Equitable `environmental space` for all is going to be the new issue
How does FoE International function?
For us, democracy for us is a basic requirement for sustainable development. We also want to practise this within the group because we want to have active, aware, idealistic and motivated people.
Our campaigns are based very much on links with local groups, which enables us to not only approach national governments directly but also reach local governments. For instance, in the campaign to save the rainforests, the local groups were the first to go to the local governments and ask them to change regulations so that tropical timber is no longer used in house-building.
Local group members aren"t people who simply take instructions from the national office. They are aware of what is happening at the their level and not only understand but also agree with our positions. They basically decide what our national staff has to work on.
How are local groups constituted?
When people in a village indicate to us their interest in forming a group, we put them through the basics of being an FoE local group. We also choose areas in which they can start working, but then, very quickly, they set their own agenda. The local groups are branches of FoE Netherlands and legally fall under the same framework. For example, they cannot start court cases -- it is always the national organisation that does that.
How does the national group monitor a local group?
The staff -- not the executive committee -- keeps track of the local groups and tries to learn and understand as much as possible of what they are doing. But this is not the same as directing them. Even though local groups set their own agenda, it is advantageous for them to work with other local groups and the national staff. For instance, the use of pesticides in a park can evolve from a local concern to a national campaign for regulation of chemicals.
Sometimes, a campaign taken up independently by local groups can turn sour. When they tried to ensure that restrictions on the number of pigs were enforced -- pig manure is responsible for acid rain and contamination of groundwater -- they got into trouble with powerful farmer groups. Ultimately, this affected the national organisation, which backed the local groups. This is an example of a campaign that might not have been started by local groups if they weren"t part of a larger set-up. But they did not discuss the matter at the national level and the national organisation had to face the consequences without being prepared for it.
How are campaigns organised?
It depends. An agriculture campaign would differ from one on climate change. Sometimes, consumers play a major role, whereas in others the focus is on scientific debate.
We try and find a scientific basis for arguments and ascertain whether our organisation can really make a difference. We also discuss how long the campaign should last -- it should not drag on for too many years.
On issues in which the Netherlands doesn"t really play a role, like whaling, we extend support, but such matters cannot form the central issue in which we put our resources.
It is important to have a media strategy and, of course, we have to raise funds. Quite often, funds come from the government. A campaign itself means taking staff off the areas on which they are working. In almost all cases, the support of other groups is sought. This leads to a kind of division of labour: some groups are good at research, some at lobbying and others at drafting legislation.
Does the initial response come from the local groups? They sort of conceive the idea: grassroots upwards.
Not always. For example, the tropical rainforests campaign started here after it was brought to our notice by FoE Malaysia in 1986. But it became a campaign only after the local groups identified ways of dealing with the problem. The Netherlands is the biggest importer per capita of Malaysian timber -- not logs, but plywood -- which goes mainly into window panes. When we found that decisions on housing are made, to a large extent, by local governments, we could operationalise the campaign on tropical rainforests.
What happens if there are differences of opinion?
At the national level, when the staff reports to the organisation"s executive committee its planned activities, the board checks if the opinions of local groups have been included in the proposals. But disagreements are rare because the consensus method works. Local groups are under no obligation to join national campaigns.
If conflicts that arise between international affiliates cannot be resolved, we cannot force a change of positions. The ideal thing would be for one of them to withdraw.
Sometimes, disagreements are allowed and groups can opt for either position. But this can hinder a group"s campaign. When we analyse the background of the conflicting positions, we might conclude that the dissenting group has changed policy so much that it doesn"t really belong any more to FoE International.
How do you decide budgets for campaigns?
At the national level, it is very much a practical matter. But we have very little money for supporting international campaigns. So basically we rely on what the national groups want to invest or try and find sponsors.
Have you started any new campaigns recently?
FoE International has not started any major campaigns because we don"t have the resources. However, a new area for us is coordinating the issue of aid and environment at the national level. We have to stimulate our groups to come to the right political positions.
In the coming years, I think our main international campaign area will be sustainable action plans involving all the Northern countries, especially the rich, industrialised countries. We are taking up the challenge of reducing the burden caused by Western consumption. At the same time, we want to ensure that this will not affect the South adversely. Promoting the concept of equitable "environmental space" for all is going to be the major issue.