Shark Truth is a not-for-profit consumer awareness campaign that seeks to engage consumers in a collaborative discussion to find alternatives to shark fin soup. We are dedicated to promoting awareness around the irreversibly detrimental effects of the shark finning industry, specifically working with (and not against) consumers.

My friend Claudia Li co-founded the effort with Vivian Kwong in the summer of 2009. Along with a great team of volunteers, they have been working hard to make Shark Truth an effective and engaging campaign. The team realized that existing campaigns (such as
WildAid’s Shark Conservation Program and Sea Shepherd’s Defending Sharks campaign) were not creating a dialogue with the Chinese community about the practice of shark finning. While these campaigns and others have done a great deal to raise the profile of this issue, they have mainly focussed on the supply side of the situation. Shark Truth, by choosing to focus their efforts on the demand side, have a chance to develop awareness amongst the culture and community that constitutes the largest market for shark fin. As Chinese Canadians, the team’s sensitivity to both the cultural and ecological facets of the problem provide them with an opportunity to effect real change. They know that another attack campaign full of images of blood and gore is not going to reach the Chinese community, so they are instead seeking ways to collaborate with the consumers of shark fin soup to find alternatives.

As a city, Vancouver represents the largest market for shark fin soup in Canada, and a major proportion of Canada’s Chinese population: 75% of Canadian Chinese live in either Vancouver or Toronto. Shark Truth’s organizers hope to make Vancouver the first step in a broader campaign. They have begun both Personal and Wedding Pledges to “Stop the Soup”, and have provided information on the website and other campaign materials (including Shark Truth info in fortune cookies!) about the unsustainable and inhumane practice of shark-finning.

I have been interested in the campaign and their unique approach since I first heard about it. In order to assist, I undertook the development of the Shark Truth website. In collaboration with the team, I designed and implemented a custom look and feel for the website, using WordPress as the CMS, and developed identity materials to match the existing logo. In addition to this role, I advised on web and social media strategy, and consulted on technology selection and maintenance.

The campaign is off to a great start. The Launch Event at Wild Rice was sold out, raising over $2000 for the campaign, and featured a presentation by world-renowned marine biodiversity researcher Dr. Nick Dulvy, IUCN Shark Specialist Group Co-Chair. Since then, we’ve had lots of interest from the community, including a pledge to not serve shark’s fin soup at a 1000 person wedding! That’s a lot of sharks who get to keep swimming a little longer.

It’s been a pleasure working with the team, and I fervently hope their passion and perseverance will help to slow and eventually reverse the demand for shark fin. Sustainability requires a thorough reassessment of how we use our planet’s limited resources. Sometimes this means slow changes. In other cases, such as this, change must be rapid and resolved in order to make a difference, else we risk losing one of Earth’s oldest and most beautiful predators, and with them the balanced ecosystems that have sustained our oceans for millenia.

2007 was Creative Creature’s first year of 1% membership. The experience has been a very positive one so far. I believe strongly in the mission of the organization, and the practical commitment they ask for is a tangible force for change. As interested as I am in environmental progress, it’s unlikely I would have looked up CPAWS and made a donation today, had I not been a 1% member. The structure offered by 1% FTP makes it easier to organize these individual efforts to contribute to something bigger. It’s exciting to be a part of. I can only imagine what a difference could be made if a 1% environmental commitment were applied across the national or world economy. It really wouldn’t be so hard.

So, rather than a rant about the issue, I’ve decided to restrict myself to a list of the things I feel I’m doing right for the environment in my everyday business, and those that I need to improve upon. The latter are combined with a commitment on my part to actively pursue those improvements. Since this blog is dedicated primarily to my business, I will focus on those activities to do with Creative Creature.

The things I’m doing right

• I work from home, eliminating the need to commute.
• I turn off my monitors and speakers when I’m going to be away from my desk for more than a couple of minutes, helping to conserve energy. I also unplug my computer overnight (though I do leave it sleeping).
• I bike to all meetings, reducing the noise and pollution caused by car traffic. Thanks to the climate in Hamilton, I can do this throughout the year (though it gets chilly sometimes!).
• I use recycled paper for all printing, and use both sides of the page most of the time. I also recycle all fine paper waste that my activities generate.
• I donate 1% of my sales to environmental organizations through 1% For The Planet.

The things I can improve on

• I leave my routers, hubs, and telephones plugged in and running when I leave the house for days at a time, consuming unnecessary energy.
• I have not converted to CFL bulbs in my home. I have doubts about the Mercury in the bulbs, but this is debatable based on the method used for generating electricity in your area (ie. the method of energy production (coal plants) may produce more Mercury to power an incandescent bulb than a CFL would use in production and use combined). The energy mixture in Hamilton is primarily hydroelectric (Niagara Falls) and nuclear, so I’m still not sure about this.
• I use a wide variety of electronics loaded with plastics and heavy metals, every one of them manufactured under loose environmental guidelines in Asia and shipped overseas. The seemingly low environmental impact of the web industry (“It’s all digital! It’s all so perfect and clean!”) hides a lot of toxic waste. Not sure what my options are for this right now.
• I’m sure there are many more. Any suggestions?

Save Our Forests!

Finally, as a little goody for those interested in making the small changes, I’ve put together a little “No Junk Mail” 2.5″ x 3.5″ badge that you can download, print out, and put on your mailbox. I printed mine on sticker paper, but regular (recycled!) paper and some tape would work as well. If you’d like, you can download the artwork in Illustrator format and rework to your needs (maybe a skinny mailbox door?). Enjoy! I’d love to hear if you use it.

Download Formats

• 150dpi PNG
• 300dpi PNG
• Adobe Illustrator CS Format

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Public Domain License.

Yesterday I came across a banner ad for Blog Action Day while traversing the web. Interested by the title and graphic design, I followed the link to discover a pretty cool initiative started by a handful of (hippy, vegan, Baha’i) bloggers. The idea is this:

What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day?

One issue. One day. Thousands of voices.

The issue for the inaugural Blog Action Day is The Environment. I like the idea of focussing a wide variety of blogs on a single (multifaceted) issue, especially when it’s the central concern of our time. So far, around 3600 blog(ger)s have signed up for the event. The initiative seems to be relatively nonpartisan, which will hopefully increase its impact across perspectives (as opposed to ‘preaching to the choir’). In their FAQ, they state the following:

2. Does Blog Action Day have a specific agenda?

As much as is possible we are aiming not to push any particular agenda. Aside from the choice of theme each year, we encourage bloggers to write their own opinions, give weight to what they think is important and to be themselves.

We believe in unity in diversity, not uniformity.

3. Why the environment?

We have selected the environment as the 2007 theme both for the clarity of its importance and the undeniable urgency that issues like global warming and pollution have. It is an issue that can relate to virtually any subject, any blog and anybody.

The organizers have suggested several options for participants to help make the day a success. The first is to post on the environment on October 15th. They suggest writing about how the issue is important to you, how you go about decreasing your environmental impact, and what you think should be done to promote environmental protection. The second is to donate your day’s earnings to the environmental charity of your choice (four of the big ones are officially associated with the initiative – Greenpeace, the National Wildlife Federation, The Sierra Club, and The Conservation Fund). Finally, they suggest helping to spread the word about the day, as I’m doing here! As I devote 1% of my earnings to 1% for the Planet, I’m not sure whether I will be donating my day’s earnings (*most days $0! But I guess my monthly average divided by thirty) to one of the charities.

I’m also not sure exactly what elements of the issue I’m going to write about yet, but I’m excited to contribute to the day. I’m interested to see what others write, whether Blog Action Day is covered in the mainstream media, and how the concept of collaboratively focussing on a single topic flies in the blogosphere. I think it’s an idea with a lot of positive energy behind it. It’s really easy to register, so if this is something that interests you, add your voice to the chorus. See you October 15th!

Whereas, we do not believe our government, or any government, is doing enough to protect and restore the health of our planet, to work toward sustainable commerce, to exercise full cost accounting in our use of non-renewable resources, and to tax them accordingly.

And whereas, we recognize we do not have totally sustainable and harmless businesses, or lifestyles, and we have an obligation to mitigate the damage we cause, regardless of whether or not we make a profit.

Therefore, we have decided not to wait for any government to do the right thing. We are committing our businesses to donate at least 1 percent of our net revenues to efforts that protect and restore our natural environment.

As we all know, this world will not be worth living in if we continue on our present course of overconsumption and thoughtless destruction. A 1% ‘tax’ on business sales seems a miniscule price to pay to help preserve and protect the natural world. Critics will say it’s not enough, or that it’s too late. Either or both of those statements may be true, but they offer little in return for their cynicism. I hope that this kind of thinking will catch on on a broader scale in time to salvage what is left and build a better future for all of us. Let’s do what G. Love says, and, “Save the whales! And the pygmy marmosets too!”