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What is Fair Trade?
Around the world today, especially in developing countries, many men, women and children are breaking their backs to produce agricultural products and handicraft items at paltry daily wages, often just a dollar a day. Along the market chain from producer to consumer, the finished products are sold at prices ten times, even a hundred times, more than the wages paid to manufacture them. Add in the hazardous working conditions and the damage wrought upon the environment by the manufacturing processes involved and you have a clear case of unfair trade practices. Fortunately, the concept of fair trade is gaining worldwide acceptance among producers and consumers. Fair Trade Defined Fair trade is the organized social movement that seeks to achieve a two-pronged objective. First, the implementation of fair trade practices can assist producers to attain a better quality of life through the payment of fair wages as well as the provision of opportunities for equal employment and advancement, financial and technical assistance, and safe working conditions. Second, the appropriate application of fair trade principles promotes environmental sustainability through the use of eco-friendly manufacturing processes and practices. The environmental aspect is most often achieved through the safe handling and minimal use of agrochemicals, resource conservation especially ...- Bookmark :
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Searching For Environmentally Friendly Paints!
Whether you are looking to paint your shed or you are tired of blank white walls, you may be all set to search out your favorite colors and go to work, but what does your home improvement project mean for the environment? The unfortunate truth is that paint can be very problematic for the environment and finding eco friendly solutions is not nearly as easy as it should be. The problem that you are going to run into, however, is that the things that make paint as durable as it is tend to be very rough on the world, and that can make painting the exterior of any building a daunting task. The first thing that you should be aware of is how paint affects the environment. Though lead in paint was once a major concern, this type of paint has now been outlawed. Do be concerned though, of old paint jobs that might have lead still in them. Be aware of the fact that many paints will produce volatile organic compounds, things that will be released into the air even after the paint dries. These VOCs have been known to cause cancer in animals and in humans, but even their ...- Bookmark :
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Impact of Convenience Packaging
How conscious are you when it comes to your day to day purchases? Has it ever crossed your mind on how good or bad this can be to our environment? It is appalling to see the amount of waste caused from packaging. Imagine a trip to the deli just to buy a sandwich wrapped in three layers of plastic and paper protection which is more than it really needs plus tons of napkins on the side. Or let’s say for example if you purchase an item online having the same size of a pocketbook and it is delivered at your door inside a box that can fit a 14 inch TV covered in an enormous amount of bubble wrap and Styrofoam. This is already generating a lot of garbage. How much is too much? The thought of it ensures us much convenience knowing that our food stays fresh longer or products we buy are in good condition. But then again this kind of action is ridiculously too much. People tend to neglect this little kind of action not thinking of the big negativity that comes with it. Thinking and considering your options when it comes to purchasing something. It is not ...- Bookmark :
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A Choice Beyond Organic Produce
The term organic was once a desirable word to hear when paired with food produce, healing products and cosmetic items, to name a few combinations. Unfortunately, it has been abused and misused to varying degrees that just about any manufacturer can slap on the label and take advantage of the organic bandwagon. And so, organic now may be losing its sheen, also no thanks to an increasing use of imported fertilizers to produce greater yields to answer the demand. Fortunately, there is the trademarked biodynamic agriculture that provides a better way to go beyond organic farming. The trademark belongs to Demeter International - Demeter being the Greek goddess of the harvest - which is composed of over 50 member nations including the United States. Demeter International is the largest certification organization for biodynamic agriculture, of which the certification issued must be renewed annually under the strictest of standards. The criteria for certification include but are not limited to biodiversity and ecosystem preservation, livestock integration, soil husbandry, and the prohibition of GMOs in the farm. Basically, the farm where the produce bearing the Demeter logo must be treated as holistic organism from the littlest of microorganisms to the farmers themselves. With such stringent criteria, ...- Bookmark :
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Eco-Friendly Nail Polish
Did you know that your nail polish could be harmful to your health? Conventional nail polish is full of solvents and other substances that are known to be neurotoxins, including amyl, butyl, and ethyl acetates and toluene. Lead acetates may also be included, as well as formaldehyde, coal tar dyes, and other suspected carcinogens. Plasticizers, called pthalates, which are generally believed to have a hand in disrupting hormones in the human body. Why are all these dangerous chemicals allowed in our nail polishes? Cosmetics aren't subjected to safety testing in the United States, with harmful ingredients removed only on a voluntary basis and only after they've been proven to cause illness. The European Union has banned the use of pthalates and formaldehyde in cosmetics. Since it has been assumed that nail polish won't pass into the body, these dangerous materials are allowed. However, our nails are porous, so toxins can pass through them, into the nail bed, and into our blood streams. In addition, the production of these materials is harmful to the environment. Unfortunately, these chemicals are present throughout the cosmetics industry, in everything from lotion and perfume to hair gel and nail polish. That means that many people are using multiple ...- Bookmark :
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