How to Shop Your Values | Sustainability & Social Justice in Your Pocketbook
Changing the World One Purchase at a Time
Shop your values to create sustainability and social justice using your wallet. Shopping with social justice and sustainability in mind can change the world one purchase at a time. Connect your values to your pocketbook or wallet. World-wide problems such as hunger, mental illness, health, ecological concerns and others fill individuals with a sense of hopelessness due to their enormity. What can one individual do to right the imbalance in the world?
Recently I read the book How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas by David Bornstein. It was inspiring to read the accounts of ordinary individuals who saw the needs of others and enacted solutions. It left me considering my impact on the world.
I want to leave the world a better place because I lived. I found a way to implement my desire in entrepreneurs who were adopting a business model that sowed resources into a social problem or need with every sale. By partnering with these companies through my purchases, I could have a part in making the world a better place. I could use my pocketbook to help change the world. I could live the maxim, “Put your money where your mouth is.”
Sustainable Healthy Food
High Plains Food Co-op—Farm to table & Organic produce, Eat What you Grow
In 1962, Rachel Carlson’s groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, shared the dangers of pesticides, and could be considered a key component of the foundation of the Farm-to-table movement, advocating for food being grown in accord with nature.
In the face of a world food crisis, the Farm-to-Table movement offers a partial solution for a quality, sustainable food supply. Farm-to-Table enterprises include Farmers markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), and other venues where people can buy food directly from growers, with the table being the one at your house.
As a culture, when we move away from industrialized and processed foods that create soil erosion, air and water pollution, and the need for synthetic pesticides — we step into the realm of sustainable food and farming. And we meet a wealth of health benefits (for both ourselves and the world).
Pros & Cons
My son and I were discussing the pros and cons of joining a local Farm-to-Table Co-op. I suggested that the food was slightly more expensive. He countered with more pro’s than my lone con:
- The food is delivered to your door saving on transport cost.
- Much of it is organic.
- Your purchase supports local agriculture and community farmers.
- The cost to join a co-op is minimal
- The quality impact it could have on your food.
- New produce could lead to more culinary recipe explorations.
The High Plains Co-op represents 50+ family farmers across the high plains of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska – organic-minded farmers who want to heal the land. and spend more time with their families. Some are fifth generation farmers who want to bring jobs and children back to their family farms and rural communities by:
- Sustaining small family farms through fair income, connections to the marketplace and support for growth.
- Being transparent about production, processing and handling methods while connecting consumer with food production.
- I’ve curated recipes to use the fruit and veggies from my backyard garden in a cookbook available at amazon https://www.amazon.com/Eat-What-You-Grow-Homestead/dp/1497520959/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1546558314&sr=1-1&keywords=Eat+what+you+grow+by+Rachel+May
Sustainable Ecology—Earth Breeze
Earth Breeze Eco Sheets are liquidless detergent sheets which easily dissolve in hot or cold water to provide a powerful clean. This company addresses the issue of plastic litter on the planet.
Over 700,000,000 plastic jugs end up in landfills and oceans each year. Plastic island is over 1 million square miles. It is estimated that about 9% of plastic actually gets recycled. Even with recycling, hardly any of it is reused. By 2050 it is estimated that there will be more plastic than fish. We need to start protecting our wildlife.
Earth Breeze comes in an earth-friendly cardboard package instead of a wasteful plastic jug! Cardboard is much more sustainable, biodegradable, and eco-friendly than plastic. Plastic can take up to 1000 years to decompose. Earth Breeze is paraben free, pthalate free, phosphate free, bleach and dye free, vegan and cruelty free, works in high-efficiency machines, and is gray water and septic safe.
The company is a member of 1% For the Planet: https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/ . One percent of company revenue is given to non-profits in the most impactful ways possible. By supporting Earth Breeze, you support the planet. https://www.earthbreeze.com
Social Justice for Child Health With Alovea
Alovéa is a Public Benefit Corporation (social business) with nutritional products that was founded by two international not-for-profit organizations in order to provide sustainable solutions to the world’s most challenging health concerns.
The rise of chronic and infectious diseases continues as a growing world challenge. Immune deficiency, caused mainly by malnourishment and poor sanitation, makes children highly susceptible to chronic and infectious diseases. Over 6 million children die every year from these conditions while tens of millions more become disabled or mentally challenged for life.
Alovea’s Mission
Alovea’s mission is to provide the marketplace with the most proprietary, scientifically advanced nutrition products. Through the Buy 1, Nourish 2TM platform for social giving, Alovea donates that same nutritional support to the world’s most vulnerable, medically fragile chldren. for every serving of product purchased from Alovea, a serving of HOPE BoostTM is provided to a child in need.
HOPE Boost is a nutritional dense Alovéa AE™ infused powered blend that can easily be added to any type of meal, turning whatever these children have to eat, into the most nourishing meal they’ll ever eat. In areas of the world where access to health care is either deficient or non – existent, the activation of a child’s immune system has proven to be one of the most effective strategies for saving lives.
31,813,421 servings of nutritional support to children in need… and counting.
https://countryparsonswife.myalovea.com/
Mental illness Epidemic & Dr. Bonner’s soap
“Our world is grappling with epidemics of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction that modern pharmaceutical approaches often fail to adequately address. Psychedelic-assisted therapy is life-saving medicine that the world needs now, especially highly traumatized populations like veterans, first responders and marginalized communities generally. Our family is no stranger to severe depression and anxiety, and I’ve personally experienced the deep healing that these medicines can provide.”
said David Bronner, Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner’s.
Clinical Trials Show Promise for Psychedelic-assisted Therapy
Psychedelic-assisted therapy has shown great promise in clinical trials at John Hopkins, NYU, UCLA and elsewhere for treating severe psychological disorders. In 2017 and 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted “breakthrough status” for MDMA-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant PTSD, and psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression, respectively.
Breakthrough status means that the FDA considers that these therapies may demonstrate substantial improvement over other available options and prioritizes review of safety and efficacy studies in clinical trials accordingly. Canada recently approved psilocybin-therapy for people who are terminally ill and grappling with severe end-of-life anxiety.
$3,000,000 Donated this Year
Dr. Bronner’s, family-owned maker of the top-selling natural brand of soap in North America, has launched its Heal Soul campaign to support public education efforts, advocacy organizations, and political campaigns around the country, The company is working to mainstream psychedelic-assisted therapy and medicines to treat depression, PTSD, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety. The company has donated over $3 million this year to support these efforts and created a special limited edition “Heal Soul!” label on its 32oz. Castile Liquid Soaps now available nationwide. The label aims to educate the public about these life-saving therapies and medicines, and the advocacy organizations and ballot initiatives that are advancing this work. To read the “Heal Soul!” label in its entirety, please visit: https://bit.ly/2EUnoxb.
Healthy Lifestyle Choices
“Used in the right settings, in combination with good diet, fitness, and other healthy lifestyle choices, psychedelic-assisted therapies and medicines offer dramatic healing for many people suffering from depression, end-of-life anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health conditions,” said Michael Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner’s.
“Our Heal Soul message and campaign is about mainstreaming this conversation in a rational and compassionate way, to help enable access to these life-saving therapies as soon as possible with the goal of evaporating the misguided stigma that these medicines face.”
Endangered species–Chocolate bars to save the animals
Each year throughout its history, the Endangered Species company continued to commit to species, habitats and humanity around the globe. Besides crafting delicious chocolate, it also contributed over $2,600,000 to their GiveBack partners in support of conservation while supporting independent farmers in West Africa through Fairtrade sourcing. By donating 10% of the annual net profits to conservation organizations, they can continue to do their amazing work on behalf of wildlife every day.
OVER $2.6 MILLION TO THEIR CONSERVATION PARTNERS SINCE 2016
Micro-economics for Under privileged—Kiva loans for social justice
Kiva envisions a financially inclusive world where all people hold the power to improve their lives. More than 1.7 billion people around the world are unbanked and can’t access the financial services they need. Kiva is an international nonprofit, founded in 2005 in San Francisco, with a mission to expand financial access to help underserved communities thrive.
Social Justice through Crowdfunding Loans
Kiva uses crowdfunding loans to unlock capital for the underserved, improve the quality and cost of financial services, and addresses the underlying barriers to financial access around the world. Through Kiva’s work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment and families can afford needed emergency care.
Kiva’s belief that lending alongside thousands of others is one of the most powerful and sustainable ways to create economic and social good. Lending on Kiva creates a partnership of mutual dignity and makes it easy to touch more lives with the same dollar. Fund a loan, get repaid, fund another.
$25 to Change the World
By lending as little as $25 on Kiva, you can be part of the solution and make a real difference in someone’s life. 100% of every dollar you lend on Kiva goes to funding loans. https://www.kiva.org/
What’s your favorite social business? Comment on this article to share your favorite way to make an impact on the world.
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