Making Progress at the House of Commons?

I spent the afternoon yesterday taking photos at the House of Commons for Penny On which is a very simple but totally brilliant way of raising funds for good causes; currently they are supporting New Dawn.



I love being involved in these projects and am currently looking to get more involved with social entrepreneurs and anyone who is making a positive impact helping to eradicate hunger and poverty, benefiting local society or making a positive impact on climate change. New Dawn does all of these!

New Dawn is turning the Western Sahara Desert into land that can be used for growing crops through innovative permaculture technology. Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies.

New Dawn is working towards MDG 7 goal and will initially focus on empowering the 170,000 Saharawi refugees in the Western Sahara Desert through creating sustainable agricultural systems. At present they are almost entirely dependent on overseas aid. Permaculture technology will be used together with the energy and enthusiasm of young people from the UK.


New Dawn also helps to alleviate social problems in the UK by encouraging young offenders to get involved in the project. They provide training in permaculture and heavy plant maintenance as well as teaching them how to work and lead a team, giving them confidence and belief in themselves; thus encouraging them to take on a new positive meaning in their life which helps to reform society in the UK.

The project empowers Saharawi people giving them a sustainable future and enabling them to grow crops in areas that are currently totally barren (1 acre of permaculture food forest can feed 10 people for life -1 acre of wheat barely 4.5 people and then on a very poor diet).

If that is still not reason enough for you to want to promote Penny On & New Dawn, then the fact that the new forests/plants will increase cloud cover that will also help to combat climate change makes it a win-win situation! Quote by Bill Liao “You see rainforests actually seed clouds so they help make the rain this means if we reforest we can increase average cloud cover.”

A 2% increase in average cloud cover would halt global warming!

When Stephen asked me to photograph the event at the House of Commons he mentioned that he was looking for someone who could get involved with the New Dawn project. The past year I have really embraced social networking, helping others to find the right people to help them so I immediately introduced him to Bill Liao co-founder of the social network service XING, an Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist who has participated seven IPO's and supports We Forest.

I recently took photos of Bill at a talk for Africa Gathering a group of Social Entrepreneurs that meet to discuss ways that they can help we can create sustainable systems for Africa.





Bill gave an inspirational talk about the benefits of permaculture and reforestation at the event and commented in a recent interview that how can we individually and collectively change the world (for the better) is:-

“As individuals by giving our word to good things and then honouring our word by taking actions consistent with that word. By planting trees, by striving and thriving towards empowerment for everyone. By using the tools of the Internet and mobile telephony to reach out and actually do something good every day.

As a species by giving up petty and childish nationalistic infantile games and instead realising that we are close to destroying our world so investing in our forests and our technology with the purpose of a world that works for everyone”.



Help me get retailers to sign up to Penny On so they can support projects like New Dawn! All they need to do is agree to offer purchasers the opportunity to add a penny on to their purchase which will be a simple bar code that the cashier can swipe and the Penny will go to the New Dawn project- Stephen Bailey the CEO can explain this in a lot more detail!


“Penny On is a simple electronic mechanism, at the point of sale which allows consumers to add 1p to the price of their shopping transaction. 100% of all monies collected go to sustainable initiatives and good causes working on the ground to deliver the MDGs. Penny On is effortless and totally inclusive. At 1p, everyone can afford to get involved!”

If you want to start making a positive difference and hep to solve, hunger and poverty as well as benefit local youth and make a positive impact on climate change sign up at :-

http://www.pennyon.com/