Chances are that if I'm shopping at a chain, I am probably not shopping fairly. At the head of chains are the CEOs and the vice so and sos, etc., who I frankly do not wish to make any richer. I'd rather give my money to the independent bookstore owner, possibly enabling him to take his family out to one more nice dinner rather than put another BMW in Mr. CEO's driveway. I don't really buy that many books at one time, but you get the idea.
There are a few concessions I will make to chain consuming. 1) Whole Foods is a chain, but many fair trade products are sold there and they do their part to help the farmers and chocolate makers, etc. Starbucks uses fair trade coffee. 'Nuff said. 2) My grandma is just flat out not going to understand what the hell I'm doing. I can take on corporate America, but making her mad because I don't want to go to her favorite chain restaurant is a monster that I do not wish to take down. She's really a sweet lady, she's just used to things being her way. 3) If I absolutely can't find a product that is organic or fair trade. Plus, if someone has a small business and makes their living by way of their own craft, I'm not going to turn away because they didn't use organic cotton. I think most of the morals are there on that one. There is another thing, indirect chain product buying. The second hand stores I go to are for a good cause. Even though these clothes were up for sale originally straight from unfair working conditions, the fact is that these discarded clothes would otherwise end up in landfills. I hope that's not too many concessions. I think they are rightfully valid.
I'm also going to have to look at gas. There really is no fair trade gas. In fact, it's the center of a Middle East conflict. I've decided to ride the metro to school and work because there are stops near each place. Why I felt the need to drive there when there is already public transportation to get me there is beyond me. I guess it was all part of my "need more stuff" mantra. I do realize that it takes energy and thus probably oil to run the Metrolink, but I figure it is shared, versus me pumping and using my own everyday. Because we don't have that great of a public transportation system, there will be times when I will need my car. Here's a brilliant idea that I'm sure no one has ever thought of: instead of joining a gym, I can ride my bike to and fro the stations to the places of interest. It's crazy and complex, I know.
I am setting up the blog a little early in order to not be a total cliche when it comes to a new year's resolution. I'm not starting the challenge until January 1st, but I'm putting all the gears into motion to catapult me into this whole thing.
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Starbucks doesn't uniformly use Fair Trade certified coffee, and they don't offer any Fair Trade organic coffees (only one Fair Trade but not organic option and one organic but not Fair Trade option) either to drink or as whole bean. Like Whole Foods, Starbucks chooses not to pay to have third-party certification in order to save money and maximize their negotiating (exploiting) power with their producers. We are asked to trust them, but both chains bust unions among their own employees so they're clearly not embodying the 'fair trade' principles in their own stores.
ReplyDeleteFor coffee, I recommend Equal Exchange beans, which are both Fair Trade certified and organic.