It’s the season. Do you feel it? Or did we stop feeling it a while ago? Has the holiday of love turned into just another day of mass consumerism? Do I sound negative? I hope not because nothing is as important to me as love. Even though the Easter candy is on the shelves and it’s not yet Valentine’s Day, I do still have hope.
Our economy is crumbling and we are getting mixed messages. “Use less America, but spend more to stimulate”. How about this instead, “use less and spend wisely”. It’s time to consider more with each purchase. It’s time to love!
“Every purchase we make has an economic, social and moral consequence” (1) If we think along those lines we will be forced to make different decisions in our everyday lives. It is time to assert our power as consumers. From 2000-2005 Walmart stocks declined 20%. For me following this company is a guilty business pleasure, like listening to right wing radio; it gets me mad and forces me into action. Walmart attributed their decline to “headline risk”, a term they coined. Issues of health care, the environment, labor practices and lawsuits filled the headlines. Enter in energy efficient light bulbs and green commercials to green their image. They are about as far from a green company as you can be; yet they made this round about decision because consumers spoke. Walmart has over 100 million customers. That means if each customer bought just one compact fluorescent light bulb, it would: Keep 22 billion lbs of coal from burning at power plants and equate to removing 700,000 cars worth of greenhouse gases from the air. (2) It is worth mentioning here that these bulbs are made with mercury and if not recycled properly we are simply polluting our landfills and environment further.
I know in my heart that the people that run organic companies already care a little bit more. They pay the fees and sacrifice their bottom lines to do the right thing. In the wake of the discovery that Peanut Corp knowingly shipping contaminated product, while operating in a roach infected factory that was covered in mold and had leaky ceilings; is run by a different type of person than I want to support. As silly as it sounds, I doubt those people at Peanut Corp have love in their hearts. It was all about the bottom line and because of that more than 500 people are sick and at least eight may have already died. (3)
It’s time to consider love. Is it organic? What is it wrapped it? Were those roses treated with pesticides? Who is this company and what do they stand for? Do they pay their employees well? Is it made in our country? Who does it benefit and whom does it harm?
“Corporation” has become a bad word in our language, but people run corporations and we can’t forget that. There are some people in this world that do the right thing simply because they care, maybe even love. Companies like Superfood Snacks, Guayaki and The GoodOnYa Bar are using a material called NatureFlex in their packaging. It’s made from a sustainable source of wood and it’s certified biodegradable and compostable.
Companies are trying to survive, all companies, and it will be interesting to see which ones are still around in 2015 when Suzy Orman claims we will past this crisis. Do we, as consumers, get a say in who will be around? Lets rebuild from the bottom up and create a world with the types of corporations that care. Lets trickle up and let’s love.
(1) Adbusters magazine
(2) walmart.com
(3) http://www.myfoxdfw.com
