RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK February 1S97
Y C O T T
U I S H X t- C:r.; : • Y V ‘. A M P A X G N
TURNING MITSU BISHI GREEN
: i •> i ., / ;■ ,u , . DEAR CAMPAIGNERS facturing Company in British Columbia. CCMC is not only the world's largest Howdy! As the Interim Campaign Coordi disposable wooden chopstick manufactur nator, the new year has brought many ing plant, but it also wastes up to 85% of the challenges for me. It has also brought ■: wood that it cuts because it is not white opportunities to expand the boycott and enough. take it in new directions. Your constant and heartfelt work has First of all, I would like to thank all of you • ^ pushed Mitsubishi to divest from these • for your hard work. Because of that work, ,'t '■ ' ■' ' <
was awarded to Mitsubishi Hea\ y I idus- tries despite San Francisco's Burin . Ordi THE BOYCOTT IS ON! nance and objections by the city's h man Do not be confu >ed - Jesse Jackson lias Rights Commission. Despite a c » rt rul i .g called off the P iinbow Coalition's boycott of that overturned Mitsubishi’s bid, I ie pro; ?ct Mitsubishi bf cause he is satisfied with is still not settled. We will contim 3 to Mitsubishi's improvements regarding pressure San Francisco to deny thi > contr. .ct sexual ha assment. The global environmen throughout the appeal process. G ir dire< t tal cor nr j- jty, howevt r, has not seen the actions bring Mitsubishi's forest d istruction impr j'74'.nents we demand. Mitsubishi and human rights abuses to the li; ;ht of C or/r, j'ion is still one of the world's worst public scrutiny and Mitsubishi ex ‘cutives to cor porate destroyers of rainforests. It still the table. r ops up the illegitimate Burmese military regime, the SLORC. It still participates in Again, I would like to thank all of the cultural genocide the world over. The grassroots activists who have brought tb ^ boycott is on! Full force ahead! movement so far. We couldn't do it w’ , hout your constant hard work and ded;c-' ;1on to protect the forests of the world ar j their inhabitants. You rock!
For the Forests, J.C.
RAINFOREST HAIKU
Trees are treasured friends M itsubishi sucks Why do you cut the trees down? Digging up the earth zoith trucks You have no friends left! Just to make big bucks -Kota Mio (Age 7, Kyoto, Japan) -Maura Hurley, Kyoto
Please write Haiku for our 4th annual Haiku and art project. Last year over 10,000 haiku were sent to the president of Mitsubishi urging him to work towards a more sustainable future. We would especially like to invite students, teachers, and professors to get in volved in the project. All you need is a pen and paper, (recycled or tree-free please) and your creativity.
A Haiku poem consists of one 5 syllable line, one 7 syllable line, and ending in another 5 syllable line. We are also asking people to make origami cranes or any other artistic cre ation to get our message across. You can use the enclosed postcard or send your Haiku by March 1 to:
Mr. Minoru Makihara Mitsubishi Corporation or Mitsubishi International 6-3, Marunouchi 2-Chome 520 Madison Avenue Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 100 Japan New York, NY 10022 ($.60) ($.32)
Please send or fax all other artwork and copies of your Haiku to the Rainforest Action Network office. Please call Joshua at 415-398-4404 with any questions.
450 Sansome Street #700 • San Francisco, CA 94111 • (415) 398 4404 • FAX (415) 398 2732 • E mail boycottmcfigc apc.org Printed on 100% tree-free paper made from Kenaf fiber RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK MITSUBISHI/BURMA concrete work and discovered only an empty office with two desks in a ware CONNECTION house occupied by an ice cream company." Despite the fact that San Francisco, like eight other cities, one county and one state, This is a victory for human rights and the has passed an ordinance which prevents the environment. Decisions like this show city from contracting with corporations that Mitsubishi that it will be held responsible do business in Burma because of their for its actions. Please send in the enclosed human rights abuses, the San Francisco postcard telling Willie Brown that you Airport Commission voted to accept support taking a tough stance with compa Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' low-ball bid nies doing business in Burma and the to build a people-mover at the airport. agreement San Francisco has made to stop Mitsubishi does business in Burma in many supporting a tyrannical military regime. different capacities including buying teak You can also email him at taken from Burma's rainforests and supply [email protected] . ing the pipeline that is being built using forced labor. Airport commission members The following localities have passed selec voted to award the contract in a 3-2 vote tive purchasing laws regarding Burma: (interestingly, the three men who sup Massachusetts; Alameda County, CA; ported it had little interest in the evidence Berkeley, CA; Madison, WI; Santa Monica, presented as to Mitsubishi's social prac CA; Ann Arbor, MI; San Francisco, CA; tices). Oakland, CA; Carrboro, NC; Takoma Park, MD; Boulder, CO. New York City is cur We were ready to release this story to you rently pending a decision on this. and ask you to send a postcard to San Francisco's mayor Willie Brown urging him The following companies have withdrawn to respect that democracy and human rights from Burma due to consumer and share are at stake in this decision. After our first holder pressure: Pepsi, Levi Strauss, round of printing the postcards we had to PetroCanada, Amoco, Liz Claiborne, Eddie rewrite the story because of a court decision Bauer, Macy's (Macy's stopped direct sourc to reject the bid. The airport commission ing from Burma, but its store still stock and the city attorney decided to ignore the apparel made in Burma), Columbia Sports city's Human Rights Commission (HRC) wear, Oshkosh B'Gosh, Heinekeri, Carlsberg, recommendation to reject Mitsubishi be London Fog/Pacific Trails, Apple Computer, cause of specific problems meeting affirma Interbrew (Labatt's), Wente Vineyards, tive action goals and also the broader Motorola, Philips Electronics, Hewlett- question of its involvement in Burma Packard, and Eastman Kodak. Let's get because of legal loopholes in the wording of Mitsubishi added to this list! the ordinance. The deal was thrown out, however, because of Mitsubishi's inability to comply in minority hiring practices (and Aung San possibly because it attempted to deceive the Suu Kyi, city about its minority contracts), which Burma's violates San Francisco's charter to promote democracy leader & minority- and women-owned businesses. Nobel Peace So bad was Mitsubishi's attempt to falsify Prize winner, compliance with the hiring requirements calls for the that the San Francisco Chronicle reports withdrawal that when an HRC representative went to of foreign check up on one minority subcontractor investment which was "slated to do $4.2 million in from Burma
450 Sansome Street #700 • San Francisco, CA 94111 • (415) 398.4404 • FAX (415) 398.2732 * E-mail [email protected]
Printed or. 100% tree-free paper made from Kenaf fiber | RAINFORES1 }ACTION NETWORK February 1997 j
a SUPER RUBIN 7 A U T O S H O W S Many of you have been keeping up on the Tis the season to storm the auto shows. Super Rubin 7 — a group of seven activists That's right, they are starting up the '97 in Longview, WA who climbed and locked season and it's time to get active on it. For down to the Super Rubin ship last October those of you who have been with the cam to protest the export of whole logs and jobs paign for a while, you know that this has from the Pacific Northwest by Mitsubishi. been one of our strongest areas of pressur The activists are facing two felony charges ing Mitsubishi through protests and civil and fines of up to $20,000 and legal fees. disobedience. And, as many of you know, Please help these activists by doing either this pressure has brought Mitsubishi Motors or both of the following: 1) Send a check to and Mitsubishi Electric to the negotiating the Super Rubin 7 legal defense fund (make table with RAN. As a result, Mitsubishi checks payable to Motors and Electric kicked in $200,000 to Rainforest Action form the Systems Network - sorry, this Group, which donation is not tax- researches systemic deductible); and 2) solutions to the sign and send the global forestry post card enclosed to crisis. In return, the prosecuting RAN has agreed to attorney. stop promoting civil disobedience focus P a n c a k e ing on Mitsubishi P a lo o za Motors or Electron Who would have ics. The protests, thought that so many however, continue people would get up on. for a 9:00 Sunday morning pancake/ In Los Angeles performance art activists kicked off extravaganza to raise the year by entering money for the Super the auto show with Rubin 7 legal defense Boycott Mitsubishi fund?!? On January t-shirts. They were 12 in San Francisco allowed to walk we did just that - around for about 15 with great results. minutes, and were Highlights included Leanne - Rockin’ the Boat! then forced to leave. an easy listening banjo This is a victory ■■ version of AC/DC's You Shook Me All over last year's auto show in Los Angeles Night Long by Charles Herman Wurmfeld, where activists were forcibly evicted from classical music by the San Francisco Sim- the auto show because they were wearing phoney string quartet, spoken word "Na the t-shirts. They have taken up a court ture Makes me Itchy" by Justin Chin, and a case for this as a violation of their freedom song written for the SR7 about rolling of expression, and believe that the auto around naked in the woods (with lyrics too show's response this year should help their graphic for print) performed by Minnie pending court case. Pearl Necklace. We raised almost $1,300 to for the activists and served over 25 pounds of pancakes.
450 Sansome Street #700 • San Francisco, CA 94111 * (415) 398,4404 • FAX (415) 398.2732 * E-mail boycottmc-iigc.apc org
Printed on 100% tree-free paper made from Kenaf fiber RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK :ebruarv 1997
Corinth. Pulp bought from Al-Pac by PO R TLA N D 6 - 1 Thilmany is used to make chewing gum ■ v -. h > On October 16th, 1996, Portland activists wrapers, frozen juice cans, and lightweight " | - Sf took part in World Rainforest Week by pouches to contain dry instant food prod 1 ' ill organizing an action and demonstration at ucts. the Key Bank Building, which houses Mitsubishi’s regional offices and the offices Corporate Empires § .. 'H' of Mitsubishi-owned Union Bank of Califor- According to the December 1996 issue of fts ‘ V 1 ft *> $ Sft$ Multinational Monitor, there are some nia. This direct action resulted in the arrests I T y j T T '! of the five activists committing civil disobe disturbing statistics on the world's biggest economies, as follows: dience and one demonstrator who was lllllllll^ s lll 1. Of the 100 largest economies in the world, providing support. The six arrestees are 51 are corporations, only 49 are countries. ■ llllilllll now facing $1,800 in restitution fines for the 2. The combined sales of the world's Top 200 police’s overreaction (see December 1996 corporations are far greater than a quarter of Update article “Cops First!”). the world's economic activity. 3. The Top 200 corporations' combined sales To help offset these fines, in December the are bigger than the combined economies of activists held a fundraiser at the local musi all countries minus the biggest 9; that is they cians hall in Portland. Members of the surpass the combined economies of 182 Portland RAG and Earth First! were on hand countries. ■ l l l i S l I * to inform folks about local issues and show 4. The Top 200 corporations have almost twice the economic clout of the poorest four- ■ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 new videos on the struggle to protect the i l l i ; fifths of humanity. 1111 forests of the Northwest. Village Spirit i u 5. The Top 200 corporations have been net Marimba Band played two sets of music that 1 - job destroyers in recent years. Their com ...... kept the mood festive and everyone dancing. bined global employment is only 18.8 mil After expenses, the group netted $410! lion, which is less than a third of 1 percent of the world's people. If you would like to help these dedicated forest defenders, please send a check to the And where does Mitsubishi fit into all this? Portland 6 legal defense fund (make checks They are the largest corporate economy in payable to Rainforest Action Network - the world, and the 22nd largest economy in sorry, this donation is not tax deductible). the world. In other words, Mitsubishi has a larger economy than the fourth most popu lous nation on earth: Indonesia.
RESEARCH 1 1 Alberta-Pacific According to Alberta-Pacific, the largest AWARDS CIRCLE bleach-kraft pulp mill in the world (wholly Corporate Watch
Mitsubishi owned) the Thilmany Mill in Corporate Watch is a new website that was ______Kaukauna, WI is Al-Pac's second largest launched to help people fight the corporate customer in the US. From 1995 to 1996 its powers. Rainforest Action Network, along purchases from Al-Pac have more than with Adbusters and McSpotlight were tripled, going from 300 tons per month to awarded their first three Corporation Buster 1000 tons per month. The Thilmany mill is awards for doing the finest job of using the an International Paper company, and as a Internet to confront corporate globalization result of their positive relationship Al-Pac and the work for more socially just and has obtained a market share in two other ecologically sustainable world. RAN was International Paper companies, Nicolet &
450 Sansome Street #700 • San Francisco, CA 94111 • (415) 398.4404 • FAX (415) 398.2732 • E mail [email protected]
Printed on 100% tree-free paper made from Kenaf fiber RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK February 1 997
one of the three award recipients because of organizers out in the field to help campus the coverage the site gives to the global groups get the Mitsubishi resolution passed. deforestation perpetrated by Mitsubishi The position is a two month assignment Corporation. Check their site out at : (March and April), and will pay a stipend www.corpwatch.org/home.html. and expenses (don't worry if you don't have a car). Organizing experience and Multinational Monitor familiarity with the Mitsubishi campaign is Kudos to Mitsubishi! You have to hand it to a plus, but everyone is welcome to apply. the folks - they are very good at everything Please send in your resume and cover letter they do - ecological destruction, cultural as soon as possible to RAN or call JC or genocide, sexual harassment, price fixing, Heather for more details. transfer pricing, etc, etc. So good, in fact, that in a recent issue of the Multinational W esleyan University joins the Monitor Mitsubishi Corporation was Campus Campaign awarded with being in the top-ten worst Add Wesleyan University, in Wesleyan, CT corporations in the world for their environ to the list of schools whose Student Associa mental practices and their history of sexual tions have passed the resolution to buy no harassment. Check out the most recent Mitsubishi products on their campaign. This issue for more details. brings the list up to 32 schools across the country that have signed a resolution to keep CAMPUS CAMPAIGN Mitsubishi off their campus. Job Announcement With colleges back in session and plenty of m m opportunities to kick Mitsubishi off your campus, we need to get organizing! As we have done in the past, we will be sending
mm. COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES ENDORSING THE MITSUBISHI BOYCOTT IMS■Air.* ii
E jp a Barnard College Tufts a l p Boston College University of California, Berkeley California State University - Stanislaus University of California, Santa Cruz Clemson University University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Colgate University University of Colorado, Boulder College of the Canyons University of Iowa Colorado College University of Kansas M i l l Carleton College (Northfield Minnesota) University of Minnesota Harvard University of North Carolina 1 ,r„ m Iowa State University University of Northern Iowa Monterey Institute of International Studies University of Richmond m m New College (San Francisco, CA) University of Vermont Raritan Valley Community College University of Washington San Francisco State University Wesleyan University TjWW Seattle Central College Whittman University Stanford Yale
450 Sansome Street (*700 » San Francisco. CA 94111 • (415) 398.4404 * FAX 1415) 398.2732 • E mail boycottmcvigc apc.org Printed on 100% tree-free paper made from Kenaf fiber American Consumer Insurance Maggie’s Organic Products Annie’s Inc. Mother Jones Aurora Press Inc. Odwalla Ben & Jerry’s Oneness Productions Bill Graham Presents Paper House Products Brat Pak Productions Paul Hawkin The Body Shop Progressive Asset Management Club Dead Real Goods Computer Publishing Group Recycled Paper Company Crystal Visions REMedia Dancing Tree The Stride Rite Foundation Earth Friendly Products Seeds of Change Earth Trade Seventh Generation EcoPrint Smith & Hawkin EcoTimber Stonyfield Farms Esprit de Corp Tamalpais Timber Works Executive Citizen Tree-Free Eco Paper Falcon Trading / Sunridge Farms Two Way TV Fetzer Vineyards Western Canadian Wilderness Committee Forest Essentials Wireless Plus Inc. Global Environmental Technologies Working Assets Wkpti Graham Contracting Inc. World Paper [v. - Heartland Institute World Stewardship Institute Just Desserts Zoolook m Jim Morris Environmental T-Shirts
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The Canadian Chopstick Manufacturing Company - incentive for the Mitsubishi Boycott
450 Sansome Street #700 • San Francisco, CA 94111 • (415) 398.4404 • FAX (415) 398.2732 • E-mail [email protected]
Printed on 100% tree-free paper made from Kenaf fiber