Some years, Earth Day clicks for people in a profound way. I’ve spoken to a few who were distinctly non-plussed with how things didn’t come together for them and their dreams this year. If you need some optimism for the rest of your week, check out this compendium. Pay attention
Continue readingTag: Consumerism
Politics, Re-Spun: The Pidgin Picket, the Housing Crisis and the State
The Role of The State in Gentrification, the Housing Crisis, and its Ability to Relieve or Maintain the Current Situation by Rachel Goodine Pidgin, a new fine-dining restaurant located on Vancouver’s Downtown East Side, moved in to the neighbourhood on February 1 of this year, prompting plenty of controversy. It’s
Continue readingMelissa Fong: Open letter to Canada Goose Haters
Open letter to Canada Goose Haters (Inspired from more than one instance- but you know who you are if you did make a comment and you are welcome to confront me about it- but it’s not JUST you- so don’t think you’re special in that way). Judgment. I am the
Continue readingThings Are Good: Get Rid of Stuff, Do What You Love
Often we hear that spending on experiences make for a happier life than buying into consumerism. In concept it sounds great, but many people think that it’s hard to rejig their life to be focused on doing things rather than consuming things. This TED talk is about breaking free of
Continue readingArt Threat: A visit to Josh Keyes’ dystopian zoo
If Josh Keyes’ paintings don’t take a bit of your breath away, I suggest you visit an optometrist. Each one sits as a stand-alone diorama, a moment caught in a fictional time, with beautiful realistic paintings of animals in a world so strange that it is most likely caused by
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Earthgauge Radio January 17: Keith Stewart of Greenpeace and Alex Hebert of SwitchHop.com
Download: earthgauge-podcast-jan17-2013.mp3 Earthgauge Radio returns this week with Keith Stewart of Greenpeace who will tell us about the December 2011 letter he obtained through an Access to Information request from oil companies to the Harper government. As it turns out, what the oil industry wants, the Harper government gives –
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: Ten NEWER Favourites
For the first blog post of the new year, I decided to keep things upbeat. Last year’s Favourites post was a big hit for some reason…maybe because we’re all secretly annoyed by Oprah. (Seriously, don’t give me the “happiness from within” speech on every show and then lavish your hysterical
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Listen to the December 2012 Politics, Re-Spun Panel on Human Rights and Consumerism
December 2012′s Politics, Re-Spun panel on Co-op Radio included Julie McArthur, Alnoor Gova, Imtiaz Popat, Anna Davey, Kevin Harding and Stephen Elliott-Buckley discussing: International Human Rights Day, experiencing “My Voice, My Right, My Voice Counts” Over-consumption, just consumption, Christmas consumption, sexism, quality of life, consumption as a proxy for enhancing our relationships and happiness. And we enjoyed
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: December 20, 2012: Buy Nothing Christmas and the shark fin import ban in Canada
Download: earthgauge-podcast-dec20-2012.mp3 This week on Earthgauge Radio, I have a feature interview with Aiden Enns of BuyNothingChristmas.org. We discuss some ideas about how you can have a “greener” and less stressful holiday season. I also have an update from NDP MP Fin Donnelly on his private member’s Bill C-380 to ban the import of shark fins
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: December 20, 2012: Buy Nothing Christmas and the shark fin import ban in Canada
Download: earthgauge-podcast-dec20-2012.mp3 This week on Earthgauge Radio, I have a feature interview with Aiden Enns of BuyNothingChristmas.org and we discuss some ideas about how you can have a “greener” and less stressful holiday season. I also have an update from NDP MP Fin Donnelly on his private member’s Bill C-380
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Tomorrow on Earthgauge Radio: Canadian shark fin import ban and dreaming of a green Christmas
Tomorrow on Earthgauge Radio, it’s our second annual holiday special program. As you probably know, huge amounts of waste are produced during the holiday season – more than any other time of year. In addition, a lot of people find the holidays incredibly stressful. The pressure to buy gifts, social commitments, preparing meals
Continue readingThings Are Good: A Minimalist Generational Movement
Consumerism takes a huge toll on our planet and out pocketbooks and one generation raised in a consumerist culture has opted out. Many in the generation following Gen-X have realized that doing activities is more fun than owning plates (or whatever people buy, I have no idea) and have decided
Continue readingArt Threat: Girls with guns, boys with blow dryers – Is this gender-neutral toy catalog just a holiday publicity stunt?
Designing a toy catalog — or most any mass-market consumer catalog for that matter — is usually an exercise deeply rooted in the status quo. Top-Toy, the largest toy retailer in Northern European and licensee of the Toys “R” US chain in that region, is gently disrupting some of society’s
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: No, Taylor Swift. No.
[Here is what some of us have been wanting to say about Taylor Swift, but didn’t because A. Lynn did it first, and perhaps best, reposted her with her kind permission. Thanks to Jarrah Hodge for pointing us to this piece of brilliance! Enjoy! – seb] I’ve been mentally composing this blog for forever and […]
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Fetid Consumer Society – Black Friday Feeding Frenzy
This is what we get when people accept the idea that we are nation of consumers rather than a nation of individuals with rights and responsibilities to ourselves and others. This disgusts me on so many levels. I do not even know where to begin. Filed under: Rant Tagged: Black Friday Follies, Capitalism, Consumerism, […]
350 or bust: Black Friday: Rise Above It
“Today, humanity faces a stark choice: save the planet and ditch capitalism, or save capitalism and ditch the planet.” – Fawzi Ibrahim Tomorrow is Black Friday in the U.S. (and apparently we Canucks are now following our neighbour’s bad exa…
Continue readingearthgauge: The Story of Stuff
Check out this video from thestoryofstuff.org. Worth a look. Here’s the synopsis… From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: How Much Is The Lowest Price Guarantee Worth?
Despite years of repeated denials, I think there are few who doubt that Walmart is anti-union. Stories abound of the pressure the giant corporation applies anytime someone within the employee ranks tries to start a move toward union certification, including termination of the troublesome individuals and even store closures. Because
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Gentleman! Step Up and Reclaim Your Wife! Pesky Newborns Be Damned!
Chattel. That’s all you are, women. The personal property of men. If you dare to turn your attention to something as trivial as…a newborn baby? YOU ARE LETTING YOUR KEEPER DOWN. Your breasts are ALL his. All. Stick some plastic in that kid’s cry-hole, STAT! Then get back to doing
Continue readingThings Are Good: Air Miles Starts Rewarding Eco-Conscious Purchases
Starting today, consumer tracking program Air Miles will begin rewarding people with points when they make environmentally friendly purchases. But whereas previous initiatives were intended to inspire a single socially conscious decision, “these [programs] have a permanent effect,” Souvaliotis said. “If you find a way to create a trickle of
Continue reading