Ethical living
Ethical living is the philosophy of making decisions for daily life which take into account ethics and moral values, particularly with regard to consumerism, sustainability, environmentalism, wildlife and animal welfare. At present, it is largely an individual choice rather than an organized social movement.[1]
Ethical living is an offshoot of sustainable living in which the individual initially makes a series of small lifestyle changes in order to limit their effect on the environment. Making the decision to start to live ethically can be as easy as beginning to recycle, switching off lights when leaving a room, buying local organic or fair trade produce, or eating less meat. Many people often go further by re-using/re-cycling waste water, using renewable resources in their homes such as solar panels or atmospheric water generators, or replacing driving with greener modes of transport such as biking.[1]
In 2005, Britons spent £25.8bn on ethical goods and services, a 15% increase from 2004. Although ethical living is growing in popularity,[2] many in the environmental movement believe that the responsibility of ethical practice should also be placed on "Big Business". They argue that while individuals can change their daily habits, the most significant changes can and should be made by large organizations and multinational corporations.
See also
- Ethical consumerism
- Fairtrade labelling
- Simple living
- Sustainable living
- Intentional living
- Personal life
References
- 1 2 "‘Ethical Living’ in the Media and in Philosophy - Oxford Scholarship". doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198719625.001.0001/acprof-9780198719625-chapter-12.
- ↑ Siegle, Lucy (2006-03-05). "Can our way of living really save the planet?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
Further reading
- Clark, Duncan (2006). The Rough Guide to Ethical Living. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-84353-792-3.
- Khaneka, Pushpinder (2004). Do the Right Thing! A Practical Guide to Ethical Living. New Internationalist Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-904456-17-0.