"Petition signing constitutes a means of protest at the non-confrontational end of the protest spectrum" - Jill Sheppard Australian National University
Many of my earlier short blogs have focused on being active in the industry or making a statement as a consumer, however, there are many other ways people can help with larger environmental issues. If you can't spare time to volunteer with local community groups tackling these issues, that doesn't mean you can't help, you can ... even right from your own home! One such way is by signing online petitions. You may think adding your name will not make a difference, however, people power certainly has the potential to cause major policy change both in the environment sector and in other sectors. Petitions have become increasingly popular online (e-petitions), with this platform providing rapid widespread access. A recent study by Jill Sheppard explored the world of online petitions including access, opportunity and gender. Unsurprisingly skills and voluntary experience were strong predictors of petition signing. Her findings however identified that women were more likely than men to sign and distribute petitions (both written and e-petitions), and Australians of non-English speaking backgrounds were less likely to participate in written petitions however, they were well represented in e-petitions. The overall findings led to the conclusion that e-petitions are helping to reduce the barriers of participation and their widespread popularity is going to continue to increase. Within Australia and NZ there are many non-profit and community groups leading the charge with online petitions such as the Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA), The Wilderness Society WA, and Greenpeace. Each group has their chosen campaigns which the petitions generally align with, such as Plastic Free WA, Frack Free Future, Uranium Free and Renewable Energy. If any of these issues speak to you, help these groups help the environment by adding your voice to these petitions today. Is there an issue you are extremely passionate about that isn't covered by these groups? Well, thankfully the website Change.org enables anyone to get out there and start a petition. Find your voice and make a change! Further reading
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AuthorMy name is Garry and I am extremely passionate about the environment. I have completed my BSc. Conservation and Wildlife Biology with First Class Honours and have worked in the Environment sector since 2009. Archives
October 2019
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Local Food Initiative, mitchell haindfield, everyoneisgone, Montgomery County Planning Commission, Takashi(aes256), ilyayakubovich.com