The question on my mind today is if the world is over-populated, under-resourced and bursting at the seams, is the most ethical way to live not to live at all?  As with the best dilemmas, I present to you an argument between me and, ... me!

To live or not to live?

The UK's "Ecological Footprint" is on average 5.45 "global hectares" (gha) per person.  The global capacity is 1.8 gha per person.  While I've no doubt different calculations can provide slightly different numbers the trend is clear - we each use more than our fair share of resources.  Death could be seen as the ultimate green action of the hyper-environmentalist.

Read the Full Post...

Leather is a really interesting case and illustrates the tight bind that you can get into with these types of decisions.

Ecology versus Ethics

Are all ecologically sound products necessarily ethically sound?  Are all ethically sound products necessarily ecologically sound?  There is not a balance in this equation.  It's also vital to know more about a product than simply the component materials.  Leather can be made in more ecologically sound ways and being naturally derived will tend to have a lower embodied energy.  Vegans, however, would certainly dispute its ethical credentials!

Read the Full Post...

Here's a traditional dilemma for the conscious shopper:

Read the Full Post...