The Evolving Homemaker

Every Monday I will have information to share about events coming up, groups and non-profits you might be interested in, green ideas to implement, people that are amazing me in their efforts; basically any actions I think will show off  the true range and magnificence of MAMAVISM! It is so important for us to remember small changes make a big difference when done collectively.  Our wallets, our choices, companies we support, ways we reduce at home, all make an impact in the future world our children will inherit from us.

So giddy up!  Let’s take mamavism on the road!

MAMAVISM MONDAY:  Intel Needs Your Pennies

Today’s Mamavism caught me completely off guard all of last week!  But I gotta tell ya, I have been glued to Facebook since last Monday, checking the comings and goings on the official Intel Facebook fan page.  I will offer a quick rundown of what actually transpired that had me chuckling and grimacing both, my tummy in knots, and my ex-political self on the edge of my seat anticipating the drama unfolding.

If you are completely in the dark about the Democratic Republic of Congo and the violence in the eastern region of that country, based on natural resources, stop here first to get the low down.  Then read on.

Last Monday, Lisa Shannon, her mother Ann, and a bevy of other activists protested at an Intel plant in Hillsboro, Oregon, urging Intel to support H.R. 4128, the Conflict Minerals Trade Act.  They brought along with them signs reading ‘Your supply chain. Your responsibility.’ and 45,000 pennies. One penny per life lost in the Democratic Republic of Congo every single month due to violence perpetuated by conflict minerals.  One penny per product is also the estimated cost to companies for going conflict free.

Lisa Shannon had been in Washington D.C. just a few weeks before, lobbying representatives, speaking at a legislative briefing on Capital Hill:

During this visit to Washington, Lisa also got her hands on some leaked documents showing that leaders in the tech industry were also lobbying, trying to get the bill watered down.  Intel being one of those companies.

The day of the protest at Intel, no one came out to talk to them except a couple of security guards.  So Lisa, crusaded a ‘virtual’ protest.  She used social media to garner support and show Intel that she wasn’t the only one willing to pay at least a penny to ensure that the lives of 45,000 Congolese a month were saved and the rape of hundreds of thousands of Congolese women and girls would cease.

She went onto their Facebook fan page, and started posting the realities of Congo and what Intel was doing to take the meat out of H.R. 4128.  She then suggested we, and everyone else who is her friend on Facebook, do the same.  What happened after that is both laughable and shocking.

Intel started deleting everyone’s post.  A tech company.  Deleted protesters posts on their tech savvy social networking page.

They quickly saw the publicity error they had made, and reinstated the posts.  They also released a couple of highly generic statements too, here is one of them, about how they support non-conflict minerals.

This is so only the beginning of social networking and activism.  As information is becoming more accessible to the average consumer, companies are becoming more accessible too.  I guess that is a side note that they weren’t expecting.  During all this, someone posted to Lisa Shannon’s Facebook page how a virtual assault on Nestle was beginning to take it’s toll too, successfully pressuring Nestle to become more sustainable in its harvesting of palm oil. Read the article from the Independent here.

If you want to take action today in support of H.R. 4128 and the attempts by Intel, along with other industry leaders, to weaken the bill, first go to their Facebook page and tell them you are willing to pay a penny more!  You can also peruse Lisa’s blog to understand the background behind their protest in Oregon.

Certainly don’t leave your Representatives in Congress out of the picture either.  Call their offices, fax them letters, and let them know their constituents are looking for a strong bill too! To find out how to contact your representatives, look here.

Then join the branch campaign started to send Intel your pennies too! They do need to get the message that it isn’t just Lisa who cares about what is happening in Congo.  We are their consumers, and we care about one of the worst human rights campaigns in history to keep citizens powerless, all in the name of natural resources too.

So collect your pennies, from under the couch, in your kids rooms, on the floor of the car, and send them in:

Intel Corp.

c/o Suzanne Fallender

2200 Mission College Blvd.

Santa Clara, CA 95054-1549

All I can envision is the scene in Miracle on 34th Street where the lawyer for Santa brings in all the letter addressed to him, piling them as high as they would go, the letters spilling over onto the floor, Santa sitting there with sheer joy on his face…

Lets send the same message to Intel!  That we believe in non-conflict products and we are willing to pay more for them to guarantee the lives of our fellow human beings, and our fellow sisters, were not lost in the process!

Spill it: Do you know about the atrocities regarding the Democratic Republic of Congo and our cell phones, Playstations, Wii’s, laptops and other tech gadgets?  Would you be willing to pay the penny, or even more, to guarantee these violent supply chains no longer exist?

Posted May 24th, 2010 under Mamavism. Tags: conflict minerals, Intel and the Conflict Minerals Trade Act, Intel deletes activists posts, Intel needs your pennies, lisa shannon, mamavism monday, Nestle palm oil campaign, protest at Intel, send Intel your pennies
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