labor
-
Why it's so hard to reform the food system, explained in one chart
It's very hard to make change in the food system in an environment where wages are flat and couples (read: women) are working more hours.
-
Don’t you dare blow up this mountain: Defending a historic spot against Big Coal [VIDEO]
Hundreds of activists from around the country joined local unionized coal miners in standing up to the coal industry last week, marching for five days and 50 miles through West Virginia. Their protest culminated on Saturday at Blair Mountain, the site of a violent clash in 1921 between 15,000 striking coal miners and a hired […]
-
‘Walkerville’ tent city springs up in shadow of Wisconsin’s grand Capitol
The Wisconsin State Capitol Building.Photo: Sarah GoodyearI wrote back in January about the importance of public space and urban design in the Egyptian revolution, and more generally about the role it plays in the ability of people to protest the actions of their governments and demand political change. Well, last week I was in Madison, […]
-
Startling new report shines light on farm labor conditions — and they ain’t good
Like a factory in the field, except for the wage protections, benefits, and union. Photo: Vera ChangMost corporations involved in the food business quietly benefit from the invisibility of U.S. farmworkers. Bon Appetit Management Co., a U.S. subsidiary of the U.K.-based, transnational catering giant Compass Group, has done something odd: It has partnered with the […]
-
Sustainable Apparel Coalition delivers the eco-skinny on your skinny jeans
Wheredja get those jeans?I spend a lot of time shining a light on murky areas of the food system, but what about the industrial-apparel complex? Just as the food we eat has a material basis and a history, so do our clothes. It turns out that I know a lot more about the (grass-fed, local) […]
-
Why enviros should care about unions and collective bargaining
Photo: Andrew ButittaIn the past few weeks, we’ve seen the fiercest attacks in recent history on collective bargaining. We’ve also seen the dramatic responses of people taking to the Wisconsin statehouse and the streets to stand together for their rights. Why are some environmentalists among them, and why should all environmentalists join the fight? On […]
-
New number quantifies greenness of your unitard
Something in the water.Photo: Google MapsDenim sucks — at least, environmentally speaking. If there’s any doubt in your mind, check out the image to the right. New York Times writer Tom Zeller Jr. found the Google Maps photo of Xintang, China, the No. 1 denim producer in the world. That dark blue stuff? That’s dye […]
-
Why is Trader Joe’s short-changing farmworker justice?
Hey Trader Joe’s: respect the people who harvest the food you sell. Photo: Scott RobertsonOver the past two decades, Trader Joe’s has grown rapidly as bargain-hunting foodies swarmed into its outlets. The chain now runs more than 350 stores with sales topping $8 billion in 2009. The secret to its dazzling success? Fortune magazine describes […]
-
Obama admin takes aim at China's renewable-energy subsidies
Last week, the Obama administration filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over China's wind-power subsidies.