Warmer weather is on its way. Time to dig out the old T-shirts and buy some new ones. It’s also time to think about what slogans or pictures are on those shirts. After all, when we dress we often become a walking billboard for what we believe. One set of beliefs is described by these sayings (actually seen on shirts): “It’s All About Me;” “Silence is Golden, Duct Tape is Silver;” “Orgy of Hate;” “The last hope for humanity rests on a high powered machine gun;” “A woman’s place is chained to the stove.” Then there is the fuzzy-headed kid urinating on a person of a clearly definable ethnic origin. Other beliefs are expressed, of course, by crosses and religious references or Biblical quotes, but also by “I ♥ [person or place],” “World’s Greatest Mom,” “Do random acts of kindness,” and pictures of a grandchild or multi-ethnic group linking hands. The question to ask ourselves is, Does what I’m wearing reflect who I am inside? Now, about those bumper stickers……..
Tag Archive for shop
Filthy Fashion Scoreboard
Take a sensible approach to buying. Look at labels. Where were things made, and by whom? Are they making our Earth dirtier and in more danger? Check out this chart.
While You Shop, Do This
Use your immense power as a consumer. Ask where items you’re buying are made. Why? Activists to Retailers: Shoppers Need to Know Who’s Making the Clothes explains. Here’s a short excerpt:
“Consumers have more power than they think. If a store manager has their shoppers asking questions about where their clothes are being sourced, we think they are more likely to listen….In an industry where garment companies pocket huge profits whilst workers are being exploited…we want brands to listen to those who produce and buy their clothes.
“Asking a question as simple as ‘Who is making my clothes?’ takes into consideration how workers are being treated, where materials are coming from, and whether or not your clothing has been made sustainably. On average, garment workers in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and India receive 70 cents an hour for their 12-hour work days and live in poverty. Publishing supplier lists is one way to help consumers start shopping responsibly and improve conditions for garment workers.”
READ MORE AT http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/12/02/fashion-suppliers
Great Places to Shop Today
Mall is crowded. Are you getting a good deal online when you can’t see and touch the item? Who can use your money more–the CEO of a large corporation or your neighbors? Think about it. Then celebrate Small Business Saturday and shop at your neighbor-owned local stores. It’s good for them, for you, for your community, and even for the environment!
Following Our Kids’ Example
LOOK AT WHAT SHE’S WEARING! I’ve said this to myself often, impressed by colorful ethnic dress. But because I haven’t gone up to the person to compliment her, I’ve missed a chance to get to know someone new and probably learn something about a culture I’m not familiar with. Too often we miss such chances. People from ethnic backgrounds different from our own are all around us. We can grab the opportunity by sitting with them at church or asking to join their table at the Fellowship that follows. We can engage them in conversation at a party, during work breaks, before and after meetings. Where we are gathered gives us subjects to talk about (the meeting topic or a critique of what the boss said or a new place to shop in the area). Our kids have been doing this since 2002 nationally and locally at “Mix It Up at Lunch Day.” If we follow their lead we’ll enrich each other’s lives and build a stronger human community.
Bag It!
This time of year we tend to eat out more–a quick bite in the midst of shopping or leisurely dinner after a tiring day. Carry a couple of baggies in your purse for use as doggie/people bags so you avoid using a restaurant’s single-use plastic or Styrofoam containers. The bags can be washed out, turned inside out until thoroughly dried, and returned to your purse or car glove box (remember to grab them on the way in to eat).
[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]
School Clothes Shopping Idea
School clothes–two more Back-to-School ideas that are earth-friendly: Shop for school clothes made out of organic cotton or hemp. Look for recycled-plastic totes. Shop at thrift stores, which have like-new and even new items people bought then discarded.
[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]
Shopping Hint to Gift the World
Here’s an idea to follow this shopping season and throughout the year: Pre-cycle. That is, before you buy think about which items have the most waste in terms of excess packaging, natural resources used, and useful life-span before taking up room in the landfill. Then buy accordingly, choosing from all the gifting possibilities the ones that help protect Mother Earth, the world we live in.
[For more easy, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]
Are You Unwittingly Committing Bee-acide?
Your bee-friendly plants may be killing bees. According to a report from Friends of the Earth and the Pesticide Research Institute, some of those plants (like sunflowers) that you thought were bee-friendly have been treated–before they reach Lowe’s, Home Depot, and other garden centers–with pesticides that harm bees. The EPA’s new rules ban use of certain pesticides (those that contain imidacloprid, dinotefuran, clothianidin and thiamethoxam) where bees are present. But that doesn’t ensure that those lovely plants have not been infused with the stuff before they hit your store.
For more information, read the NBC Science News article “Bee-killing pesticide found in garden store plants: What does it mean?”
When you shop for plants for your garden, read their labels and ask if the plants have been treated with nerve-killing pesticides that harm and kill bees. If the answer is Yes, or if they don’t know, tell them you’ll shop elsewhere until they can assure you that their plants are not harmful.