These posts cover social and environmental issues most relevant to ethical consumerism – from corporate ethics to climate, population, agriculture and us.
Social and environmental issues related to our food chain are covered here, including slavery, organic agriculture, and deforestation. And an homage to cooking – the most fundamental form of activism.
Controversial ingredients, from palm oil to microbeads, as well as packaging travesties, from bottled water to disposable coffee cups, are also covered here.
There are also a couple of posts on the key issue of human population growth, and how it’s tied to ethical consumerism.
There are also a few posts about how to hold it all together and keep your cool with all of the above going on – from Eckhart Tolle to mindfulness.
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Supermarket shelves are dominated by two kinds of butter: conventional dairy-based butter or plant-based vegan butter made from palm oil. Vegan butters are more sustainable than dairy butter, but ideally should be palm-oil free. I found two that I like.
Still undecided whether to choose dairy or vegan butter? Using cow’s milk as an example, here’s a list of the three most basic ethical issues with dairy farming. Solutions are also explored.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group 3 (wg3) released its sixth assessment report (AR6) at the end of March, 2022. This post will summarize that report, which is likely to be the last major report from the IPCC before we all start melting like popsicles.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group 2 (wg2) released its sixth assessment report (AR6) at the end of February. Here are some key points from the Summary for Policymakers and the Technical Summary.
The US should impose energy sanctions against Russia. Reduced Russian oil imports may lead to an increase in prices, but this is long overdue and provides the best incentive to transition to renewable energy. This post outlines some ways you can help.
I think it’s best to be pragmatic about recycling, rather than "wish-cycling" and then patting yourself on the back. Recycling rules vary by region (look them up for your city / county) but this post provides some generally applicable guidelines.
This post focuses on a news special by KQED (Bay Area public television) – California’s Plastic Problem. It provides an excellent overview in 30 minutes of the challenges of plastic recycling, plastic pollution, and the carbon footprint of plastic.
The best way to reduce your domestic waste is to rearrange your kitchen a little bit – it’s that easy! Here’s what to do: Convert your main kitchen bin to a compost bin and then set up a much smaller container or bag for waste destined for landfill.
Marathon is a formulation of the neonic insecticide, imidacloprid, that’s commonly used on ornamental plants in nurseries, garden centers, and homes across the US. A 2021 University of California paper shows that the application of Marathon, even at 30% of the recommended dose, killed 90% of leafcutter bees.
Companies that make plant-based food are being harassed by meat industry groups on a regular basis. I’ll go through a few examples to underscore why it’s important to support these underdogs.
