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 think this speaks for itself

1) Palin offered a bounty of $150 for each left front leg of freshly killed wolves

2) Palin promotes aerial hunting of wolves even though Alaskans voted twice to ban it (VIDEO)

3) Palin used $400,000 of state money to fund a propaganda campaign in support of aerial hunting

4) Palin believes man-made global warming is a farce

5) Palin strongly supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

6) Palin is a champion for big oil and her slogan has become “Drill, baby, drill!”

7) Palin is suing the federal government to prevent listing the polar bear as an endangered species

Palin sues the federal government over listing Cook Inlet beluga whale as an endangered species

With the Swine Flu in the news everyday, i thought this was a much needed post

We all have our own reasons why we choose vegetarianism or veganism. Whether you have been a â??veggieâ?� since birth, or if you are for political, health, taste or humanitarian reasons, it doesnâ??t matter. Just add these 10 other reasons to be thankful that you donâ??t eat meat.

If you eat meat, beware. You could end up feeling very, very ill. Hereâ??s a list of illnesses that are directly linked to handling and eating meat.

1. Salmonella Poisoning â?? bacteria found in feces. Causes diarrhea in humans and may lead to death in infants, elderly and immune-compromised.
2. Campylobacter Poisoning â?? bacteria found in raw fowl. Infection symptoms include nausea, headache, backache, fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Prolonged illness can lead to arthritis and paralysis.
3. Escherichia coli (E. coli) Poisoning â?? bacteria that is part of the normal intestinal flora. Some strains have been found to cause food poisoning due to fecal contamination of food. Symptoms of infection include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes bloody). May lead to death in children, elderly and immune-weak.

4. Listeria Poisoning â?? bacteria associated with farm animals. Causes miscarriages, stillbirths and serious illnesses in newborns.
5. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the widespread use of antibiotics.
6. Irritable Bowel Syndrome â?? triggered by eating such foods as red meats, poultry (dark skin and meat), dairy products and egg yolks. Symptoms vary per person and can include constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and general gastrointestinal discomfort.
7. Pancreatic Cancer â?? has been linked to prolonged ingestion to processed meats.
8. Hardening of Arteries â?? a diet high in saturated fats (meat, dairy, fast food) are risk factors linked to the formation of plaque in the arteries that can lead to heart attack.
9. Colon Cancer â?? eating a lot of red meat over a period of time has been linked to increased risk of colon cancer.
10. Heart Disease â?? most instances of heart disease and fatal heart attacks can be avoided by decreasing or eliminating meat from oneâ??s diet.

I’m off to enjoy a nice veggie pasta dish i think ..

Leather and environmental issues

I’m sitting here in my leather office chair and in my leather workboots with my leather wallet in my back pocket - comfy chair, Internet, comfy boots; what more could a guy want aside from a never-ending pizza?

I started thinking more about leather the other day after seeing the most horrible video of an animal that was skinned alive for the fur/skin trade.

I can’t relay in mere words how horrific it was to see this animal after the process - the poor creature seemed fully conscious and the look on its face was just incredibly heartbreaking. Without its skin, I couldn’t even recognize what sort of animal it was. It looked so forlorn, confused and in so much pain, I nearly cried.

It’s incidents like these that really make me question the concept of we humans as evolved and “superior” beings.

The practices of some in the fur and skin trade have gained a lot of media coverage to the point that wearing of fur as a fashion statement is generally frowned upon these days.

Leather is another story - I guess that most of us like to think that the leather goods we buy - shoes, furnishing, clothing, bags etc. - have come from animals that have been humanely slaughtered and that the leather is more of a by-product rather than the focus; i.e. from animals used for meat.

Even if that is the case, and the term “humane” when it comes to slaughter is subject to a lot of controversy, what about the other environmental impacts from our desire for leather?

Leather’s chemical cocktail

As leather is basically just skin, the base component (rawhide) is fully biodegradable. Without some form of treatment, known as tanning, it would simply fall apart.

Back in the old, old days, smoke was often used to cure leather as were vegetable tannins, salt, urine and animal faeces or animal brains - it was a rather smelly and messy affair, so most tanneries were situated outside towns.

These days, here’s how most tanning occurs:

- Hides are first prepared by by curing them with salt

- The hides are then soaked in clean water to remove the salt

- The hides are treated with one or more of the following as part of the de-hairing process:

* Sodium sulfide
* Sodium hydroxide
* Sodium hydrosulfite
* Arsenic sulfide
* Calcium hydrosulfide
* Dimethyl amine
* Sodium sulphydrate

- Once the hair is removed, the hides are then treated with a mixture salt and sulphuric acid if mineral tanning is to be done.

- The hides are soaked in water once again and biocides such as pentachlorophenol may be used to prevent bacterial growth.

- Tanning can be performed, and usually this is via mineral methods that uses chromium in the form of basic chromium sulfate

Modern tanning is still a messy and smelly affair with a ton of extra energy, water and toxic chemicals thrown in. The process is so toxic that many old tannery sites cannot be used for agriculture. Tanneries not only often poison the land they are situated on, but also the waterways into which they discharge effluent.

Given all that, I’m left wondering if modern leather tanning processes are just as environmentally damaging as some of the plastics we use in clothing and furnishings such as polyester and nylon.

Imported leather

But surely if the toxicity of the process is well known, our governments have taken steps to address it, right? Yes, that’s often the case in places like the USA, Australia, Canada and the UK - but here’s a quote in regards to a tannery in Australia fined for environmental issues that sums up where the problem lies:

“…told the court the business would not operate as a tannery in the future, but would move to importing sheepskins”

Our desire for cheap leather coupled with tightening local government regulations is not solving the problem, but simply moving the environmental issues overseas to countries where controls are more lax - not only on the pollution side of things, but in relation to animal welfare.

So, even if the boots or coat you buy says “Made in Australia” or “Made in the USA”; there’s a very real possibility that the actual leather used in the product was imported from overseas.

So what’s a leather lover to do?

Firstly, we need to look at our consumption - do we really need 10 pairs of leather shoes, 5 wallets or 8 handbags? Every leather item you don’t buy mean less toxic waste entering into the environment and perhaps an animal not killed - you’ll save some cash as well.

We can also reduce our associated impact by asking companies where they source their leather - if it’s outside “developed” countries, assume the worst.

Additionally, if you’re prepared to spend a few more bucks, consider organic leather. Organic leather comes from animals that have been raised and slaughtered humanely and the tanning uses more environmentally friendly processes such as smoke and plant based tannins. You can find these products simply by typing: organic leather X into your favorite search engine, where X is the type of product you are wanting.

Leather alternatives

After you watch a few videos and read a bit more about the treatment of animals destined to become leather products, it does tend to work away at your conscience; but the alternatives also present a minefield for the environmentally conscious consumer.

You could just turn your back on leather altogether, but so many of our fabrics are petro-chemical based or use incredibly environmentally destructive and energy intensive processes.

This is where we need to start looking more towards organic cotton, soy, hemp, bamboo and other forms of organic clothing. Most of these are still terribly expensive and I must admit I’m guilty of leaning towards cheaper and very non-green clothes - even if I do manage to squeeze a decade out of a t-shirt :). It’s a habit I’m trying to kick.

If you just love the look and feel of leather, consider pleather, which is just a slang term for synthetic leather made out of plastic; but just be aware of the associated impacts - not all pleather is created equal and some plastics will be worse than others. These range from calico coated with boiled linseed oil mixed with dryers and pigments to fabric bases coated with plastic, to 100% plastic substitutes.

Unfortunately for the leather lover - it’s a case of abstinence or choosing the lesser of the environmental and humanitarian “evils”; but a reduction in impact is certainly better than taking no action at all.

Article written by Michael Bloch of Green Living Tips.com

Michael has been active in green business for 6 years and currently work for an Australian company that sells solar and wind power equipment energymatters

Flickr image by Barnaby

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£15 off and 10% discount voucher codes for green clothing label Gossypium

I stumbled over this and thought it might come in handy to readers, its a £15 discount for ethical clothing store Gossypium. The store sells a wonderful range of fairtrade, organic clothing for Men, Women and children. After reading all the awful things about GAP high street and even M&S this brought me a little sigh of relief.. “I can buy jeans!”

Simply note down the voucher codes click on the images to go to the site or type it into the address bar and enjoy the discounts.

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I love the Innocent company and look forward to their quirky newsletters arriving every month, eagerly scrolling down to the bottom to see what amusing link delights await me. I love the cute marketing, the colourful bottles of lovely juices, the funky little knitted hats and the fun blog where everything about the company it totally transparent.

But, i am stunned that they have given a 30 million stake in their business to the corporate giants of soft drinks Coke. Coke stands for unhealthy drinks so loaded with sugar that when my baby brother drinks it he bouncing off the walls for an hour.

James Quincey, group business unit president for Coca-Cola Europe, said the group was delighted to be investing in Innocent. “We have long admired their brand, their products and their unique approach to business,” he added.

co-founder Richard Reed of Innocent said “every promise that Innocent has made, about making only natural healthy products, pioneering the use of better, socially and environmentally aware ingredients, packaging and production techniques, donating money to charity and having a point of view on the world will remain.We’ll just get to do them even more.”

But i don’t understand, Innocent employs 275 people, has a turnover of more than £100m and sells about two million smoothies per week, why do they need this involvement from Coke, Ok they can do more work for charity but what harm are they doing in the process. I just don’t see how they can up hold their ethical credentials in light of this, after all Coke was recently made to correct its advertising campaign in Australia because its claims that Coke did not make you fat or rot your teeth were deemed “misleading”.

Read the Twitter feed to see just how pissed some of their customers are http://twitter.com/innocentdrinks

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The EIB have just given around 800 million to fund green technology development for Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan’s British factory. This is on top of Jaguars loans from the government expected to be around 500 million. Nissan have been awarded the fund for their work in the development of green technologies which i agree is a good support for their efforts and a significant boost for their UK workforce, but the only thing that’s green about Jaguar Land Rover at the moment is ‘the famous colour’.

Lord Mandelson said that the loans were good news: â??For Nissan, it is recognition of their commitment to a low-carbon future in the UK and is a particular boost for their workforce. For JLR, it is a welcome step forward.

“a welcome step forward…” I won’t even touch upon that fact that while all this money is flying around, the British tax payer is bailing out the banks and helping them get their ‘well deserved million pound bonuses’, we are now bailing out the car industries ‘yipee’, i dont even drive a friggin car. Why are these car factories who have been well aware of the impact of the air pollution they have caused over the past fifty so years, taken steps back in the 1990’s to develop green technology, why have they waited for government hand outs in the middle of a recession, to do these developments. Could it be that before enough people started to shout about it, that it just wasn’t a priority… or is… erm as for the green money and you get over 900 million to play with and .. hey they might look at making a start on that, greener fuel thing. I checked on Jaguars website to see any mention of this great eco cause they are planning and found nothing.  Athough they have just won, What car of the year award, which is nice.

I won’t hold my breath, the adverts for “jaguar are planning… are thinking…. are considering…” are worthless… lets see if they put their green were their mouth is over the next two years huh? or maybe they can leave it until the last minute and turn their hand to land rafts.

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National Express the Green way

I do almost all of my travelling by train and bus, the main reasons being that the public transport where I live in Brighton is very good, with buses running every 2mins and the cost of parking extreamly high. When I visit my parents or pop into London for the day I take the train, and although i think that prices of train travel are far too high, it is the greenest way to travel by far.

Green train travel

• It is Greener, a plane trip from London to Newquay produces as much as 135kg carbon dioxide, but if you travel by train you use just 72 kg of carbon dioxide.

• The train takes you exactly where you want to be. Stations are nearly always in the centre of town; airports are usually on the outskirts, making another journey essential to get to your destination (and adding more carbon).

• You can watch the world go by, not just clouds.

• You can stretch your legs, sit opposite someone and have proper chat, surf the internet and use your phone.

• You can take as much luggage as you like, including your bike, often at no extra cost.

• You don’t have to check in hours ahead.

• Some trains have FREE WIFI allowing you to work in compfort and prepare for meetings and conferences.

Taken from the friends of the earth book… “how can i stop climate change?”

A tiny dog in a dress, i found it and i love it

This is so cute and made by monamivie from an old 1960’s dress, you can buy it for $20.00 from buy vintage doggie dress.

My dog is now terrified i’m going to buy her one of these..