Alternative Perspective
 The "Stuff" We Use/ Consume
Issue 47, March 7th, 2004
Compiled by Madhukar Shukla

 Alternative Perspective is an attempt to widen our awareness about issues related to business, environment, role and influence of media, geo-politics, culture, etc. It aims to share, on a regular basis, some of those pieces of news and information, which do not find place in the highly monopolised mainstream media. Please feel free to share/ forward/ distribute this newsletter to others who may be interested.

No! This edition of the newsletter is not intended to make one feel guilty about living... However, it will perhaps make our lives somewhat more responsible if we live with the knowledge of the implications/ repurcussions/ consequences that our lives (and "life styles") have on the lives of those distant nameless-faceless others who also inhabit this planet.



Note: The URLs of sources used in the text are numbered and given at the end of the Newsletter.

In This Issue:
  • Is there Slavery in Your Chocolate?
    About 40-50% of all cocoa beans (the key ingradient of chocolate) are produced in a small underdeveloped country in western Africa - Ivory Coast - and about two-third of all cocoa products are consumed in US and Europe. What is often ignored is the fact that most cocoa farms are run by slave children. One of the reasons is the global dip in the price of (the once "crash" crop) cocoa - though, the price of coffee remains high[1], courtsey the free trade. Not surprisingly, many farmers are unable to pay the labours, and yet to survive, have to get the labour "at any cost"... oh, yes, this is not an isloated incident: just go to google and search "mali chocolate slavery".
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1272522.stm

  • Parched Lands from Coke
    Ever wondered how much ground water a bottling plant consumes to make the bottle of aerated drinks?[2] and where it comes from?... and, this is not considering the water pollution which they create[3]... but as they say, No Water? Drink Coke!!!... I mean, why worry, when even tap water can be sold at a premium[4]... after all, given the brand-conscious generation, there would always be enough people who will be be willing to pay for a "brand":0))
    http://www.globalpolicy.org/globaliz/special/2002/0528india.htm

  • Environment and The Innocuous Computer Chip
    For most of us, a computer would figure as the least environmentally dangerous of all things we use. But think of it like this: to make one computer chip, it needs 10 gallons of water - and there are millions of computer chips, which are produced everyday. This, of course, does not take into account the environmental impact of those millions of junked computers - e-junk [5]- which will keep accumulating as we move from one model to another.
    http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/relaged/960605chipsenvir.html

  • The Price of a Burger
    Unknown to us, there is so much which goes into producing a pound of beef (about 2,500 gallon water!!), a loaf of bread (about 140 gaollon water).. and so on. And even though these figure are somewhat inflated, as given in this site, the fact is that all that we consume has an impact on the envirnoment.
    http://www.mcspotlight.org/campaigns/countries/usa/bb_leaflet.html

  • Facts of Waste
    Though these facts are mentioned as being responsibility of "the West", but they apply to all urban/rich/educated. We do consume more than what we produce/contribute... and in some ways, produce more waste than what can be recycled.
    http://www.newint.org/issue203/facts.htm


    Other Sources Quoted in the Newsletter:
    [1]: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1307081.stm
    [2]: http://www.corpwatchindia.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=2483
    [3]: http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2003/4123.html
    [4]: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0902-01.htm
    [5]: http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/ejunkexplosion.htm
    >

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