We all want to live in an equitable world where everyone has the same opportunities to achieve happiness and freedom. But unfortunately, many governments fail to protect their citizens, allowing big corporations to set up shop without proper guidelines to ensure fair wages, benefits, and basic human rights.

The practice of fair trade works to help communities being taken advantage of by corporate greed. It aims to fight for fair wages, humane labour conditions, and environmental sustainability. Some of the industries most affected by unfair labour practices are coffee, tea, chocolate, cut flowers, fruit, jewelry, and apparel.

Garstang fairtrade town

There are many organizations fighting for fair trade practices around the world, but mostly in Latin America, Asia, and Africa:
â?¢ Equal Exchange: Certifies chocolate, tea, almonds, pecans, cranberries, and sugar
â?¢ Fair Trade Federation: Covers almost any imaginable product, including food, flowers, jewelry, clothing, and more
â?¢ TransFairUSA: Certifies coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, fruit, rice, flowers, and wine
â?¢ VeriFlora: Certifies cut flowers that are also sustainably grown
â?¢ World Fair Trade Organization: Certifies a very wide range of products, including clothing, food, beverages, jewelry, and so on

Unfortunately, not all is crystal clear in the world of fair trade. Fair Trade Certified coffee in particular has been attacked by some who suggest that coffeeâ??s low price is a result of overproduction and not unfair labour practices. They claim that by focusing on fair trade rather than finding other crops for farmers to grow, fair trade organizations are perpetuating a broken system. Itâ??s hard to say whether these problems are true. Most still believe that purchasing fair trade at least means their personal dollars are going to support ethical companies. Weâ??ll leave it to you to decide for yourself.

Want one source for all of your Fair Trade goods? Check out the Fair Trade Online Store that sells coffee, chocolate, tea, food, clothing and accessories, jewelry, and more, all from various fair trade organizations. And for more information on fair trade labels, go to the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International site.

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Ever looked at where your T-shirt was made? Considered what misery may have gone into the production of that new jumper or pair of jeans? And what of the environmental or health consequences of unethical fashion?

We all want to look our best, but at what cost? With more and more allegations of sweat labor being levied at high street fashion companies, itâ??s hard to know who the good guys (and gals) are.

child labor sweatshop

Choosing ethical fashion should first include sweatshop-free clothing. Those who suffer most in the production of most clothing are developing countries. According to Behind the Label, as little as 0.04 percent of the total cost of a garment will go to labour. The accusations made against sweatshops include:

• Extremely low wages that many suspect are insufficient for individual survival.
• Physical and sexual abuse, and forcing young women to abort babies to keep them working.
• Forcing children and adults alike to work very long hours in unhealthy working conditions.
• Failure to offer health care, child care, and other benefits to employees.
• Squashing strikes and the formation of unions by firing anyone inciting such activities.

Then you also want to look for something thatâ??s healthy for you. Chemical dyes used in many traditional textiles can contain heavy metals like copper, zinc, and chrome, all of which are suspected carcinogens. And then, of course, these dyes are often tested on animals to ensure their â??safetyâ?� for humans. Looking for eco-friendly dyed clothing ensures youâ??re safe from unhealthy, cruel clothing. Low-impact dyes (such as fibre-reactive dyes and plant-based dyes) and â??colour-grownâ?� fibres are both good alternatives.

Opting for organic, natural textiles is also a good choice. Conventionally-grown cotton is the worldâ??s most pesticide-intensive crop and requires a lot of water, too. Wool, on the other hand, can be sheared from cruelly-treated sheep. And synthetics like polyester, lycra, spandex, and the like are all made from petroleum byproducts, making them inherently unsustainable. Better options include organic cotton, bamboo, soy, hemp, and other natural fibres, which are now used to produce all types of garments.

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I hear this a lot from people, but honestly - Not All Soya Products Damage the Environment

There has been a lot of controversy in the news about the effect soya bean production has on the accelerated deforestation of the Amazon. When soya bean farmers buy up land for cultivation, they force out the cattle ranchers into the rainforest. The ranchers slash and burn, consequently releasing countless tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

soya beans

For those of us who love soya products and care about the state of our planet, this destructive byproduct of soya farming is highly distressing. We need our vegetable soya protein, but we donâ??t want to contribute to the devastation of the planet. What do we do?

Check out Alpro® soya products!

Alpro® goes out of the way to make sure their soya beans do not come from farms that have been reclaimed or deforested. Their beans come from China, Brazil (outside the Amazon), and Canada.

But thatâ??s not all Alpro® is doing to help the planet. Alpro® is involved in a lot of planet-friendly projects from packaging their products in recyclable Tetra Pak®, to financing zero emission research in Antarctica.

Other environmentally-respectful projects include Vitagoat, a soya production facility in Africa that is powered completely by bicycle pedals. Villagers make soya products to eat and sell by pedaling. Wow! Think about that the next time you see a bicycle!

Alpro® is also involved in helping educate people in Parana, Brazil to help them increase their employment potential.

Last, but not least, Alpro® is a key contributor to UFB, the United Fund for Belgium. This organization supports humanitarian projects throughout the country.

At the risk of sounding like a commercial, the next time you shop for soya products, buy Alpro® . At least you know your money is going somewhere where it is making a difference towards sustainability.

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Personally, I think that we are all better off health-wise if we significantly cut back on eating animal products. But thatâ??s just me. I donâ??t claim to know better than anyone else about how to live their lives when I can barely figure out how to live my own.

So if your children eat meat, what kind of meat is better for his or her health? Organic, Factory Farmed, or does it even matter? Letâ??s look at the differencesâ?¦

Organic meat vs none organic farmed meat

Chances are, unless the meat you buy specifically has â??organicâ?� all over it, itâ??s not. So what exactly is â??factory-farmedâ?� meat?

1. Corn-fed. If left to their own devices, cows eat grass, not corn. Corn makes the cows fatter â?? thatâ??s why the meat is softer.
2. Live in unsanitary and inhumane cells. These pens are designed so the animals can barely move. Pens are filthy with animal waste matter.
3. Antibiotic-injected. Factory farmed animals are injected with antibiotics to prevent or treat diseases that are a direct result of their horribly dirty living conditions.
4. Injected with growth hormones. Factory-farmed animals are injected with growth hormones to â??encourageâ?� faster growth, faster turnover, and larger profits.

Organic meat comes from farms that have very strict rules that are constantly regulated, monitored and enforced. Organic meat is:

1. Free range. Organic meat comes from animals that are allowed to roam about and eat chemical-free food.
2. Clean and sanitary. Living conditions of organic meat animals is closely regulated by the government (US and UK).
3. Antibiotics are used ONLY if the animal is sick, which is not often because of the clean and highly monitored living conditions.
4. Not injected with growth hormones. Organic meat animals are encouraged to grow naturally â?? not chemically induced.

So after looking at the basic differences, what would you feed your child if you had to feed him meat?
Iâ??m betting on the organic farmed.

Is Dog Food Really Filled With Euthanized Companion Animals Like Cats and Dogs?

What really is in that can of dog food? You know itâ??s some kind of meat. It looks like meat. Smells kind of almost meaty. But what kind of meat is it?

How about the kibble? What is in a cup of those cute little shaped dry food? Itâ??s mystery meat, otherwise known as â??meat meal.â?�

The next time you buy your dog some food â?? be it dry or canned â?? read the ingredients. Youâ??ll find â??meat mealâ?� in there. What is it?

whats in your dogs food

If you have a weak stomach and tend to get nauseated easily from reading about really gross things, stop reading now. If youâ??re masochistically curious like me, read on. Donâ??t say I didnâ??t warn you though.

Meat meal is a major ingredient in dry dog (and cat) food. It contains (among other things): urine, feces, body parts normally not eaten like hair, intestines, and bones. Should I keep going? Meat meal also has spoiled meat from the supermarket (packaging included), road kill, diseased animalsâ?¦the list goes on and on and on. I canâ??t anymore â?? Iâ??m going to get sick.

Now you and I know that the companies who make pet food are not going to admit that they put dog and cat meat in dog and cat food â?? essentially turning our pets into cannibals. They would never own up to it because that would be bad for business. But the evidence is just too hard for them to hide all the time.

John Eckhouse quoted an employee of the Sacramento Rendering plant (where pet food comes from) â??Thousands and thousands of pounds of dogs and cats are picked up and brought here every day.â?�

When your pet dies at the vet, the vet sends the body to the rendering plant. And yes, they are legally allowed to do this. Disgusting, but true.

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How could that comfy, fluffy wool sweater thatâ??s keeping you nice and cozy warm be possibly bad for you or the environment?

Let me give you a few reasons:

1. The amount (thousands of pounds) of pesticides applied to sheep and lambs to control mange, mites, lice, and fleas alone is enough to make you choke.
2. These poisons leech into the soil to pollute ground water, or flow into storm drains and irrigation water supplies.
3. Some of the sheep dip pesticides last for more than a year in the environment.
4. UK sheep workers that have been exposed to these poisons only for a short time show signs of nervous system damage like anxiety and depression.
5. Long term contact has been found to reduce bone formation.

6. Antibiotic feed additives for sheep are used to make up for the overcrowded, unhealthy and inhumane conditions in the pens.
7. These antibiotics also end up in the drinking water supply â?? and in you. The next time you get a bacterial infection, the little buggers are more resistant to the medicine, so you stay sick until your doctor finds an antibiotic dose strong enough to kill them.

Something to chew over when your buying that new sweater this winter.

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Should Quornâ?¢ Be More Explicit About the Chicken Welfare Used to Create Their Products?

Quornâ?¢ is a brand of processed food that provides vegetarians with a protein source that is meat and soy free. That is, if you are lacto-ovo vegetarian. If, however, you are a vegan allergic to soy, you might want to look for another protein source because Quornâ?¢ products are processed with egg whites and milk.

Up until 2004, Quornâ?¢ acquired their eggs from battery chickens. The company began phasing out the battery eggs in 2000 and by 2004; all eggs from Quornâ?¢ products processed in England come from free range chickens.

Quorn and free range chickens

Free range may sound like chickens living life in paradise, but that is far from the truth. Many of the free range hens are kept in sheds that house another 10,000 â?? 15, 000 birds. These hens are de-beaked (what a horrifying experience!). And although they have access to the outdoors, most hens rarely venture out of the sheds and are killed after a year of laying eggs.

Maybe Quornâ?¢ should take this opportunity to go vegan. Besides being better for the environment, the animals, and health, going vegan would increase the companyâ??s sales. Itâ??s a win-for-all situation.

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For those of us who are unfamiliar with Quornâ?¢, it is a brand name of a line of meat-free and soy-free food product that is high in protein content. Quornâ?¢ has been sold in Britain since 1985 and made its US debut in 2002. Today, Quornâ?¢ is the market leader in retailing meat free food.

So if Quornâ?¢ is meat-free and soy-free, what is the source of protein in the food? Good question. Itâ??s an edible fungus called Fusarium venenatum, which, incidentally, is not a mushroom. Mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms.

Because Quornâ?¢ is a processed food; it comes in many shapes and forms. You can get Quornâ?¢ patties, Quornâ?¢ burgers, Quornâ?¢ nuggets, Quornâ?¢ tendersâ?¦the list goes on and on.

Quornâ?¢ mince is just another form of the protein food source that resembles chopped meat. So you can put Quornâ?¢ mince in shepherdâ??s pie, spaghetti, lasagna, Sloppy Joes, chili, and whatever else you feel like.

Strict vegans might want to re-think Quornâ?¢ consumption since it uses egg white as a binder and some products contain milk.

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It seams Coln Firth has put alot of pride into his new green website, so i must apologise for my prejudice against it.

“Colin, i love the shop and the products look superb. But, that website, please”

Tips on how to get the best out of the Eco Age website:-

• The header needs to be wide enough to make an impact, enough room to contain the superb logo that looks much better larger, the contact details and an affilate banner or banner showing instore offers
• The website needs more optimised content, so that your natural rankings improve
• Make sure that the website is aligned and doesnt hang to one side
• The menu should contain keyword links based on the relevant landing pages
• A top menu containing your contact link, home, meet the team etc
• You have canonicalisation with your .co.uk and .com pages, this means that your content will be duplicated and so you need to decide which URL will be your main URL , if that is  .com, then direct all your .co.uk URLS to .com.
• Show any green credentials and affiliations you have as a badge on the site
• You could make much more of the press page, adding actual articles instead of the images of the newpaper articles. Some of these are very small and pixelated.

A snippet of social media ideas:

• Add a blog to the website and have your staff update it on a regualr basis
• Open an Ego Age website and RSS feed green tips and advice into it, add your blog updates to it and offer Twitter only offers via the stream.
• Add all product images, store images and press images to your own Flickr group

Well, thats my 2p’s worth.

Great eco products though at Eco Age

A look at the offline and online offering of Vbites

I popped down to the opening of Heather Mills Vegan cafe ‘Vbites‘ on Saturday as Iâ??d heard whispers of its opening for a few months and fancied seeing what she had done with the old fish eatery that used to be there before. Another think that I wanted to see was how ‘Vbites’ was promoting itself, being interested in media and the way ethical ventures make that leap from hippy idealism (something I have struggled with myself) to cool rich media and an understanding of social capitol.

The opening itself was as my actor friend pointed out “a little frayed around its vegan edges”, with a very loud Glenn Miller band for the old folks, a dodgy microphone for Heathers opening speech and more ‘old media’ journalists that you could shake a stick at.

Heather however looks superb and I was at the front cheering her on as she appeared on top of the building relaxing against the ‘Vbites’ diner style sign. I’ve been an admirer of Heather for years, ever since she appeared on the Big Breakfast and described how she lost her leg by being hit by a police motorcycle. The fact that she was married to a pop star bla bla, doesnâ??t really interest me and I much prefer to read about her animal welfare exploits.

As I was leaving I collared one of their PR girls and said that Iâ??d like her to guest blog and that she needed some advice on her website. I was tempted to grab Heather as she popped out the back of Vbites and beg her to get a new developer, but she was on the phone so I thought Iâ??d leave it.

Now, the Vbites website:

Vbites website

Whatâ??s wrong with the website:

• The menu does not contain keywords specific to the campaign
• The content has not real direction on any of the pages
• No specific menu pages
• Their are no social networking links on the homepage
• No RSS feed for subscriptions to the newsletter
• No real calls to action
• No SEO across the site based on the lack on title tags, keyword inclusion etc
• Lack of pages on the site, if the sitemap is to be trusted
• The press and media page has no rich media or any real content
• The lack of humanity on the site is frightening - add some images of the place, the workers, heather, kids eating lunches, the skaters outside
• There are so many opportunities here for some great social media, so many aspects to the cafe that can be drawn upon to make it both an on and offline success.
• No internal linking
• More inbound links from relevant sources

I do find it unfortunate that allot of vegan and ethical sites are missing the basics of good design and SEO, it doesnâ??t seam important in the grand scheme of things but it does make a profound difference as to how users see you. Any site, no matter what it is saying needs to be making a media statement about its efforts, services or products… it is the fundamentals of it being a website and with all the competition out there, sites like Vbites need to stand out from the crowd or risk just becoming a dead weight online page that tarnishes the offline appeal of a great concept.

I’ll think of a few nice little ideas for Vbites social media and see if we canâ??t get it moving.

One last thing that I think would be nice for Vbites to is to add ‘deliveries’ to its offerings, swift deliveries of ‘Mrs. swirly’ vegan ice cream for example.

I did have difficulty finding any articles to add below this, as it seams most of the press that turned up were only there to slag her off, a bit pathetic on a sunny day to head down there just for that, but … who am i to judge.

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