A Happy Medium for Modern Environmentalists

Finding The Sweet Spot

How do you find that “just right” place between being eco-friendly and living a meaningful life? Some sacrifices are necessary and they can be good for you, but taking it too far can be detrimental to your quality of life. Especially as a conscious consumer, at a certain point our influence can diminish.… Read More

 

How To Be An Informed Environmentalist in 2hrs or Less

Keeping up with environmental news doesn’t need to be overwhelming. With just 2hrs a week, you can stay informed and save the rest of your time for other cool sh**.  Here’s how I use 3 everyday mediums to stay informed and stay sane.

Social Media

You can get environmental news from any social media outlet, including snap chat (Nat Geo’s snaps are rad), but my go-to for the latest breaking news is Twitter.… Read More

 

The Real Story On Gum + Eco-Friendly Alternatives

prch Guest Post – This surprisingly interesting post from my colleague at the Ethical Blogger Network will have you thinking twice about gum. You can find the original aticle on ethicalunicorn.com.

The Sustainability of Chewing Gum – Overview

Your 30 Second Summary

Facts About Gum:

  • Gum’s not a modern invention
    • The Mayans chewed chicle, the sap from the sapodilla tree
    • The Greeks chewed mastiche, from the resin of the mastic tree
  • Gum is the biggest litter issue after cigarette butts
  • The main ingredient in modern gum is polyisobutylene, a synthetic rubber derived from crude oil
  • Goodyear -yes the tire company- is the main manufacturer of gum’s base ingredients
  • Worldwide people chew around 560,000 tons of gum each year
  • London spends £10 million per year cleaning up chewing gum

Sustainable Gum

Chicza is 100% natural and organically certified; it’s also sustainably harvested from the chicozapote tree in the Mayan forest and produced by a consortium of cooperatives under a fair trade scheme.… Read More

 

Podcasts for Environmentalists & Conscious Consumers

Looking for a new podcast? Here’s a few to try…

Discovering a new podcast can sometimes feel a bit like dating – hours of searching followed by excitement, disappointment, and occasionally the right fit! Sometimes you know it isn’t going to work out right off the bat and other times it may be a slow start to a great relationship.… Read More

 

How I Found Ethically Made, Custom Shoes

Overcoming one-size-fits-all…

It seems like we have so many choices today, but the more I look the more I find the same low-quality cookie cutter shoes, the same starchy shirts, and the same pair of artificially worn jeans. In a race for returns, companies have ramped up and outsourced production leaving many of us with full closets, yet nothing to wear.… Read More

 

How Money Can Buy Happiness

If you think money can’t buy happiness, you’re not spending it right…

In this TEDx Michael Norton explains his fascinating research on how spending affects our happiness. We’ve all heard it before “Money can’t buy happiness”, but this research reveals a different answer… and it doesn’t take as much as you might think.… Read More

 

Guide To The Most Eco-Friendly & Ethical Sunglasses

prch Guide: Eco-Friendly & Ethical Sunglasses

Look good, do good, feel good…

Go Right To The Guide

There are two main ways sunglasses are becoming sustainable. 1. By being socially conscious 2. By being environmentally conscious.

Eco-friendly sunglasses decrease your environmental impact and are pretty cool… but if you’re looking to do the most good with your purchase, choosing a highly ethical brand will have a bigger impact.… Read More

 

Sunglasses: One Company Owns The Entire Industry

The variety of sunglasses we see in stores, from sportswear to designer… is all an illusion.

The truth: One $9B company owns almost the entire industry.

Luxottica makes around 75 million pairs of glasses each year, designing and manufacturing brands like Prada, Tiffany & Co, Coach, Versace, Ray Ban, Oakley… the list goes on.… Read More

 

Why We Need To Rethink Capitalism

Just Index – Another resource for conscious consumers

One of the hardest parts of being a conscious consumer is knowing which companies to support. Luckily, new resources like the Just Index are coming to our aid.

Paul Tudor Jones is the founder of the Just Index, a nonprofit that ranks the ethics of corporations in the US based on criteria chosen by US citizens.… Read More

 

The Problem with Fast Fashion

The true cost…

Yes, those cheap trendy tees are too good to be true. Our impulse shopping habits have a bigger impact than we think, so let’s take 3.5 minutes to understand the problem with fast fashion and how we can be part of the solution.… Read More