'Buy responsibly' – programme on Sustainable Production and Consumption
In various ways, we affect Polish consumer behaviour to make the world a cleaner, fairer, safer and better place. Since the start of the campaign in 2002, we have been showing who produces everyday goods and the conditions in which they work. We try to find out whether the production process was harmful to people, animals or the environment. Together with consumers, we seek out ethical and ecological alternatives. We conduct information and educational campaigns, we cooperate with teachers, other NGOs, we get to businesses and the government.
As an organisation, we are members and representatives of the Fair Trade Coalition. Together with the Karat Coalition, Polish Humanitarian Action and the eFTe Warsaw Group, we have established a Clean Clothes Poland coalition (CCP). It will realise the aims of the international Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) in Poland, and also organizes its own projects related primarily to consumer education and dialogue with clothing companies.
Action for the Global South
This campaign strives for fair and equal conditions for development of all nations in the spirit of responsibility for other people and the environment. To achieve this goal, we provide the Polish people with reliable information and initiate public debate on the global interdependence of more and less developed countries. We believe that a fair relationship between the rich and poor parts of the world can be shaped not only by impersonal policies, but also by the voice of informed and active citizens - from both rich and poor countries. As well as discussing the road to global justice and prosperity, we also call for careful use of natural resources which make development possible.
'For the Climate' programme
We campaign for climate protection because we believe that climate change is one of the most serious problems currently facing humanity. In cooperation with the Climate Change Coalition, we actively participate in shaping Polish energy and climate policy and campaign for an ambitious agreement in UN climate negotiations. We also educate Polish people about how they can tackle climate change on the individual level. Climate protection is a new and complex issue. Therefore, it requires the involvement of different bodies at many different levels. In response to the most important challenge of the coming decades, we engage politically, both at national and European level, in order to establish effective legislation in the field of climate protection. We also work with the media and increase public awareness through face-to-face educational campaigns and cyber-activism.
Funds for sustainable development
A huge array of funding is available to Poland, as a European Union member state. These include the pre-accession period funds and the measures offered by the European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This wide variety of funding creates a number of challenges for our country. This money can be simply just spent, or it it can be spent wisely.
We monitor the distribution of funds and their impact on the environment and sustainable development. Representing CEE Bankwatch Network in Poland, we analyze the impact of international financial institutions on the development of Central and Eastern Europe. We monitor institutions such as the World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank. As members of the Environmental NGOs Coalition (POE) for EU Funds, we support NGO representatives in fund monitoring committees, develop analysis and reports and promote projects which bring tangible social and environmental effects.
The Green Partnership in Eastern Europe
The development of democracy and a civil society are essential tasks for post-communist societies. In the 1990s we received significant support from the West in these areas. Still, the transition is a difficult and lengthy process. However, in Poland it is certainly facilitated by the integration with the European Union as it offers a lot of practical assistance, including legal and financial help. In cooperation with Belarusian environmental organisations, we promote the transition to democracy and civil society in Belarus. By sharing our experiences, we have helped to develop a network of Belarusian NGOs called "The Green Partnership”. This has resulted in further cooperation and joint initiatives for sustainable development, carried out together with the local authorities and local communities.
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