Words to own.

As I attempt to update my Assignments page, I came across as assignment that I thought I covered, but don't see any proof of it. I think it was just in my head and on various scraps of paper and Word documents. I also kind of addressed it in my first post, but I think I can expand.

Pick a name for your blog that fits your topic and your personal brand. Investigate keywords, keyword pairs, and keyword phrases that you want your blog to "own".

So, instead of listing those keywords here, I decided to add a page to the sidebar of my blog. That way, I can edit it easily.

The Starbucks conundrum!

This post, from the "Ethical Consumption" area of Just Means, addresses a very specific issue that I always grapple with: Starbucks vs. local coffee shops.

It's common knowledge that Starbucks is a mega-corporate international company.  People think that Starbucks killed mom and pop businesses. Starbucks has bought out and absorbed smaller businesses. In short, Starbucks is evil. In Portland, a world of Stumptown coffee snobs and award winning baristas, admitting that you patronize Starbucks is tantamount to blasphemy.

As someone who prefers tea, I find little on the menu at coffee shops that entice me. However, I adore Tazo Tea Chai. It's sweet, not spicy, and is one of my favorite drinks. I used to work just blocks from the Tazo Tea factory, and could smell the chai brewing when I rode my bike past. But once Starbucks bought Tazo Tea, I could only get my chai at Starbucks. Local coffee and tea shops could only sell Dragonfly Chai, or Oregon Chai, neither of which do much for my taste buds.

The Tazo Tea factory is still there. I know people who work there. So although Starbucks is now a big corporation, they still have a local presence, at least in my life. And as Ruchira Shah points out: "Starbucks was once a small coffee shop itself." 


While I do believe in supporting local businesses, I can't ignore the impact that larger businesses (evil corporations) can have. Starbucks is making efforts at sustainability, and with their network of suppliers and retailers, they have the opportunity to really make a difference. And they're trying: they were the very first company to get approval from the FDA to use recycled content food containers. They have a line of fair trade products. Leftover coffee grounds are available for composting upon request. And there are dozens of other examples of how Starbucks is using their power for good. 


So, is patronizing Starbucks ethically responsible? Is it a moral vote with your dollars? What do you think?

Consume less. Shop locally. Buy used.

It's not enough to just vote with your dollars... There are other ways of being an ethical consumer.

Consume less. Most of the things we buy will ultimately be thrown away. If not by us, then by whoever it was handed down to. Do you really need it?

Shop locally. Spending dollars in your own economy means the money goes to your friends and neighbors. There have been several studies done that show where your money goes when you shop at a local, independent store vs. a national chain. Local businesses keep anywhere between 32-45% of money in their own community, while chains only kept 13-16% in the community where they were located. (sources here here and here.) Local sources are also often willing to barter.

Buy used. Most items you find at the Goodwill, on craigslist and through hand-me-downs has only been gently used. It's still good! You get to save money and save those materials from going into a landfill. And you prevent materials being used to make a new product. It's a win-win.

Four Different Ways of Voting With Your Wallet

In Ethical Consumer magazine, four ways of buying goods ethically are listed. They are as follows:

• Positive Buying
  This means favouring particular ethical products, such as energy saving lightbulbs.
• Negative Purchasing
  This means avoiding products that you disapprove of, such as battery eggs or gas-guzzling cars.
• Company-Based Purchasing
  This means targeting a business as a whole and avoiding all the products made by one company. For example, the Nestle boycott has targeted all its brands and subsidiaries in a bid to get the company to change the way it markets its baby milk formula across the world.
• Fully-Screened Approach
  This means looking both at companies and at products and evaluating which product is the most ethical overall.

It's interesting that "ethical consumerism" is as much about taking action (buying a sustainable product) as it is about inaction (making a point to not purchase unsustainable goods from unsustainable companies.) The first three are tactics that I employ every day. I buy energy saving light bulbs and things made from recycled and recyclable materials. I stay away from "bad" products like plastic utensils and bottled water. I do not patronize businesses if I am aware that they have questionable practices or product ingredients. The fully-screened approach is the hardest. Because really, just the act of consuming something seems unsustainable, at least at the scale we are right now.

Link: Ethical Consumer Magazine

Ethical Consumer is the UK's leading alternative consumer organisation. We research the social and environmental records of companies.

Though Ethical Consumer Magazine is based in the UK, it still contains a wealth of information that is valuable and useful to consumers worldwide. Their website contains buyers' guides, boycott information, consumer reports and tips for shopping ethically.

Welcome!

What is ethical consumerism?

eth·i·cal adj

1.            consistent with agreed principles of correct moral conduct

2.            relating to or involving ethics

syn: Moral. Principled. Right. Fair. Decent. Just.

consumerism (con·sum·er) n

1.            somebody who buys goods or services

2.            somebody or something that consumes something, by eating it, drinking it, or using it up

syn: Consumer. Customer. Shopper. Buyer. User. Purchaser. End user. Punter. Patron. Supporter. Fan. Benefactor. Sponsor. Client. Investor.

This blog seeks to provide information and resources for consumers who have questions about where their money goes.