6 times we threw down for our values in Oz in 2021

We love making euphorically delicious ice cream just as much we love to stand up for social justice! In Australia, our team is working super hard to fight for climate justice so that we can all have a safer, resilient and fairer future.

With everything that has been happening in Australia with the climate crisis, it’s fair to say it’s been a really big year. In case you missed all the action, here’s a chunky scoop up of Ben & Jerry’s in action.  

 

1. We told the Australian Government to ditch gas! 

 

We know that gas is a fossil fuel and it’s only driving the climate crisis, so when the Government proposed to pour billions of dollars into more gas, we knew we had to act to stop this. We joined our partners 350 Australia to send a message in the lead up to the 2021 Budget - Gas Will Fudge our Future, and call for investment in renewable energy instead and solutions backed by Traditional Owners.

To make sure Parliament got the message, we took out a full page ad in the newspapers, we tweeted all MPs asking them to back renewable energy in the 2021 Budget, and together with our amazing fans we sent 12,000 letters to the Government telling them to invest in renewables, not gas! 

Finally, we hit the streets with School Strike 4 Climate to get the message out loud and clear!

 

2. We made a really, really good beer with our partners at 4 Pines.

Ben & Jerry’s will forever be committed to making the planet a better place for us all. And while we can’t do it alone, we can do so much more when we join forces with like-minded friends. So, we joined forces with local B Corp master-brewers 4 Pines and created a beer to give back to Australia's first community-owned power company Enova. Through Enova, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough inspired nitro brew supported a solar installation for a community group. The best part? The fund is revolving, so it will continue to support more community solar panels well into the future! 

 

3. We brought back 5,200 metres of the Daintree (together!)

Together with our fans and with our team’s own fundraising, we raised $13,000 to buy back the Daintree, metre by metre! And it all counts - with every acre of the Daintree Rainforest we brought back with Half Cut, the more trees we can save, and the more carbon emissions we can continue to absorb! We especially love the work of our friends at Half Cut because they hand the Daintree back to Traditional Owners to manage which is important for climate justice.

 

4. We joined the fight with our friends at the Surfrider Foundation to stop PEP11!

Manly Beach was our first home in Oz, so it was personal for us when we learned there was a plan to drill for oil & gas off the coast of Manly, all the way up to Newcastle. This would spell disaster for our coastline but also our planet as we need to make fossil fuels history! MP Zali Steggall introduced a Bill in parliament to stop PEP11, so we got behind it with our friends at Surfrider Foundation Australia and over 11,000 of our amazing fans signed the petition to stop PEP11. We even got a special mention in parliament! But, the fight isn’t over - join Surfrider to take action here!

 

5. We called for climate action this decade at COP26

COP26 is the most important climate event we will see this decade - because this is really the last chance we get to commit to urgent climate action, before it’s too late. Sadly, the Government in Oz seems to have some coal stuck in their ears, because they want to keep burning fossil fuels in Australia and not commit to urgent climate action before 2030. 

Together with our fans and our friends at The Climate Council, we sent 9,000 messages to the Australian Government, calling on them to commit to urgent action at COP26 and stop embarrassing Australia with our poor climate action. You can take action here! 

 

6. We teamed up with so many new friends in the PASS THE BILL NOT THE BUCK campaign to make our voice stronger!

We know we are better with friends, so we joined a bunch of cool companies like Patagonia, Keep Cup, Little Giants and a big bunch of others to get the Government to say YES to the Climate Action Bill. Together, we toured the town on bikes, created art at Bondi & took out a full page ad in the papers to send the message to our Government - Pass the Climate Act, Now!

You can find out more about this here.

Stay in the loop!

It’s been a busy year for us here in Australia... from launching a new beer to giving back to the community to generating over 32,000 actions for climate, we will continue to fight until we have climate justice for us all. Sign up for the Ben & Jerry’s Inside Scoop to keep updated on all things climate justice (and other delicious updates!).