Do Something! :: from Do Something's FoodWise web site

Do Something!

What is 'Do Something'?

We are a new type of not-for-profit organisation that brings together the resources of the business community and the goodwill of the Australian public. We work to create and promote positive social and environmental change.

Rather than talk about the problems, we seek to "do something" by building alliances between councils, businesses, government and the community. We identify problems and then find answers that achieve measurable benefits for the environment, community and Australian business.

Who's behind 'Do Something'?

'Do Something' was established by Planet Ark founders Jon Dee and Pat Cash in association with Tina Jackson, former Executive Director of the National Trust of Australia.

Who does 'Do Something' help?

'Do Something' is about Australians looking after each other, especially those who need a helping hand. Through different media channels including tv, radio, print, the internet, and email, we will be encouraging, educating and assisting Australian businesses and people to volunteer, donate, and fundraise more for charities and local organisations. In particular our aim is to get more resources behind smaller organisations and charities that operate at the community level. Here, small amounts of resources can be leveraged many times over for the benefit of all Australians.

'Do Something' campaigns

As part of our work, we campaign on environmental and social issues. Sometimes on our own, but more often in partnership with others. Some of our initial campaigns draw on the environmental expertise of 'Do Something' Chairman, Jon Dee, and Managing Director, Tina Jackson. These include:

FoodWise - to reduce food waste
Australians currently spend $5 billion a year on food that we buy, but don't eat. As a result we send three million tonnes of food waste to landfill every year. Our FoodWise push is about saving money and the environment at the same time.

The Paper-Less Alliance - to reduce paper usage at work
The average Australian employee uses 10,000 sheets of office paper every year. Australia as a whole uses 1.6 million tonnes of printing and writing paper, equivalent to millions of trees worth of paper. The environmental and financial impact of this is significant. To reduce paper usage, we've brought together the Paper-Less Alliance.

Bottled Water Alliance - to reduce bottled water usage
Bottled water is an environmental menace, and when you consider the facts, a sheer waste of money. So we've formed the Bottled Water Alliance, an initiative driven by an alliance of organisations and individuals working to reduce single-use bottled water usage and its environmental and financial costs.

Ban the Bag - to encourage a national ban of non-biodegradable plastic check-out bags

Despite our reduction in plastic bag use, Australians still use over 4 billion plastic checkout bags a year - all made from non-renewable fossil fuels. We may only use plastic bags for minutes, but they can take hundreds of years to break down. Plastic bags pollute the environment and harm marine life. Do Something is working to help end Australia's reliance on non-biodegradable plastic checkout bags.

East Timor Now - to encourage investment, trade, tourism and volunteering in East Timor

We want to help raise the flag for this fascinating, culturally rich new nation - a country with untold potential. The East Timor Now campaign is a call to action to Australians to get behind and support East Timor on its road to economic independence. Our aim is to promote tourism, trade, investment and volunteering in East Timor.

Rock Aid Armenia - assisting Armenia's earthquake victims

In 1989, when a devastating earthquake hit Armenia, Jon Dee rallied prominent rock musicians from Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Queen, to record a charity cover of Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water, raising more than $100 000 for earthquake victims. 20 years on, Rock Aid Armenia is releasing a 20th anniversary remix to raise funds for a music school that was never rebuilt when it was first destroyed in the 1989 earthquake.