Zaproot: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Conscious Commerce, eCo TV | 1 Comment
Jessica Williamson of Zaproot gives you the lowdown on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Eastern Garbage Patch. This “plastic soup” in the one of the ocean’s gyres spans an area larger than the State of Texas and holds six times more plastic than plankton! A research vessel called The Algalita sailed to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to assess the situation.
eCo Tip: To reduce the amount of plastic collecting in the ocean, replace “disposables” in your life with reusables.
- Use stainless steel water bottles, on-the-go utensil kits, reusable shopping totes, travel coffee mugs, and non-disposable razors.
- When you choose products, take the amount of packaging into consideration before you buy. Less is best.
- Learn more at Anna Cummins’ website, BringYourOwn.org.
- If you’re a kid or know one who’s into helping the planet, link up with the Roots and Shoots Reusable Bag Campaign.
Posted on April 30, 2008 |
Putting The Fair Trade In Sports
By Mathew Gerson
Filed Under Conscious Commerce | 3 Comments
Scott James redefines the term good sport. Scott and his wife Susan have pioneered the North American market in Fair Trade equipment for soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, and rugby with their company, Fair Trade Sports. Pakistan is the number one producer of sports balls in the world, and Fair Trade Sports is one of the few sport retailers that can truly guarantee their products are made by adults who are paid a fair wage in a decent working environment. If you play sports or know someone who does, this is the brand for you.
What inspired you to get into the Fair Trade sporting good biz?
I was in the Fair Trade movement already, doing coffee, tea, and cocoa, when I saw a note from FLO (Fairtrade Labeling Organization International, Transfair USA’s parent company) that sports balls became an official certified Fair Trade product during the run-up to the last World Cup in 2006. I’m a lifelong soccer player, so it caught my eye and the idea stayed in the back of my mind for a few years…I felt it was time for someone to lead the efforts here in North America and I wanted to bring a new, fun, sexy product to the Fair Trade movement to show consumers we have more than just agricultural products. Our line consists of eco-balls for soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, rugby, and more.
Where are your balls made and by whom?
Our sports balls are hand-stitched by our adult workers at our certified Fair Trade facilities in Sialkot, Pakistan. It’s a town of about three million people, most of whom are involved in the sports ball creation industry. Amazingly, more than 75% of all sports balls in the world come out of this one town….
Our adult stitchers are folks like Sameena, who lives in a village called Chak Gillan, near Sialkot. Sameena is one of 11 siblings, seven sisters and four brothers. Two of the older ones also stitch balls. Stitching wages are low - only the Fair Trade buyers from our international group pay enough to enable the three to provide their family with all the basic necessities. Continue reading Putting The Fair Trade In Sports…
Posted on April 29, 2008 |
Philanthropy 2.0
By Greg Berry
Filed Under Modern Philanthropy | 4 Comments
The decentralizing power of the Internet and social media has changed the philanthropic world in a big way during the past couple years. Once the province of older, wealthy donors on one side of the ledger and hard-working, under-financed idealists on the other, philanthropy is very different these days. Before we get into some details, it’s probably a good idea to define our terms.
Philanthropy 2.0 borrows more than the jargony, buzz-word-laden, faux-hipness from Silicon Valley’s latest incarnation of web-based mashups, social networks and blogging tools. Philanthropy 2.0 is about participation. It’s about using the Internet to connect people. It’s about open collaboration and a higher flow of smaller donations. Philanthropy 2.0 could possibly be a demonstration of the evolution of our species. An optimist might even see a very early start in the shift towards social justice driven from the ground up on a global scale, building a powerful yin to the yang of the centralized giving based in national aid agencies and huge, old, conservative foundations.
If you’re looking for some examples, and places to participate, Philanthropy 2.0 is exemplified by many recent initiatives which have gained significant attention:
Sean Parker and Joe Green, co-founders of Facebook and Napster have created Facebook’s Causes application, which lets you add philanthropic messages and fundraising to your profile. Contribute, a media company focusing on next-generation philanthropists recently profiled their work, highlighting over 3 million Facebookers who have Contribute widgets on their personal pages.
Kiva
Kiva.org is a peer-to-peer lending platform that lets anyone loan (generally small amounts of) money to people in the developing world. In 2007, the site gained so much attention in North America that is sometimes found all loans subscribed, and more donors than people in need. While this may point to the disconnect between need and internet access in the developing world, it’s a testament to the power that the web is having on philanthropy.
The Case Foundation
Steve Case, founder of America On Line (AOL) launched “America’s Giving Challenge” in late 2007. Working with both Parade Magazine (Sunday magazine of many of the country’s top newspapers) and Facebook, The foundation arranged cash prizes for non-profits who received the highest number of donations (not the most money) during their 6-week campaign, emphasizing participation over wealth.
eConscious Market
Of course, there’s our own initiative –eConscious Market — which donates 50% of our profits to a huge variety of non-profits that customers get to choose from. All the products are chosen for their eco-conscious manufacturing or operations practices.
Global Giving
Like Kiva, GlobalGiving lets you choose individual projects to support. Unlike Kiva, at Global Giving you are donating, not lending the money. They connect you with 450 pre-screened grassroots charity projects around the world.
Want to take action?
- Lend money as a micro loan to Kiva
- Donate at Global Giving
- Shop at eConscious Market
- To create a micro donation widget for your own organization, learn more at NTEN or connect directly with developers at Techfinder.org
- Use Facebook Causes to raise money for your favorite charity
- Donate to GlobalGiving
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Posted on April 28, 2008 |
Conscious Living TV: Spring 2008 Style File
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Sustainable Style, eCo TV | Leave a Comment
Design-savvy diva Bianca Alexander takes you on a tour of eco-fashion for Spring 2008 with Conscious Living TV. They capture both front and backstage footage from LA Fashion Week, interview Green Girls Productions, and give you a thorough tour of the chiccest eco boutique in Los Angeles, Avita Co-op.
Posted on April 25, 2008 |
Air On The Side Of Caution: Formaldehyde
By Pippa Sorley
Filed Under Green Living | 2 Comments
Approximately 75,000 chemicals are injected into our homes and buildings, furniture and toys. And, Americans are spending more time indoors than ever. These days, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is garnering a lot of attention in health and science news, and LEED certifications are now taking into account the health hazards associated with a range of indoor pollutants, including Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) derived from toxic paints, formaldehyde offgassing from compressed wood supplies, and the release of asbestos from insulation. According to a recent survey, people in the U.S. spend 90% of their time indoors! That’s a lot of potentially polluted air time, so stay tuned to learn more from our Air On The Side Of Caution series. We’ll keep you informed on what to look out for, as well as the safe alternatives.
FORMALDEHYDE
Although formaldehyde is an important and useful building material, overexposure to this noxious chemical can cause an array of symptoms, ranging from eye, nose and throat irritation to skin rashes, headaches, nausea and vomiting. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen, however, the risk of cancer risk associated with exposure to formaldehyde in homes is equal or less than 1 chance in a million of developing cancer. Even though you have as much chance of developing formaldehyde-related cancer as you do winning the lottery, it is important to be aware of where formaldehyde is found. In homes, the most significant sources are pressed wood products such as particle board, hardwood plywood paneling and fiberboard (used for drawer fronts, cabinets, and furniture tops) made using adhesives that contain urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins. ![lilipad studio kids furniture](http://www.econsciousmarket.com/eco-times/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/2s-brsided72dpi-500-277x300.jpg "Click here to check out the Lilipad Studio \")
To reduce your exposure to formaldehyde, buyers of building materials, cabinetry, and furniture, should ask about the formaldehyde content of these products. Look for non-pressed wood furniture, keep your home humidity levels low, and increase ventilation, particularly after bringing new sources of formaldehyde into your home.
Posted on April 25, 2008 |
The End Of Money?
By Daniel Pinchbeck
Filed Under Modern Philanthropy, The Big Picture | 4 Comments
What if the current crisis in the financial markets was not just a typical economic meltdown, but the beginning of a shift from an economy of quantitative exchanges to one based on qualitative values?
The current crisis of the financial markets is rapidly taking on gargantuan proportions. Last month saw the emergency sale of Bear Stearns, the fifth largest financial institution on Wall Street, to JP Morgan for the comparatively paltry sum of $250 million, including its flashy corporate headquarters and thousands of employees. Even this sale only came about because the US Federal Reserve agreed to cover the risks of exposure to creditors, ultimately, in all likelihood, pushing the financial costs onto US taxpayers. An attempted federal bailout of the financial system now seems increasingly unavoidable, as commentators such as Paul Krugman have noted.
At the same time this fire-sale was being arranged, I was at the Left Forum at Cooper Union in New York, an annual gathering of Leftist academics and organizers from around the world. The Left Forum featured over 100 panels on a range of subjects, from water privatization, CIA torture, to the leftward shift of South America, and many other topics. I had been invited to speak on a panel about indigenous cultures, consciousness, and social transformation, the only place at the Left Forum where social movements were even summarily discussed in relation to indigenous cultures who live “with” the earth, and not “on” it, as my fellow panelist, Tiokasin Ghosthorse, a radio host at WBAI and a Lakota, put it, and non-ordinary states of awareness were given a nod.
During a panel on the “Decline of the Dollar,” I was struck by a comment from David Harvey an eminence grise among Leftist academics, the esteemed author of Limits to Capital and other works who noted that Wall Street bonuses in January amounted to an astounding $36 billion, despite the heedless actions of the traders and investment houses that caused the implosion of the financial markets. At the same time, due to the subprime mortgage meltdown, over a million people have already seen their homes foreclosed, with nearly two million more foreclosures coming in the near-future, leading to more than three million US citizens deprived of their largest and most central asset. What Harvey noted is that, if we ignore the “fetishized mystical language” of the financial elite, “the loss of assets of those three million people is where those $36 billion of bonuses came from.” Continue reading The End Of Money?…
Posted on April 24, 2008 |
Behind The Swoosh: Nike’s Catholic Nemesis
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Conscious Commerce, eCo TV | 4 Comments
The story of Jim Keady, former coach of St. John’s University, who heads to Indonesia with Leslie Kretzu, Co-Director of Educating For Justice, to personally experience the living conditions of Nike factory workers there. Behind The Swoosh is a deep piece. Apologies for the video quality, but the story was worth it. Get ready to rethink your running shoes…
Posted on April 23, 2008 |
eCo Times In Effect
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Green Living, The Big Picture | 2 Comments
We are living in a unique time. In the US, little seems more important than the survival of the global ecosystem. Regardless of religious, scientific or philosophical notion, it is hard to deny that everything is united by the endless chain actions and reactions in this web of life. We are now aware that the ripple effect created collectively by humankind can easily span continents, and even hemispheres. The sixth mass extinction, the melting of the ice caps, the very weather of the earth itself-humans have effected. Little us. Our species’ pursuits have brought many parts of the world to near extinction-which is great. It’s spectacular actually. Our massive scope of destruction and terror is absolutely thrilling! I’m excited, truly excited, that our impact is awe-inspiring, and we weren’t even trying to destroy the planet’s wild places with our needs-which means we’ve got a chance. If that’s what humans can accomplish collectively without even meaning to, without focus, without a grand sense of inspiration, than just imagine how much we can do to turn it around when we are really going for it? We have the power to revive, reinvigorate, and restore ecosystems…and the sanctity of humanity’s relationship with them. We can heal this wound, between humans and the earth. Continue reading eCo Times In Effect…
Posted on April 22, 2008 |
The Tao of Jones: Redefining Values
By Mathew Gerson
Filed Under Conscious Commerce, The Big Picture | 3 Comments
In today’s market we are familiar with two types of organizations, for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations. In very general terms, business operates for the benefit of share-holders, i.e. profits, and non-profits operate for the benefit of a specific social or environmental cause.
The For-Profit Model
Traditionally, to evaluate and measure the “value” of a company, more specifically a For-Profit company, we generally look to the profit and loss graphs of the S&P 500. To date, the Dow Jones has been the benchmark by which businesses can measure themselves. Value in the form of dividends and performance defined by profits. All so nice and tidy, up and down arrows, points and percentages, very simple. These “values” are clear indicators of who I want to be in business with, right?
The benefit here is defined only by the result of a singular relationship between the company, its owners and shareholders, and the profits. What is missing here? What about the relationship between businesses and community? What effect does the almighty profit have on our planet as a whole? Continue reading The Tao of Jones: Redefining Values…
Posted on April 22, 2008 |
Zaproot: Hypermile Your Car And Google Map Pollution
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under eCo TV | 1 Comment
Fast talking Kiwi Jessica Williamson hosts Zaproot, the flagship show of the green network Viropop. This extremely humorous episode teaches you about “hypermiling,” “clean” coal marketing ploys, mapping pollution on Google, and…you also get to see someone half naked dancing provocatively in their car to a Daft Punk track. Hey, it’s all in the name of healing our planet, right?
Posted on April 21, 2008 |
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