These posts take examples of everyday items and examine a few social and environmental factors to consider in each case. The goal is not to be the authoritative guide to ethical consumerism. Rather, the Green Stars Project is all about user-generated ethical consumerism: I eventually want to see Green Stars reviews on the sites we all use (Yelp, Amazon, etc.) so that they are visible to everyone. So, these posts aim to help you to make your own decisions, wherever you live. And please consider incorporating a Green Stars rating next time you review something!
In terms of carbon footprint, the best choices among seafood are small pelagic fish (e.g., sardines, herring, mackerel, anchovies), farmed bivalves (e.g., mussels and oysters), and wild salmonids (e.g., salmon and trout). Small fish like sardines are also less prone to bycatch issues. Continue reading What’s the most sustainable kind of seafood?
Honestly Tasty has raised the bar on the plant-based cheeses available in the UK and Ireland. They have achieved this through the use of more interesting ingredients, compared to many vegan cheeses, as well as fermentation and ripening steps. I recommend trying out their Shamembert, Bree, or Blue cheese. Continue reading Honestly Tasty raises the bar on vegan cheese
Sales of plant-based meat substitutes are stagnating in the US – in fact they have been dropping since 2020. Competitive marketing tactics by the meat industry have focused on the perils of ultra-processed food. Continue reading Support for plant-based meat is slipping in America
Supermarkets in Europe often completely lack ethical soap options, with shelves dominated by synthetic liquids in plastic containers. It takes some effort to find ethical soap in Europe but this guide will help. Continue reading Coming clean in Europe – we need to do better on soap
Hello friends! You may have noticed that the Green Stars Project has been gathering some dust and cobwebs lately. I’ve been focused on writing a book – on the topic of ethical consumerism, not too surprisingly – and I’m about to start looking for a publisher. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to getting back to blogging on a more regular basis, and catching up … Continue reading Nurishh vegan Camembert – ethical rating
A growing human population threatens to place a burden our planet. Extreme poverty is a root cause of unsustainable population growth and is driven in part by commodity markets. That’s why it’s best to avoid multinational companies that rely on commodity markets and support chocolate companies that work directly with farmers. Continue reading Your chocolate purchase will impact population growth, for better or worse
Chocolate plays a significant role in deforestation, particularly in West Africa. Avoid mainstream chocolate brands and seek out chocolate made from shade-grown cacao. Continue reading Chocolate and deforestation
I just finished researching a chocolate brand that was new to me – Beyond Good. I’m adding it to the top 10 list of ethical chocolate brands. Don’t forget to vote on the brands! Continue reading Adding Beyond Good to the list
Here’s a guide to the top 10 ethical chocolate brands. It’s different to other guides in that it will change with your input – vote now! This is an exercise in user-generated ratings for ethical consumerism. Continue reading Top 10 Ethical Chocolate Brands
I’m reluctant to create an ethical consumerism guide based only on my own opinion – it would be incomplete. We need a good, reliable guide that relies on user-generated content. The experiment starts next week! Continue reading User-generated ratings for ethical consumerism
