Since 2006 ethecon (Foundation Ethics & Economy) has been presenting two annual awards: the International ethecon Blue Planet Award; and the International ethecon Black Planet Award. The International ethecon Blue Planet Award honours individuals who have shown extraordinary commitment in protecting and defending human ethics when faced with the apparently conflicting priorities of ethics and economics.
The International ethecon Black Planet Award names and shames individuals who have trampled on human ethics in the most shocking ways, when faced with the same priorities of ethics and economics, thereby contributing to the destruction of our habitat and creating a Black Planet. The ethecon foundation congress 2015, including the awards ceremony for the International Blue Planet and the Black Planet Awards, takes place in Berlin on Saturday 22nd November.
The Black Planet Award denounces Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris along with board member James Ringler and the major shareholders of the chemicals group; whilst the Blue Planet Award honours the efforts of Slovenian activist for human rights and peace Tomo Križnar who has been working in Sudan at the risk of jeopardising his own life as he stands up for sustainable peace.
ethecon states that: “the board members and major shareholders of DOW CHEMICAL are, among others, responsible for 30 years continuing of the impacts of the greatest chemical disaster in the history of industries in Bhopal/India.”
“No matter, if party contributions during election campaigns, tax evasion, environmental destruction, from support of genetic engineering to radioactive contamination, manipulated measurements, war mongering, price manipulation, corruption – DOW CHEMICAL is involved in countless crimes against humans and environment. The company’s president and chairman of the board and supervisory board Andrew Liveris, the member of the board and audit committee James M. Ringler as well as the group’s major shareholders are the ones that need to be held responsible for the decisions and actions at DOW CHEMICAL (USA). They own the group. They run the company. They are acting to increase their personal power and private wealth. To this end, they ride roughshod over morality and ethics and hazard our planet being turned into a Black Planet.” (Justification International ethecon Black Planet Award 2014/15 from 21/09/2015)
“With the decision of shaming the board members Andrew Liveris and James Ringler as well as the major shareholders of DOW Chemical, ethecon’s curatorship and board are explicitly referring to the proposal for a human rights charter “Health, Safety and Environmental Rights of Workers and Communities” passed in 1994 by Permant Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), and the United Nations’ human rights charter.”
The International ethecon Awards will be presented at a public ceremony. The honorific speech for Tomo Križnar will be delivered by Alfred Buss, Amnesty international coordinator Sudan/Southern Sudan, the shaming speech for the board members and major shareholders of Dow Chemical will be delivered by Dr Mali Muttanna Mallappa of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic.
Saturday, 21/11/2015, 2:00pm
“Pfefferwerk” on Pfefferberg, Haus 13
Schönhauser Allee 176
10119 Berlin
Attendance free, but RSVP is required: [email protected].
