Some sustainability thinking ideas.
More and more I am asking questions before I spend my money – questions about the sustainability of the product or service I am buying. If there’s no positive response then, as often as I can, I shop elsewhere or I don’t buy.
When I started to do this, which was a while back, I got plenty of odd looks - and some funny explanations. I accepted them all. I wasn’t there to lecture but I was keen for show that sustainability was important to how I spent my money. I kept asking.
Now I get fewer of those funny looks and more genuine and positive information. More and more people have proper answers ready, proper information about the sustainability of what they are selling and the integrity of their supply chain.
Measuring my carbon footprint
I’ve started to measure the carbon footprint of my business. Here is the first result - 54.06 kg of carbon for each dollar earned. I’ll keep doing the same for this financial year, and those to come.
Toitū make it easy, even for little businesses like mine. They have a range of tools but the one I am using is Carbon Assess - an assessment programme aimed at small businesses. There is a bit of admin, gathering information from my bills and credit card statements, but that’s not hard – and the questions Toitū ask made it easy to decide what to include.
Slavery in New Zealand
I signed an open letter to the government this week. I joined those asking for a Modern Slavery Act.
Why wouldn’t I? Who wants to buy clothing or food or technology that relies on impoverished, exploited workers for its creation? I don’t want a single worker to pay a price measured in self-respect or human rights just so I can save on cost. But more than that, I want to know that the sellers have actively addressed the issue, that they have examined their supply chain and that they can promise me that it doesn’t rely on slavery.
The UN says there are more than 40 million slaves in today’s world. Two thirds of them are in Asia and the Pacific.
Last year New Zealand saw its first conviction for slavery. A New Zealander was convicted of 10 charges of human trafficking and 13 charges related to slavery. The charges related to Samoans brought to New Zealand for horticulture work. Did you eat any fruit picked by the 12-year-old he brought to New Zealand and treated as a slave? Would you like to know for sure that you didn’t?
In Australia and the UK, some suppliers and sellers are already bound to make counter-slavery enquiries. Both countries have legislation requiring large business entities to report on the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains and to address those risks. The requirements will already impact on New Zealand businesses that form part of those supply chains.
Clearing out the emails
Having read that the carbon footprint created by our use of technology is akin to the footprint of our air travel, I’m getting vigilant about cleaning out my inbox and the material I keep.
I’m making different decisions about how I respond to emails, and in fact whether I respond at all. I’ve chosen my search engine with the carbon footprint in mind.
There are so many variables and different facts and figures to consider. I admit to not having the time to investigate it fully – but for the moment, I’m putting effort into:
unsubscribing
reducing the use of cc and one-word nicety emails
understanding the carbon footprint of both the storage of my data and my chosen search engines
Sure, in the global context my impact will be minor, but I’m not the only consumer doing this – and in the interim my sustainability mindset will be strengthened. It’s a journey.
© Debra Dorrington 2021. This template is provided for guidance purposes only.
Use of this document is subject to the terms and conditions set out here.