Why Shop Ethically?

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Ethikl

ethical shoppingWe live in a time of human rights abuse, animal cruelty, genetically modified foods and massive impact of industry upon the environment. These can often seem beyond our control and quite removed from our everyday life as we struggle with mortgages, families and school. However, the fact is, that every time we buy something, our spending dollar supports a company and its activities, whether we are aware of it or not – whether we like it or not!

Ethical consumerism is a massive social movement based around the idea that people should be mindful of the impact their purchases have on the environment and the health and well being of the people involved in making those products.

Being an ethical shopper is empowering, operating on the principle that spending money is like voting. So, if you buy cage eggs, you’re voting for animal cruelty. If you buy certain brands of clothing, you’re voting for sweatshop labour. And if you buy a gas guzzling car, you’re a fan of global warming.

The benefits to society of ethical shopping are potentially far reaching because it encourages innovative products while discouraging others that ignore the social and environmental consequences of their actions. It empowers consumers, giving you a say in how the products you buy are made, and how the company that makes them conducts business.

Money makes the world go round, and deciding how we spend our money might just help save it…

Ethical consumerism is just as much about supporting the good companies and products as it is withdrawing our support from the bad ones. Here are a few types of ethical buying:

Positive Buying - means favouring particular ethical products, such as energy saving lightbulbs.

Negative Purchasing – means voiding products that you disapprove of, such as cage eggs

Boycotts – means targeting a business as a whole and avoiding all the products made by one company.

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There must be more to life than having everything!

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Ethikl

I remember when I was young hearing older people bemoan modern life; the music, clothing styles, hair styles, relationships etc etc. I grew up thinking every generation must have trouble understanding and accepting the inevitable changes new generations bring, and determined to be more receptive to new ideas as I aged.

I have changed my mind. I am pretty certain, in my own mind, that modern life is on a downhill slide! It seems every day we hear about a new study that concludes that people are not happy and are under dangerous amounts of stress. How can this be when twenty years ago we were all led to believe that our lives would become stress free with increased leisure time due to the advances in technology? I have had many conversations with people in their eighties and nineties who lived through a World War and a Great Depression and yet still think that life made more sense when they were younger.

I think the prime cause of this malaise is our complete devotion to the economy, money and consumerism as the only worthwhile values in life. We are no longer valued as human beings but as cogs in the economy. Your worth is decided by how well you contribute to this machine both as a worker and a consumer. Being a good parent has no economic value. Somebody who wants to cut back their working hours to enjoy time with their family is looked at as a failure. Elderly people are forced into Old Age Homes as they play no viable role (this of course denies the fact that retired people form the backbone of our volunteer corps). If you are unlucky enough to lose your job you will find out very quickly how fast your  value drops.

Because companies are only after profit and not quality or satisfying their customers we spend our lives buying gadgets that at best are mediocre and at worst don’t perform their intended function at all. We can no longer safely buy food from our supermarkets without worrying about how much poison we are ingesting either through the preservatives or the additives. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements telling us to buy, buy, buy! You cannot even go to a public toilet now without reading an advertisement on the back of the door. Even our schools, a place that was a haven in this manic world are now subject to corporate sponsorship.

consumerism

There have recently been media reports that retailers are worried that people are not spending in the amounts needed to keep our economy healthy and nobody seems to understand why. It makes me wonder if these people have any idea of the cost of living for normal families any more. The price of electricity, petrol, groceries, water and rates have all skyrocketed. The people at the top of the corporate ladder are accumulating more and more wealth, leaving very little for the plebs. How can an economic model based on money spiraling towards the top can survive?

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A Brighter Future

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Ethikl

Natural worldWhy is it that in the modern world the only route to personal happiness and prosperity is through economic growth? Economic growth never, by itself, brings greater well being to all, or even most of the world’s people. Surely education, freedom from oppression, community, health and environmental sustainability are the key factors.

We are living in a world where financial markets dominate society and corporate globalization is hell bent on destroying our way of life. Remember when globalisation was pushed as being the only way ahead? I cannot think of one positive result from this. We now buy goods that you realize, may or may not fulfill their purpose when you get them home and these goods often end up adding to the enormous mountain of rubbish already clogging the world. While we are disposing of the latest useless products we have purchased it is worth keeping in mind that they were probably produced by people working extremely long hours in poor conditions for very low wages. We have watched as more and more Australian companies have closed their doors or moved off shore to utilise cheap labour, tax evasion and corrupt governments. We are genuflecting at a new altar, one in which the only rule is to consume at an insatiable rate with no regard for the consequences.

Climate change is no longer a nebulous idea that could impact us sometime in the future but a horrendous reality that we will have to face in our lifetime. And yet corporations everywhere are continually producing more and more ‘stuff’ and recklessly exploiting the few natural resources we have left. The world’s money is continually spiraling to those few at the top so that there is less available for the world’s masses to consume this ever increasing mountain of commodities.

Is a better world possible where governments are no longer accountable to and paid by corporations? Where the rules can be changed to close the wealth divide and stop the harmful impacts of tax evasion? Where environmentally responsible and economically viable solutions are possible? Where the interests and rights of people actually matter?

We hope so!

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Ethical Consumerism Is a Growing Social Movement

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Ethikl

ethical consumerism

Ethical shopping is an empowering and exciting concept. It operates on the principle that spending money is like voting. So, if you buy cage eggs, you’re voting for animal cruelty. If you buy certain brands of clothing, you’re voting for sweatshop labour, and if you buy a gas guzzling car, you’re a fan of global warming!

Ethical consumerism is a growing social movement based around the idea that people should be mindful of the impact their individual purchases have on the planet and the health and well being of the people and animals involved in making those products.

Following a period when conspicuous consumption was both socially acceptable and economically feasible, consumer behaviour is becoming more conscious. The movement encourages us to abandon our relentless drive to find satisfaction in endless consumption. Shoppers are starting to care about where their products come from, how they were made and how they impact the planet. It goes alongside being more careful where we are spending our money in a tight economy.

We are living in a time of human rights abuse, animal cruelty, genetically modified foods and the massive impact of industry on the environment. These issues can often seem beyond our control and quite removed from our everyday life. However, the fact is that every time we buy something, our spending dollar endorses a company and its activities, whether we are aware of it or not – whether we like it or not.

It is the responsibility of consumers to support the environment and rights of workers who produce goods for them. More than the government and green companies, it is the responsibility of consumers to realise their role in creating real change. Money makes the world go round, and deciding how we spend our money might just help save it.

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Switching from disposable to resuable

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Ethikl

Every day when I go for a walk I am reminded of the massive impact our way of life has on the environment. It saddens me to see my favourite walking spot, a lovely area where the land meets the sea, spoiled by rubbish. The main offenders? Plastic water bottles, plastic shopping bags and take away coffee cups. These everyday products do far more damage to the environment than just making it look bad. Once they get into our water ways they have a detrimental effect on marine life as unfortunately many animals mistake our rubbish for a tasty bite to eat.

The solution can be as simple as making the change from disposable to reusable. Instead of buying that plastic bottle of water think about getting a reusable stainless steel water bottle, taking your own reusable shopping bags to the supermarket or your own reusable coffee cup to your local cafe. You don’t have to make giant life changes to reduce your impact on our planet; just taking a few small steps can help to make a big difference.

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What is Fair Trade?

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Ethikl

What is fairtrade“Before you’ve finished your breakfast this morning, you’ll have relied on half the world” – Martin Luther King

An interesting thought. And a depressing one, when you realise that those people you’ve relied on for your coffee and muesli are almost certainly being exploited and oppressed by the unfair power balance in world trade.

But what can you do? Surely it’s beyond your control? Wrong. You can buy Fair Trade products. The term Fair Trade describes a system of commerce that promotes a sustainable environment, labour rights, a good wage and healthy working conditions for labourers as well as their families and communities.

Fair Trade is a growing, international movement which ensures that producers in poor countries get a fair deal. This means a fair price for their goods (one that covers the cost of production and guarantees a living income), long-term contracts which provide real security; and for many, support to gain the knowledge and skills that they need to develop their businesses and increase sales.

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

The basic principles of fair trade include:

  • A fair, living wage for labourers
  • Direct trade that eliminates middlemen
  • Safe, healthy working conditions
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Respect for cultural identity
  • Community development
  • Opportunities for marginalized communities

Today, the variety of fair trade goods that are available has exploded. In addition to coffee and tea, consumers can now buy fair trade:

  • Sugar and spices
  • Dried fruits and nuts
  • Chocolate and cocoa
  • Rice, quinoa and other grains
  • Fruit juices and honey
  • Wine
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Cotton and cotton clothing
  • Flowers
  • Artwork, apparel and handicrafts

Fair Trade Food

Fair trade goods aren’t the cheapest items on the shelf — fair trade coffee, for example, usually isn’t as inexpensive as commercially grown coffee, but its price is similar to that of gourmet coffees. Market research has confirmed that many consumers are willing to pay more for fair trade as well as organic and other high-quality sustainable products. Proponents of fair trade goods say that any additional price is a reflection of the many benefits of the products: environmental protection, better and safer working conditions, and access to health care and education for workers and their families.

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Upcycling and Reusing Our Waste

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Ethikl

Upcycling is similar to recycling in that we take something that would otherwise be waste, and revamp for continued use, as opposed to recycling which involves breaking down the original material and making it into something else.

The term was first used by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. They reveal that the goal of upcycling is to prevent wasting useful materials by making use of existing ones. This reduces the consumption of raw materials when creating new products which in turn results in the reduction of energy and greenhouse gasses.

Let take for example a glass jar. With recycling, the glass would be melted down along with all the other glass jars that have been sent to the recycling centre and then remade into a new glass jar. With upcycling, you could clean the glass jar, decorate it and then reuse it as a vase. Upcycling is different from simply ‘reusing’ the product for same purpose such as reusing the glass jar to store food.

Eco entrepreneurs have built successful businesses based on upcycling. Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer have created TerraCycle, The upcycling company went from selling plant food made from worm waste products to repurposing a wide range of products from soda bottles and juice boxes collected in schools and then upcycling them into a variety of earth friendly products.

On a smaller scale, many of the handmade items sold on Ethikl are made with upcycled items and you can also upcycle at home yourself. The new reality is that we cannot maintain our disposable consumer culture. Whether this is due to your environmental concerns or due to your financial situation, we cannot afford our past behavior. Refurbishing is great, but upcycling really allows us to go further.

upcycled innertube earings

Earing from bike inner tubes. Available at the Pica Pica store on Ethikl

upcycled chip packet wallet

Create handbags out of juice packs and wallets from foil wrappers. available in the Recycled Fashion store on Ethikl

 

upcycled coffee sack

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Green Christmas Ideas

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Ethikl

 

Green Christmas

 

Christmas is almost upon us again. It’s the time of year when we do things to excess and sometimes end of year celebrations can end up feeling like they are just about mass consumption. I am hoping that everyone has a jolly green Christmas this year, but for me that doesn’t mean a plastic green Christmas tree and oodles of tinsel decorating your home – it means organic, sustainable, recycled, eco-friendly and all those other lovely earth-conscious words.

I’ve had enough of the environmentally outrageous and wasteful annual Christmas shopping bonanza, fuelled by an economic system that demands constant growth and ignores the fact that we are consuming our planet to extinction. I have enough of overcrowded shopping centres and I don’t want to celebrate another Christmas that has ‘Made in China’ stamped all over it. This year, I want beautiful handmade gifts and eco-friendly tree decorations. So I’ve set myself the challenge of having a green Christmas. Here are a few simple ideas to help celebrate a Green Christmas this year.

Shop locally

Wrap presents with recycled paper

Try flea markets, antique jewellery and vintage clothing shops for gifts – you’ll be giving a unique present, as well as recycling.

Indulge with a local, organic hamper made up from the local farmers market or give gifts of locally-brewed beer or organic wine.

If you’re talented in the kitchen, you could make chutneys, cakes, or chocolate truffles as presents. Or make your own flavoured organic olive oil, adding dried chillies, garlic or herbs to a pretty bottle and filling it up with oil.

If you’re having a party, avoid serving food and drink on disposable plates and cups – they will just add to our growing mountain of waste.

Choose charity cards and wrapping paper which have some recycled paper content.

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8 Tips for Ethical Shopping

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Ethikl

We all know that being green is important. From the organic or Fair Trade food you buy and where it comes from, to recycling everything from bottles to carrier bags. So how can you improve your green credentials whilst out shopping? Here are 8 simple tips to get you started.

1. Consider local, independent producers. They discourage car use, offer a more personal service and support the local community.

2. Say ‘no’ to unnecessary shopping bags and take carrier bags with you or a reusable cotton bag.

3. To buy ethically look out for Fairtrade Foundation marked products which guarantee workers have been fairly rewarded for their labour.

4. Look out for ‘not tested on animals’ labels.

5. Avoid animal products. This can be tough if you are vegan or vegetarian, especially when they crop up in surprising products such as beer and sweets.

6. Buy organic produce. Organic food is free of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which benefits the workforce, the consumer and the environment.

7. Go GM free. Genetically manipulated (GM) food is something that many people wish to avoid. Look out for GM-free labels or the Vegetarian Society symbol.

8. Buy recycled and second hand products, they save precious resources and reduce pressure on landfill sites.

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Making the change from disposable to reusable

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Ethikl

Every day when I go for a walk, I am reminded of the massive impact our way of life has on the environment. It saddens me to see my favourite walking spot, a lovely area where the bush meets the ocean, spoiled by rubbish. The main offender? Plastic. This everyday product does far more damage to the environment than just making it look bad. Once it gets into our water way it has a detrimental effect on marine life as unfortunately many animals mistake our rubbish for a tasty bite to eat.

The solution can be as simple as making the change from disposable to reusable. Instead of buying that plastic bottle of water think about getting a reusable stainless steel water bottle, taking your own reusable shopping bags to the supermarket or your own reusable coffee cup to your local cafe. You don’t have to make giant life changes to reduce your impact on our planet; just taking a few small steps can help to make a big difference.

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