ACT!

– Addressing the Climate Threat

Newsletter 2009/01
2 September 2009

Informing you of the co-operative campaign to address the Climate Threat...

ACT! Launched at Sofia 09

Cooperatives Europe, the European region of the ICA, launched

ACT! – Addressing the Climate Threat at its General Assembly, June 2009 at
Sofia, Bulgaria.

ACT! was launched as a self-funding unit within Cooperatives Europe with the
specific purpose of co-ordinating and promoting the activities of co-operatives in
Europe to address the threat of impending climate change. This developing
crisis will affect all countries, including those in Europe, one way or another.
Therefore, co-operatives in all European countries should take steps to reduce
the threat and impact of climate change, and will do this more effectively by
working together. This will also increase the recognition of the contribution
made by co-operatives and their members.

What will ACT! do?

ACT! will focus its efforts in 3 ways. It will also propose that co-operatives
undertake activities in each of these same 3 ways, although the emphasis
between the 3 ways may vary from co-op to co-op, and from time to time. The 3
important elements that all co-operatives should undertake are:-

1. to reduce significantly the carbon emissions of the co-operatives

themselves
2. to inform and motivate their workers and members to reduce their own
carbon emissions
3. to lobby and campaign to persuade politicians to adopt good policies
and to do the right things to address the climate threat

COOPERATIVES EUROPE ASBL

EUROPEAN HOUSE OF CO-OPERATIVES ◊ AVENUE MILCAMPS 105 ◊1030 BRUSSELS
Tel. (32/2) 743 10 33 ◊ Fax (32/2) 743 10 39 ◊ OFFICE@COOPSEUROPE.COOP
Each of these elements is important. Firstly, it is very important for
co-operatives and co-operators to start quickly to make effective reductions in
their carbon emissions. For this reason, ACT! is supporting a campaign to be
launched 1st September 2009. The aim of this campaign is simple, and it is to
encourage organisations and individuals to cut their emissions by 10% in 2010,
as an important, practical first step, towards the more demanding targets, that
we all must achieve by 2020.

Copenhagen December 2009

Due to the crucial importance of the worldwide conference on climate change

that is taking place in Copenhagen in December 2009, ACT! will be focussing
on lobbying and campaigning for the next 3 months. The EU will have an
important voice at the Copenhagen conference and will determine the position it
will adopt at the end of October. This highlights a particular need for
co-operatives in Europe to campaign urgently for the EU to decide on
substantial carbon reduction targets, and to work towards a strong Copenhagen
Agreement that will reduce the Climate Threat.

ACT! Website

ACT! is developing a website http://actonclimate.coop and an on-line

co-operative petition that asks co-operatives and their members to register their
support for a ‘FAB Agreement’ at Copenhagen, ie. Fair, Ambitious and Binding.
The website is currently under development for launch on 21st September to
coincide with a week of Climate Change activity organised by the UN and to
coincide with an important G20 meeting, in the run-up to the Copenhagen
conference.

Sign the On-line Petition

ACT! will be asking co-operatives to encourage their workers and members to

use the on-line petition to register their personal support. ACT! will provide an
on-line tool, “cooper8” to enable co-operatives and co-operators to email friends
and colleagues to ask them to support the co-operative ACT! petition. The
co-operative petition will be sent to the UN, to Heads of Government, to MEPs
in Europe, and to the global ICA. It is important to maximise the number of
co-operatives and co-operators calling for a ‘FAB Agreement’ at Copenhagen to
ensure that the co-operative voice is heard, as it should be.

COOPERATIVES EUROPE ASBL

EUROPEAN HOUSE OF CO-OPERATIVES ◊ AVENUE MILCAMPS 105 ◊1030 BRUSSELS
Tel. (32/2) 743 10 33 ◊ Fax (32/2) 743 10 39 ◊ OFFICE@COOPSEUROPE.COOP
Actions to support ACT!

But, for all of this to work, we need your support and that of your co-operative.
Therefore, you are asked to personally support ACT! and for you to ensure that
your co-operative organisation agrees to support the ACT! campaign.

We want your co-operative to agree to support and maximise the impact of the
on-line petition when it is launched on 21st September. You are asked to do the
following actions:

 putting information about the ACT! co-operative website/petition on your

co-op’s own website (ideally in mid September, just before the launch);
 e-mailing members and workers to ask them to visit ACT! and to sign
the co-operative petition
 including information about ACT! in mailings to workers and members;
 informing customers about the ACT! campaign
and inviting their support, using websites, leaflets, mailing inserts etc..

We realise that time is short, but if you can make a quick decision to support the
ACT! campaign, the website and tools that ACT! will provide will enable you to
reach many members and workers very quickly and effectively.

We look forward to your support; please contact us for further information at

bobburlton.climatethreat@coopseurope.coop

“We hope that you are encouraged to see the work that is being done to ensure
that the co-operative voice on the Climate Threat is heard in the right places,
and is effective. We are confident that this is the sincere wish of co-operative
members throughout the world.” Bob Burlton, ACT! Principal

COOPERATIVES EUROPE ASBL

EUROPEAN HOUSE OF CO-OPERATIVES ◊ AVENUE MILCAMPS 105 ◊1030 BRUSSELS
Tel. (32/2) 743 10 33 ◊ Fax (32/2) 743 10 39 ◊ OFFICE@COOPSEUROPE.COOP