The reality is that for a variety of reasons, much of the world is a cruel place. I abhor cruelty, and so I've made a conscious effort, wherever possible, to buy local. My husband and I buy our milk and eggs and chickens from a local farm. We've visited the farm, and the animals are humanely treated. Unlike at many dairy farms, the calves are not removed from their mothers after just 1-2 days. They stay with their mothers for several months, until they are naturally weaned. The chickens have a large pastured area as well as a sheltered coop. The chickens used for meat are slightly more confined, but still have access to fresh air, light, pasture and shelter. We try to support local farmers' markets as well, and buy organic meat, often from local sources where we've visited the farm.

When I buy wool, I have bought from farms like Morehouse farms, shetland wool from small scale operations or alpaca from co-ops, but I often didn't in the past because it's more expensive… however, after reading this article, I'll stick to buying from small scale operations regardless of the cost. If one had to buy commercial wool, however, buying from Australia or New Zealand is going to be more humane than buying from China.

The problem with forgoing things like wool or silk (which kills the silkworms unless you get ahimsa silk or peace silk) and going for cotton or bamboo instead – cotton cultivation also causes a great deal of environmental damage.

One thing that would help a lot, honestly – for people to stop supporting the outrageous fashion industry where people just buy so many clothes. How many sets of clothes does one need? And why do people change their wardrobes so often? I try to wear my clothes out. I'll spend the money to get a good quality garment and I'll wear it for 10 years … if we bought clothes less often, we'd be a far less burden on the earth. Also, when I knit garments, I recycle them every once in a while – re-wind the skeins and re-knit. I think there are so many areas where people are wasteful – houses that are too large, too many clothes, toys, etc. Sometimes it's OK to say "I don't need that".