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I am a poor college student, tens of thousands of dollars in debt. But thanks to our economy’s system of credit availability, I still have buying power. Of course, I keep a tight budget, but I can only be so frugal—sometimes, I just have to treat myself.
Lately I’ve wanted a new bag. Browsing at a gift shop, I was drawn to a cute tote bag that was bright orange, my favorite color right now. Upon further inspection, I saw that it was well-designed with convenient pockets for a cell phone and pens (a feature lacking in most totes I’ve seen), made of durable 100% biodegradable canvas by a hip design firm in New York. A bag I could see myself using every day, eco-friendly, in my favorite color—for only $22. I was very tempted to buy it.
After sleeping on it, though, I realized that, as a designer who owns a sewing machine, I could easily duplicate the bag myself. So I decided not to buy it. Instead, I added “make an orange tote bag” to my list of projects.
The next day, I walked into a fair trade import shop and found a small, blue backpack made of recycled rice bags from Cambodia. I had an immediate emotional connection to it because it was reminiscent of my childhood in the Philippines. But at $38, its design wasn’t any more clever than the orange tote I rejected. And again, I could probably make something similar myself if I really wanted to. It was neat, but I couldn’t justify spending the $38.
Until I flipped over the tag, which read: “This product is handcrafted by landmine & polio disabled artisans and the disadvantaged persons.”
Among the many problems in this world, a big one that I’m sympathetic to is the lack of jobs for the disabled. At this point in my life, I have yet to contribute anything to solving that problem.
I spend a lot of money on myself. Rewarding myself with little luxuries, like high-quality chocolate from Venezuela or a new pair of shoes, makes it easier for me to work as hard as I do. I don’t give money to charity. My reasoning is that I’m a poor college student, so I can’t afford to just give money away like that. Yet I give money away nearly every day to businesses when I buy my morning cup of coffee, when I buy someone a gift, when I buy basic needs like groceries or household items.
There is a wonderful organization called Carrotmob (carrotmob.org) that rewards responsible businesses by sending mobs of consumers to buy their products. As a group, they make a loud statement and a big impact. Individually, we too support and reward the businesses we give our money to. We don’t have to join an organization to make an impact; simply being mindful of which particular brand of product we buy can be the difference between perpetuating socially and environmentally destructive business practices, and facilitating the growth of healthy business practices. As consumers, we are not only the most privileged people in the world, but the most powerful demographic for making change happen in business practices. (Face it: businesses will always be driven first and foremost by profit.)
I did some research on the blue backpack, wholesaled by Gecko Traders Inc. The web site quotes: “Each product sold provides a sustainable living to Cambodian weavers and producers, many of whom are female heads of households, disabled due to polio or landmine injury, or young women pulled from brothels and taught a trade.” I wanted a new bag, and I knew that no matter what, I would end up buying a new bag. This was a cause that I supported, and a cause I couldn’t do much else for. So I bought the backpack. I love it, and I’ll probably use it on a regular basis.
I’m happy because I have a cute new bag. Gecko Traders’ stockholders are happy because the business is profiting. And somewhere in Cambodia, a woman is happy because she no longer has to be a prostitute to make a living. A happy ending for all!
Lately I’ve wanted a new bag. Browsing at a gift shop, I was drawn to a cute tote bag that was bright orange, my favorite color right now. Upon further inspection, I saw that it was well-designed with convenient pockets for a cell phone and pens (a feature lacking in most totes I’ve seen), made of durable 100% biodegradable canvas by a hip design firm in New York. A bag I could see myself using every day, eco-friendly, in my favorite color—for only $22. I was very tempted to buy it.
After sleeping on it, though, I realized that, as a designer who owns a sewing machine, I could easily duplicate the bag myself. So I decided not to buy it. Instead, I added “make an orange tote bag” to my list of projects.
The next day, I walked into a fair trade import shop and found a small, blue backpack made of recycled rice bags from Cambodia. I had an immediate emotional connection to it because it was reminiscent of my childhood in the Philippines. But at $38, its design wasn’t any more clever than the orange tote I rejected. And again, I could probably make something similar myself if I really wanted to. It was neat, but I couldn’t justify spending the $38.
Until I flipped over the tag, which read: “This product is handcrafted by landmine & polio disabled artisans and the disadvantaged persons.”
Among the many problems in this world, a big one that I’m sympathetic to is the lack of jobs for the disabled. At this point in my life, I have yet to contribute anything to solving that problem.
I spend a lot of money on myself. Rewarding myself with little luxuries, like high-quality chocolate from Venezuela or a new pair of shoes, makes it easier for me to work as hard as I do. I don’t give money to charity. My reasoning is that I’m a poor college student, so I can’t afford to just give money away like that. Yet I give money away nearly every day to businesses when I buy my morning cup of coffee, when I buy someone a gift, when I buy basic needs like groceries or household items.
There is a wonderful organization called Carrotmob (carrotmob.org) that rewards responsible businesses by sending mobs of consumers to buy their products. As a group, they make a loud statement and a big impact. Individually, we too support and reward the businesses we give our money to. We don’t have to join an organization to make an impact; simply being mindful of which particular brand of product we buy can be the difference between perpetuating socially and environmentally destructive business practices, and facilitating the growth of healthy business practices. As consumers, we are not only the most privileged people in the world, but the most powerful demographic for making change happen in business practices. (Face it: businesses will always be driven first and foremost by profit.)
I did some research on the blue backpack, wholesaled by Gecko Traders Inc. The web site quotes: “Each product sold provides a sustainable living to Cambodian weavers and producers, many of whom are female heads of households, disabled due to polio or landmine injury, or young women pulled from brothels and taught a trade.” I wanted a new bag, and I knew that no matter what, I would end up buying a new bag. This was a cause that I supported, and a cause I couldn’t do much else for. So I bought the backpack. I love it, and I’ll probably use it on a regular basis.
I’m happy because I have a cute new bag. Gecko Traders’ stockholders are happy because the business is profiting. And somewhere in Cambodia, a woman is happy because she no longer has to be a prostitute to make a living. A happy ending for all!
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