Hey Folks. I think we all have different ways of dealing with the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. The first thing for me was to start looking back – to Rodney King in LA, 1991, Oscar Grant in Fruitvale station in Oakland, 2009, Eric Garner in New York, 2014, and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, less than a month later. The … Continue reading Racial equality and ethical consumerism
One of the aspects of the meat industry that we don’t think about so much is the impact on humans – in particular, the social impact of slaughterhouses. We talk about the impact on the planet (climate change, land use, deforestation, pollution) and on the animals themselves, of course, but there’s also a very real and tragic impact on the human race. I’ve been meaning … Continue reading The social impact of the meat industry
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.
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
How to save the Amazon rainforest. I’ve covered ethical consumerism issues related to tropical forests in the past. Here’s a list of key actions Continue reading Amazon deforestation and ethical consumerism: This is WWIII
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?
The world has changed. I see it in the water. I feel it in the Earth. I smell it in the air. J. R. R. Tolkien’s words could well describe our current situation. A darkness grows, the divide between light and dark is more apparent than ever, and there is a call to action for us (like Frodo Baggins) to forgo our normal routine and … Continue reading A New Beginning
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
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
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
