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This week we tackle the Amazons – Amazon dot com and the Amazon rainforest. We talk about the shame and accessibility issues tied up in boycotting Amazon, Indigenous land rights and parallels between US and Brazilian environmental regulations, and Olivia spoils The Jinx for everyone.
This episode is a little different because our subjects are so vast. It could be a foundation for more specific episodes on the Amazons – let us know what you think.
Story #1 (Olivia) : Amazon . com
Sources:
Brittanica’s Amazon biography
Business Insider’s Little-Known Amazon Facts
CNN’s Amazon timeline from their United States of Amazon
The Amazon blog and its separate Sustainability section
Amazon Employees for Climate Justice on Medium and Twitter
Washington Post (which Jeff Bezos owns) Amazon Employees Plan Mass Defiance
The Atlantic, November 2019 Amazon Warehouse Reports Show Worker Injuries
Boycotting Amazon Won’t Work by Justin Ward on Medium
Guardian article on Amazon Warehouse Worker Deaths
Amazon Alternatives:
Disclaimer: This is just a start, and is very localized to the US. I think that’s sort of the point that we covered in the episode. There isn’t a homogenous solution for everyone, which makes it hard to create a Pinterest-esque 20 Amazon Alternatives list (though those do exist and have some great suggestions), but if you look around you I think you’ll be surprised how much you find that’s even better than Amazon.
Package Free Shop
Net Zero Company
Cinch Market is a Brooklyn-specific shop network
Plastic Free Pursuit
Libro.fm, Biblio, Bookshop.com and Libby for books and audiobooks that your local store doesn’t carry
Local creators, shopowners, grocery stores, technology stores, bookstores, or buying directly from a company. I find a lot of local places by searching a keyword (“bulk,” “hardware,” etc.) in a Maps app.
Story #2 (Elise) : the Amazon rainforest
Sources:
Mongabay, July 2020 Scientists Launch Ambitious Conservation Project To Save The Amazon
Survival International Deforestation
World Economic Forum, September 2018 Deforestation In The Amazon Is Putting Uncontacted Tribes At Risk
Scientific American, August 2020 Amazon Deforestation Falls Where Land Is Under Indigenous Control
BBC, July 2019 Amazon Rainforest Indigenous People In Fight For Survival
BBC, August 2019 Amazon Fires: Fines For Environmental Crimes Drop Under Bolsonaro
BBC, August 2020 Amazon Fires: Are They Worse This Year Than Before?
CNN, September 2020 Tens of thousands are pushing the Amazon to a tipping point
The Dump
This week we sort of skipped this section in order to talk about the devastating California wildfires. Olivia retold a cute WBUR piece about a young volunteer firefighting couple with a sweet love story. You can hear the story told by them on WBUR’s Here and Now.
Our World is Burning themed playlist is on Spotify.
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Thanks for listening!
World Is Burning 