Saturday, May 26, 2012 — Clear 20°C
City

A Cure for that Wicked Live 8 Hangover

Posted by Lily Dustbin / July 4, 2005

2 Comments

ftt_logo.gif
Watching Breakfast Television this morning on CityTV, I noticed that viewers were responding super-negatively when asked whether or not Live 8 would have a positive impact on the African nations. We're talking 10 to 1 for the no side.

Global issues are overwhelming and no doubt, taking on world leaders is a daunting task, perhaps best left to the Bonos and Bobs of the world. However, the struggle against poverty doesn't end with Saturday's concert and the good news is that there are concrete things you can do as a Torontonian to continue to make a difference.

Visiting Fair Trade Toronto is a good start. Here you'll learn how your dollar vote (ie: which products you choose to buy) can help promote international economic development in a sustainable environment. Read about why buying only fair trade cocoa products will help West Africa and what specific actions you can take to support fair trade.

Gandhi said it best, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."

Discussion

2 Comments

Sort By Oldest First / Newest First

Subscribe

JackatM2 / July 4, 2005 at 12:58 pm
user-pic
How about we ask the Pope not to wear gold and silk robe, but donate the money to make vantican church pretty to the kids in Africa? How about asking the government or farmers not to dump food to control price, but intead donate all these potatoes that they dispose to Africa? And does the Queen needs a new outfit everyday she appears in public?
Reply
Megzor / July 4, 2005 at 02:00 pm
user-pic
While the Barenaked Ladies played at Live 8, singer Stephen Paige explained to the crowd that the base player, Jim Kregan, would be taking footage of the show back to the kids he met at the orphanages and public schools in Tanzania. Paige asked us to call out, "Hi Kids... We love you... We're trying!" It almost brought me to tears. It was touching, but it hurt. Were the people in the audience really trying to help those kids? It made me think: What could happen if every one of those 35,000 people there WERE trying and really, truly cared? What a difference we could make if those engergies were chanelled in this direction? Putting pressure on world leaders is important, but let's think about our own responsibilities. Let's think about what else we, as individuals, can do, and how we can use our lives, our time, our resources, to make a difference to those children we claim to love.
Reply

Add a Comment
Other Cities: Vancouver – Montreal