Here is my situation: I want to buy a new car, or a bicycle helmet, or a new spatula.
And, I am willing to pay more money if I know that extra money is going to support cleaner industry, safer working conditions in developing countries, and environmental responsibility.
Furthermore, I want to avoid inadvertently supporting businesses, brands, and products that exhibit destructive behavior, especially wealth transferring (making their goods inexpensive by refusing to pay decent wages, harvesting raw materials unethically and refusing to clean up the mess their production processes create).
Here is my problem: I am in the house wares department looking at spatulas, and I can't tell Evil Corp from Good Guy Inc. Do I buy XYZ's spatula or ABC's spatula?
Where can I find a resource which rates companies and brands on their environmental and societal impact?
I have been looking, lest I receive an angry "STFI" in the comments section, for this type of information on the web. Here is what I have found:
gazelle.com - Nifty recycler of electronics
epeat.net - More or less what I wanted, except it's limited to computers
worldchanging.com - Green news media outlet
treehugger.com - Another green news media outlet
green.wikia.com - An environmental wikipedia of sorts
My next step is going to be writing a letter to the editor of the Bellingham Herald, very similar to the above. Maybe I can tap into all the earthy people around here. If it's out there, someone in Bellingham knows where to find it. I'll let you know how it goes.
And, I am willing to pay more money if I know that extra money is going to support cleaner industry, safer working conditions in developing countries, and environmental responsibility.
Furthermore, I want to avoid inadvertently supporting businesses, brands, and products that exhibit destructive behavior, especially wealth transferring (making their goods inexpensive by refusing to pay decent wages, harvesting raw materials unethically and refusing to clean up the mess their production processes create).
Here is my problem: I am in the house wares department looking at spatulas, and I can't tell Evil Corp from Good Guy Inc. Do I buy XYZ's spatula or ABC's spatula?
Where can I find a resource which rates companies and brands on their environmental and societal impact?
I have been looking, lest I receive an angry "STFI" in the comments section, for this type of information on the web. Here is what I have found:
gazelle.com - Nifty recycler of electronics
epeat.net - More or less what I wanted, except it's limited to computers
worldchanging.com - Green news media outlet
treehugger.com - Another green news media outlet
green.wikia.com - An environmental wikipedia of sorts
My next step is going to be writing a letter to the editor of the Bellingham Herald, very similar to the above. Maybe I can tap into all the earthy people around here. If it's out there, someone in Bellingham knows where to find it. I'll let you know how it goes.
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1 comment:
Hey Jared,
I am enjoying watching you pursue the environmental responsibility path you are taking. My only thought from this blog (other than thanks for all the links) is that if at all possible it is still better to wait and buy second hand if you can. Not always possible, and usually takes some patience but I think in the long run that is the even better thing to do. Thoughts?
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