Designer Nicholas Feltron has created a very cool looking 13-page annual report for 2006, offering maps and graphs outlining how he lived, what he did, and what he consumed last year.
Although I’m not particularly interested in the life of Nicholas, the concept is very appealing to me. It’s the perfect way to tell your environment what really matters to you and is a personal reminder of the level of pollution you create, your work-life balance and your possible drinking problem.
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I believe that the level of civilization of a society can be measured by the way animals are treated. One of the most sickening things on this planet is the way animals are treated in China. There are no laws against animal cruelty in China. The only prohibition is against killing endangered species. Torture is not even an issue. The list of specific forms of animal cruelty in China is long. So very long that you can easily get distracted and might feel the urge to ignore the problem. I will not get into details, since I know some of my readers don’t have the stomach for this. But please, if you don’t know about this and want to find out more, do some research and see for yourself.
Of course China is not the only country where this kind of cruelty takes place. The way our daily bread is produced, speaks for itself. The difference is, we tend to hide it behind factory walls and industrialized processes.
If I can ask you to do only one thing: check your labels (preferably before you buy a product) to see if your product is manufactured in China. Please be aware that toys, clothes and other products that are manufactured in China might very well be stuffed with hair of cats and dogs that have had a cruel life and have suffered a horrible death ((Please note that the images and films at this linked page are extremely cruel)). If it is manufactured in China, consider buying a local alternative. It’s a small step, but at least you’re doing something.
If you can do more: consider buying free range meat and fish, organic milk and eggs. Remember: the level of civilization of a society can be measured by the way animals are treated. Make your society an example of civilization to the world.
Thank you.
First, check this graph:
Preceding my viewing of Al Gore’s must-see “traveling global warming show” An Inconvenient Truth (which just premiered in The Netherlands), I just now read a few online publications by the Global Footprint Network (GFN). The GFN is (and I quote) “a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the scientific rigor and practical application of the Ecological Footprint, a tool that quantifies human demand on nature, and nature’s capacity to meet these demands“.
You’ve really got to read it for yourself, but the graph which I’ve included on top (derived from Europe 2005: The Ecological Footprint) opened my eyes. The graph basically tells us that in 2001 the US and Europe needed far more land to produce food, absorb waste and provide infrastructure than directly available to them and far more than the rest of the world.
The report furthermore shows that the European Union uses 20 per cent of what the world’s ecosystems provide in terms of fibres, food, energy, and waste absorption. Yet Europe is home to only 7 per cent of the world population. And I’m not even mentioning the good ol’ US of A. Of course this has only worsened in the past six years. And if that didn’t shock me enough, my personal result of the Earthday Footprint Quiz speaks for itself:
IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 4.8 GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON. WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 1.8 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON.
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 4.1 PLANETS.
I’m not alone. It probably makes sense to go see that movie and see what Gore thinks we ought to do about it.
