These posts take examples of everyday items and examine social and environmental factors to consider in each case. The goal is not for this site to become the authoritative ethical shopping guide. That’s too much responsibility for one person or organization. The goal is for us to collectively decide on the most ethical choices, as consumers.
We increasingly rely on user-generated content, whether looking up reviews of a restaurant or trying to purchase a new laptop. User-generated content can make use of our various perspectives and backgrounds to come to a consensus on ethics – see this post for more on the topic of why we need user-generated ethical ratings.
So, the Green Stars Project is all about applying user-generated content to integrate an ethical shopping guide into our daily lives. The vision is that Green Stars reviews will soon be visible on the sites we use (Yelp, Amazon, etc.) so that they are visible to everyone. Many don’t have the time or energy to consult dedicated ethical shopping guides so the goal is to bring ethical consumerism to a wider audience and also to make it a democratic process.
The posts in this category aim to provide guidance that will help you to make your own ethical decisions, wherever you live. Importantly, please consider incorporating a Green Stars rating next time you review something! Contact me if you do, as there’s a recurring competition to encourage readers to write ethical reviews – you can win an ethical prize and be featured on this site!
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I recently discovered that you can filter search results on eBay to show only items that benefit charities. Buying used items reduces your impact (carbon and material footprints, social impact) massively over buying new items. Buying used items from a charitable organization is even better. I’ll describe two ways to search eBay for items that benefit charities.
Conagra Brands is one of the largest food companies in the world. Conagra’s greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation have increased from 2019 to 2020. The introduction of compostable bowls for frozen dinners is a bright spot in a corporation that’s firmly in the avoid category for me. 1/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact.
This is the second of two posts featuring products made from palm oil. The goal of these posts is to provide examples of how to ethically evaluate palm oil products. This post features Earth Balance vegan butter, which is now owned by Conagra Brands. 1/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact.
Evaluating products that contain palm oil is tricky. This first case study looks at Nutiva shortening, certified by Palm Done Right.
There are some companies that do genuinely source sustainable palm and they are worth supporting. It’s therefore important to correctly identify the companies that are sourcing sustainable palm oil – and those that fall short.
Peet’s coffee was founded in Berkeley, California, by Dutch immigrant, Alfred Peet, all the way back in 1966. Peet’s changed the landscape of coffee in America, taking things up a few notches in terms of quality and experience. You can imagine what Berkeley culture was like in 1966, when Peet’s arrived on the scene, fueling … Continue reading Peet’s Coffee – sustainability and social responsibility
This is part 2 of my ethical review of Amazon, and it will broadly examine the topic of Amazon’s ethics and social responsibility. (Part 1 focused on the Amazon Dash program.) I think the best way to start is by looking at what Amazon has to say about itself in its latest sustainability report. Amazon’s … Continue reading Amazon ethics and social responsibility
It’s already three months since I asked you to vote in the poll: How Ethical is Amazon? In this post I’m going to show the poll results and also ask myself that same question. I came to realize that Amazon simply doesn’t value sustainability. I had a growing feeling of unhappiness with Amazon that spanned various topics but the last straw was the introduction of Amazon Dash buttons.
Trader Joe’s is a popular store, viewed with fondness, like a quirky friend that brings us interesting things to eat. But how ethical is Trader Joe’s?
Canada and the US have recognized China’s treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as genocide. Up to 1.8 million Uyghurs have been detained in camps for “re-education” under brutal conditions. At least two investigations have found that Uyghurs are subjected to forced labor in companies that supply and manufacture electronics and textiles for major multinational companies. Three of them, Apple, Nike, and Coca-Cola, have been lobbying to water down the proposed Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
