Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett discuss why the world can’t afford the rich. And Cory Doctorow points out that class-based advocacy for…
Consumerism
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Caitlin Johnstone offers a grim but fair evaluation of the barely-existent left in the U.S. and elsewhere – while recognizing that the obvious…
Buying Time Provides More Than Buying Objects
Start 2022 with a new mindset of buying time instead of material objects. Researchers continue to find more evidence that for a fulfilling life one should eschew material gains for…
Affordable Ethical Shopping
It’s that time of year when people buy consumer goods to express their appreciation that other people exist. Yet, the world around us in suffering from consumerism-led climate change, what…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Graham Thomson discusses how the UCP has put politics over public well-being in choosing to let COVID run rampant (while now seeking…
Montaigne on Ketchup-Flavoured Cheetos
In his famous work, Essays, Michel de Montaigne, channelling the Epicureans, wrote that, “All the opinions in the world point out that pleasure is our aim. (Book I: On the…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Jenna Gettings et al. study the massive effect masking and improved ventilation have in reducing the spread of the coronavirus in elementary schools.…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – John Smith discusses the importance of recognizing and repairing the weaknesses in our social fabric which have been laid bare by the coronavirus…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Sarah Schulman discusses the importance of sleep as a determinant of health, arguing that a safe bed is the first step toward…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Joseph Stiglitz writes about the dangers of measuring economic and social progress solely in terms of GDP: It is clear that something…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Dan Hancox discusses how both work demands and consumerist force are causing people to lose sleep. And Jodi Dean writes about the…
Towards a Green Social Democratic Economy
Background/Context Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Characteristics central to capitalism include private property, capital accumulation,…
Campaign to Label Carbon Footprint of Consumer Goods
A team has started a Kickstarter campaign to label a product’s carbon footprint so consumers can make better decisions about which brand to buy. The labels are meant to bring…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Greg Wilpert interviews Julia Wolfe about the contract between soaring incomes for CEOs, and stagnant ones for workers. And David Cooper observes that…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Lana Payne discusses the need for outrage about the lack of enforcement even of corporate tax obligations which have been slashed for decades.…
Examples of Ways People Already Live a Low Carbon Lifestyle
As the climate crisis continues there are many ways that we all can try to slow it down. The biggest changes need to happen at the political level enforcing sustainable…
From Fast Fashion to Sustainable Style
Fast fashion relies on mass production and mass consumption in order to survive. The fashion industry as a whole requires a lot of energy, water, and logistics to function in…
Further Greening Your Green Practices
Seeing so many “green” products on store shelves can be confusing as you might not know what the right decision is. Over at The Guardian they’ve written up a handy…
New Year, New Wage, New Me
Happy New Year to everyone! You may be wondering where I have been for the past five months, since The Political Road Map has become quite lonely. I decided that…
An App That Rewards You for Riding a Bike
Biko rewards cyclists with free stuff just for riding their bike! Rewards include small things like coffee to very expensive consumer items. The idea of rewarding cyclist for not killing…