Green Ribbon campaign
HRA initiated Green Ribbon Week in 2008, to highlight the existence of research methods that avoid the use of animals and to promote these alternatives as the most effective and humane strategy to eliminate human diseases and provide safer medicines. Green Ribbon Week is celebrated in April each year, to commemorate World Week for Animals in Laboratories and has been gaining momentum since its inception.
The campaign was inspired by the need for a platform which empowered individuals and communities to voice their opposition to animal testing in a positive, non-threatening manner. In 2011, we were fortunate enough to obtain the support of Lush Cosmetics whose staff wore our green ribbons and displayed our posters in each of their stores.
Public opinion poll
In late 2008 HRA engaged market research firm, Nexus Research to measure Australian public perceptions on the issue of animal experimentation.
We undertook the work because as we plan our campaigns, in order to ensure we are focused on the areas where we can be most effective, we needed to understand:
- the current level of awareness of the experiments carried out in Australia;
- the level of public support or opposition to animal experimentation; and
- what segments of our community supports or opposes animal experimentation.
In addition, this barometer of public opinion enables us to measure how effective our efforts are at bringing about positive change, by comparing public opinion in another poll in the future. Some of the findings are outlined below.
- Only 62% of respondents were aware that animals are used in experimental research in Australia.
- Only 14% of respondents believe it is safe to transfer results of animal experiments to apply to humans
- Only 23% believe that humans have the moral right to experiment on animals
- In terms of the numbers of animals used in experiments each year (approximately 7 million) nearly 90% believe that this number should be reduced
- 79% believe medical research grants should be used at least in part to find alternatives to animal experiments.
- 47% of respondents indicated that they would not donate to a medical research or charity if they knew that it would be funding animal experiments
