When Greenpeace investigators sampled the effluent of two large textiles suppliers in China and found that its factories were discharging a wide range of hazardous chemicals including perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) and alkylphenols – a chemical banned for use in textile manufacturing in Europe – into local rivers, detoxing the fashion industry became an organisational focus. Seven years...
Abuja, Nigeria: Man is a social being. In this age of social media, man has become even more social than ever. Now with this social nature comes the need for class and status; distinguishing ourselves from other members of society. This plays a huge role in the decisions we make regarding where we live, what we drive,...
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Author: Julie Snorek, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Environmental Justice Atlas, Autonomous University of Barcelona Environmental justice activism is to this age what the workers’ movement was for the industrial age – one of the most influential social movements of its time. Yet, despite its consistent progress since the 1970s, environmental justice protests...
It’s Earth Day today. Happy Earth Day! What better way to celebrate the day than to honour those remarkable environmentalists, conservationists and activists who have advocated for the planet and used their lives to preserve and protect the natural environment, precious wildlife and ecosystems. Each one of the people listed has worked tirelessly to promote a...
Washington DC, United States: As we round the corner of mid-April and move on towards Earth Day, you’ll likely see a myriad of articles touting examples of how to reduce your personal use of single-use plastics, the theme of Earth Day this year. Especially after cosmically timed, tragic images of a dead sperm whale with...
Sydney, Australia: With the ocean under extreme threat from issues such as pollution and overfishing, we need to ask – who is governing the ocean? It might not be a topic people often consider, but it’s one we need to start questioning before it’s too late. “Healthy oceans are the life support system for our planet, providing 97...
Washington DC, United States: When two students walked into Columbine High School, killing 13 and injuring 21, I had just turned seven. When I was in middle school, we could only carry clear backpacks in response to a nearby shooting at another school. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where students were given excused absences...
San Francisco, United States: Fashion can be fun — who doesn’t love discovering a new ethical brand or coming across a great find at your favorite secondhand store? But since I recently learned about the fashion industry’s dirty climate secret, my shopping bags have stayed home. The fashion industry has a major impact on our environment....
Sydney, Australia: Over the last five years or more, I have lived in a state of panic that my day job isn’t saving the world, challenging my brain and being fun all at the same time. In the last few years, I have felt so much guilt about ways I could add positivity in the...
Pennsylvania, United States: The popularity of whole foods and a sustainable lifestyle among the wealthy elite and their subsequent commoditization of the movement are a destructive force within environmentalist circles. Since the beginnings of U.S. environmentalism in the 60s and 70s, popular sentiment held that it was a hobby only for wealthy whites. Subjugated groups...
I don’t know about you but I’ve never heard the terms and expressions ‘eco-friendly’, ‘sustainability’, ‘climate change mitigation’ and ‘environmental footprint’ as much as right now. The environment is a trendy topic that’s being discussed everywhere, from global summits to mainstream media and family dinners, yet it has never faced greater challenges. Temperatures are rising,...
You’ve read my post “3 Practical Ways to Be a Better Ethical Fashion Influencer and Create Meaningful Change” and have decided to write an email letter to your favorite fashion brand. Good on you! So you’re here because you want to learn how to write that letter aren’t you? I’ll get to that in a...