People & Planet is a network of student campaign groups in the
UK. It is "the largest student campaigning organisation in the country campaigning to alleviate
world poverty, defend
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
and protect the
environment."
Organisation
People & Planet is Britain's largest student network campaigning on global poverty, human rights, and the environment. The network has over 2,000 active members at 50 universities and 79 schools and colleges across the UK.
People & Planet groups are autonomous and there is no formal membership system. The organisation is overseen by a Board of Trustees, the majority of whom are student members elected by the network. The support office, based in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, provides training, outreach and resources to support groups and campaigns.
People & Planet is funded primarily by grants from trusts and foundations. People & Planet has a ''Fundraising and Activist Network'' allowing members to make regular monthly donations that provide invaluable unrestricted income to support the organisation's work.
History
The organisation was founded in 1969 as ''Third World First'' by a group of students at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
, supported by
NGOs
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
including
Oxfam. In 1997, the network voted to change the name to People & Planet.
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
''New Internationalist'' (''NI'') is an international publisher and left-wing magazine based in Oxford, England, owned and run by a worker-run co-operative with a non-hierarchical structure. Known for its strict editorial and environmental pol ...
.
Campaigns
People & Planet's current campaign areas are
climate action and the rights of migrants.
Migrants' rights
In 2015, People & Planet students democratically decided to introduce a migrants' rights campaign at annual summer camp Power Shift: Training for Change. Staff worked with students to develop the Undoing Borders campaign, launched in 2016.
Climate change
In 2013, the People & Planet network launched a new campaign targeting the fossil fuel industry, and in particular the role of fossil fuels]. Working in partnership with
350.org
350.org is an international environmental organization addressing the climate crisis. Its stated goal is to end the use of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy by building a global, grassroots movement.
The 350 in the name stands fo ...
, the Fossil Free UK campaign aims to sever the links between the fossil fuel industry and UK universities. These links include investments and endowments, academic research, sponsorship and partnership arrangements.
In 2017, People & Planet introduced a new climate campaign targeting high-street banks over their financing of fossil fuels.
Divest Barclays took particular aim at Barclays due to its status as the worst bank in Europe for providing finance to fossil fuel projects and companies. Students campaigned for universities and students' unions to boycott Barclays and took direct-action targeting Barclays' AGMs in 2018 and 2019.
People & Planet's previous climate change campaign, ''Going Greener'' aimed to create 'Transition Universities'. It brings together a student movement on campus working towards low-carbon, resilient and community-led education institutions that achieve carbon emissions reductions of at least 50% by 2020.
Past successes and campaigns
People & Planet activists have played a key role in action for social and environmental justice across a variety of campaigns.
*Largely due to pressure from People & Planet groups, there are now over 100 Fairtrade universities and 106 Fairtrade secondary schools.
*The Ethics for USS (the University Superannuation Scheme) campaign persuaded the £20 billion lecturers’ pension fund to adopt a socially responsible investment policy. The legacy of the campaign was the founding of charity
FairPensions (now ShareAction).
*People & Planet supported the world's largest ever garment boycott, which led to the establishment of the first recognised garment union in Honduras & 1200 factory workers being re-employed.
*The Treat Aids Now campaign persuaded the UK government to lead an international commitment to provide HIV/AIDS treatment for all by 2010.
*As part of the Jubilee 2000 campaign, People & Planet and other groups secured $88bn
debt cancellation for the world's poor.
*The ''Buy Right'' campaign, focusing on defending human rights within university supply chains. Universities are being encouraged to sign up to the
Worker Rights Consortium The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) is an independent labor rights monitoring organization focused on protecting the rights of workers who sew apparel and make other products sold in the United States, particularly those bearing college or university ...
, an independent monitoring organisation that supports workers in the garment industry in defending their workplace rights.
*People & Planet was involved in setting up a new organisation, Electronics Watch, which will performed similar monitoring function in the Electronics sector. The associated Sweatshop Free campaign asked universities to affiliate to Electronics Watch.
The People & Planet University League
People & Planet's ''University League'' is the only comprehensive and independent ranking of UK universities by environmental and ethical performance. In 2019, the People & Planet University League was published in ''The Guardian.''
The People & Planet Green League The People & Planet Green League is the only comprehensive and independent ranking of United Kingdom universities by environmental and ethical performance and practice. It is compiled by the student campaign group People & Planet. From 2007 to 2010 ...
was first published in 2007, as a way of driving forward environmental performance within the university sector. The People & Planet University League publicly benchmarks the sector's green credentials by combining universities' estates performance data with information about their environmental policies and management practices.
It initially scored UK universities on four key institutional factors needed to drive forward significant and sustained improvement in environmental performance, as highlighted by the Going Green report. These criteria were:
* The active, public support of senior university management for a programme of environmental performance improvement.
* Full-time staff dedicated to environmental management.
*A comprehensive review to investigate all the environmental impacts of the institution, and performance monitoring.
*A written, publicly available environmental policy.
Since the first Green League in 2007, People & Planet has widened the criteria to assess both policy and performance of higher education institutions.
The University League is widely credited with shifting the UK's Higher Education sector towards improved environmental management and performance. In 2012, People & Planet awarded 46 First Class awards in the University League, compared to just 15 in 2007. Notable improvements have been measured in areas such as the proportion of renewable electricity used by universities (72%, up from 12% in 2007) and in the number of Fairtrade Universities (112, up from 41 in 2007).
In 2012, People & Planet held its first ever Green League Graduation Ceremony in Westminster, celebrating the achievements of its top-ranking universities.
Awards and Praise
The Green League won "Best Campaign" at the 2007
British Environment and Media Awards.
The People & Planet Green League has been shortlisted for the Green Gown award, administered by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC).
Notable people
Guy Hughes(1974–2006) was head of People & Planet's Campaigns until 2004 when, following the outbreak of
war in Iraq
This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Iraq and its predecessor states.
Other armed conflicts involving Iraq
* Wars during Mandatory Iraq
** Ikhwan raid on South Iraq 1921
* Smaller conflicts, revolutions, coups and periphery confli ...
, he set up
Crisis Action, a UK initiative to help co-ordinate NGO responses to crisis situations.
*The environmental campaigner and journalist
George Monbiot
George Joshua Richard Monbiot ( ; born 27 January 1963) is a British writer known for his environmental and political activism. He writes a regular column for ''The Guardian'' and is the author of a number of books.
Monbiot grew up in Oxfordsh ...
is patron of People & Planet.
*Former members include
Mark Lazarowicz, MP;
Catherine Stihler
Catherine Dalling Taylor Stihler (née Taylor; born 30 July 1973) is a Scottish former politician who is chief executive officer (CEO) of Creative Commons. A member of the Scottish Labour Party, she was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) ...
, MEP (alumna and 52nd Rector at the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
); and
Mark Ballard, former MSP and Rector (at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
) where the People & Planet group was instrumental in his election in 2006, against a field including
Magnus Linklater
Magnus Duncan Linklater, CBE (born 21 February 1942) is a Scottish journalist, writer, and former newspaper editor.
Early life and education
Linklater was born in Orkney, and is the son of Scottish writer Eric Linklater and arts campaigner Marjo ...
,
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
and
John Pilger
John Richard Pilger (; born 9 October 1939) is an Australian journalist, writer, scholar, and documentary filmmaker. He has been mainly based in Britain since 1962. He was also once visiting professor at Cornell University in New York.
Pilge ...
.
*The internationally published hymn writer and theologian
Brian Wren is a former Coordinator of People & Planet.
References
External links
*
History of Third World First
{{DEFAULTSORT:People and Planet
Environmental organisations based in the United Kingdom
Human rights organisations based in the United Kingdom
Political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom