People & Planet

Infobox Non-profit
Non-profit_name = People & Planet
Non-profit_
vector_
Non-profit_type = Limited company and Charitable trust
founded_date = 1969 as 'Third World First'

founder =
location_city =
location_country =
location = Oxford, UK
area_served = UK
origins =
key_people =
focus = Student activism, Poverty, Human Rights and Environmentalism
method = Lobbying, protest, direct action
revenue = £560,000 Pound Sterling (2007-8)
num_volunteers = 20,000 members of their primary mailing list
owner =
Non-profit_slogan = Student action on World Poverty, Human Rights and the Environment.
homepage = [http://peopleandplanet.org/ peopleandplanet.org]
dissolved =
footnotes =

People & Planet, often abbreviated to P&P, is a network of student campaign groups in the UK. It claims to be "the largest student campaigning organisation in the country campaigning to alleviate world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment."

Organisation

As of March 2007 there were 64 University Groups and 73 6th Form/College Groups in the People & Planet Network, and over 20,000 people on its "e-supporter" mailing list.

The "Support Office" provides training and resources to the groups. Based in Oxford, the office has a budget of a £560,000 for 2007-8. This is very low when compared to organisations with a similar support base and remit (such as Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and Stop AIDS). People & Planet has struggled with funding in recent years, relying primarily on governmental grants, trusts and foundations for support.

People & Planet groups are completely autonymous and there is no formal membership system. Decisions on the future of the network and the work of the Support Office are made by a Management Committee (half of whose members are students) and at the annual "Forum" event.

Some groups, while being part of the People & Planet network, operate without being called 'People & Planet'.

Campaigns and events

Annual events include "Shared Planet" - a student campaigning conference (as of 2006, the largest of its kind in the UK), "The Forum" - the annual decision making conference where the Management Committee are appointed and new campaigns elected, and "The Summer Gathering" - a training event.

People & Planet's current campaign areas are Climate Change, HIV/AIDS and Trade Justice.

"The People & Planet Green League"

In June 2007 People & Planet published the UK's first university league table to be based on environmental impact, with Leeds Metropolitan University coming out top. [People & Planet, [http://peopleandplanet.org/gogreen/greenleague2007/table People & Planet Green League 2007] , accessed 17 June 2007] [Anthea Lipsett, [http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2104028,00.html Leeds Met tops green university league table] , "The Guardian", 15 June 2007, accessed 17 June 2007]

The Green League won "Best Campaign" at the 2007 British Environment and Media Awards [Green League Wins Award, [http://peopleandplanet.org/navid5021] ]

An updated league table will be published on the 22nd May 2008.

"Trade Justice"

In 2007 and 2008 People & Planet groups have also campaigned regularly outside branches of the high-street retailer Topshop in an attempt to raise awareness of Topshop's poor worker's rights record.

Royal Bank of Scotland Campaign

People and Planet co-published a report, along with several other pressure groups, detailing the RBS’ investments into oil and gas extraction. The report claims that RBS are one of the world’s primary financers of oil and gas extraction projects and outlines case studies of RBS funded projects in environmentally and politically sensitive regions where larger amounts of financing is required. [http://carbonweb.org/documents/Oil_&_Gas_Bank.pdf "The Oil and Gas Bank" report] ]

People & Planet have called on RBS (who owns Natwest, the UK’s largest student bank) to shift there investments from fossil fuel extraction to renewable energy projects. Campaigning done by People & Planet groups has caused several students' unions (many which bank with Natwest) to threaten RBS with a boycott. [ [http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/news/1557 EUSA | Students pack-out George Square lecture theatre for Students’ Association AGM] ] [ [http://www.luuonline.com/referendum/index.php LUU | Referendum Site] ] [ [http://www.yusu.org/democracy/ugm/motion.html?id=179 YUSU | Sustainable Banking] ] The NUS has also expressed concern. [ [http://www.officeronline.co.uk/blogs/davelewis/275029.aspx NUS banks with NatWest] ]

Past successes

*Largely due to pressure from People & Planet groups, there are now 28 Fairtrade Universities and 4 Fairtrade Schools.
*The Ethics for USS (the University Superannuation Scheme) campaign persuaded the £20 billion lecturers’ pension fund to adopt a socially responsible investment policy.

History

The organisation was founded in 1969 as [http://thirdworldfirst.org.uk Third World First] by a group of students, supported by NGOs including Oxfam.

Third World First was instrumental in setting up the magazine, "The Internationalist" which was later reincarnated as the now popular activist-magazine, The New Internationalist.

Quotes

*"“Over the last three years People & Planet has become an extraordinary organisation which attracts student supporters on a scale unmatched within the UK charity and campaign sector. More than any other youth organisation it is encouraging the emerging generation to see themselves as global citizens with a responsibility for taking action on global problems of poverty and the environment.”" -Joel, Lord Joffe, CBE, Chair of Oxfam, 1999.

Notable People

* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/may/24/obituaries.mainsection Guy Hughes] (1974-2006) was head of People & Planet's Campaigns until 2004 when, following the outbreak of war in Iraq, he set up Crisis Action, a UK initiative to help co-ordinate NGO responses to crisis situations.
*The environmental campaigner and journalist George Monbiot is the "Patron" of People & Planet.
*Mark Lazarowicz MP is a former member of University of St Andrews Third World First society.

External links

* [http://www.peopleandplanet.org/ People & Planet website]
* [http://thirdworldfirst.org.uk/ History of Third World First]
* [http://www.crisisaction.org/ Crisis Action]

References