In the News: Police Brutality, Ethical Living Burnout, & Fast Fashion Slowing Down

In light of last week’s horrors and tragedies, I wanted to orient some of the news I share today to police brutality and racism in the US.

As I’ve said before, you can’t have a pet cause when it comes to justice, and it strikes me that we can’t do right by the people we can’t see in garment factories thousands of miles away if we aren’t trying to do right by our own neighbors.

I can feel the direction of StyleWise moving slightly to something that encompasses a broader definition of ethics-in-practice, simply because I’ve come to realize that it’s not responsible or healthy to narrow my focus to one type of injustice.

Certainly, there are things I will always be able to speak better to and topics that will resonate with me more deeply, but I tend to perceive whatever work I do here as ethics work rather than a shopping resource.

I’m also attending a national community organizing conference this week, so I’ll be sure to fill you in on what I learned and experienced!

Searching for solutions: Why are black kids arrested more often than white kids?

For the last 20 years, in one way or another, the city has been collecting and analyzing data on DMC in an attempt to reduce and, ultimately, stop it. Nearly four years ago, the city got more serious about tackling juvenile DMC and brought together more than 40 people—about half white and half black—to form the Charlottesville Task Force on Racial Disparities and Disproportionality, or what’s become known as the juvenile DMC Task Force.

Advice for White Folks in the Wake of the Police Murder of a Black Person

As a White person, you are in a unique position to influence the perspectives of other White people. If the illegal killing of Black people by the police bothers you, as it should, talk to your White friends about it.

Philando Castile Had Valid Permit for Gun, Long History of Getting Pulled Over

Philando Castile was telling the truth. The 32-year-old school cook had the appropriate state license to own the gun he was carrying the moment he was shot and killed by a cop in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday, a source told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The Days After: A Nation Reacts To The Week’s Violence

That sentiment has been present all throughout the city: a need to do something, comfort someone, be comforted, paired with a realization that answers for the hard questions this week raised aren’t yet knowable for many.

Do you suffer from ethical living burnout?

(I’ve been teetering dangerously close to Yes these days)

One of the hardest parts of living an ethical lifestyle is that quite often the people that make up our support systems – family and friends – unwittingly contribute to our ‘otheringness’. I’m talking about the parent or sibling that can’t hold back from commenting on what you are eating at every family gathering, or the friend that refuses to understand why you eschew plastic toys in favour of wooden or second hand ones for your kids.

Companies Are Doing A Terrible Job On Sustainable Cotton

You’re wearing it. You sleep in it. You dry yourself off with it. Cotton is everywhere in our lives, and its production, which relies heavily on water and pesticides and can cause soil erosion, takes a severe toll on the environment.

Hey! Some Good Things…

This Waterproof Jacket Is Made Without The Usual Bad Chemicals

But like nonstick pans, the PFCs in waterproof jackets pose potential environmental and health risks. Now, a redesigned rain jacket has eliminated PFCs completely.

The Voices of China’s Workers (TED Talk)

In the ongoing debate about globalization, what’s been missing is the voices of workers — the millions of people who migrate to factories in China and other emerging countries to make goods sold all over the world. Reporter Leslie T. Chang sought out women who work in one of China’s booming megacities, and tells their stories.

Fast-fashion’s rapid growth starts to slow

EZ Worldwide Express, a shipping firm that handled clothing deliveries for Forever 21, has cut ties with the low-price retail chain because business tapered so dramatically that it was no longer profitable to work with them, according to The Wall Street Journal.

New Ethical Brands I Discovered This Month…

Feelgoodz Sandals*

Silly name, nice looking shoes with fair trade standards in place. I like this pair.

Same Thread 

Beautiful textiles in contemporary, flattering, ’70s inspired cuts. I looove this dress.

Thanks to the members of the Ethical Writers Coalition for the article leads and good discussion.

Leah Wise

Leah Wise is the founder of StyleWise Blog. She has been writing, speaking, and consulting on sustainable fashion, the fair trade and secondhand supply chain, and digital marketing for over ten years. An Episcopal priest, Leah holds a B.A. in Religion from Florida State University and an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School. When not working, you can find her looking for treasures at the thrift store.

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