I love having good news delivered to my mailbox – and these last few days have been great!

Two of the activist campaigns I’ve been supporting sent me e-mails, informing me of their respective successes 🙂 I was so excited I just wanted to share with you all.

First off, the campaign Greenpeace had launched to stop the building of a third airway at Heathrow paid off. All plans have apparently been cancelled – thanks to the thousands of people who “bought” their respective tiny pieces of the plot and put their names down on the owners’ deed. Here’s how it all started in Jan. 2009:

Join the plot! Sign up for a plot of land, a bit of climate campaign history

What would happen if somebody bought a piece of land right in the middle of the proposed third runway site at Heathrow Airport near London? Well, we’ll find out… because that’s what we’ve just done!

It’s all over the UK news — and over 20,000 people have joined in already — all of whom the UK government may be required to legally serve in person if they want to seize the land. Greenpeace UK bought the land with Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson, comedian Alistair McGowan and Zac Goldsmith, the former editor of The Ecologist magazine. Sign up now to get your own free piece of the plot.

And here’s the news that I actually got in my mail, just a few days ago:

Fantastic news – climate-wrecking plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport have been axed.

The new government confirmed yesterday that it will scrap Heathrow expansion, and also refuse additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted. This is a huge victory in our fight for genuine action against catastrophic climate change – and a recognition of the impact aviation is having on the climate.

This wouldn’t have been possible without you and your name was on the first petition delivered to the new government this morning.

Greenpeace campaigners and Sipson residents presented Airplot’s legal Deed of Trust at 10 Downing Street with all 91,317 of us who ‘beneficially own’ the plot. It may no longer prove necessary, but shows the new PM the huge number of us who are prepared to stand in the way of the bulldozers should he change his mind.

The announcement happened so quickly it took us a bit by surprise. Our aim was to use the Airplot to create a significant legal headache for any government trying to build the runway, but now it seems that it won’t be needed. Particularly since the new Deputy PM Nick Clegg and all of the Liberal Democrat front bench are also beneficial owners of the one acre plot, and David Cameron agreed to have a tree planted on the land in his name.

Great though this news is, it’s not the end of the campaign. Neither the Tories nor the Lib Dems have yet ruled out expansion at other airports around the country – so we’ll keep going until the new government recognises that all airport expansion has to stop….

Then today I got another e-mail, this time from the Humane Society International, re: their latest campaign to block the proposed compromise deal on commercial whaling, at the annual International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting. After their initial message that went something like this:

The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) begins Monday. As you know, this is a critical year for whales. A compromise deal is on the table that, if passed, will re-open commercial whaling for the next decade. This will strike a serious blow against whales by undoing the steps taken over the last 25 years to protect them.

Thank you for taking action to protect whales ahead of this important meeting! Actor Pierce Brosnan is doing his part, too — he recently filmed a new television ad telling President Obama that he must honor his campaign pledge to protect whales. We desperately need your help keeping this message on the air, and right now your donation will go even further — every dollar you give will be matched by a group of donors, up to $75,000. And we are only $15,000 from our goal. Please make a donation today.

Our team is already on the ground in Morocco, meeting with commissioners and making the case for conservation, not killing. We’ll be tweeting from the meeting — live — so you can follow the latest news as it happens. You’ll also find daily dispatches on our website, letting you know of any key outcomes from each day’s deliberation.

The fate of the world’s whales is uncertain, but we still have time to influence decision-makers. With your action and support, we can have an impact.

Thank you for all that you do to help animals.

Today’s read:

It was a close call, but you made the difference: the attempt to sink the ban on commercial whaling was blocked!

At last week’s international meeting to determine the fate of the world’s whales, some nations and groups pushed for a deal that would have granted authority for Norway, Japan, and Iceland to kill whales. But they couldn’t drum up the support — and that was because of an outpouring of public concern: You said that all whaling must end.

You told government officials all over the world that protecting whales was more important than pleasing whalers, and they listened. Thank you.

Never doubt it for a minute: Your voices were heard. And your generosity made it possible for us to broadcast Pierce Brosnan’s compelling plea for whales to major television markets, where the Obama administration couldn’t ignore it. Thank you.

You weren’t alone: Hundreds of thousands of activists from around the world told their governments to choose policies that protect whales, not kill them.

Together we held the line, and I hope you will celebrate along with me.

We won’t relent in our fight to protect all whales from commercial slaughter and to create a global sanctuary for whales.

We thank IWC officials for listening to the wishes of the public, and we’re calling on world leaders to help ensure the seas are safer for whales by establishing a global whale sanctuary. Will you join me?

Our fight is not over. Now we must take the next step.

Thank you and congratulations: This victory belongs to you.

Turns out “my” victory is DOUBLE and I’ll sure as hell celebrate it, the way it deserves! Here’s to hoping for more, exciting news like that in the future…