Category: Social and environmental issues

A civet (the animal that transmitted the SARS virus to humans) looking out from a tree on the left. On the right is a pangolin (the animal originally thought to have transmitted the virus that causes COVID-19 to humans) being released from a cage into the wild.
Social and environmental issues

Coronavirus may be our best chance to save the planet.

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably approaching burn out on Coronavirus articles by now. Well, prepare yourself for more, from COVID-19’s impact on the economy to fluffy social media posts about how we are changing the way we work and live (Look how my hair has changed after two months of isolation! ). But there are two essential things that we should really be … Continue reading Coronavirus may be our best chance to save the planet.

Unknown's avatarjkaybay12 Comments
Shadowlands cafe in Oakland, which does not stock disposable cups; zero-waste cafe
Social and environmental issues

Cafes saying no to disposable coffee cups

Hi folks! You know, there are many global issues that we could solve through simple changes in our lifestyle. Getting rid of disposable coffee cups is a good example. There has been a big push to find technological solutions to coffee cup waste, focusing on that plastic liner that makes cups hard to recycle. Designing more sustainable materials is a good thing  but, as Elaine … Continue reading Cafes saying no to disposable coffee cups

Unknown's avatarjkaybay9 Comments
A picture of a toothpaste tube, annotated to suggest that 80% of the toothpaste is used in 4 weeks but the remaining 20% lasts for 4 months
Social and environmental issues

What is ethical consumerism?

To me, ethical consumerism is a pretty self-explanatory term and I think that most people have a good idea of what it means. But it’s worthwhile to take a fresh look at the concept from time to time and address any misconceptions that crop up. So here’s a quick guide to ethical consumerism from the Green Stars Project: 1.     Ethical consumerism means consuming less 2.     … Continue reading What is ethical consumerism?

Unknown's avatarjkaybay14 Comments
The top 7 actions to mitigate climate change from Project Drawdown. #1 Refrigerant Management; #2 Wind Turbines; #3 Reduce Food Waste; #4 Plant-Rich Diet; #5 Tropical Forests; #6 Educating Girls; #7 Family Planning
Social and environmental issues

Ethical Consumerism, Part 9 – How to reduce your carbon footprint

I had always intended to write a post on the top things you can do to reduce your footprint. But I procrastinated, partly because I never felt that I’d done enough research and partly because the topic has been covered pretty widely. However, many of the lists that you’ll find online don’t really hit on the top priorities. Going back decades, we’ve had mantras like: … Continue reading Ethical Consumerism, Part 9 – How to reduce your carbon footprint

Unknown's avatarjkaybay8 Comments
A graphic showing the three options provided by East Bay Community Energy: Bright Choice (38% renewable, 47% hydroelectric, and 15% conventional), Brilliant 100 (40% renewable and 60% hydroelectric), and Renewable 100 (100% renewable, from mainly wind and solar).
Social and environmental issues

Renewable Energy comes to the East Bay

One of the top things that you can do to reduce your carbon footprint is to switch to a renewable electricity provider. In the East Bay (the cities across the bay from San Francisco, including Berkeley and Oakland) this has now become a lot easier! In fact, by default, electricity is now being provided by East Bay Community Energy (EBCE). PG&E electricity sources: mainly conventional … Continue reading Renewable Energy comes to the East Bay

Unknown's avatarjkaybay13 Comments
Social and environmental issues

Ethical Consumerism Part 8 – Slavery in the Chocolate Industry

Even though we might be vaguely aware that slavery still exists, many of us think of it as a thing of the past, or a thing that is separate from us. When we pick up a mainstream chocolate bar, it may not occur to us that the cacao was harvested by children who were sold (or tricked) into slavery, shipped to a foreign land and … Continue reading Ethical Consumerism Part 8 – Slavery in the Chocolate Industry

Unknown's avatarjkaybay24 Comments
Nestlé Kit-Kat, matcha flavor.
Social and environmental issues

The Green Stars Project: now with categories!

Hola, amigos! It has been more than a month since my last post; my longest blogging gap since I started the Daily Footprint posts almost two years ago. I wasn’t ignoring my blog (or yours!) – I decided to add categories to this site so that the posts will be somewhat organized. Since every post had to be edited to add it to a category, … Continue reading The Green Stars Project: now with categories!

Unknown's avatarjkaybay7 Comments
A summary of the main points of the article. On the left, a representative from GlobalCorp Agrichemical is telling us to use all of their products all of the time. On the right are the suggestions to eat a plant-based diet, reduce food waste, and reduce consumption
Social and environmental issues

Ethical Consumerism, Part 7 – How to Sustain the Population in 2050.

Hi folks! In the previous post, I looked at how we can take actions as consumers to help curb population growth. This post is about actions we can take to sustain the human population without completely destroying our planet. Population growth fears are exploited by corporations One of the most common abuses of the population growth issue goes something like this: We must embrace GlobalCorp’s … Continue reading Ethical Consumerism, Part 7 – How to Sustain the Population in 2050.

Unknown's avatarjkaybay18 Comments