On 13th March 2010 five women aged from 37 to 69 years old begin walking for a nuclear free and sustainable future to protect the natural environment for your children, grandchildren and their great grandchildren.

Follow our journey by reading our trip blog here or or click on read more below to see our walk route.

We are walking from Brisbane to Canberra working with many local people in townships along the way. Please support our courageous adventure by joining our walk – one hour, one day, one week, or the whole way or by donating.

Come and join us or wave as we walk by.

Please contact us we would love to hear from you:
e. [email protected]
p: 0438 169 414
w. www.footprintsforpeace.net

Friends of the Earth and a broad alliance of environment groups have today submitted concerns in response to the Queensland Government discussion paper "Strategic Cropping Land: policy and planning framework".

Friends of the Earth spokesperson Bradley Smith says that while the groups are hopeful, the proposed framework currently falls far short of protecting good quality agricultural farmland from coal mining.

“It is a monumental step forward that some of Queensland could finally be protected from coal mining and that some coal will stay in the ground, where it cannot damage our climate,” said Mr Smith.

Event: Women's Peace Walk Launch

Saturday March 13, 8am - 10am. Jagera Arts Centre, Musgrave Park, South Brisbane 

The Women's Peace Walk “Footprints for Peace” will begin their epic trek to Canberra to send a message of peace, environmental sustainability and anti-nuclear proliferation to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

The event is expected to take three months taking in many towns and cities before finishing in Canberra. Their journey will end at the Canberra Aboriginal Tent Embassy where the Message Stick will be presented to the Prime Minister.

The expanding coal industry has been invading some of Queensland's best food producing land, and farming community groups have been fighting to stay on the land. Help them by making a submission today!

Now, after over a year of campaigning by Friends of the Earth Brisbane's coal campaign, Six Degrees, the Queensland Government has announced they will change the legislation to protect good quality farmland from destructive mining expansion, and are welcoming comments on their discussion paper.

Please add your support to the creation of strong and broad protection to give certainty to landholders. The alternative is a weak policy riddled with loopholes, which is exactly what the coal industry will be lobbying for.

You can use the form on the campaign website to make a submission which will go straight to the Government. Feel free to use the example text provided, or to customise your own submission. For more information, go to the Government website here.

Friends of the Earth is appalled at the State Governments position to cull the dingos of Fraser Island, one of the last remaining full blood populations.

Since European colonisation dingos have been hunted and killed to allow the expansion of unsustainable cattle and range land farming across Australia's delicate ecosystems, pushing full blooded dingoes into extinction.

Friends of the Earth rejects the prioritisation of tourism and human utilisation of our national parks, particularly plans to open Queensland National Parks to private eco-tourism resorts, over wildlife and request the State to review culling practices to ensure ongoing survival of the species.

"The Department of Environment and Resource Management and Minister Kate Jones must review State position towards the dingo. Dingoes should receive the same treatment as wombats and koalas with relocation programs and plans that maintain the species".

"The current state of the dingo of Fraser Island is terrible, closed off from their hunting grounds and food sources, they are clearly suffering. Further talk of culling is appalling"

Further Friends of the Earth request the State Government to work in partnership with local Indigenous Traditional Owners to develop a long term management plan of Fraser Island that will ensure the National Park is protected from over use, protect the natural wildlife, and stop four wheel drive beach access.

Further comment:

Derec Davies
07 3846 5793

Copenhagen, Denmark, Friends of the Earth International condemned the exclusion of critical civil society voices -- including Friends of the Earth -- from the UN Climate conference.

Friends of the Earth International denounced today an attempt by the Danish Prime Minister to derail the U.N negotiations in favour of rich countries and condemned the exclusion of critical civil society voices -- including Friends of the Earth -- from the UN Climate conference.

"The Danish Prime Minister is trying to push an illegitimate process which is opposed by many developing countries as well as civil society. This untransparent Danish initiative must be abandoned and the legitimate UN process restored. The last draft we saw from the Danish Prime minister favored US positions and undermined binding mitigation targets for developed countries, said Lars Haltbrekken from Friends of the Earth Norway.

Friends of the Earth on the front foot against claims of condemning many South-East Asian populations to a life of poverty.

Measuring the value of climate-safe livelihoods against the mighty chocolate bar can be a hard line to swallow, writes Friends of the Earth's Derec Davies. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/07/2648885.htm

Time and time again opponents of environmental sustainability paint a false dichotomy between securing healthy livelihoods for the world's poor and creating sustainable environments. A recent article by Tim Wilson from the Institute of Public Affairs, accusing "armchair environmentalists" of condemning many South-East Asian populations to a life of poverty, shows a lack of comprehension of what is at stake for both people and planet.