Meanderings

I have tried, and failed, to write a piece about ethical living, and what lines we draw in the sand to ensure that we live as ethical a life as possible. Or, you know, maybe there are no lines in the sand, and the concept of "ethical lifestyle" is laughable and strange.

None of the ideas I was using flowed together the way that I wanted them to, so instead I will present a guide to some ways we can use our knowledge and cash to make the world a slightly nicer place...

Let's start with the scary stuff:

Ecological Footprint (link via Anne's Data)

An ecological footprint is an indicator of how many global hectares we take up, how much of the world we consume. Worldwide, there exists 1.8 biologically productive global hectares per person. These are my results:

Global hectares by category

Food 0.5
Mobility 0.2
Shelter 0.8
Goods/Services 1

Total footprint 2.5


In comparison, the average ecological footprint in your country is 7.6 global hectares per person.

If everyone lived like you, we would need 1.4 planets.

Ouch.

Now, the fun stuff:

Fair Trade

Cash crops have become the basis of farmer's earnings in developing countries. The major cash crops are sugar, coffee, tobacco and cocoa. Cash crops eat up the land that farmers had traditionally used for their own sustainable foods, and the monies that farmers receive for cash crops can be impacted negatively by fluctuations in the global commodity markets.

Buying Fair Trade products can help in ensuring that these farmers are protected and supported, and given an international voice.

There are five guarentees for products that have the Fairtrade mark:

1. The FAIRTRADE Mark guarantees farmers a fair and stable price for their products

2. The FAIRTRADE Mark guarantees extra income for farmers and estate workers to improve their lives.


3. The FAIRTRADE Mark guarantees a greater respect for the environment

4. The FAIRTRADE Mark guarantees small farmers a stronger position in world markets

5. The FAIRTRADE Mark guarantees a closer link between consumers and producers

Fair Trade products can be purchased in Australia through Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, in their shops and online. My favourites are the Fair Trade coffee (extremely yummy!) and Green & Black chocolate and cocoa (which, for all the choc mad vegans out there, is mostly vegan friendly!! Try the Maya Gold...mmmm...).

No Sweat, Blackspot, Veganwares

There are No Sweat sneakers available at the Sydney Oxfam shop. I'm not sure if these have the Fairtrade Mark, but they are made in tune with, and the No Sweat company is managed from, the same basis of fair trade and support.

Adbusters created the Blackspot v1 as an anti-corporate, anti-logo AntiBrand. They've recently launched Blackspot v2, more of a boot than a sneaker.

Veganwares provide animal and environmentally friendly (and very cool) ranges of shoes, boots, sandals, belts...Their only Australian store is in Melbourne (you Melbournites get all the cool things!), but you can order online. I have a dream of going to Veganwares and buying enough different shoes and boots to last me the rest of my life. Sigh.

There you go. Some ways you can use your dollars to make a mite of difference in this indifferent world.