Trapped in an urban lifestyle but still keen to do more to support ethical living and protect human rights?  It’s not as hard as you think.  Ordinary people can contribute to the environment and social justice s by making a few small but significant changes to day-to-day life.  With an ever-increasing amount of green businesses on hand you can turn feelings of frustration into tangible social and environmental change.  Here are a few examples of the latest trends in ethical living, you may even find that by helping others you help your self and save a few pounds.
 
The Capacity Global ethical living tour starts with a topic close to the heart of most city dwellers… fashion.  While it can seem frivolous to think about clothes, while trying to get your head round some of the world’s greatest humanitarian challenges, these two activities need not be mutually exclusive.  Having concern for how you look can be partnered with concern for the environment and the protection of human rights, after all, 1 in 6 of the world’s population are employed by the clothing and textile industry and many of those employee’s are under age, poorly paid or forced to work in hazardous conditions.  The textiles industry is also a major contributor to global environmental damage.

So, here is the first challenge…  While seeking out that A-line jean dress, why not try and find one that has been manufactured without the use of sweatshop or child labour.  In the hunt for the skinny jeans to die for, what would it take to ask the supplier how these jeans were made?  How many litres of water and buckets of pesticides were used to make the cotton that went into your must have fashion item?  If your usual high street outlet can’t give you an answer, it may be that you have to shop somewhere else. 

Stuck for ideas of where to start, try People Tree, a pioneering Fair Trade and ecological fashion company.   Sticking closely to the latest trends they make clothes and accessories for men, women and children.  Made to the highest Fair Trade and environmental standards, this new name on the high street is proving that it is possible to wear stylish and affordable clothes, while respecting people, the planet and that better side of your self that cares about social justice.
 
Working with 70 Fair Trade groups in 20 developing countries, People Tree champion organic cotton farming on a global scale and help people use trade to escape from poverty.  Renowned for the good rates of pay offered to their producer partners, People Tree also provide technical and design assistance to their manufacturers, commit to maintaining regular orders and fund social welfare and environmental projects around the world. www.peopletree.co.uk.

If you shop at the luxury end of the market, Dutch designer Peter Ingwersen is changing the face of eco-clothing on the catwalk.  His new label Noir, launched at London Fashion week 2007, emphasizes the importance of a socially just supply chain and uses new and improved 100% organic fibers.  Other big fashion names such as Katherine Hamnett [www.katharinehamnett.com] and her ‘Save The Future’ campaign are due to launch eco-labels later this year, joining the ranks eco-clothing luxury designers Ciel [www.ciel.ltd.uk], worn by Sienna Miller and Cate Blanchett and Ali Hewson [alihewson.com], who’s jeans are a regular fit for Cameron Diaz.

The next stop on our ethical living whistle-stop tour is the home.  As awareness of climate change increases many people are concerned about using energy from non-renewable sources.  If you want to assess the impact your carbon footprint is having on the environment contact the Centre for Sustainable Energy atwww.cse.org.uk. If you want to cut to the chase and start making energy savings immediately, visit the Energy Savings Trustwww.est.org.uk, they advise individuals, communities and businesses on how to make meaningful energy savings.  With an energy price war looming within the domestic industry, the EST may advice you to switch energy suppliers.  If you want to check the information they give you against another source Friends of the Earth have compiled a comprehensive guide to green tariffs and which run an energy switching service that specialises in green tariffs. 

With ethical energy running through the house, it’s time to look at furniture.  Unwanted furniture is a massive contributor to landfill and incineration.  Both technologies are dirty and damaging ways of dealing with urban waste.  If you feel the need to clear some junk out of your home why not use one of the many organisations, such asGreen Works that collect good quality furniture and redistribute it to the homeless, charities or social enterprises.  You could also visit one of the many online websites that supportscommunity initiatives to give good quality away to new homes. Visitwww.free-cycle.com for more details.

If, with the old furniture has gone and the free-cycle coffee table in place, you still want to treat yourself to something new, think sustainability.  As you browse around Ikea, ask yourself how much energy and water has been used to manufacture that desk or new floor.  Small details such as the fittings you choose for your kitchen cupboards could have a big impact on the overall energy efficiency of your home.  There are several wood products on the markets that are sourced from sustainable sources.  Look out for certification labels from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC).
 
Having given you a good lead for the best way to look good and stay green, lets move on to the inside of the body.  The first question that comes to mind when discussing ethics and food is; do you buy organic?  Rather than start here I’d like to ask, do you buy local?  Why, because much of the organic food in the supermarket is flown from Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean, causing supermarkets to clock up unacceptably high air mile quotas that make substantial contributions to UK carbon emissions.  Based on emissions from UK soil, British industry is currently ranked as the 7th highest contributor to global carbon emissions.

There are lots of companies that specialise inlocal produce we’d recommend your local farmers market.  If you want to buy fair trade (meaning the people involved in growing and producing the food on your plate are paid a fair wage) and organic (the food you eat is grown with minimal chemicals and pesticides) you could trywww.abel-cole.co.uk, organic and ethical food company.  If you want to know more about food and social justice check out Sustain's
www.sustainweb.org. website, they are an alliance for better food and farming and will be able to provide you with information on healthy eating to food poverty.

As the end of the tour draws near, it’s worth thinking about the money you’ve saved shopping and re-furnishing your house with ethical style.  Where are you going to put it?  It can be easy to unwittingly support human rights abuses by merely banking, investing or insuring with financial institutions that invest in the arms trade and other businesses that fuel war, human rights violations and environmental destruction.  If you’re interested in finding a bank that can guarantee they don’t invest in any unethical businesses visit theCo-operative bank website,www.smile.co.uk or go into a Co-operative Bank high street branch.

Or… you could always use your ethical shopping cash saving’s to make a donation to one of the many charities and projects that protect human rights and environmental justice at a local, national and global level.  TheRemember Ken Saro Wiwa Campaign is a good cause to start with!  If you'd like more information about how you, your family, friends or community group can make sustainable changes in your lifestyle visit theEvery Action Counts project.

Ethical Shopping

www.equaclothing.com
An eco-friendly website that stocks stylish eco-fashion labels, including Hug jeans, People Tree and Ciel. They also have a shop at 28 Camden Passage, Islington, London, N1.

www.traid.org.uk
This organization recycles 2,000 tonnes of clothes each year and provides information on green issues. Eight shops in the South East and.

www.oxfam.com
Oxfam's e-shop features a range of eco-friendly items, or you could visit any one of Oxfam's 750 stores nationwide for good, second-hand clothes.

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