OTESHA GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Fair Trade - Fair trade is an exchange that puts people before profit. Fair trade ensures that intermediaries are minimized and economic benefits remain where they are most needed - with growers, their families, and communities. Examples of fair trade products are cocoa, chocolate, coffee, and sugar.

Vegetarianism - Vegetarianism is an umbrella term that generally describes a diet that does not include any red or white meat. A vegetarian may, however, consume milk products, eggs, or animal by-products. Veganism is a stricter subset of vegetarianism that does not include any animal products or by-products. Therefore, they do not eat anything that comes from an animal.

Cradle to Cradle - As opposed to the conventional habit of viewing consumables as 'cradle to grave," cradle to cradle means to envision a future where consumer products are so efficient in design that they are either infinitely in use or else of benefit to the earth through their waste (ie. compostable running shoes). In terms of present action, cradle to cradle advocates should work towards understanding the complex lives of the products they consume including the questions who, what, where, when, and why in order to make the most informed and sustainable choices.

Ecological Footprint - An ecological footprint is all of the productive land required on a continuing basis to provide all the resources consumed and absorb all the wastes created by a population, no matter where in the world that land is located. It can also be used to describe the land similarly required in the creation of a product.

Organic - Organic foods are produced without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or genetic modification. To obtain certification, the food must be produced in this fashion for a minimum of seven years.

Culture Jamming - Despite being in what may seem as a totally "normal and expected" situation, the culture jammer questions the status quo and does the unexpected action to highlight and change the absurdity of our everyday, unquestioned, copiously consuming actions. For example, waving at road rage or taking tupperwares to fast food restaurants are all forms of culture jamming.

Critical Mass - The point at which a group of cyclists have the collective power to dictate how traffic will run. Rather then being brushed to the side they take over the road.

Adbusting - Adbusting is turning advertising against itself. Usually involves creatively changing existing advertisements to show the truth about the product.

GMO's - Genetically modified organisms are any plant or animal that has had its DNA changed in a lab. Usually used to make foods bigger, more flavourful, or colourful.

Factory Farm - Factory farms are industrial sized animal farms with a goal of maximizing meat production. They involve large numbers of animals, small spaces, antibiotics and hormones and produce large amounts of waste.

Sustainability - Traditionally, "sustainable actions" are those that meet the needs of our generation without sacrificing the needs of future generations. In Otesha, sustainable actions are considered those that meet our daily needs with minimal negative social and environmental impacts (and maximizing positive impacts).