. All across the country, volunteers and staff took action to spread the word, which in turn sparked actions from over 17,000 people on this one day! 

The objective was to raise awareness among consumers, but also to send a strong message to these two companies to shape up their climate policies. We did this by taking pictures in front of the brands, engaging with the public on the street, handing out mini cereal boxes with a twist (see pictures below) and collecting petition signatures. Additionally eight of our Action Corps teams visited facilities to deliver a report that addresses why food and beverage companies must do more to tackle climate change. You can read the full report here.

Altered labels to send our message to consumers!

Kansas City Action Corps volunteers

Des Moines Action Corps volunteer at facility in Iowa

Burlington Action Corps volunteers

Other GRRRREAT! activity from May 20 happened in Chicago, where there was a "Sweets and Snacks" expo with attendees from all the major players in the food and beverage industry, including General Mills and Kellogg! Our incredible staff both from Boston and Chicago, along with Action Corps volunteers, dressed up as famous mascot characters from the brands, and stood outside. Here is the result:

Staff and volunteers dressed as mascots in front of expo

"Breakfast of the Future" stunt in Lake Michigan

Our team in Chicago made great contact with the companies, as well as local allies. This stunt in particular had a huge presence on social media, along with all the other great posts from allies and Action Corps. As far as general media, Oxfam had a presence in over 35 news stories, including mentions in Time, Reuters, Financial Times, Huffington Post, and Al Jazeera America. In addition, Oxfam’s President Ray Offenheiser and a few other Oxfam staff held airtime on various TV networks, advocating for these issues and our campaign.

And the work doesn’t stop here! We will continue to advocate for climate change and work with these companies to ensure they follow through on making reforms. To get in on the action, make sure you have visited behindthebrands.org to sign the petition, and help out with social media activity! Follow the Oxfam America national blog for updates on news and reporting on the companies’ progress. Thank you again to ALL the help from Action Corps across the country! This was a momentous day

Climate change: things are heating up

Read this incredible first-person perspective of climate change from an Action Corps volunteer in Des Moines! (Originally posted on May 11 at http://iowansforoxfam.blogspot.com/2014/05/climate-change-things-are-heating-up.html)

Privilege is often not intuitive to the privileged. Yet, I am fortunate to be aware of my privilege. For example, when I’m thirsty, I walk about 10 feet to my kitchen sink where miles of underground water pipes bring me fresh, clean, and treated water from my municipality. I pay for it, of course. But I’m also privileged to have grown up in a developed country where I had access to education so that I could one day have a job that allows me to pay my monthly water bill. Billions of people worldwide have lived their entire lives in a state of water scarcity – they have never had access like I’ve had access. I am privileged to have never gone a full day in my life where my water source (and thusly, my life or my livelihood) was at risk or not knowing when/where my next drink of that delicious H₂0 would come from.

And yet, I get the feeling like there’s a change coming. A quick online search displays a dizzying array of recent articles on climate change – most of them attributable to the “buzz” created around the White House’s release of the U.S. National Climate Assessment last week. This report paints a very serious picture of what a United States of America could look like when grappling with some of more terrible effects of climate change. The report “highlights” 12 major areas of impact – one of which is our water supply. Just a few snippets from the report:

                “Short-term (seasonal or shorter) droughts are expected to intensify in most U.S. regions. Longer-term droughts are expected to intensify in large areas of the Southwest, southern Great Plains, and Southeast.” (pg. 42)

                “The annual maximum number of consecutive dry days (less than 0.01 inches of rain) is projected to increase, especially in the western and southern part of the nation, negatively affecting crop and animal production.” (pg. 47)

                “Increased warming, drought, and insect outbreaks, all caused by or linked to climate change, have increased wildfires and impacts to people and ecosystems in the Southwest.” (pg. 78)

It’s a very sobering reality that we, as a species, expect to face these hardships in coming years. Worse yet, these are the impacts to a developed country that has the infrastructure to respond and counteract (at least, temporarily) to crisis. What about developing nations? What about the countries that have already faced years of drought or floods? What about the hardships that poor communities face – those who are one negative natural event (maybe even a minor one) away from the complete loss of their way of life.

Climate change is real. And it's devastating to people and communities all across the globe. Worst of all, it hits poor communities first and with a greater severity. They lack the resources and education to properly adapt to a changing climate. That’s where Oxfam steps in – helping to provide those tools with the ultimate goal of empowerment. There’s this great story of a gardener in the Philippines named Josephine Alad-Ad. She’s had to adapt to severely unpredictable weather events (floods, droughts, landslides) and with the help of Oxfam’s Climate Resiliency Field Schools, she’s been able to do that – altering what she grows so the crops require less water and how she grows it so more water is conserved. It’s yet another way that Oxfam works to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice.

We're built on your ideas

In the summer of 2013 we convened an Advisory Group of volunteers and our trained organizers, both current and 'alumni.'  Together we assessed the Oxfam Action Corps program and suggested ways to strengthen it.  This brief slide show gives an update on how that process has shaped our progress this year and will continue to do so.




Many thanks to those of you who have served as organizers and advisors.  We look forward to continuing to brainstorm and learn together in the near future!

Brian

Action Corps Year in Review! Highlights and Celebrations

Click on the slide for a visual tour of the actions and victories of the 2013-2014 year!  We congratulate and give deepest thanks to all our dedicated organizers and volunteers across the country who gave your time, smarts and heart to making this possible.

Meet our new Action Corps Organizers!

Say hello to all our incoming Action Corps Organizers for the 2014-15 year! They are all fantastic, engaged social justice advocates, each coming with a unique background. From youth educators, to nurses, to biologists, we have a full range of experiences to work from to make this a successful year!

Before we move on, though, we want to thank and celebrate our excellent 2013-14 organizers. They are: Kathy Chavez, Jasmine McBeath, Lexy Keaton, Miranda Birt, Suad Maow, Sarah Lucey, Caitlin Lovegrove, Kathryn Sokolowski, Megan Nakra, Lydia Bailey, Kelly Buffalo, Aaron Schlumbohm, Kim Kiser, Joleen Goff, Edna Wijnterp, Mariela Quesada Centeno, Dawn Deransburg, Jessy Spanswick, Margaret Richardson, Elizabeth Norman, Sarah Hwang, Emily Black, Yoshiko Hill, Brook Sinclair, Jena Dixon, and Ruby Mixon-Luecke. Give them a (virtual) hand for all their hard work this past year!!

Soon the new organizers below will be traveling to Washington DC for their leadership training, and we can't wait! Let's get ready for another effective and active year.

Albuquerque

Katherine Chavez was born and raised in New Mexico. She joined the US Navy at age 19 and served four years before moving to Hanford, California where she worked as a bartender in a Mexican restaurant. Kathy currently works as a pediatric nurse at Children’s Hospital of New Mexico. She became involved with Oxfam at the Albuquerque’s growers’ market where after she somehow found herself in a kitchen full of great fresh food and wonderful, fun people.

Amanda Dezan is an international relations and Latin American studies major at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Originally from northern Virginia, right outside of Washington DC, she moved to Albuquerque last year for a change, and has been volunteering with the local Oxfam chapter ever since. She is an avid traveler, and has worked extensively with groups supporting rights to education in South America and Asia. When she’s home, she loves being outdoors: hiking, biking, camping or sailing.

Austin

Sarah Strong is a graduate of University of Texas Austin with a Bachelor’s in Social Work, and is currently a case manager at a non-profit in Austin, dealing specifically with homelessness. A lot of her experience has been with direct social work practice. She is excited to learn about community organizing and how to tackle the root of social justice issues!

Boston

Sapana Thomas works as a product manager at a mobile advertising technology company, and also has a passion for issues related to public health and hopes to do work in that area one day. She is involved with Technology Underwriting Greater Good to spread social entrepreneurship. She previously worked in the biotechnology community as a researcher at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and also loves photography and running.

Sarah Lucey is returning organizer in Boston, who has enjoyed leading volunteers for the past year, especially through lobby visits and event planning. A graduate of Northeastern University, she now works as a program representative at a local housing non-profit with clients in Section 8 housing. Though she grew up in Massachusetts, she loves traveling and is a dual citizen with the UK and USA, and has studied abroad in Italy, South Africa, and Costa Rica.

Burlington

Madison Moran is an undergraduate studying Natural Resource Planning and Political Science at the University of Vermont, and is also Co-President of the Oxfam America Club there. She has become increasingly dedicated to Oxfam’s message through her work, and has kept busy with their events. In addition, she is extremely involved on campus, and is a traveler, hiker, and skier!

Diana Halbstein, originally from New Jersey, is now thrilled to be in Burlington permanently after graduating from the University of Vermont. Over the last several years, she has been very involved in the Fair Traide movement, and now works for her local Ten Thousand villages store, which is a non-profit fair trade retailer. She also loves biking, hiking, tutoring, and dreaming up travel plans!

Chicago

Sandra Agik, born and raised in Uganda, moved to Chicago in 2009 for college and fell in love with the city. After studying Biology she learned about how social determinants of health create disparities in various populations, and therefore became interested in Oxfam and its mission. She now works as a Research Assistant at the University of Chicago’s center for Clinical Cancer Genetics. She is also an avid traveler and loves the outdoors.

Lizzie Nolan  is Vice President and Co-Founder of a health and technology start up, and considers herself an adventurer. After studying and working on four different continents, she loves traveling. She has just finished a Master of Science in International Public Service degree and is eager to put it to use for Oxfam!

Columbus

Kenny Ruffin is a self-defined media artist, educator, musician, and community activist. He has spent over 20 years in higher education and broadcasting, teaching at the community college level at the Ohio Center for Broadcasting, as well as starting his own media company for non profits and local artists. He enjoys art, music, film, theatre, travel, photography and philosophy, and is dedicated to making the world a better place.

Des Moines

Amy Luebbert is a returning organizer who took off a year to do service as an Energy Corps AmeriCorps member. After working for a while at a financial company, she left to pursue a career more in line with her passions for the non-profit sector. She is also very dedicated to her local church, and loves cats and vegan food! With all of her previous experience she is excited to continue as organizer.

Indianapolis

Kim Kiser is a returning organizer who currently works at a local organization called Second Helpings coordinating volunteers to make meals from donated food. The organization also serves the meals at homeless shelters, low-income day care centers, after-school programs, and senior programs throughout the area. Kim recently graduated from the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and now volunteers with Slow Food, the Indiana Climate Collaboration, Toastmasters, and with her church.

AJ Feeney-Ruiz is very involved in politics, with dual JD/MBA degrees from Indiana University and more than fifteen years of political work experience in both the Indianapolis and Washington, DC areas. In addition, he has extensive experience with public relations, management roles, consulting, and international experience – having been to seventy-five countries and time living and working abroad! He is currently chief mediator for discrimination cases brought forth in his county, and is very involved in his community.

Kansas City

Edna Wijnterp is a returning organizer, born and raised in beautiful Puerto Rico, who now works as an Operations Specialist at a bank in Kansas City. She loves to travel and meet new people and learn from different cultures. She has loved being involved with Oxfam and creating awareness of our global social problems, particularly those surrounding women’s rights.

Diana Arcila was born in Colombia, and studied accounting there until she moved to the U.S. with her new family. She later moved to her current home in Kansas City and started working as a Reconciler of Internal accounts in the United Missouri Bank. She is an active participant in her community, volunteering, giving free classes, and living and working closely with the Hispanic community there. She is a true believer of communal identity, seeing us all as citizens of the universe who should work to help each other.

Madison

Yolibeth Rangel-Fitzgibbon is originally from Venezuela, where she studied agriculture. She then came to the U.S. to study Plant Pathology at University of Wisconsin Madison, where she stayed on to work after graduation. After starting a family, she now works as the Program Director for an after-school program for less privileged children, dedicated to improving English literacy and good character. With food justice still as an important issue for her, she is dedicated to making a difference in society and has always been involved in her community.

Alice Reznickova is an environmental justice advocate, with degrees from University of Wisconsin – Madison and Smith College in Chemistry and Environmental Science. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW – Madison, where she explores the social inclusiveness of the local food movement. Alice is also currently the Director of the Greater University Tutoring Services at UW, and an active volunteer for a neighborhood center where she teaches science to children.

Minneapolis

Margaret Richardson is a resident of St. Paul who has been very involved in her community. She is a parent who single-handedly raised 5 almost adult children, and is someone who loves bringing people together to work on a problem, campaign, or a party. She is currently a CNA/PCA/HHA science instructor for elementary school children and is constantly challenging her students to be problem solvers.

Janiece Watts is an active participant in community organizing, on issues including environmental justice, economic equality and food justice. She has worked on campaigns such as Raise the Wage, and has sat on the Minnesota Trade Policy Advisory Council, to research implications of a bill in Congress. She is a passionate advocate for many social justice issues and loves the mission of Oxfam.

New York City

Jennifer Viechweg-Horsford was born in Grenada, and has always been actively involved in poverty and youth issues globally. She has extensive experience as a public servant in Grenada, and has represented the island nation in many platforms. After attaining her Master’s in Business Administration she deepened her understanding of poverty issues by attending a seminar in China. She is now an independent consultant, the volunteer coordinator for a youth group, and is also involved in parent leadership.

Elizabeth Tillman is originally from Florida, where she first studied and worked at a law firm. Then, after obstaining her Masters from the University of Leicester, she moved to New York where she is currently working at an investment firm. She also volunteers with the grassroots development aid organization, Kageno Worldwide.

Philadelphia

Sarah Magnelia first got involved with Oxfam as a student at the University of Texas at Austin with their college club. She moved to Philadelphia recently for a job as the College Placement Associate at KIPP, a national network of charter schools. She has spent time in Tanzania doing HIV/AIDS outreach, and mentored freshman in the Texas Interdisciplinary Program.

San Francisco

Janet Lee was born in South Korea, lived between Korea and Indonesia when she was young, and finally came over to the US at the age of 8. After attending an arts junior high and high school doing violin performance and dance, she attended University of Southern California where she graduated in 2012 majoring in business, with an emphasis on tech entrepreneurship. She currently works at Apple in the Geo Expansion team but is excited to learn more about social entrepreneurship and policy through Oxfam. She is also an avid traveler, going abroad for study, work, leisure, and volunteering.

Nadine Lueras-Tramma was born and raised in Southern California, and moved north four years ago to go to UC Berkeley. After studying Social Psychology, she volunteered with Kiva as a Community Support Intern. This experience inspired her to travel to East Timor, where she worked for a micro-finance institution. She now lives back in Berkeley, working her way up to apply to grad school for International Development.

ALSO Welcome our 2014-15 Peer Facilitators!

Isaac Evans-Frantz is a reproductive health educator at a community health center in Northern Manhattan. He has volunteered with Oxfam Action Corps NYC since 2008, when he helped launch the group, and has been instrumental to its growth and numerous community alliances since then.  He recalls attending his first Oxfam America Hunger Banquet at age 10, and is excited about helping the Action Corps build relationships with other organizations. 

Jasmine McBeath is from Arizona, but moved to Albuquerque a few years ago. She works at Big Brothers Big Sisters, offering support to volunteers, families, and children. She finds the work extremely rewarding (with the added benefit that it helps her practice her Spanish!). When she returned from her year in Brazil, she wanted to continue learning about development work and low-and-behold she found Oxfam. She has been a leader for the New Mexico Action Corps for two years and is thrilled to return as a peer facilitator!

Megan Nakra is a clinical Research and Development scientist who focuses on various avenues to impact change especially in regards to public health. With a Masters in Biotechnology and working on a Masters in Public Policy, she assumes many roles. These roles include teaching undergraduate students, chairing health events and creating marketing campaigns for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, and practicing as a licensed EMT. Megan is ready to forge forth and generate waves of solutions with Oxfam.

Elizabeth Norman is originally from North Carolina where she grew up near her grandparents’ farm. She moved to Brooklyn after graduating from Oberlin. In addition to working in finance for a non-profit and volunteering with Oxfam, she volunteers with street trees and is studying French. She loves to travel, and has had the opportunity to volunteer on a cheese-making sheep farm in France. She has loved being a part of the Oxfam Action Corps for the past year and is ready to take her commitment to the next level.

Sugar Can Be Sweet! An Update from Behind the Brands

Check out this fantastic update from our own Megan Nakra, Chicago Oxfam Action Corps Organizer, about the latest from Behind the Brands. For the original post, go to: http://www.chicagooxfamactioncorps.blogspot.com/

(Quotations from the Behind the Brands website)

"After nearly 6 months of campaigning, the world’s second largest food and drink company agreed to a zero tolerance policy on land grabs and for its bottlers to do the same.

“Consumer power just got a little bit stronger,” said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International. The second biggest food and beverage company in the world has committed to put its full weight behind preventing land grabs in its supply chain. Suppliers who want their ingredients to be used in everything from Pepsi Cola and Doritos to Gatorade and Mountain Dew must now ensure their land is acquired responsibly.

“This would never have happened without hundreds of thousands of people standing up to insist that companies respect the rights of people in their supply chains. No company is too big to listen to its customers. Together we can transform the food industry if consumers demand it.”

PepsiCo’s announcement comes on the heels of similar commitments made by the Coca-Cola Company in late 2013 after just one month of your campaigning.

And Associated British Foods (ABF), the other company you’ve been calling on to act, recently created new policies committing to the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), which helps ensure communities are consulted and must give consent before the land they are using is sold. Oxfam is currently in dialogue with ABF-owned Illovo, the largest sugar producer in Africa, to encourage them to take further steps to implement this policy.

So what exactly have they committed to?

Oxfam welcomes PepsiCo’s commitment to “zero tolerance” for land grabbing, including commitments to:

1. Adhere to the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent and require that its suppliers, including bottlers, do the same.
2. Disclose the top three countries and suppliers of its cane sugar.
3. Conduct and publish social, environmental and human rights assessments, including into land conflicts.
4. Engage with governments and international bodies to support responsible land rights practices.
5. Engage with suppliers regarding the cases in Brazil and Cambodia highlighted by Oxfam’s Nothing Sweet About It report to pursue resolutions that respond to community concerns.

We’ll be closely tracking PepsiCo to make sure they follow through on their promises - see the roadmap here.

What does this mean for farmers and their communities?

As one of the biggest food and beverage companies in the world, PepsiCo has immense power to influence its suppliers and other companies in the industry. As a result of these commitments, better measures will be taken by PepsiCo to avoid land conflicts that drive farmers off their land and out of their homes.
“We applaud PepsiCo’s important step forward in declaring zero tolerance for land grabs,” said Byanyima. “We will monitor the actions the company takes to follow through on this commitment. In particular we willcontinue to advocate, along with local partners, for appropriate resolution for the communities in Brazil and Cambodia who continue to struggle to regain the rights to their land. Other companies must now follow PepsiCo and Coca-Cola’s lead and transform the industry’s approach to land rights”.

Thank you

Without your voices, this would not have happened. So we need you to be ready to speak out again in May when we launch our next action on the injustice of climate change."


What to Post on Social Media
We’d love your help to celebrate, spread the word and thank your supporters. Please post the following on social media.

Twitter:

• WIN! You spoke, @PepsiCo listened! (link to blog) RT to share the news! #behindthebrands
• GREAT NEWS: @PepsiCo have committed to zero tolerance of land grabs! (link to blog) RT to share the news! #behindthebrands

Facebook:

• You spoke, PepsiCo listened!After nearly 275,000 of you took action PepsiCo have committed to put its full weight behind preventing land grabs in its supply chain. Suppliers who want their ingredients to be used PepsiCo’s products like Pepsi Cola, Lays and Doritos must make sure they commit to the zero tolerance approach to land grabs. Find out exactly what the biggest food and drink company in the world has committed to in our blog (LINK) – and SHARE this post to share the great news!
• PepsiCo, the world's 2nd largest food and drink company, has listened to nearly 275,000 of you and committed to a zero tolerance policy on land grabs throughout their supply chain!  Following your pressure, PepsiCo will be making sure it's sugar, and other ingredients in its products like Pepsi Cola, Doritos and Tropicana, does not lead to farmers and communities being kicked off their land and out of their homes. You made this happen - so find out exactly what's been committed to and how we'll make sure they stick to their promises here - and SHARE this post to share the great news!