Author: jkaybay

I have two sites, both focused on ethical consumerism. The Green Stars Project (greenstarsproject.org) aims to start a movement based on crowd-sourced ethical ratings. Ethical Bargains (ethicalbargains.org) is focused on evaluating new products that I’ve bought at the Grocery Outlet. Products are scored from 0 to 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact.
The Rainforest Alliance logo is shown. It's a circular logo consisting of a green frog drawing in the center, surrounded by the words: Rainforest Alliance, People & Nature.
Ethical shopping guide, Social and environmental issues

Is Rainforest Alliance an effective certification?

The level of shade cover is one of the best ways to determine if forest habitats are being maintained. The good news is that shade-tolerant crops such as cacao can tolerate over 30% shade cover with no reduction in crop yield. The bad news is that the Rainforest Alliance standards on shade cover have weakened over the years – 15% cover is now considered adequate. This begs the question: Is the Rainforest Alliance worthy of your support? Continue reading Is Rainforest Alliance an effective certification?

Unknown's avatarjkaybay9 Comments
Three different Fairtrade International logos are shown on the left (explained in the caption) while three other program logos are shown on the right. They are, Fair For Life, the World Fair Trade Organization, and Fair Trade USA.
Ethical shopping guide, Social and environmental issues

Should you support fair trade?

Third-party certifications provide one of the more accessible ways to practice ethical consumption. They provide a means of communicating to the consumer that a corporate supply chain maintains certain social or environmental standards. This topic is highly relevant right now because of the systematic undermining of regulations, environmental protections, human rights, and corporate oversight that is taking place in America. Continue reading Should you support fair trade?

Unknown's avatarjkaybay4 Comments
Dave's Killer Bread logo is pictured. This comprises a drawing of a man with long hair and mustache in a red T-shirt playing an electric guitar. Over this are the words Dave's Killer Bread. Dave's Killer Bread second chances program.
Ethical shopping guide, Social and environmental issues

Second Chances – Dave’s Killer Bread

I was not aware of the story behind Dave’s Killer Bread until I researched the brand, last week. All I knew was that Dave was a long-haired dude who played guitar and was now making a range of healthy, organic breads. Before joining his family’s bakery to form the brand Dave’s Killer Bread, Dave spent 15 years of his life in prison. Continue reading Second Chances – Dave’s Killer Bread

Unknown's avatarjkaybay3 Comments
Ethical shopping guide, How to measure social and environmental impact

Paul McCartney protests plant-based milk charges at Peet’s

Paul McCartney is asking Peet’s Coffee & Tea to drop its charges for plant-based milks. This made my happy for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it’s good to see someone, especially someone as famous as (Sir) Paul McCartney, focusing on the details. Continue reading Paul McCartney protests plant-based milk charges at Peet’s

Unknown's avatarjkaybay8 Comments