Moving forward

[Anders]

Hello everyone,
Just wanted to get a temperature check how we move forward?

As I'm not in Denmark I don't really have an idea what the general
feeling about Tar Sands in Denmark? Are people talking about? Do
people know about it? Do the media know about it?

I wrote a danish version of an interview I did with Rex Weyler which
was featured on Greenpeace Denmark:
http://www.greenpeace.org/denmark/da/nyheder/EU-modes-for-at-tale-om-tjaresand/
Please feel free to share as you like.

But what's the next step from here? Is not an easy task I know but we
need to find people and contacts that are interested in this issue to
join this group and the involvement to start spreading the word. This
is essential for us to do something?

So if anyone can invite any person or organization they feel might be
useful to this that would be great.
Alternatively I would like to hear suggestions of what we should do
next?

Thanks,

Anders

[Thomas Meinert Larsen]

Thank you for the article.

 

I wonder if it is possible to get a list of the companies who are involved in the Tar Sand projects in Canada, and who ALSO sells gasoline in Europe ?

 

I wonder if it is possible to campaign for at boycott of those companies in Europe, i.e. ask people NOT to buy their gasoline at those companies (such as BP, Shell, Total & Statoil who are listed in this Guardian article http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/23/eu-tar-sands-pollution-vote?CMP=twt_gu).

 

What do you think?

 

Kind regards

Thomas Meinert Larsen

Climate Movement of Denmark

>>> Anders <andersl...@hotmail.com> 01-03-2012 16:20 >>>

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[Carlos García-Robles]

Hi guys

I do not think the general public in Denmark knows about tar sands that much, and if they do, they partially understand the problematic, only the few that are interested on the issue know more or less what this is all about.

I suggest that the organizations and individuals interested in working on this should meet to discuss if a media strategy would be the best to start an awareness process within the danish public (I do think this is necessary).  I do think that  there needs to be an aggressive step by step media strategy.

The thing about tar sand oil, as I understand it, is that it gets mixed in the overall oil mix when it gets into the EU, so that is why the EU directive is all about the Co2 intensity of the oil that gets into the union. It is not about prohibiting tar sands as such, but it is about controlling the quality of the oil that does get into EU, tar sand oil would be not acceptable under this new regulations. But I do need to re-study the issue as I have not been that much into it for the past year.

My suggestion would be to schedule a meeting in DK, and  those not in DK should participate through skype. What do you guys think?

Here is the FoEE paper on tar sands (have to read it myself again)

http://www.foeeurope.org/corporates/pdf/Tar_Sand_Final_May10.pdf

Cheers

C

[Thomas Meinert Larsen]

Hi Carlos

 

Thank you for the reference to the FOEE paper.

 

1) What exactly do you mean by "media strategy"? Do you have some ideas or examples of successfull "media strategies" from previous activities?

Would a proposal for a "boycott of EU oil-companies working in the Canadian Tar Sands" be incompatible with your proposed media strategy? I would think that such a boycutt would attract some media attraction.

That will of course not be enough to educate the danish public - but it would be a start to create awareness - what do you think?

 

2) I agree on your description of the problems related to the Tar Sand oil extraction and the EU directive about CO2 intensities, but I am not sure what your point is.

Do you think that we cannot argue that all types of tar sands, extra heavy oil and oil shale are equally bad, and that therefore, we have to look at the extraction points in Canada, Morocco, Jordan etc. individually, in order to judge whether those should be considered OK ? Or can we take a stand, that all of these (new and much more energy-intensive oil-extraction techniques) are incompatible with the EU ambitions of promoting green development?

 

Kind regards

Thomas

 

>>> Carlos García-Robles<carlo...@gmail.com> 03-03-2012 18:20 >>>

[Kirstie Wielandt]

Morning everyone -

Really great to see us engaging in a debate about the issues.

Next Steps 1: Meeting
I think its a great idea to have a meeting - can I suggest that I speak to Greenpeace Nordic about borrowing their video conferencing room for an hour next week and Anders and I can dial in from the UK office? If so, who would be able to take an hour out of their time next week and which day and time would suit?

Next Steps: Facebook Group
In order to further the agenda of raising Tar Sands awareness in DK, Anders and I are thinking of setting up a Facebook Group with the same title as the Google Group which can serve as a place to share and circulate Tar Sands news to the broader public, what do you guys think about this idea?

All good things,

Kirstie

Kirstie Wielandt | Freelance Eco Events & Comms Manager
Ph: 07876573295 | Skype: findkirstie | Twitter: clerkenwellgirl

Join the exciting new campaign to make Ecocide a criminal offence:
www.eradicatingecocide.com

[Thomas Meinert Larsen]

Hi Kirstie...

 

I Agree on both.

 

Maybe friday march 16th in the afternoon (> 15.00) would fit me, but otherwise, I have a very busy schedule in the coming weeks, so please feel free to schedule a meeting without my attendance. I am sure that you will make some reasonable decisions that I and others can support.

 

Kind regards

Thomas 

 

 

>>> Kirstie Wielandt <findk...@gmail.com> 04-03-2012 10:57 >>>

[anders lorenzen]

Hi all,

Skype meeting on 16th march 15:00 suits me fine.
facebook page have now been set up: http://www.facebook.com/#!/DanishStopTarSandsInfoPage
Please like and join in the debate.

I agree with everything that have been discussed so far, as a first step I still think the most important thing will be to create and interest towards this and hopefully the facebbok page would do some of that work.

I also believe that we should target Scandinavian companies companies that are involved in Tar Sands ventures, we would need to work out a strategy of how we do that. That could be one of the points of first meeting. But we would need some resource statistics for this.

Anders

---

Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2012 12:55:25 +0100
From: t...@life.ku.dk
To: danish-stop-tar-sa...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Svar: Moving forward

[Thomas Meinert Larsen]

Hi Anders

Excellent.

 

Will you be able to add some - danish - text describing the purpose of the facebook page ?

 

I would be happy to "recommend it" broadly if it is more clear what the purpose of the page is.

 

Also...if, say, the danish media sees the page, I think it is more likely that they will write about it, if there is some easy "copy and paste text" available in danish on the site.

Also, they might be sceptical to report about/from the page, if it appears to be "created" by some international (i.e. not danish) NGO.

 

kind regards

Thomas

 

>>> anders lorenzen <andersl...@hotmail.com> 04-03-2012 16:09 >>>

[anders lorenzen]

Thanks Thomas,

And off course you're right. The language should first and foremost be in Danish. I have made a preliminary Danish description. Let me know what you think, it will probably need polishing a little bit, my danish gramma is a little bit rusty.

Anders

---

Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2012 16:37:07 +0100
From: t...@life.ku.dk
To: danish-stop-tar-sa...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Svar: Moving forward

[Derek Leahy]

Hey!

I am really sorry I am arriving to this great brain storming session so late! Been busy busy busy trying to get things off the ground in Canada, USA, & Europe for International Stop the Tar Sands Day (ISTSDay). 

Before I add my two cents to this great conversation, is anyone interested in a little warm up  for May 5th this Wednesday evening? We have been asked by the groups in Brussels ensuring the EU Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) does pass if we could take part in world wide candle light vigils in front of Canadian embassies and consulates. The call to action came from the US (see action alert below), but it coincides with the release of the "Dirty Oil Diplomacy" report (see attachment. FYI embargoes until this Thursday). The report is about the Canadian government heavy handed lobbying on behalf of the tar sands industry.

Groups in Brussels want to use the report and the candle light vigil to help our case in Europe with the FQD. I have written Carlos already with details. Would not take much time or effort. A few people, a few candles, a tar sands message, a pic and thats it.

Moving on!

I have attached a press release for International Stop the Tar Sands Day. Feel free to edit it for your own purposes. The press release will hopefully give you an idea of what ISTSDay is about. 

Facebook group is a great step (it is how we get started) and if anyone is feeling really eagar and they want to translate our website into Danish feel free to. The website:

www.stoptarsands.eu

Our approach in Europe for the last two years has been demonstrating the direct connection between the tar sands and Europe. Because very little tar sands oil actually sold in the EU, we have been looking at the European banks and oil companies invested in tar sands development.

Rainforest Action Network has a pretty good list of banks invested in tar sands development:

http://understory.ran.org/2010/01/31/banks-ranked-and-spanked-on-tar-sands/

 Some banks are not on RAN's list but are invested by a subsidiary. This is apparently the case with the Deutsche Bank for example.

Here is a list of oil companies invested. It is a couple year old. I am sure you can find an updated list if necessary

http://www.alberta-canada.com/documents/AOSID_QuarterlyUpdate.pdf

RE: boycotting of an oil company. You may want to consider Statoil. There is already a Norwegian campaign against Statoil's tar sands projects that you could support and Statoil is the only European oil company in the tar sands that is somewhat state owned. I believe people power would be more effective against a state owned company as opposed to a multinational.   

In Europe, we plan on focusing on the EU Fuel Quality Directive (FQD). Hopefully the final vote will take place in June which fits in perfectly with our May 5th event. We could use May 5th not only to raise awareness but mobilize people to put pressure on their governments to support the FQD. 

I find the FQD has become an issue of more than just tar sands. The Canadian government is trying to stop the EU from setting a dirty oil precedent, and they are not protecting a tar sands market. Canada has no right to interfere with EU democracy. Secondly, it is an issue of fuel in the EU. If EU is serious about decreasing its emissions and must use oil in the short term one would think the EU would not use fuels from tar sands or oil shale as is encouraged by the FQD.

For a little background on the FQD you may want to read this article we wrote. Needs updating as you will notice when you get to the end

http://stoptarsands.yolasite.com/eu.php

I would love to get in on the Skype conversation but I am in Tasmania at the moment and that would be 1:00 the follow day from me. Maybe next time!

I think this email has gone on far too long. One last comment. I have always had a soft spot for our actions in Copenhagen. I do not know if I have even told Carlos this, but it was because my experience in Copenhagen during COP 15 I went on to create ISTSDay. In fact, you could say the first ISTSDay was on a cold December 2009 night in Copenhagen when I participated when I met two activists from the UK (they later went on to be the UK organizers of ISTSDay) at tar sands candle light vigil. One last link (that night in Copenhagen):

http://www.ips.org/TV/copenhagen/canadas-tar-sands-–-dirty-toxic-and-huge/ 

Denmark, I will forever be in your debt for my experience in Dec. 2009 :)

Derek

ISTSDay European Organizer

Join activists around the country and stand against tar sands at a candlelight vigil in front of the Canadian consulate on Wednesday. Wednesday: Urge Canada to draw a line in the tar sands. Dear Hannah, It's hard to fathom the level of complete and total devastation involved in tar sands mining. It is literally the most environmentally destructive project on earth — yet the Canadian government is charging headlong into tar sands extraction and pushing for projects to expand it like the Keystone XL Pipeline. It's crucial that we raise awareness and pressure on them to stop. This Wednesday, the Sierra Club and local groups are organizing candlelight vigils at Canadian embassies across the country to shine a spotlight on the tragedy of tar sands. Can you be there? Attend the tar sands candlelight vigil in your city. Click here for details and to RSVP. It is incredibly important to raise awareness about what is involved in tar sands mining, and pressure the Canadian government — which enjoys somewhat of a reputation as a good environmental steward — to stop the rapid escalation of this devastating practice. When people learn what is involved in tar sands mining, they are far less likely to support it, or to support projects like Keystone XL.1 Tar sand mining transforms vast swaths of virgin rainforest into deep, barren open pits and toxic tailing "ponds" that can be seen from space. It leads to vast evisceration of species habitat and toxic water contamination that's already leading to rare forms of cancer in downstream indigenous populations. If you haven't seen photos, you should take a look.2 After leveling forests, massive truckloads of tar sand are dug from the ground, then processed using lots of water and heat (from burning gas) to extract the only 10%-15% bitumen content. The thick, toxic bitumen must then be transported to oil refineries to be refined into gas and diesel fuel. It's stunning that in the year 2012, a process this barbaric is being used to power our vehicles. But as long as the Canadian government pulls it out of the ground, someone, somewhere in the world will burn it. We will all pay the price, but the price being paid right now by Canadian lands and indigenous communities is truly tragic. Please stand with local faith, environmental and community activists against tar sands mining on Wednesday. Click here for details: http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5538082&id=36003-4093829-NUPchex&t=7 Thank you for fighting tar sands. Elijah Zarlin, Campaign Manager  CREDO Action from Working Assets 1. "New poll shows Keystone XL, like energy generally, a winnable fight for Dems," Grist, February 7, 2012  2. "Scraping the Bottom — The Canadian Oil Sands Boom, National Geographic Slideshow

“Only when we understand can we care, only when we care can we help, only when we help can we be saved.” – Jane Goodall

INTERNATIONAL STOP THE TAR SANDS DAY 2012

For information on our 2012 events please see our website and blog. You can also find us on facebook, twitter, and YouTube  

Feel free to contact me at:

Skype: derek_leahy
Email: derek.o...@gmail.com

[anders lorenzen]

Hi Derek,

Good to hear from you and thanks for your very positive email.

A campaign on Statoil would be good, maybe you can link us up with the people doing the campaign in Norway.
As for the Danish government, as far as I know they voted for the FQD so we cant really target them but I would be well up for an action for instance at Staoils HQ in Copenhagen with a possibility to include the US and Canadian embassy.

Also I still believe that is very important we use this to raise awareness in Denmark about Tar Sands, so will be in favor of some kind of information event too.

But this is all something we should discuss in our first meeting on Friday 16th 3PM, and I think know we should start looking at an agenda for that meeting maybe we should set up a google document and start sharing ideas for points of the agenda Kirstie up for setting this up?. In terms of conducting the meeting I suggest that any Copenhagen based decide on a venue and the rest of us can join via skype. I can create an facebook event via a page for the meeting once location have been decided.

Let me know your thoughts,

Onwards...

Anders

---

Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2012 20:45:59 +1100

Subject: Re: Svar: Moving forward

From: derek.o...@googlemail.com
To: danish-stop-tar-sa...@googlegroups.com

[Kirstie Wielandt]

Hello all, sure happy to draft an agenda, how about this one for starters:

AGENDA
1. Intros and welcome
2. Reminder of objective of group - ie. event, awareness and overall movement building
3. Tar Sands Day 2011 overview
4. Tar Sands Day 2012 ideas
- organising group recruitment
- overall objectives
- media objectives and spokespeople
- event design and logistics
- budget
- promotion
5. Next steps
6. AOB

Anything missing? Cheers,

Kirstie

[Thomas Meinert Larsen]

Hi Kirstie

 

Could I ask you to add the following emails to the group:

skri...@cuminum.dk
isabell...@gmail.com
jens...@gmail.com

Kind regards

Thomas

 

>>> anders lorenzen <andersl...@hotmail.com> 06-03-2012 17:55 >>>

[Kirstie Wielandt]

Sure, all done ;o)

Kirstie Wielandt | Freelance Eco Events Manager

[anders lorenzen]

Hi all,
Just a quick feeler if we're still conducting a meeting this Friday? If we are it would be good to know who can make this. Also we should decide how we should conduct this? Do Copenhagen people wanna meet in Person and the rest of us can join via Skype?

Let me know,

Anders

---

Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2012 18:50:20 +0000

Subject: Re: Svar: Moving forward

From: kirstie....@gmail.com
To: danish-stop-tar-sa...@googlegroups.com

[Kirstie Wielandt]

Dear All - Happy Tuesday I suggest we all dial in on skype on Friday at 3pm CET and Danish time / 2pm UK time, what are everyone's skype details? My username is:

findkirstie

Thanks,

Kirstie

[Carlos García-Robles]

Yeap, skype sounds good to me, mine is carlosgarciarobles1

cheers!

C

[anders lorenzen]

Great, mine is anders.lorenzen1

Anders

---

Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:22:45 +0100

Subject: Re: Svar: Moving forward

From: carlo...@gmail.com
To: danish-stop-tar-sa...@googlegroups.com

[Thomas Meinert Larsen]

ok, mine is thomasmeinertlarsen

>>> anders lorenzen <andersl...@hotmail.com> 13-03-2012 21:06 >>>