Eco-friendly gift guide

As an author crowned the high priestess of green, I’m often taken aside by friends and colleagues at cocktail parties. In hushed voices, they reveal to me their dilemmas, those questions nagging at their environmental and social consciences. Unfortunately, I don’t always have the answers — in part because sometimes the questions are just so bizarre (I actually don’t know if canned lychees are sustainably harvested) or because I have the memory of, well, a busy mother of three. Another reason is that answers to eco and ethical quandaries aren’t always black and white, but instead shades of green.

That said, there are some questions that seem to weigh heavily on women’s minds. Herewith, my no-nonsense nine for a clean conscience.

Is it okay to wear the mink coat I inherited from my mother?

In one corner, we have — side by side in matching minks — practicality and sentimentality, both strong contenders. In the other, we have animal ethics, and a decidedly subjective arena.
While, in the past, I’ve excused my own faux (-fur) pas based on my conviction that no blood was spilled (although, admittedly, petroleum was), I eventually conceded that, as someone who believes vehemently that animals deserve respect, I was nonetheless participating in the glamorizing of fur.

Most animals farmed for their furs live in incredibly stressful and agonizing conditions. Perhaps the only good thing we can say is that their lives are blessedly short. Most are confined in cages and contribute to the same host of eco problems as those found in other animal confinement operations, such as disease and water pollution from runoff.

However, I understand the attachment to a much-loved item from a much-loved mom. So what can you do? One option is to send Mom’s fur out into the world to do some good. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals accepts fur coats and donates them to homeless shelters. The Humane Society of Canada also accept fur coats, which it forwards to centres where they’re used as bedding to help rehabilitate wild animals.

Check with your local shelter or wildlife rehabilitation centre too. Goodwill Industries accepts furs and, of course, sells them at prices low-income Canadians can afford. Consider it: You’ll get a warm feeling that no fur can match.

Given fuel costs and emissions, I’d rather cycle than drive — even in December. But can I get a coffee-cup holder for my bike?

I confess coffee is not my drink of choice when I’m riding my bike. However, cyclists who need a caffeine-fuelled commute will be delighted to know you don’t have to forgo your cup o’ joe. The Electra cup-holder mount runs about $22 (amazon.com). Soma Fabrications offers the Morning Rush system — a stainless-steel mount and mug with lid. It comes with this caveat: “Coffee is hot and potentially dangerous. Soma recommends you operate your mug only when your bike is stopped.” You’ve been warmed…er, warned.

I’m worried about the reports of lead in children’s toys. How do I avoid it...and do I need to?

Christmas 2007 will go down as the Year of the Lead-Tainted Toys. The upside? All those recalls awakened a lot of us to the potential dangers of lead — and the vast number of kids’ toys contaminated. Experts will tell you there is no “safe” level of lead for kids. The main danger to young children is brain damage causing impaired IQ, hyperactivity, developmental delays and aggression. Ingesting lead can also be fatal.

Clearly, it’s time to detox the toy box. Steer clear of “jewellery” and toys from vending machines. Give kids’ products made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) a toss. PVC itself is highly toxic and, what’s more, often contains lead. It’s often identifiable by its “beach ball” smell — think plastic toys, backpacks and so on.

And stay on top of the recalls — you can find them on Health Canada’s website. Also check out the respected site healthytoys.org, which does a good job of highlighting the issues and letting you know which products to avoid.

How do I know if something was made in a sweatshop or with child labour?

Unfortunately, our hunger for cheap products has spawned a race to the bottom, in which the world’s most vulnerable and often youngest workers suffer.

Unless a product is specifically accredited by the Fairtrade logo, which ensures the people who made it were not children and were paid a living wage, you can’t really be sure it wasn’t produced in a sweatshop or by a child.

Increasingly, consumer pressure is encouraging companies to develop codes of conduct, promising standards for workers regarding wages and safe working conditions. Some companies, such as American Apparel and Maggie’s Functional Organics, are building a platform on being sweatshop-free.

However, until consumers make it clear we won’t buy products made in sweatshops — and we’re willing to pay more to ensure workers are paid a decent wage — companies will continue to source the cheapest labour.

I’ve heard that the “adult toy” industry isn’t regulated. Does that mean my battery-operated “date” is toxic?

However convenient and sensitive that always-available companion is, it isn’t necessarily harmless. Many of our favourites are chock full of chemicals. Those with that “manly” feel are frequently made with the eco villain PVC, a plastic that continues to release fumes throughout its life cycle. What’s more, PVC frequently relies on phthalates, a family of hormone-disrupting chemicals that have been linked to reproductive issues (do I need to remind you where we’re putting these things?).

Fortunately, there are responsible sex toy purveyors making it possible to truly have a sustainable relationship. Look for products made from medical-grade silicone, surgical-grade stainless steel or — get ready for it — glass (think Pyrex for your privates.) Kimberley Sedgwick, co-owner Red Tent Sisters in Toronto, advises women to ask for the product to be removed from its packaging. “You can smell right away…” she says. A safe sex toy shouldn’t smell like anything at all.

Are organically raised animals “humanely slaughtered”? And what is “humane slaughter,” anyway?

All animals, raised organically or not, must be slaughtered according to the Meat Inspection Regulations. So, while there are no special regulations for organic slaughter, Angela Wisnoski, a certified organic farmer near London, Ont., notes that most organic farmers she knows try to get “first kill,” which means their animals are first to be slaughtered, minimizing the stress of waiting.

Prior to actual slaughter, however, is transport, and that’s an area of concern. The legal allowable distance of transport is “horrific” and “almost a joke,” says Shelagh MacDonald, program director at the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, noting these distances are far too long. What’s more, when trucks cross borders, the clock simply starts again. Wisnoski points out that most organic farmers try to use nearby abattoirs, rather than ship their animals long distances, although that’s proving increasingly difficult as more small-scale slaughterhouses shut down. “Most organic farmers I know are looking for [small, family-run] butchers, where butchers know your animals and can change their approach, depending on the animal’s personality.”

In the meantime, buying organically raised meat from a local farmer allows you to ask the hard questions, such as: Do you transport your own animals? How far are your animals transported? Under what conditions? How long before slaughter are the animals removed from the farm? Once you’re satisfied with the answers, you might feel ready to bite into a burger again.

Is it true that common items such as ketchup and my kids’ breakfast cereal can contain genetically modified organisms? What does that mean?

In short, genetic modification is gene splicing — taking the gene of one organism and planting it into another. What that means for us depends on whom you ask.

Proponents will tell you modification means a solution to world hunger and crops that can withstand extreme weather conditions and require fewer pesticides. Opponents will argue that genetically modified crops could usher in an era of virulent strains of new viruses, pests or weeds. Furthermore, genetically modified organisms can enter the ecosystem, altering it in ways we can’t foresee. What’s more, eco experts argue, modified food hasn’t been effectively tested. They point to the European Union, Japan, Hungary, Brazil and other countries that allow genetically modified crops only in limited amounts — and they must be labelled as such.

Genetic modification is effectively uncharted territory, and therein lies the rub. While most North American consumers say they want genetically modified food labelled, many are unaware that they’re likely already eating it. New York’s Cornell University, which runs the Genetically Engineered Organisms Public Issues Education Project, estimates that at least 60 to 70 per cent of processed foods contain at least one ingredient from a genetically engineered plant — mostly because corn and soy, two primary ingredients, are largely genetically modified. And it’s about to get harder to avoid. The first genetically modified sugar beet crops were planted this past summer, in anticipation of providing vast amounts of genetically modified sugar to companies.

To avoid genetically modified foods, you can buy certified organic. Organic certification prohibits the use of genetically modified seed or feed. Take a pass on processed and packaged foods. And visit truefoodnow.org for its shoppers’ guide on brands that are genetically modified organism-free.

What can I do about products with excessive packaging?

There are a few things you can do, according to Daniel Imhoff, the California-based author of Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World. Imhoff recommends you support products that minimize waste or use containers with high post-consumer recycled content. Some state right on the package that they are made with post-consumer plastic or waste. More aggressive folk than I say they remove products from their packages at the cash register and leave the waste for the staff to deal with, which gives stores incentive to press suppliers to reduce packaging. You could mail the packaging back to the company — COD. Again, it’s important to let companies know you’re willing to put your money behind products that are packaged responsibly.

I’d like to boycott a certain company but don’t want to end up hurting the workers.

Boycotts can simply be a knee-jerk reaction to deeply entrenched problems. We hear of a company’s less than ethical practices and we want to punish it by not giving it our money. While I support voting with our dollars — indeed, we have considerable power in our wallets — unorganized boycotts frequently hurt the already exploited workers more than the CEOs.

However, a well-organized and widespread boycott can sufficiently embarrass a company enough to prompt positive change. If you’re serious — and have the staying power to boycott a particular company (these campaigns often take years) — download the Boycott Organizers Guide at coopamerica.org. You can join any number of boycotts already underway.

If the company you take issue with isn’t already part of an organized boycott, arm yourself with the facts about its business practices to ensure your concerns are legitimate. Gather as many supporters as you can and be as vocal as possible. The effects of boycotts have less to do with a company’s bottom line than with its public face, particularly in this era of enlightened CEOs.

This article originally appeared in the December 2008/January 2009 issue of More