Episode 45 - 2020 Wrap-up Quiz

In this episode, Kyla and Kristen say goodbye to 2020 with a wrap-up quiz, featuring previous guests Brianna Botchwey, Fariya Mohiuddin, and Alexandra Sundarsingh. The group looks back at ethical consumption trends and issues from throughout the year.

Question 1. Which company has benefitted the most financially from the pandemic?

A: Amazon, which added $401.1 billion in 2020.

Details

  • Followed by Microsoft ($270 billion), Apple ($219 billion), Tesla ($108 billion), and Tencent ($93 billion)

  • Jeff Bezos’ net worth increased $48 billion from March to June 2020.

  • Seven of the world’s 50 richest people have increased their net worth by more than 50% since the pandemic began.

You can play the game You Are Jeff Bezos for a quick fun tutorial on why billionaires shouldn’t exist.

Revisit our episode on tax justice with Fariya!

Question 2. Which team started the NBA players’ wildcat strike when they refused to take the floor for a playoff game on August 26?

A: the Milwaukee Bucks

Details

  • The wildcat strike was a response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI on 23 August 2020

  • They were set to play game 5 of their playoff series against the Orlando Magic.

  • The three remaining games that day were also postponed.

Question 3. Name the top five sugar producing countries.

A:

  • Brazil

  • India

  • China

  • Thailand

  • USA

Revisit our episode on sugar with Lex!

Question 4. Which major Canadian co-operative was recently sold to a US private investment firm?

A: MEC

Question 5. We’ve talked about thrift shopping a lot on the show. In what year was Macklemore’s Thrift Shop released?

A: 2012

Revisit our episode with Brianna on exclusion and privilege in ethical consumption, with a focus on the fashion industry!

Question 6. In our second episode of the podcast, we talked about alternative milks. One alternative milk company is facing calls of a boycott recently after accepting $200 million in investment from the private equity firm Blackstone. Name that plant milk brand.   

A: Oatly

Details

Question 7. Farmers in Denmark recently killed 17 million of which animal because of coronavirus outbreaks on farms? 

A: Mink

Details

  • More than 200 COVID-19 cases in the country were linked to sick mink on fur farms in Denmark. The mink initially caught the virus from humans.

  • Part of the reason that the virus spread so quickly is that farmed mink are not genetically diverse, which can make them more susceptible to disease transmission. The same is true of other kinds of animal farming.

  • Mink fur is used in some fake eyelash products, especially in China and Hong Kong.

  • Denmark is the world’s largest mink fur producer. It has 1,000 mink farms out of 4,350 across Europe.

  • Fur production is banned in the UK, Austria, and Germany, while Belgium, France, and Norway are phasing it out. The Netherlands announced plans to shut down its mink industry by 2021.

Question 8. This fall the Government of Canada reaffirmed its commitment to implementing a ban on single-use plastics. For one point each, can you name any items that will be banned?

A:

  • Checkout bags

  • Stir sticks

  • Beverage six-pack rings

  • Cutlery

  • Straws

  • Food packaging made from plastics that are difficult to recycle

Bonus: can anyone name a form of plastic that Canada has already banned?

A: Microbeads

Details

Question 9. There are 7.8 billion people in the world and 2,153 billionaires. If you combine the estimated wealth of those 2,153 billionaires, it exceeds the wealth of how many people?

A: 4.6 billion people

Details

  • The world’s richest 1% have more than twice as much wealth as 6.9 billion people.

  • The combined wealth of the world’s 22 richest men is more than the wealth of all the women in Africa.

Winner: Brianna

Brianna asked us to donate to the Iqaluit Humane Society, as they’re raising money for a new shelter! What a rad charity, Kyla and Kristen were happy to each make a donation as the quiz prize!