Fair Trade & Ethically Made, Social Justice

Social Justice Sunday: The Easy Way YOU Can Have a Say in Making the World a Better Place

I think it’s actually kind of fitting that my regularly scheduled Social Justice Sunday post falls on New Year’s Eve so that we can end the year with a little bit of inspiration! Y’all know that I am a big advocate of purchasing ethically produced products–that is, goods that are produced in a way that is kind to people and the environment. This quote is something that I hope inspires all of us as we enter the new year:

Every time you spend money, you are casting a vote for the kind of world that you want. - Anna Lappe
via

It’s true. In the capitalistic society we live in, our dollars are one of the best ways we can have our voices heard. When you purchase a cheaply-made sweater at a minimum wage superstore, you are casting a vote for more of those sweaters and more of those superstores. This likely means continued poor working conditions and bad wages for impoverished people and sloppy environmental practices. On the flip side, when you purchase something that has been produced ethically, you cast a vote for ethical production. And, when you choose not to purchase something at all, you cast a vote for less production, which is a big win for planet Earth.

I hope you feel empowered by this, friends! The seemingly mundane choices you make every day about which brand of tortilla chips to buy or whether you should purchase that cheap trinket MATTER. They matter to the earth that is impacted by the goods we produce, and they matter to the real people who are working in our supply chains.

Happy New Year, y’all! Let’s make 2018 a great one, full of votes that reflect the world we want to see!

xoxo Laura

P.S. – The author of the quote is actually Anna Lappé, not Anna Lapee, but you know, technicalities. It was a cute graphic…what can I say?

5 comments

  1. Hear hear! This is always a great reminder. I usually don’t do much purchasing at all, since I’m trying more and more to reduce my footprint on the world, but when I do purchase I try to support companies that align with my values and provide living wage. This is a great reminder to start off 2018 and stay focused on voting with our dollars.

  2. What a great reminder for starting off the new year! As I’m on quite a budget I try not to buy anything frivolous at all, but for Christmas this year I made an effort to buy all of my friends’ and family’s gifts from ethically transparent companies, and it felt good knowing that my money was going toward places that make a difference. I’m hoping to carry this mindset into 2018!

  3. Very empowering post and something to consider in the New Year! Alot of decisions go into purchases for the family and I admit we could do better with ethical choices.

  4. This is a great reminder! Especially as we enter into a new year, it’s a good time to evaluate things we buy and how our consumerism affects others and how powerful our purchases really can be.

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