#139: Labour Day mini-letter

On strength in unity

Mōrena, and happy Tuesday, Climate Club folks! A short one today because we’re taking a break for Labour Day. There are a few actions from last week that you can still jump on!

NZ’s Labour Day commemorates the victory of a 8-hour working day. This was a global movement by trade unions, and the vast majority of the public who were union members, in the 1800s. NZ was one of the first countries to adopt the 8 hour day.

Poster by Ricardo Levins Morales with a variation of the phrase ‘Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest’. This phrase, coined by Welsh manufacturer & labour rights activist Robert Owen, became iconic to the movement.

Working conditions and wages that reflect cost-of-living still have much further to go. However, in the 1800s, the working day could range from 10 to 16 hours, six days a week, and child labour was common. We wouldn’t have shifted from that status quo without the work of activists organising the general public to work together on a common goal. Millions of people around the world volunteered their time & skills to fight for this this fairer, more liveable world. Can we do the same for the climate?

Gisborne Labour Day parade in 1908, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the eight-hour working day. Floats represented different trades, with slogans such as ‘unity is strength’. (Source: Te Ara)

Quick action

• Join a climate “union”! There are over 50 climate organisations in New Zealand. There’s something for everyone — food, fashion, finance, law, art, sports, humanitarian rights, and more. They are working together to build the rich tapestry of solutions we need, and they all need more volunteers.
  Action: Check out climate org that suits your interests. Even better, share with a friend and think about signing up together!

  • List of 50+ NZ climate organisations: divided into topics of interest

  • New Zealand Climate Action Network: NZ branch of a global network

  • Climate Movement Aotearoa NZ: very broad directory including NGOs, government bodies and council initiatives, and businesses

  • Project Moonshot: circular & regenerative initiatives in New Zealand.

  • Climate Job Board: a little spreadsheet we (very occasionally) maintain with climate roles in NZ

  • So You Want To Work In Climate: a massive list of communities, job boards, not-profits, and resources (a bit US-centric, but great for remote online volunteering!)

In case you missed it 

• The government’s list of fast-tracked projects include “zombie projects” like seabed & coal mining, which are being resurrected after they previously failed independent reviews. If the Fast Track bill passes, it strips decades of environmental protections, setting a dangerous precedent for prioritising profit over democracy and a liveable environment.

  Action: Fill out this survey to volunteer for a local anti-fast-track campaign

• A quick plug for my day job: Rewiring Aotearoa is calling on businesses and institutions – cafés, corporate offices, councils, churches, couriers – to take their national Machine Count survey. This study, supported by Ara Ake, will help us understand fossil fuel machines in New Zealand and how we could replace them with affordable, electric alternatives.
  Action, by 9 Nov: Take the survey for a chance to win over $3500 worth of prizes and/or share it: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X

That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this quote by American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead:

Source: @earthly.systems

See you next week, 

Jenny & the Climate Club team
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