ethics

The ethical and green products industry has been gaining steam for years precisely because some business visionaries have believed that consumers will indeed pay a little extra for things they can feel better about. But exactly how much extra, and what do companies actually have to do?

A really interesting article from Ingle & Rhode talking about their recent trip to the Jujury region of Arentina where they some of the people who mine their gold along with members of the EcoAndina foundation – a United Nations and NGO-funded mining operation which uses the ‘green gold’ trade to fund sustainable villages and support the local communities of the Puna plateau.

“Green” rhetoric is everywhere—political speeches, articles touting “green” initiatives by various cities and states, movies and television, and yes, ubiquitously in marketing and advertising. While a more environmentally conscious society is certainly desirable, the push of this rhetoric can be overwhelming and may even have the opposite effect: desensitization.

Randy Cohen, the man who sorts out readers' ethical dilemmas in his NY Times Magazine feature column The Ethicist , weighs in on the automobile's impact on urban life.