Silk - what you don't know probably won't upset you
On my various travels, in Europe and more recently, Vietnam, I've picked up a few beautiful silk scarves over the years. Yesterday by chance I happened to google how silk is made. Although I've been to a silk factory in Lyon, I never really understood the scientific process of how silkworms produce this luxurious fabric. I was... astonished, angry and saddened to learn that I can add silk to a long list of things like many household products, cosmetics, fur, cage eggs, etc that I no longer wish to buy.
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H'mong bracelets and Fair trade
After a trip to Vietnam, guest blogger Louise Kate Anderson wondered about the do's and don'ts of ethical tourism. Should you buy that extremely cheap bracelet from the local woman with a baby on her back, or are you doing her community more harm than good?
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Beer and TP (toilet paper): Ideas that change the lives of millions
Shebeen is a non-profit bar that sells beers from around the world and gives 100% of profits back to your drink's country of origin. Who Gives A Crap is a brand of toilet paper that helps provide people in developing countries with toilets and better sanitation. Simon Griffiths is the brains behind both these amazing ventures!
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Around the world in 80 dumps
Stung Meanchey Municipal Dump in Cambodia is a world away from Amy Hanson’s former life as a celebrity reporter for Britain’s Mail on Sunday and yet it marks the beginning of her unglamorous but fulfilling new life, running the Small Steps Project.
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Four days in Tunisia
I know it sounds cliché, but the atmosphere was nothing less than inspirational. There was such a sense of unity and ‘power to the people’ as various movements and organisations from around the world came together to march in solidarity through the streets of Tunis chanting for a more just world. We picked up our own supporters along the way and joined in with the mantras of others as well from time to time. My favourite chant out of them all: ‘Women’s rights are human rights’.
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WTF is the WSF?
WTF is the World Social Forum? I've travelled to Tunisia with 30 other young activists from around the world to find out exactly that.
With thousands of workshops, music performances, exhibitions and activities scheduled to kick off in Tunis next week, it almost sounds like a summer festival with a social justice slant.
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How well do we know our closest sisters?
International Women’s Day prompted me to reflect on just how empathetic we, as young Australians, feel towards our neighbouring sisters.
Serena Sasingian is a 24-year-old lawyer from Papua New Guinea and the founder and director of Papua New Guinean NGO The Voice Inc.
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Life with Nine Mothers
Ben Pike lived and worked in the Solomon Islands last year as part of the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program (AYAD).
When he started working in a hospital in Honiara, he never expected to end up with nine mothers.
Here's his story...
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Do something different in your summer holidays
For those who want to escape the hangover of Schoolies, make a difference in the world or just want to do something challenging in their school or uni holidays, here is a list of helpful starting points.
From teaching children English in Kathmandu to helping out in the 3things office, here's how you can make a difference in your down time!
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AYAD volunteer story: Tackling hunger in Bangladesh
Imagine this: it's your first day of a new job and there's a torrent of sweat gushing from your clean hair to your new shoes. It's not because of nerves but a burning sun and high humidity, even though it's only 9 in the morning. Your trousers are covered in mud after being splashed by the speeding wheels of a bicycle. And now you're lost. Of course you have an address but it doesn't include a street name or number. What should you do?
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