Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices

By Julie Clawson

Book Overview

Where does your chocolate come from? Does it matter if your coffee is fair trade or not? It matters--more than you might think.Julie Clawson takes us on a tour of everyday life and shows how our ordinary lifestyle choices have big implications for justice around the world. She unpacks how we get our food and clothing and shows us the surprising costs of consumer waste.How we live can make a difference not only for our own health but also for the well-being of people across the globe. The more sustainable our lifestyle, the more just our world will be.Everyday justice is one way of loving God and our neighbors. We can live more ethically, through the little and big decisions we make every day. Here's how.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830836284
• ISBN13: 9780830836284
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: IVP
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A must for environmentally focused social issues collections

For every action there is a reaction. "Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Choices" discusses the impact of the American lifestyle on the world and states that even the most conservation-friendly consumers may not be aware how much of an impact their lifestyles are having on the world. With ideas for solutions to help the world live a more ethical and earth-friendly life, "Everyday Justice" is a must for environmentally focused social issues collections.

Eye opening and practical

For anyone trying to live more righteously and more justly, this is the book for you. Julia defines "justice" in a Biblical sense. She then provides practical ways to live it out. She shows how we can act justly while purchasing coffee, chocolate, clothes and much more. This book has really opened my eyes to many of the injustices that go on around the world simply so we can purchase items for less money. At the end of every chapter, she provides a list of websites, books, and movies for anyone wanting to learn more about each subject. If you want to remain ignorant about your daily coffee and favorite chocolate bars, do not read this book. If you want your purchasing decisions to benefit instead of hurt others, read and study this book.

Challenges that are leading to changes in my life

Everyday Justice challenged me to become a more ethical consumer, based on biblical mandates for justice. If you've been running in social justice circles for a while then some of the topics in this book might be familiar (child slavery in the manufacture of chocolate, or fair wages for coffee farmers). However, Julie does cover some new ground that is both important and significant (more on that later...). However, one other thing that sets this book apart is its strong reliance on the Bible for supporting why it's important to think before you buy. In that respect, I would highly recommend this book for people who don't see why it's important to consider where the things they buy come from, or who choose what to buy based purely on finding the lowest price. The book explains that everything we buy is made from something and by someone, and it's manufacture, distribution, and disposal have consequences on the environment which in turn directly impacts someone, somewhere. It challenges us to look both ways along that stream to see the face of those who are impacted and make choices that honor them as beloved children of God. Then, as much as we are able, it challenges us not to be complicit with injustice, whether that be through paying unfair wages, misusing resources, or otherwise exploiting other people. It's not easy, but often it's possible to find alternatives to the current mainstream options, or to advocate for changes to the existing system. The book discusses both real solutions and real dilemmas that are confronted when trying to make changes. Through personal examples, Julie gives us a framework of examples for choosing among the "lesser of two evils". Like Julie, I would have been torn on whether to buy gas from the station who was causing pollution locally, or the one who was contributing to violence and injustice in another country. Everyone will be talking about the one thing that no one is talking about - disposable diapers/feminine products. It's kind of icky, but kudos to Julie for bringing it up. This is another one where we are encouraged to make the best choice given your situation. For instance, sometimes you are required to use disposable products (such as in daycares or nurseries), but you can still try to reduce consumption in other areas. A friend reminded me that in the film "Little Women", in pretty much every scene you could see the girls folding white cloths. In a house full of women...well, let's just say they weren't dish towels. If you aren't sure what to do without disposables, ask your mother, grandmother, or I'm guessing the majority of women in the world today. Thanks to the discussion of this topic in Everyday Justice, I went looking for what women in the developing world use for "sustainable" pads - and unfortunately, the options aren't good. The "homespun" options include rags, bark, and mud...and if rags are an option, many women don't have access to water to clean them. Without access to appropriate

Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices

Martin Luther King Jr. writes in From Where Do We Go From Here, "All men are interdependent. Every nation is an heir of a vast treasury of ideas and labor to which both the living and the dead of all nations have contributed. ...We are everlasting debtors to known and unknown men and women. When we arise in the morning, we go into the bathroom where we reach for a sponge which is provided for us by a Pacific islander. We reach for a soap that is created by a European. Then at the table we drink coffee which is provided for us by a South American, or tea by a Chinese or cocoa by a west African. Before we leave for our jobs we are already beholden to more than half the world....We are inevitably our brother's keeper, because we are our brother's brother. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly." Julie Clawson addresses exactly what Martin Luther King Jr. speaks of here in her new book, Everyday Justice. Clawson's book brings thoughtful reflection and awareness to some of the most profound and obscure breaches of justice that plague the world today. Some of the topics Clawson includes are the injustices found in coffee, clothing, and cocoa production, the car industry and the impact of oil consumption upon the environment, and even the rampant amount of waste created by a consumer society. The target audience of the book is the Christian living in America. Clawson claims that the Christian, who desires to follow the lessons of Christ and the principles of social justice within Christianity, must start to become aware and take responsibility for how consumption choices contributes and sets the stage for many of the human rights atrocities in the world today. But the book is not just for the Christian, it's for the socially and ethically conscious individual who wants to take, as Clawson says, small steps toward a better world. It suggests small steps toward a future free of exploitation. It suggests small steps toward building a better future. Given the controversial nature of some of the topics addressed in this book, some may criticize Clawson for not addressing all sides of every issue (the global warming debate, or the relative merits of fair trade, for instance). But given the limited scope of the book (only 206 pages) and the audience intended, it seems that Clawson's purpose is not to argue every issue in minute detail, but instead to give practical advice for ordinary people. With every chapter, Clawson lays out the issue and provides practical real life scenarios, vignettes which she calls "Everyday Practitioner", highlighting the individual inner conflict as well as specific "everyday" ways readers can make a difference. At the end of each chapter, she also provides recommendations of books, films and websites to look to for further information . On the chapter of Waste, she even gives a photography website that depicts a pictorial display of the impact of trash. In conclusion, Clawson opens and closes th

A Fresh and Faithful Account of Justice!

Julie Clawson has done superb work! It is really wonderful to read a book about justice that doesn't make me feel overwhelmed with guilt or feel like the author has sort of axe to grind against everyday people. I suggest that those in or entering the ministry, social work, or political world read this book. A++++