Fair Trade America interviewed key people at three companies that have committed to Fair Trade. Their responses should be enough to convince you how important it is to buy / coffee, chocolate, & tea that has the FairTrade seal (and the Organic seal, of course). Vague terms such as ‘fairly traded’ or ’sustainably grown’ are often used to cover up products that aren’t … [Read more...] about If It’s Not Fair Trade, It’s Not Fair to Small Producers
Is your food contaminated with glyphosate?
Recent tests show that much of the food sold in stores, fast-food places, and high-end restaurants is contaminated with glyphosate, a toxic pesticide that is the principal ingredient in RoundUp. The best way to avoid it is to buy food that is raised organically. Glyphosate is known to be toxic, carcinogenic, and an endocrine disruptor. It has been classified as a toxic … [Read more...] about Is your food contaminated with glyphosate?
Building Demolition
Those concerned about the dust that will be released by the upcoming implosion have good reason for concern. According to studies, including Nuruddeen Usman's 'An Evaluation of Buildings Destruction Technique and Its Menace', published in the EU, this method of demolition creates many serious health risks that can take years to show up. [PDF] It goes on to say that modern … [Read more...] about Building Demolition
Individual Actions to Reduce Climate Impact
While we believe that the most important causes of global warming & the resulting climate change are systemic, it's also true that individual actions can have a significant impact. If you want to see ways you can reduce your own carbon footprint, see George Washington University's public health program which has created an online information center for 'Realistic Ways … [Read more...] about Individual Actions to Reduce Climate Impact
Thank you, Greta!
I think we all owe a debt of thanks to Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old from Sweden, for her speech calling out 'leaders' for their failure to lead! Some excerpts from her remarks (at COP-24 in Katowice, Poland): We can no longer save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.So we have not come here to beg the world leaders to care for … [Read more...] about Thank you, Greta!
Peter’s blog: A Tale of Two Disasters — and U.S. Response
On 9-11-2001, terrorists (mostly Saudi) attacked the World Trade Center in New York, killing 2996 people. The US allowed Saudis to leave the US after the attack and has maintained good relations with Saudi Arabia — while pouring trillions of dollars into war on Afghanistan and the Iraq. Those wars killed least half a million people, with estimates ranging as high as 1.2 … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: A Tale of Two Disasters — and U.S. Response
Peter’s blog: ‘What could we be learning from others?’
A recent article by Janice Lee ('What Humanity Can Learn From Plants'), raises this question. It's well worth reading! Lee asks why we value 'scientific' knowledge over all other ways of knowing and points out some other limitations of our ways, such as rendering non-human living beings as 'it', as if they were inanimate objects. She suggests we could learn a lot from trees … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘What could we be learning from others?’
Peter’s blog: ‘Development can be sustainable — or destructive’
Some municipalities require impact assessments for proposed projects, but they often are inadequate or focus primarily on economic considerations. An integrated and comprehensive sustainability impact assessment is essential to understanding the range of inter-related impacts a project will have on climate change, community, health, environment, and economy. This summer, a … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘Development can be sustainable — or destructive’
Acknowledging the original inhabitants of this area
We are located in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, an area that is a small part of what was Lenni-Lenapé territory. The Lenni-Lenape apparently were friendly and accommodating, until the settlers gradually — and often violently — forced them from their territory. We acknowledge the injustice and mistreatment indigenous people faced as a result of colonialism, and we recognize that … [Read more...] about Acknowledging the original inhabitants of this area
Peter’s blog: ‘Thanksgiving & Colonialism’
Thanksgiving Day seems an appropriate time to post this brief historical note about Colonialism in the United States. I'll start by mentioning that this is the original territory of the Lenape, now known as the Delaware. Like most parts of North America, Pennsylvania & New Jersey were occupied by Indigenous people for thousands of year before the first European settlers … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘Thanksgiving & Colonialism’