James5

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I’m a big Facebook user, I check it virtually hourly during uni. A cool recent addition to Facebook is Applications. These little things let you add stuff to your profile page like games, questions, links, and other random stuff. Below I’ve got my Top 3 Facebook Justice Applications, picked by me based on their goodness, whether I’ll actual use them and other random criteria. Below the top three I’ve also listed some honourable mentions. What Facebook apps do you think are a must for an avid justice-facebooker?

The Top Three

(in no particular order)

1. Causes
   
   

   Make a difference, on Facebook! Causes on Facebook lets you start and join the causes you care about. Donations to causes can benefit over a million registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

   Causes is probably one of the most Facebook apps with over 3 million users. Chances are you’ve probably already got this one installed. The app adds a little badge to your profile page that lets you specify Causes that interest you. Not only does it let you show your friends what you care about but it allows visitors to your profile to make a donation to the cause quickly and easily. My only gripe is that the Causes to pick from are very US-centric, and so groups like Hooked aren’t included. Otherwise, this one is highly recommended.

2. Traveller IQ Challenge
   
   

   Compete to find where famous places, cities, and travel destinations are located. Your Traveler IQ is based on how close you clicked and how quickly you found the spot. Just install and go! Have fun!

   While maybe not directly green or justice orientated, this little app is a fun way to learn geography, which along with history, is an essential element to meaningful contemplation of global issues. Perfect for quick breaks between lectures or at lunchtime at work, you’ll soon have a better grasp of the geography of the world we live in.

3. Greenbook
   
   

   Facebook uses energy, which puts CO2 in the air. Greenbook reduces the CO2 in the air the more you use Facebook… so now you can feel good about spending 18 hours a day on Facebook! Basically, we use sponsorship money to buy Renewable Energy Credits (REC). These use the market to offset not only CO2, but NOX, and SO2.

   This app uses sponsorship money to buy carbon offsets for your profile’s energy usage. While I don’t think the amounts are directly correlated at the moment, it’s seems like a good way to offset some of your Facebook usage. I’m not 100% sure of their accreditation system yet, but the creator seems to quite legit in their intentions. At the moment it’s totally not-for-profit so all the money raised goes to paying for hosting and buying credits. Also, they don’t actually display any advertisements on your profile page, so that’s good, but I’m not sure what the sponsor gets for the money. So tread carefully with this one.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

GetUp are running a campaign to let Malcom Turnbull know that the Gunn’s pulp mill in Tasmania is not a good idea. Add your voice and show him that we do care about one of the last pristine environments left. You have until Friday!

Popularity: 2% [?]

After work today I stopped by Starbucks (on Swanston St) to see how Fairtrade was doing. I asked the guy behind the counter if they served any Fairtrade coffee and was immediately told that “all their coffee was Fairtrade”. Interesting…I took him at his word and, at his recommendation, ordered a “Caramel Latte” (not a drink I would recommend). While waiting for my latte I read through some of their pamphlets and came across one about Fairtrade.

Surprise, surprise, not all of the Starbuck’s coffee is Fairtrade. Only two blends are - Estima and Timor Lorosae - and those, according to the pamphlet, are only available on request via the press method of coffee making. I then went back to the Baristas and asked them what the deal was? The person I first talked to was corrected by a senior staff member, and I was told that I could only get Fairtrade in whole bean form, or on the rare occasion that it is the blend of the month. So I’m not quite sure what’s going on, next time I’ll try ordering a pressed Fairtrade coffee and see how it goes.

I have e-mailed Starbucks, and filled in their in-store feedback form, but am yet to hear back from them. In the meantime I present Four Ways Starbucks Misses the Mark on Fairtrade:

1. Education - while the pamphlet and one staff member knew what the deal was with Fairtrade, it is clear that their staff members need to be made more aware of their own business practices. Technically Starbucks may have even been in breach the Trade Practices Act by misleading me as to the content of my coffee cup. Also, they should have known that I can request a pressed Fairtrade coffee, and offered it to me when I mentioned I wanted some Fairtrade goodness.
2. Advertising - for a company that promotes itself as in tune with social responsibility and as a community place and all that, a few pamphlets tucked away near the sugar packets really doesn’t cut it in terms of letting people know that Fairtrade is an option. Starbucks should at least have Fairtrade on the menu.
3. Accreditation - the Starbucks pamphlet about their purchasing practices was very convincing, and I do want to believe they are doing the right thing (anyone got any info on how accurate the claims are?), but for me to believe I’m gonna need someone more independent than the Starbucks Marketing Team telling me. Starbucks needs to work with FLO or another independent organisation to demonstrate that their coffee meets the tests and is really fair.
4. Commitment - Starbucks needs to show some real commitment to the cause and convince us that this isn’t just a token issue. Doing the above will help, as would providing Fairtrade options for all their coffee products or show how they are working to make their other suppliers fair - and I mean demonstrable evidence, maybe even a timeline of future goals to hold them accountable to (some Fairtrade choc items would help too).

Even with the above, however, Starbucks getting better (as pressure amounts). They have made attempts to become more responsible for their coffee purchasing, and some of the roadblocks they are dealing with seem valid - for example the restriction of Fairtrade licencing to co-ops. It also has to be remembered that Starbucks buys massive amounts of Fairtrade coffee, 16% of worldwide production according to their pamphlets, so they are definitely involved in the system - even if this amount pales compared to the rest of their coffee supplies.

As always consumer demand is where it is at. If more people request Fairtrade I’m sure they’d respond accordingly, is Australia ready for a Starbucks Challenge? I’d be more then willing to donate space/domain name/time if some more people come on board. Let me know and maybe we get something happening.

UPDATE: Just got an email from Starbucks. So the real deal is that you can get a Fairtrade coffee pressed at any Starbucks store just by asking. It should cost $5.95 or $8.95 depending on size. They also offered me a $10 Starbucks gift voucher for my trouble. So once that comes in I’ll be trying out some city Starbucks to see how hard it is go get a Fairtrade coffee. If you have any Starbucks Fairtrade experiences let us know in the comments.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Following on from the ecological footprint, you can now calculate your water footprint. Type in a whole lot of consumption details and it will spit back a number. It’s still in it’s early stages, but could be a very useful tool especially during our water crisis.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I am sick of tired of the perverse way advertisers get to degrade women and pollute our mindspace every single day. On the way home from work yesterday I was struck by just how ridiculous the situation is. Firstly, MX had a full page ad on their backpage for Hippo that was a picture of a half-naked couple making out on the couch. Secondly, at Mitcham train station (and elsewhere around the public transport network) GPO have been using a women in overtly sexy underwear to promote their shopping complex.

What on earth was going through the advertiser’s, publisher’s and Metlink’s minds when they approved these ads for general consumption? These ads were displayed at train stations, bus stations and tram stops - where thousands of children line up daily on their way to school. The MX ad was plastered over it’s back cover, so all commuters, even those who don’t read MX, had it in their face for virtually their whole journey home.

I know people say “if you don’t like it just turn it off/look away/don’t buy it”, but with ads like these they are in my face regardless of my choices. I didn’t pick up MX, but the ad was still in my face. I didn’t seek out the GPO ad, just by standing on the platform it was in front of me. I don’t appreciate my mind being polluted by these images, let alone young children having to put up with it either.

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Popularity: 4% [?]