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Saving the World

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Rodia
Post subject: Saving the World
Posted: Sat 26 Feb , 2005 11:45 pm
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Call me a hippie, but I've become more and more concerned with how this world spins. While aware that I can't possibly change anything directly, I still feel like I can do a lot. Hearing people say 'one person can't change anything' makes me think of millions of people who wanted to act but didn't because someone told them that.

I'm already making moves towards starting to recycle paper, glass and plastic. But that's all I know for now. I've been looking online for websites that talk about boycotting certain brands, but most of them seem more hype than reason. I don't want to go crazy, but I would like to know whether the chocolate I'm eating came to me through fair trade or sweatshop labour.

And even this is not always possible. I've heard so much about the terrible work conditions in China- and yet every second bit of plastic in my life is made there. And what do I know about the Chinese economy and the true conditions? Does boycotting these factories make any sense at all? And how do I even know which brand to avoid? How do I know whether such boycotts don't make people lose the jobs they need?

Brandchannel.com is one of the few intellingent-sounding sites I've found(with this interesting article on brand names and sweatshops) but just because it sounds sensible doesn't mean it's telling the truth.
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Home is another one with a lot of info. Adbusters is most popular but it doesn't really tell me WHY I should boycott brands, other than to promote the Adbusters brand.

So can anyone give me any advice? I know there was a thread on TORC once that listed fair trade chocolate. I'd be more interested in knowing which brands I should definitely avoid, and why. I know there's no ready-made recipe for this, but there must be some general information I could find useful.

:)

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TIGG
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Posted: Sun 27 Feb , 2005 2:33 am
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I think Axordil will have advice for you on this topic.

If I remember rightly it was he who made the thread about Chocolate on TORC.

His wife is one of the loveliest people I have met, and Ax comes a very close second ;). She has a strong interest in the world and those who need help. Last Christmas they gifted some tree seedlings to a village in my name as my Christmas Gift, that is the best Christmas present I have ever recieved.

:)

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Andri
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Posted: Sun 27 Feb , 2005 5:50 pm
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I cannot tell you much about fair trade chocolate, expect that it tastes delicious!!!
And they have great coffee too. :cool:

You can check their site http://fairtradeonline.com for more information. Unfortunately, last time I checked, they did not ship outside the UK.

There is a lot of support going on about the idea of buying locally and supporting the local products. I find this an easy way, and a first step, towards helping things get better. There is a lot of damage done to the environment by the fuels used by planes and trucks in order to carry food from one side of the globe to our plates.
By buying locally, we support local farmers and local economy. We get to eat food that is in-season (cherries and watermelon in the middle of winter is bizarre, no matter what anyone says) and thus tastes much better and has more nutritional value.
There's a book that says all these much better than I can. It's called 'Not on the Label' by Felicity Lawrence. You may find it interesting.


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Rodia
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Posted: Mon 28 Feb , 2005 3:10 pm
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Thanks!!! You're right about buying locally. It's become a habit of mine to try and choose Polish products...the fun part is they're usually cheaper! Small-brand peas instead of Bonduelle...Bakoma instead of Danone...

:) I mean sometimes I think about all this stuff getting shipped here at enormous cost...when we have our own which is just as good. And heaven knows the local economy needs support.

Very very good idea.

:D

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Axordil
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Posted: Fri 04 Mar , 2005 3:13 pm
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I will ask my lovely and patient wife for current links.

And Tigg, I'm glad you like her too. :D

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Eruname
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Posted: Mon 14 Mar , 2005 5:15 am
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Religious recycler here. I just can't stand throwing something away that I know could be reused. I've been known to take large amounts of paper out of a trash can in an office and cart it home so it can be recycled. Iavas can attest to the fact that I don't want anything to be thrown away. I always want everything to be used somehow.

Unfortunately I have to be wasteful at my restaurant job and I've just had to make myself not think about it because when I do, it really saddens me. The restaurant industry is incredibly wasteful. The amount of food thrown away is staggering. I really wish restaurants would cut down on the portions because it's obvious people aren't eating all of what's on their plate (and nor do they need to be doing so). What I hate the most is throwing away meat. I mean, some animal gave it's life so that someone could eat it, but instead it's getting thrown away in the trash? Sheesh...if I think about it too much it makes me want to cry. :( Then there's wasted paper and wasted electricity (like leaving the freezer door open while all the cold air spills out or leaving the back door open so all the air conditioned air spills out...or how about all the left over ice from drinks being thrown away that amounts to a lot of water. Americans don't need so much ice!)

Many people just don't seem to respect this earth at all and I think it's just awful. It's sad to me that the wasteful cultures are the ones that dominate and thrive. Nature-worshipping cultures like Native Americans are the ones who are wiped out. It seems people are just too lazy to care now. I had a conversation with one of my college teachers about recycling and he says he doesn't have the time to do it. I explained that all you had to do was have the recycling bin right by the trash can so it didn't take any longer. He hd excuses that he'd have to think about it and take the bin out on different days...and that he wouldn't be around in 100 years so it didn't matter. I said he should do it for the sake of his children and grandchildren and their children, but it didn't phase him. It was just all so frustrating that he didn't seem to care about the world he lived in. There just wasn't any respect and that's all to prevalent now.

I kind of took this in a different direction Ro, but for a while I've wanted to comment on the first portion of what you wrote. I think all we can do is continue to do the same thing of caring for the world. Hopefully we'll influence someone else and pass on the same values. We're doing something and we just need to keep it going.

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enchantress
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Posted: Mon 14 Mar , 2005 5:27 am
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Awww Eru... :hug:
I totally understand and feel what youre saying about the waste, especially of meat.
If people feel they have to eat meat, we at least owe some respect to the animal that gave its life away - I definitely believe that.

There is a great organization in the Toronto area that collects fresh, unused perishable food from hotels, restaurants, stores and caterers and redistributes it to needy people or social programs. Its food that would normally spoil or go to waste.
The organization is called Second Harvest, and I know an organization of that name operates in the States too, though Im not sure they're related.

There was an article in a local newspaper here about this last year that really caught my attention...and like you say, most store owners and restaurant owners just cant be bothered... it was about local girls working at a supermarket trying to get the management to give the unsold extra baked goods (breads and buns and baguettes) away to be redistirbuted instead of tossing the surplus (apparently they only keep a bit of the unsold fresh bread till next day, although there's nothing wrong with it by then per se).
The management was loath to do anything because it would be too much "of a hassle".. :rage: sigh

Im glad that organizations like Second Harvest exist though and pick stuff up from some places.

Great thread Ro!
I dont have many links to contribute, though I do have a book listing no animal testing brands of cosmetics and beauty products...have to look and dig it up though.

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Primula_Baggins
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Posted: Mon 14 Mar , 2005 5:51 am
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Our county food bank has a fantastic gleaning operation set up. I've volunteered there. Vans come in from restaurants with all kinds of food, which is immediately repackaged, late at night, into family-size portions for distribution. Stuff also comes in from a local canning plant and other food-related businesses. The last time I was there we packaged 1800 pounds of frozen corn (packed solidly into a box about five feet on each side) into two-pound bags to go out to families.

The local businesses also donate surplus containers, so I've spent time slapping new labels on salsa tubs to be filled with soup.

There is also a large community garden that grows fresh produce for the food bank--my kids have worked there.

It feels good to know that less food goes to waste in our county than in most. Hunger is a severe problem in our state.

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Eruname
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Posted: Wed 16 Mar , 2005 11:33 pm
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enchantress wrote:
There is a great organization in the Toronto area that collects fresh, unused perishable food from hotels, restaurants, stores and caterers and redistributes it to needy people or social programs.
The sad thing is, nothing can be done about the food that people leave on their plates at restaurants. I wish that there was some way to get the word out to hungry people to come to restaurants so that they could finish the plates. I know if I was hungry I wouldn't give a darn if someone had been eating on the food before me. In fact, that would be better than food from a trash can. But I know that's never going to happen. I just wish there was something that could be done with the food people don't eat. If I can't finish my food at a restaurant I at least take it home with me. I don't understand why some don't. It's a waste of their money.
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The management was loath to do anything because it would be too much "of a hassle".. :rage: sigh
Can't stand people like that. :roll:

It's wonderful to hear about your volunteer work Prim. :)

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Rodia
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Posted: Thu 17 Mar , 2005 12:24 pm
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Eru, this is a perfect direction for the thread. I'm currently trying to find out whether there is a recycling company that would be interested in placing bins in our school's dorm. There's some just five minutes' walk away, but to have them in the dorm itself would make people more involved...

I always feel satisfied when I find a way to re-use rubbish. Right now I've taken all the old recorded cd's I don't need anymore, and am making a disco-ball out of papier mache. :D

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